Buick35 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I wondered if anyone experienced taking a pre war car to a modern dealership for servicing and what was their reaction or out come. I thought of asking a Buick dealer to adjust the mechanical brakes on my 35 just to see their reaction.Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) Asking for service would be like asking for a million bucks! Hell, they would probably say “they made cars back then?” Or at best would say “what do you mean adjust mechanical brakes, I didn’t know that was possible and I didn’t know brakes were mechanical!” “I’ll need to find the part number on the computer first” Edited November 11, 2020 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 31 minutes ago, Buick35 said: I wondered if anyone experienced taking a pre war car to a modern dealership for servicing and what was their reaction or out come. I thought of asking a Buick dealer to adjust the mechanical brakes on my 35 just to see their reaction.Greg Be careful..........you may get what you ask for! 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Harper Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Ha, ha! back in the 90's I took my 1968 MGB in to get an inspection. After a bit of waiting the mechanic came in and told me it didn't pass inspection because the ball joints were bad. So... I asked him to show them too me. Once up on the lift he was a pretty much confounded since the MG used king pins..... I got the sticker. 4 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pont35cpe Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) Just 2wk ago i took my `82 S-10(far from pre-war) in for an alignment, after installing all new parts. I was told "that vehicle uses shims, that`d take us hours to do". I left. Edited November 11, 2020 by pont35cpe (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonMicheletti Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Try a simple tune up. Modern mechanics dont even know what points are. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I'd like to take my 30 DeSoto to a Chrysler dealer for a service. Show them the lube chart with 39 places that need lubrications and see their reaction. Should be priceless. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdc Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Reminds me like this one: 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Heck, I've been having second thoughts about taking my 1995 F350 back to the dealership that I bought it from fearing that they wont work on old stuff. I was thinking LOF and replace all of the 25 year old hoses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 The service station ( is that an archaic description?) I use is run by two brothers who inherited it from their father and were my former students in elementary school. They both like older cars and do my annual state inspections and over a decade or more ago when I brought one car in was underneath it with them to explain some kind of part or system function and they were most appreciative. One went up with me to Byron York's shop in Ct. and was really impressed with a shop full of pre war cars and Byron and his staff. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfudd Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I've thought it might be fun to take my 1907 single-cylinder Cadillac to a Cadillac dealer and say: "My check engine light is on. Can you plug in your computer and tell me why?" 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 The local Buick dealer can't even fix my 2019 Buick. I guess if you want your pre-war car broken, they can do it as well as anyone else. 7 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Oh, y'all are wicked... That's why Virginia exempts antique-licensed vehicles from the state safety inspection. Odds are a mechanic unfamiliar with them would do more damage than repair. Couple years back gas mileage dropped on my 93 F150 and when I took it to an independent shop I've used for years for a tuneup, the SM told me they no longer had a timing light in their shop, and the mechanic who handled older cars had finally retired at 71. A 27 year old vehicle is not an older car. Well, not THAT old... and said truck is just electronic enough that I'm not comfortable working on it meself. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 11 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said: The local Buick dealer can't even fix my 2019 Buick. I guess if you want your pre-war car broken, they can do it as well as anyone else. That is proof if any were needed that modern vehicles are too damn complicated. After I retired I looked at a new 2017 F150. The sales brochure was the size of a small-town phone book and well over 2/3 of it was about the truck's technology features, 90% of which I neither need nor would use. Asked the sales manager what happens when all this stuff starts failing in 10-15 years. "Well, we hope you'd be back to buy another one before that happens". Bought a 65k mile '08. And it has more electronics than I like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29hupp Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I was listening to a weekly car repair guy on the radio and somebody called in asking about repairing a vehicle that had a distributor. The car guy told him to find a garage that had a mechanic with grey hair. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I did take my 38 to a valovine oil change as a friend owned it. The kids had no idea but the owner was there and we Axa good laugh when we told them to do a lube no on it. The owner had to go down in the pit to get it done 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreen Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 1 hour ago, rocketraider said: That is proof if any were needed that modern vehicles are too damn complicated. After I retired I looked at a new 2017 F150. The sales brochure was the size of a small-town phone book and well over 2/3 of it was about the truck's technology features, 90% of which I neither need nor would use. Asked the sales manager what happens when all this stuff starts failing in 10-15 years. "Well, we hope you'd be back to buy another one before that happens". Bought a 65k mile '08. And it has more electronics than I like. It doesn't take 10 - 15 years for stuff to start failing. Heck, the computer systems become obsolete in 3 to 5 years. Can you imagine a car running with a Commadore 64 after five years? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Cole Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 2 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: The local Buick dealer can't even fix my 2019 Buick. I guess if you want your pre-war car broken, they can do it as well as anyone else. Same thing with my 2019 Escalade. I'm at the point where I wouldn't trust them to adjust the chain on a bicycle. But what choice do I have other than keep taking it back again and again for the same screwed up electronic problems that they can't fix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Porsche has the books and support to get the restoration job done, I restored a 1974 911. Porsche was awesome, every single clip and fastener I needed was available, makes life easy. Depends on the dealership, my son works at a Ford dealership, they have one mechanic for old Ford cars and trucks, yes he is old also. Check to see if the dealership is able to do the work you are asking for, then talk to the mechanic to see if they really are capable. Had a friend of mine take his 1933 Graham in for alignment, they did not have the specks to do the job, if he had done the research first and gotten the specs, I think they would have done the car. Just like going to NAPA they have lots of old car parts, none of the new guys know how to find, I can still get a master cylinder kit for my 1929 Graham-Paige, but it is not listed that way. ... and no I would not trust them unless it were an emergency 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 4 hours ago, DonMicheletti said: Modern mechanics... I believe your reference is somewhat an oxymoron. I think they're now called "technicians" (WTFTM ?) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Dealer service dept's are there to be a profit center. To do that the turn around time has to be ASAP. Add to their overhead all the special tools both hard and soft ware that they MUST buy from the car company every year, and the rapidly and ever changing technology and you can see why they have neither the time nor interest in your old iron. Back in the day all the cars were more or less similar and usually a problem could be found simply by looking or listening. A trained mechanic could work on pretty much anything with a set of basic tools. Them days is gone, gone, gone................Bob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Today, if your smart enough to fix a car, your smart enough to do something else that pays better..........that’s why there are so few talented technicians. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 4 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: The local Buick dealer can't even fix my 2019 Buick. I guess if you want your pre-war car broken, they can do it as well as anyone else. Matt......Don’t worry! The warrantee will expire before you know it.........sticking the owner with the problem......that’s the “correct fix” we see from the dealerships in New England. The only down side to it is you own the car........ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 4 hours ago, bdc said: Reminds me like this one: Neat video but I bet I wouldn't get that kind of reception. Thinking I'm going to give it a try next summer just for the heck of it. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I assume Greg's tongue was firmly in cheek here but it may be an interesting experiment. I think one reaction would be guaranteed - a large portion of the service staff would crowd in for a good look. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) Re: The Porsche commercial. What a fantastic company that must be. The service girls are not only beautiful, they are knowledgeable and delighted to be of service. The manager, also an attractive specimen, is thrilled when a one off service request eats up hours of his and his technicians time deciding the starter needed to be replaced before ever seeing the tractor The farmer's tractor, although likely spending thousands of hours in the dirt and muck, looks like it was born yesterday. The farmer, true to type is a bit scruffy yet likable old salt of the Earth. Funny, not a mention of the $600,000,000 fine Porsche paid for it's role in the diesel emission cheating cock-up. Ah, what the Hell.........Bob Edited November 11, 2020 by Bhigdog (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bollman Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Local Ford dealership owner is an old car guy and opened a 2nd location initially for used car sales but then added a couple of vintage mechanics and says they will service anything from Model T's to the 80s. All American makes and select foreign makes, free estimates. I may try them out when I have a repair I don't want to mess with. Hoping a NY friend reads this thread and tells about taking his 1913 T in for a NYS inspection at the Ford dealer a few years ago. He had a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Bamford Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) We toured the '47 Dodge to Hershey and around to the gulf coast in 2010 and 2011, and used quick-lubes regularly. I think this photo is at the Jiffy Lube in Takoma Park, MD — the tech took some convincing that oil went into the air cleaner, almost looking around for a hidden camera. We found prices pretty reasonable overall, some places had no surcharge, others added a nominal per-fitting fee. I was always welcome to go under to identify the lube points and have a general look around. Edited November 11, 2020 by Chris Bamford (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 19 minutes ago, Chris Bamford said: We toured the '47 Dodge to Hershey and around to the gulf coast in 2010 and 2011, and used quick-lubes regularly. I think this photo is at the Jiffy Lube in Takoma Park, MD — the tech took some convincing that oil went into the air cleaner, almost looking around for a hidden camera. We found prices pretty reasonable overall, some places had no surcharge, others added a nominal per-fitting fee. I was always welcome to go under to identify the lube points and have a general look around. That's interesting. I was on a tour last summer and my car flooded to the point where I was afraid the oil had been diluted with gasoline. I sought out multiple quick-change oil shops to change the oil for me and none of them were willing to touch an old car. They were just terrified of screwing up and being liable for damage--one even pointed out that they could get in trouble if corporate saw the car in there on the cameras they apparently used to watch employees. I even asked if I could do it myself in their facility and they could charge me full price but no, they wouldn't touch it. So I went to the auto parts store, bought a drain pan, some oil, and a waste oil can and changed it in the parking lot with the front wheels up on a curb. Meh. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Matt.......ever swap a piston and rod on tour in the parking lot? Tons of fun! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 (edited) This is how the Iowa guys do it during a Graham club tour in Wisconsin, it turned out to be a plugged fuel filter if I remember correctly... I forgot clean up... just wipe the grease off on the grass... Back on the road in no time Edited November 12, 2020 by Graham Man (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert G. Smits Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 5 hours ago, edinmass said: The only down side to it is you own the car... Which is why my next daily driver will be leased!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Coming back from Allentown in 2016 my 1960 Electra had issues that I knew was a fuel filter issue. I stopped at a Buick dealer in Virginia and was retreated like royalty. Tour of the dealership, met the owner whose Dad had started the dealership, got free hats and they fixed the issue by replacing the fuel filter. The mechanic who fixed it was about my age (63 at that time) came out and said he had not worked n an old car for a while and thanks for coming by. All in all a enjoyable stop and I made it home to Texas with just minor issues after that. I realize I got lucky as I can’t even get the dealer in Austin to look at my 2007 Lucerne any more even though they serviced it since it was new. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Curious who the Virginia Buick dealer was? Because that sounds like something Wyatt Buick in Danville would have done before GM "encouraged" them to cede their franchise to the weaselly Chev-Cad dealer down the road in 2012. Wyatt had been in business since 1924 and had held Virginia auto dealer license #5 all that time. I can garondamtee the current GM dealer wouldn't have done it for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studemax Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I used to take my '49 Studebaker Champion to a repair shop nearby staffed by old race car builders. They were delighted to work on something old instead of modern plastic and computers. Later, when I had a '66 Wagonaire I used a guy known to the Hudson and Packard clubs. Parked in his driveway was a '59 Lark that was supercharged. I knew I was in the right place. His shop truck was a Diamond T pickup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 8 hours ago, Graham Man said: . . . Had a friend of mine take his 1933 Graham in for alignment, they did not have the specks to do the job, if he had done the research first and gotten the specs, I think they would have done the car. . . When I got my 1933 Plymouth back together it needed an alignment. Took it to a local alignment shop that specialized in trucks. Their first statement was they didn’t have the specs for my car. So I pulled out the Plymouth DeLuxe Six Instruction Book and showed them the specs. Their second statement was that they hadn’t worked on a tubular axle before and that I’d have to specifically agree that I’d hold them harmless if something went wrong. I agreed. They did the work (the axle needed a bit of tweaking to get everything in spec). It has handled very nicely ever since then. Back to a bit closer to the topic: Around 2000, just before Chrysler dropped Plymouth, there was a local dealer that handled Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep. My 1991 Jeep was inoperable and needed a OEM specific part so I drove my 1933 to the dealer to get. Nobody at the dealership even realized the 1933 was a Plymouth, were surprised that Plymouths were made back then, etc. No way were they were willing to work on it and there was no way I’d have let them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 5 hours ago, rocketraider said: Curious who the Virginia Buick dealer was? Because that sounds like something Wyatt Buick in Danville would have done before GM "encouraged" them to cede their franchise to the weaselly Chev-Cad dealer down the road in 2012. Wyatt had been in business since 1924 and had held Virginia auto dealer license #5 all that time. I can garondamtee the current GM dealer wouldn't have done it for you. It was Crabtree Buick in Bristol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I understand that if you take your old car to a dealership they will trade you a new car for it. Well at least that's what I have heard. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Shortly after I bought my '40 Packard, we drove it to a car show about 20 miles away. We made it to the town, but before we got to the show, it quit. Just like turning off the key.It wouldn't restart. We had it towed to the local Ford dealer, where my wife had worked for 27 years prior to her retirement.This was a Saturday,so we left it there till Monday. Sunday was the local swap meet,where I bought some parts,including a NOS aftermarket coil. Monday morning a mechanic went out to the Packard and it fired right up. The coil turned out to be the issue,probably because the previous owner had installed the battery backward (negative ground).The mechanic retrofitted the aftermarket coil and it's been fine ever since. The mechanic said he enjoyed working on it. About ten years ago,while I was still working at the GM dealership, I took the '78 GMC Caballero in for a tune-up. The young mechanic lifted the hood and exclaimed "a carburetor! I don't know anything about carburetors !". An older tech did the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 17 hours ago, edinmass said: Today, if your smart enough to fix a car, your smart enough to do something else that pays better..........that’s why there are so few talented technicians. I dont know about that, seems like every time one of my dd's goes into the shop there is an $800 + bill that accompanies its departure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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