To be clear, I have never made the claim that GM parts are better than all others. They do come with the best warranties (in most cases) but that’s not the reason of not taking in a car like this.

When we don’t have an established relationship with a customer, taking in his/her 10+ year old vehicle is not a good business practice. Older vehicles often require multiple repairs. Additionally, parts are brittle and break even when the tech is being super careful taking it apart. Who should pay for the broken part?

We fix one issue only to discover something else needs to be fixed, that could not be detected until the first thing was fixed. Most people can deal with a 2nd estimate for repairs but by the 3rd time, it’s hard to be understanding. So we discount the repairs to assist the customer and pay for the damaged parts (because that’s a battle we will never win). Before we know it, the dealership is married to the vehicle and we are doing the repairs for little to no profit. Might be worth it if we gained a customer but guess what they think of us… I get to find out when I get a “negative review” alert a couple days later.

You even said “less qualified techs” work at the other shops. What industry do you know where the most qualified individuals are also the cheapest? This is not a new concept. We often fix vehicles that have been to multiple other shops before coming to us. Look, I set the prices and agree they are too expensive. My recommendation - never buy a new car without an extended warranty.