Sooo. This hit's home for me.
I spent 30 years working for GM then finished my degree and now teach it. Out of H/S i started my classes to become an E/E. Life got in the way and I ended up at a dealer. This is what I have spent a lifetime watching.
The first thing that needs to be done here is separate corporate from dealer and dealer from tech.
Pre 1975, ALL the American and most of the Japanese put out what would today be considered inferior vehicles. People had a low expectation and the vehicles were only warrantied for 12 mo, 12k miles. Then the Japanese got smart and started making better vehicles at the same cost. The American corporate didn't. 1987, I had been working for GM for 10 years. Warranty was still 12/12. 12999 miles your done and no one cared. Under 12 miles I was seeing oil leaks, diff problems, window problems... by 50k you couldn't get me to touch an American car because it would disintegrate and you were blamed.
Something else happened in that decade. Electronics.
Here was how the typical tech was trained (all, not just dealer). You screwed around with your stuff and learned tools at an early age. If you could use tools and fog a mirror, you were a tech. You were trained by someone with normally 20 plus years in the field, who was trained by someone with the same. Notice I never mentioned formal training (school). They taught you all the backyard tricks but you never learned how things actually work. You got good at guessing and replacing parts.
Notice I never mentioned Electronic training. 80's-90's. The car lines were figuring out how to make electronics work. They failed alot. As a tech you had no formal electronic training and were trying to fix poor engineering. Sometimes throwing parts didn't work. What I had learned in electronics (4 years H/S, 2 collage) told me all we can do is try to make the failed engineering better.
Mid 90's. The corporate world see's this and offers what I learned in H/S, Collage. They shoved that into a 2-4 day class.
We still have people training the same techniques, replace parts.
Lets not get me started on "non factory mods" either.
The dealers are sales oriented, buy a car every two years, don't complain and send your friends over. The service department is NOT wanted. They only exist because the franchise agreement says they need one. As shop foreman, I went to the monthly meetings just to be berated for my department not making enough and how the lazy techs needed to work faster. The service manager is paid off the net income. The service department not only has to pay for itself but, has to pay ALL the bills for service, parts and sales. The manager is paid off whats left. Incentive to make the techs work faster, not better.
Corparate....wow. GM would pay me for diagnosing their screwed up electronics (one of my specialties). I could take my time, had access to great diagram's and good specialized training. 30 techs in the shop and two of us had formal electronic training. We had a higher average of trained electronic techs than most shops. Back to corporate. GM not only paid me well but would give the customer a rental car if it took too long. If it was a weird issue, I would have access to engineering if I needed it.
My buddy ran the Ford dealer down the street. Same size, volume and number of techs. Ford paid their techs "OK". The dealer had to pay for the rental car and most didn't. Their training was the same.
I have known quite a number of Chrysler techs over the years. They would always say the same when they came to work with me, "GM pays you to do that?". Chrysler didn't take good care of its techs, has horrible electronics and the worst diagrams I have ever seen. And they don't give the tech the support they need.
In a nut shell, the American car lines never produced a world class vehicle until the late 90's, early 2000. The techs have the opportunity for good training but most don't take it or are forced to take it and don't care. The Japanese lines are hit and miss depending on dealer attitude. Independents don't have access to the same info/training and most of the chains (firestone, pep boys, goodyear) will just throw parts you don't need because it pays better.
One of the responses mentioned a tire balance issue. That problem was bound to fail on several levels. First, the service writer wouldn't make enough commission and didn't care. Second, it went to the "lube tech" because he is normally paid by the hour (think no training at all) and he didn't care. When it came back, the manager got involved. I know this because you were reimbursed.
Corporate may or may not care, most are getting better. American and most Japanese dealers are sale's oriented and don't care. Most techs are poorly trained, no formal schooling, struggling and don't care.
What I have posted here is actually one of my lectures for new students. Before COVID, I couldn't produce even partially trained people fast enough for the industry. The manufactures are tired of paying out Billions to techs who throw parts.
It's not a law but, you should have at least two years of formal automotive training at either a collage or a trade school before you fix cars. Notice I didn't say "work in a shop". The sad thing is, I can have as many as 30 students in a class, only 10% will really shine, 10% don't belong and 80% could do well if they apply them self. That 90% is the best I can do and it's still a small fraction.
