Dade Jeep Chrysler - Service Frequently Asked Questions

Service Department - Frequently Asked Questions

Did you recently get your car serviced at our service department and have questions about procedures or how your car was fixed? Click on the question below to view the answer. If your question was not answered below, please click here to contact our service department.

Why do I have to pay an hour if you didn’t work on my vehicle?
Why do electrical problems take two hours to diagnose?
What happens when I arrive at the Service Drive?
What do you mean you can’t “duplicate” the problem?
How do I schedule an appointment?
Why didn’t I see the advisor when my appointment said I would?
Why didn’t my car go in at the appointment time?
What is the survey that I will receive?
What training do employees go through?
Why should I choose Dade Jeep Chrysler over the Quick Lube shop?
Why did you resurface my rotors rather than just replacing them?
What does it mean to “turn” a rotor?

Q: Why do I have to pay an hour if you didn’t work on my vehicle?

A: The hour charge is a diagnosis fee. Our technicians check your vehicle for your stated concerns and then perform a 16 Point Inspection at no extra cost. We check to make sure your vehicle is not running rough, your tires are in good shape, fluids are at the correct measurement, etc. The hour fee is for the technician’s time checking your vehicle.

However, the hour charge will be credited to your bill if you choose to have your repair work done at Dade Jeep Chrysler.

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Q: Why do electrical problems take two hours to diagnose?

A: Chrysler’s newer makes and models are becoming more computers than vehicles. It takes the technician a longer period of time to test each module, line, and computer to determine the root of your problem.

However, your two hour diagnosis fee is credited to your bill if you have your repair work performed at Dade Jeep Chrysler.

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Q: What happens when I arrive at the Service Drive?

A: For our service department, please enter going North bound on US1 (a U Turn can be made at the light in front of Brandsmart). You will need to pull your vehicle forward as far as possible in the service drive. One of our advisors or service assistants will be with you momentarily.

If one of our Service Advisors Assistant assists you, that person will take your mileage and VIN (car identification) number. The assistant will then sit you down with the next available Service Advisor. The assistant will let you know how many customers are in line before you. Appointments and customer pick ups have priority to see advisors, so making an appointment is always preferable for the customer. Please click here to schedule an appointment.

You are welcome to sit in our newly remodeled customer lounge while you wait. We have five movies constantly in rotation plus magazines, coffee, and treats for our customers. The advisor or assistant will get you when an advisor opens up.

If one of our Service Advisors assists you, that person will take your mileage and VIN then sit you down in their office. The service advisor will do a quick walk around on your vehicle to check for dings, dents, and scratches. They will also glance over your vehicle for tire wear, low fluids, and broken exterior/interior items. The advisor will sit in your vehicle and start the engine. They will then check your gauges, A/C, and radio to make sure they are working properly. When your advisor returns they will ask you a series of questions concerning your vehicle’s issue. The more information you provide your service advisor with, the more we can help to locate and duplicate your concern.

Please keep the following questions in mind when sitting down with an advisor:

How often is the issue happening?

What conditions is the issue happening under? (Early morning, after driving for 100 miles, in the cold, in the heat, etc)

Where is the issue occurring? (on highways, back roads, at stop signs, etc)

After the advisor has collected the information from you they will asses the time frame for diagnosis.

You will be asked your preference on either waiting for your vehicle or leaving the vehicle for the day. Either way, your advisor will have more information for you once your vehicle has been diagnosed. The advisor will also ask if you would prefer your estimate be emailed or faxed over to you. We do this for two reasons. First, we would like you to see a written estimate and understand all parts of your bill before proceeding. Second, we like to have a signed copy of your estimate so we know you fully understood the bill. However, if you do not have access to an email or fax machine then your approval will be given by giving the advisor small pieces of personal information (birthday, mother maiden name, etc) over the phone.

Next, our advisors will contact you concerning the vehicle’s diagnosis. You will be given all the information concerning cause and correction to your vehicle’s issue. We will also provide you with any suggested maintenance your vehicle requires.

We are working toward having your information in RO (repair order) format online. You can simply log in to view your information. Dade Jeep Chrysler is also working on allowing you to pay your bill online before you even enter the dealership!

Your vehicle will then be repaired by our Chrysler Certified technicians. The tech will QC the vehicle to ensure the problem has been fixed. The advisor or service assistant will then contact you and let you know your vehicle is finished.

Please see your advisor when you return. Try to schedule a time with them for pick up. If by chance there is a line when you arrive then you will have priority to you’re your advisor only behind appointments. Your advisor will go over the bill with you in case you have any questions. They will then inform you of any upcoming vehicle maintenance requirements and schedule your next visit. The service advisor will also go over your Chrysler Satisfaction Survey. Your advisor will walk you to the cashier for payment and vehicle pick up. They’ll walk you over to your vehicle and wish you a fond farewell!

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Q: What do you mean you can’t “duplicate” the problem?

A: Our Chrysler Certified technicians must be able to duplicate your problem before attempting to fix it. That is why it is so important to tell your advisor every small detail concerning the issue. For example, if it only happens to you when the vehicle is “cold” (it hasn’t been started for a long period of time), then we won’t be able to duplicate the issue immediately after you drive in.

We will call you to find out more information if the problem cannot be duplicated. We want to know every specific detail on when and how you last experienced the issue. Our technician and service manager will then try and duplicate the issue once again using the new information. If we are still not able to duplicate the problem then our next step is asking you to come down and ride with one of our technicians or with our service manager. We do this because you have a better feel for your vehicle than anyone else. We want you to duplicate the problem so we can duplicate it and fix it.

You also have the option of allowing us to drive your vehicle for up to 100 miles in an attempt to duplicate the problem. Our test drive area is roughly a 2-4 mile loop through the backstreets around the dealership. We may need to take it for an extended drive to duplicate the issue.

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Q: How do I schedule an appointment?

A: The easiest way to schedule an appointment is through our Online Appointment Form or by calling our Service Department at (305)-254-53

Please make sure you have the following information:

Your Full Name
VIN Number of your vehicle (located in front of the driver’s seat on the dash board)
The make, model, and year of your vehicle
A possible day you can bring the vehicle in
A time frame of when you can stop by
Please know when the vehicle is most likely to duplicate your concern and under what conditions. The more information you can give us, the easier it will be for us to diagnose the problem.

Some services are eligible for “Sign-N-Go.” This means you would only have to drop off your vehicle, sign the Sign-N-Go sheet, and you’re on your way! An advisor will call you later that day for an update.

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Q: Why didn’t I see the advisor when my appointment said I would?

A: Our Appointments are very similar to a doctor’s office. Appointments are the priority over pick ups and walk ins. However, our advisors may be working with a customer when you arrive. We try to spend around fifteen minutes with each customer, which gives us enough time to properly understand your concern and do a complete walk around of your vehicle. You will be next to see the advisor whom you have an appointment with.

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Q: Why didn’t my car go in at the appointment time?

A: Our shop stays fairly busy, so vehicles are looked at in the order they enter the shop. However, your vehicle will have priority since you have an appointment.

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Q: What is the survey that I will receive?

A: DaimlerChrysler grades Five Star Dealerships based off of our Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI), Customer Service Index (CSI), and Fixed First Visit (FFV). The process begins when you buy a vehicle. Chrysler will send you a survey that allows you to grade our sales staff in multiple categories. Chrysler will then calculate a score based on your answers which becomes the SSI score.

The next survey comes after you bring your vehicle in for service. Customers who are still under warranty will receive a survey from Chrysler that grades our service staff and the repair work on your vehicle. Chrysler uses your answers to calculate our CSI and FFV scores. The three to four most important questions to us are:

I was satisfied with the treatment I received from the service staff....
The service staff listened and understood my needs...
How satisfied are you with the quality of the service work performed on your vehicle?...
How satisfied are you with the service staff’s ability to have your vehicle ready when promised?

Was your recent service need corrected/completed on the first visit?
How many visits did it take to have your recent service need corrected/completed.
Why wasn't your vehicle fixed on the first visit?

Please check out our Chrysler Satisfaction Survey for more information.

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Q: What training do your employees go through?

A: Our Chrysler Certified Technicians receive a multitude of training. Chrysler has eleven categories of technician training ranging from brakes to A/C. Each category has four levels with one being the lowest and four the highest. Techs are trained at Chrysler training centers located across the US. Techs also receive training online and during weekly Master Technician meetings. The Master Technician meetings consist of small vehicle information updates provided on DVD. Technicians also receive yearly updates to stay at their current certification level. Half of our shop is currently Level 4 technicians with ASE certifications. We require our technicians to be ASE certified in multiple categories. Our goal is for every technician in the shop to be ASE certified across the board. The rest of our technicians are Level 2 or above in multiple categories.

Our Parts, Service, and Sales specialists go through similar training. Chrysler requires that each one of our employees go through a certification process on a yearly basis. This consists of a combination of customer service and product knowledge training. Our Parts Specialists and Service Advisors will also be ASE certified by the end of February 2007.

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Q: Why should I choose Dade Jeep Chrysler over the Quick Lube shop?

A: There are a lot of reasons to choose Dade Jeep Chrysler over the quick lube facilities. The first of which is our price. Now, the first reaction most people have is that "the dealership will be more expensive". Sometimes that is true and sometimes it is not. However, there are some reasons we’re more expensive. Let’s start with the parts you receive. Our dealership only uses Mopar parts, which are OEM (manufacturer specific) parts. They sometimes do cost more, but are of a much higher quality than the brand X. An oil filter is a good example. You will find there are more layers and thickness to filter out impurities in a Mopar oil filter as opposed to brand X.

We are also like a doctor's office. If you have a problem with your eye would you prefer to be worked on by a med student or by an optometrist? Our dealership is similar to the analogy. You can take your Chrysler, Jeep, or Dodge product down the road and have an amateur mechanic work on it. Your other choice is to bring your vehicle to our dealership with technicians trained by Chrysler to specifically work on your make and model of vehicle. We spend thousands of dollars every year to keep our techs up to date on their training. Each technician ranges from a Level 1 technician to a Level 4. We employ many level 3 and Level 4 technicians who have seen your problem and know how to fix it.

Our technicians are also working with state of the art tools. Chrysler provides our dealership with all the new tools and equipment specifically designed to work on your vehicle. The correct tools make all the difference in fixing your vehicle. It begins with the diagnosis using a DRB scanning tool and ends with the problem correct using manufacturer standards for your vehicle.

There are times we are more expensive, but you’re paying for higher quality Mopar parts, better trained technicians, and the correct tools to fix your vehicle. The benefit to you is piece of mind. The better parts will ensure the longevity of your vehicles life. The Chrysler Certified technician will ensure the job is done correctly the first time. The correct tools will also ensure nothing is wedged, beaten, thrown, warped, cross threaded, or damaged due to using generic tools. Those tools will also ensure we are able to diagnosis the problem correctly the first time.

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Q: Why did you resurface my rotors rather than just replacing them?

A: This is a bit of a toss up question. Our procedure is to bring you the best quality service at the best price. Resurfacing rotors will normally alleviate any problems you are having with your vehicle’s brakes. However, there are times that the problem will persist. We do not want to over fix your vehicle. That means we don’t want to make your pay for something you don’t need. We would rather try to fix your problem using the least invasive and costly method. In addition, we follow Chrysler’s standards on vehicles still under warranty. Chrysler requires that the rotors be at a certain thickness to be replaced under warranty. We are only able to resurface it if the rotor is above that thickness.

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Q: What does it mean to “turn” a rotor?

A: “Turning” a rotor is tech lingo for resurfacing your rotor.

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