Against my better judgement, I took my wife's 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 pick-up to the local dealer to have it checked out for poor engine performance. While the truck was in the service area, I was looking at the new 2008 Jeep Unlimited Rubicons and test drove one. The salesman was great! I tried to buy/lease a new Jeep using the Dodge truck as down-payment. The service department was contacted by the salesman and was told that my truck needed, at the minimal, a $400 "heavy duty" tune-up and couldn't be used as a trade.
After talking to the salesman and service rep, I found out what a "heavy-duty" tune-up was... Replace plugs, wires, distributor, rotor and do some "intake manifold cleaning" and "carbon build-up removal" and was told if I didn't have the work done I would have to pay the "diagnostic fee". My wife needed the truck for work, so I had the "heavy-duty" tune-up done even though it was tuned-up with plugs, cap and rotor less than 6 months ago. I left the dealership while the repair was being done. When I returned to pick-up truck, I was presented with a list of "necessary" maintenence and repairs that "might" be covered by my extended warranty and was asked, "when do you want to schedule for these, next week?" I paid the bill and left with the vehicle and the "feeling" that I had been "screwed" by the dealership. Problem??? You bet! The "$400 heavy-duty" tune-up made the engine run worse, less gas mileage, and now none of the turn-signals, gauges, work properly and the truck's engine started dying at intersections! I don't know what kind of "heavy-duty" tune-up it will need now, BUT, the dealer's service department wants to look at it again, they may have missed something. Maybe, now it needs another $400 heavy-duty something! We will see!
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