Let's hear your dealership BS

The first dealer I worked at had cable TV in the customer lounge, with coffee and doughnuts on a regular basis. The second dealership had a HUGE lounge with TV, leather chairs, coffee, snacks, etc, etc. (Cadillac dealer) The third not only had a nice lounge with coffee, TV, and snacks, but they also had a kids playroom right next to it, with a big glass window so parents could watch their kids playing, without the noise.

I have to say I really do get surprised hearing some of the stories. Every dealer I worked at would bend over backwards for the customers trying to get things done right, and get problems taken care of. It is sad to see that so many service departments fail in this respect. Of course there is a big difference between the sales department and the service department. Obviously the sales departments tend to have some higher pressure tactics. Hey, they are trying to make sales and make as much of a profit as they can. Can't really blame them. Now when they blatantly lie, THAT is what I get bothered by. It's one thing to try and sell this or that upgrade, but the make it seem like the world will end if you DON'T get it, that sucks. I sure wish I had the money to have my own Toyota dealership. I bet I would have the best in the district.

 

This is what '13 looked like when I changed it out a few weeks ago, and I drive every day. Damn mice everywhere here in the woods I did the cabin air intake blocking grid the first weekend I had it. Didn't think this one would occur though.

OT - three years back when I had my then 03 in for inspection, after leaving within a mile my check engine comes on. Go back, read it, comes up as an O2 sensor. They cleared it and said come back if it shows up again. I said "what did you do to cause this?" They claimed nothing, but I was suspicious that they either did a flash without telling me (they did this without asking on our Rav4) which changed some values somewhere, or their general monkeying around during inspection caused this. I said that the timing seemed a little too coincidental, didn't it? They claimed that's all it was. Light came back on, I drove it for months until I felt like fixing it (was in no hurry - it was the stupid one that went up behind the shifter in the floor console).

It may or may not have transpired one way or the other, but I felt like something happened there that didn't need to that cost me money and time.

 

That's not as bad as my dealer who insists on charging for espresso and massage chairs. What is this world coming to?

 

Better be ready to play with the dealer. They'll shaft you anyway they can. Do your homework, know what you want and what your willing to pay. I think 90% of the customers get screw because they're uneducated about car buying and financing process.

 

The absolute worst experience I have ever had with a dealer was Audi Halifax.

They are owned by Steele Auto Group and my experience was so awful I am not buying from another Steele dealer.

I bought a 2006 A4 from them, it was high mileage so it was one of those as-is, as-traded deals. It required new brakes and coil packs which I did, as well as a couple other items.

The miserable experience came in trying to get them to honour the rust warranty. Volkswagen/Audi vehicles carry a 12 year warranty against corrosion. I noticed pain bubbling on a couple spots on the rear hatch as well as above the wheel wells. When I had it in at the shop for the Audi "Health Check" promotion, I brought those items to their attention and they said they would submit them to Audi Canada and let me know when they get an answer back.

Weeks go by with nothing from the dealer. I followed up with them and didn't get a straight answer. I followed up with Audi Canada and they told me the service manager would let me know when the information came in.

Months go by with no word from the dealer. I had my car in to repair some damaged heat shields another shop had ruined when doing my parking brake cables. At that point I told them it had been 6 months with no word on the rust warranty. The service advisor told me that 6 months was too long to wait and that they would re-document and re-submit.

This time, I actually get an answer from the dealer saying that I have authorization on the warranty work. So, naturally, I ask 3 questions:
1) What is being fixed?
2) Will this work guaranteed for the remainder of the rust warranty period?
3) Will I get a loaner while my car is in the shop.

The service advisor tells me that they will send it to the service manager and he will get back to me. If he doesn't I was to let them know. He did not get back to me so I followed up with the service advisor again. They sent the questions off to the service manager again. A few days later, I get a call from Steele Collision to book my car in for the warranty work. I asked the booking agent the same 3 questions I had asked previously. She expressed surprise that the service manager did not answer my questions and said she would send them to him.

I did not get an answer before the scheduled day so I brought my car in and asked the same 3 questions. The only question I got answered was that they do not provide loaners and that they would send me to Enterprise to rent a car out of my own pocket at their rate.

The car was delayed in being fixed because they broke a tail light when removing it. The manager at Steele Collision told me I was lucky because Audi was covering the cost of the tail light and usually they don't.

So, I finally get my car back late and still have no idea what has been fixed and what has not. I go through the paperwork to see what they fixed and I find a paper trail of e-mails....

Turns out the Service Advisor got authorization to do the work 4 months previous and did not follow up with me.

So, I follow up with Audi Canada and Audi Halifax, the dealer to see if they will reimburse me for the rental in light of the job taking longer. No luck.

The workmanship was poor on the repair as well: The replacement bages were put on in the wrong spots. Then, one day I notice on one area, they only painted the outside of the hatch. The rust was at the edge and continued around the crnrner. They did not paint that section and it was still rusty. I followed up with the service manager and he told me "that area was not in my notes as an area of concern".

I then went up the chain to Audi Canada voicing my complaints and that I still had not been given a clear list of what work was authorized and what work was done. The Audi Canada reps gave me some BS about how they authorize a certian number of hours based on their assessment and not on what specific work is to be done.

Finally, I get a call from the dealer's service manager to bring the car in for them to look at it again. I showed them photos of the proper badge replacement.

As for the rust spot that was painted only on the outer surface: "The rust warranty only covers outside parts. That section is inside. But we'll paint it for you out of good will". They re-submitted my wheel well bubbles that were not painted and told me they would take care of the unpainted rust spot on the back hatch when they got an answer back.

The last part of the story was was 5 months ago now, at the end of May. I still have not heard anything back from Audi Halifax or Audi Canada, aside from some mail to come to a sales event.

I am tempted to go down to their sales event and inform them that, as a result of the terrible service I received from their service manager, I will never be buying a car from them or from any other Steele owned dealership ever again.

 

Yes, but how was the coffee and condiment section for said coffee at the dealership?

 

haha... Well, they called it the "Quattro Cafe" and they did have real cream and sugar, although I seem to recall one of them may have been expired. They've moved to a temporary spot and I think all they have there is a Keurig machine.

 

That is one of the perks in living in Hawaii.
"Island living"

and ALOHA to you:!

 

Dealer fail today here..

My wife brought my truck to the dealer for the "free" 10k mile service, since my garage is currently filled up with a furniture refinishing project.

According to the paperwork, they rotated the tires like they are supposed to.

After doing the tire rotation, the tech must have figured out how to take all the brake dust off the wheels that were now on the back, and move it to the wheels now on the front of the truck. Not sure how he was able to do it, but it was a damn good job....the back wheels are just as clean as they were before, and the fronts are just as dirty.

No idea how the coffee was - I'll have to ask my wife.

 

In a fight right now with my dealership (they were recently bought out) I paid 3grand for a maintnece plan the previous owners offered that covered all oil changes, tire rotations and major scheduled maitnence. We lost all of our paper work in a move and the new owners do not offer the same plan and with out proof of purchase will not back the plan. Even though they have record of everything being free prior to the buy out... have to go back next week and talk to them again they told me they were pulling the files from the old owners financial statements to see what I paid for and I never heard back from them.. All this and while I was there for my oil change and rotation. They failed to give me my service sticker (not a huge deal just irritating) and did not rotate my tires even after clearly writing that they did rotate them and noting the cracks in the tread. ( I had a center cap get knocked off and it was still on the pass front when I got the truck back)..

Not sure how this is going to work out.. But I am deffently never dealing with them again after this is all done.

Toyota of Denton in Denton Texas previously Jim mccnatt

 

My biggest complaint about the dealer I dealt with was during the financing with Toyota.

I spoke with them on Saturday, they started the process, me and my family went about our business.

Monday they call me, your loan is ready, your payment is....APR is 21.9%. Now I don't have great credit, but it's decent. I said well I'm not buying the truck at 21.9%. That is insane. Ok, I'll call you back, calls me back 20 minutes later and the rate is 6%. Seems awfully fishy to me.

At that point I almost walked, I felt they were just trying to rip people off.

Does Toyota make money selling off vehicles at a high interest rate? The dealer themselves, not Toyota FInancing.

 

Took the truck in for a quick oil change last night before heading out of town for the weekend..





My King Coilovers are BRAND NEW.. it was just leftover WD40 from adjusting them.. lol

 

Probably some poor 21 y/o tech who has never seen a real coilover nor would know that your kings were fine. I'd be happy he at least looked close enough to tell there was liquid somewhere.

 

true.. at least he did a somewhat thorough inspection it seems.. lol

 

Took my 14 Off road 4x4 in for first oil change at 4500 miles.....put on Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ's very shortly after purchase......dealer told me they don't rotate mud tires until 10,000 miles and tried to not do the tire rotation.




Thanks, I'll take my keys now.

 

I could do my own thread on stupid stuff that "I HAVE" done many years ago as a young teen (that though he knew everything ! LOL). i.e. forgetting to put the oil pan plug back in and losing a couple quarts before you remember its not replaced....
Many a time I did a "quick" fix in my drive way and swear my head off HOURS later because I just could not get that old, rounded, rusted nut or stud out. And I refuse to take out any bolt or stud out of an exhaust manifold without all the shop equipment handy ....

But you are right, when you drop it off at the Dealer/shop all you really think about is how long and how much.

 

I emailed the dealer internet sales manager today about an issue. He emailed back and wrote "Please call me at 123-4567 so that we can discuss this."

I emailed him back and wrote "You are the internet sales manager, do you know WHAT the internet is?"

Crickets.....

 

EPIC BURN