“I need to make something abundantly clear.”
Waiting at a car dealership while your car is serviced might be one of the most boring parts of being an adult. As you wait and worry, you might start to wonder why your appointment feels like it got lost.
That’s because, according to one dealership technician, the appointment was not for you.
Noelle (@ewwnoelle) works in a car dealership’s service department. She recently took to social media to deliver a PSA that might change your understanding of how dealership service departments work.
“I need to make something abundantly clear,” she said. “To people that go places, to get their car worked on, when you make an appointment, we are not saving a bay for you,” she said.
This is because car repair is often time sensitive. So Noelle explained, “We’re not keeping a bay empty until your appointment is scheduled at 4 p.m. Appointments are for us to have a general idea of how many customers we are going to have.”
She added, “You are most likely not going to get your car in a bay at your appointment time.”
She ended her video with a reminder, “it is for us, not for you.”
If a long wait is too difficult to manage, one dealership offers some strategic advice. Kelly Auto Group suggests scheduling Tuesday through Thursday because those are the days when the dealership is a little slower. Additionally, many dealers offer mid-week specials as an incentive.
Slower days also mean potentially better care and attention to detail. “Since Fridays and Saturdays are high-pressure days for technicians, errors may happen unknowingly or unintentionally,” the dealership admits.
It also pays to consider the work that’s being done. An oil change might only take 30 minutes to an hour. But something like a timing belt replacement might take up to four hours. Other routine maintenance like a tire rotation or brake pad replacement can take between one and two hours.
So pay attention to what you need, before making plans for the rest of the day.
Additional things to keep in mind include the make and model of a vehicle, and the state of the parts market. How available are the things your car needs?
During the pandemic, over 90% of carmakers experienced months-long delays.
More recently, delays have been caused by tariffs and the military action in Iran. Though the US Supreme Court struck down some of the tariffs, car and car parts prices are still up because of other tariffs. Currently, the tariffs stand at about 15% on cars built in Europe, South Korea, and Japan.
For dealership customers, the service department’s wait time can be frustrating. Although it may sting to learn the truth about appointment times, it also serves as a potential hack.
Online commenters were quick to understand. “Never make an appointment. Always just show up,” said user ih8sandwiches.
To which Noelle replied, “Basically, yeah.”
Others had questions. “Do dealerships take the appointment cars in before the walk-ins? like if they got checked in about the same time? or is it straight up first come first served?” asked cntrymom89.
Noelle answered, “It genuinely depends on the dealership. If it’s a customer we recognize for appointments then yes but if not then no simply because most of the time the advisor comes to you when you pull up and appointments are made through cashiers and online.”
Lancemous_prime added, “At best appointments just put you at the front of the line when a bay opens up.”
Motor1 reached out to Noelle via TikTok direct message and with a comment on the post. We will update this article if she replies.
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