SoCal service woes
10-22-2004, 06:00 PM
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SoCal service woes
Hello, all. I provide the following for two reasons: to (politely) vent a little; and to make other community members aware of issues I've had recently with my TSX (6speed/no navi) and some Acura service centers in the L.A. region. To avoid being a total curmudgeon I won't name them, since they've been courteous and sincere in their dealings with me. It's also in the interest of fairness; I'm posting anonymously, which means I have a say, but they don't.
I just had the trunk wire recall fix performed, and when I went to open the trunk for the 1st time after, the plastic cover on the left hinge popped loose. I took it to another Acura service center, since I was no longer in the vicinity of the one which performed the fix, and after examining the hinge, the tech told me that a clip which is supposed to hold the cover and wiring in place is missing. In addition, a small piece of carpeting around the hinge was cut away, which according to this 2nd tech was unnecessary.
This is all on top of what brought me in in the 1st place, a faulty seal on the passenger side headlight assembly, which allowed water in, which shorted the light.
AND... when I took delivery in July 2003, the pre-inspection didn't catch that undercarriage plugs hadn't been installed; I caught the snafu myself a few weeks later when I found that the rear floor was under 1/4" of water which had entered from car washes.
The carpet was replaced, and I'm sure this latest boo-boo will be addressed as well, but it's been a lot more hassle than I would have liked. Part of the reason I went to Honda/Acura after years of owning domestics was to avoid experiences like these. In 10 years of business with an independent H/A mechanic, not once have I ever had to go back to have something redone, and I always get to speak to the owner of the shop directly. And in 11 years with a '92 Civic EX sedan (1st year of an all-new version), I had one warranty issue, with the power locks. With the TSX so far, it's been 1 set of rear wheel bearings; a glove box door soft-touch hinge; the headlight; and now the trunk recall, which by the time it's done correctly I will have had to go to the dealer for TWICE.
Cumulatively, these episodes have left me a little doubtful about Acura dealer service, and to some extent about the car itself. I love driving it, and it's undeniably a well put together piece of machinery, but I wonder what's in store for me years down the line if I hang onto it. My confidence in the brand has been somewhat eroded.
I just had the trunk wire recall fix performed, and when I went to open the trunk for the 1st time after, the plastic cover on the left hinge popped loose. I took it to another Acura service center, since I was no longer in the vicinity of the one which performed the fix, and after examining the hinge, the tech told me that a clip which is supposed to hold the cover and wiring in place is missing. In addition, a small piece of carpeting around the hinge was cut away, which according to this 2nd tech was unnecessary.
This is all on top of what brought me in in the 1st place, a faulty seal on the passenger side headlight assembly, which allowed water in, which shorted the light.
AND... when I took delivery in July 2003, the pre-inspection didn't catch that undercarriage plugs hadn't been installed; I caught the snafu myself a few weeks later when I found that the rear floor was under 1/4" of water which had entered from car washes.
The carpet was replaced, and I'm sure this latest boo-boo will be addressed as well, but it's been a lot more hassle than I would have liked. Part of the reason I went to Honda/Acura after years of owning domestics was to avoid experiences like these. In 10 years of business with an independent H/A mechanic, not once have I ever had to go back to have something redone, and I always get to speak to the owner of the shop directly. And in 11 years with a '92 Civic EX sedan (1st year of an all-new version), I had one warranty issue, with the power locks. With the TSX so far, it's been 1 set of rear wheel bearings; a glove box door soft-touch hinge; the headlight; and now the trunk recall, which by the time it's done correctly I will have had to go to the dealer for TWICE.
Cumulatively, these episodes have left me a little doubtful about Acura dealer service, and to some extent about the car itself. I love driving it, and it's undeniably a well put together piece of machinery, but I wonder what's in store for me years down the line if I hang onto it. My confidence in the brand has been somewhat eroded.
10-22-2004, 06:46 PM
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Indeed, poor service can ruin the reputation of a brand name. I had to take my mom's A6 in to have the rear window water jet adjusted over 3 times. The dealer actually told me it was good for the water to fly over the car and onto the hood, because the wind would push it to the rear window when driving... (sure...) And I forget how many times I took the car in to have a rear noisy speaker replaced -- they claimed it was working fine a few times, then that they replaced (not...), until the thing finally died and I was actually happy! No noise is better than noise.
I considered getting a new A4, but the dealer rated the car "poor" under the KBB on trade-in negotiations, which meant it wasn't worth anything ($12,000 for a 3-yr old car I paid $42k). I'm never getting another Audi.
Since Acura parts are so expensive, I got a warranty extension up to 100K miles. I plan on keeping the car that long, but have no intention of paying to keep it in one piece. Service in San Diego has been good (Kearny Mesa).
I considered getting a new A4, but the dealer rated the car "poor" under the KBB on trade-in negotiations, which meant it wasn't worth anything ($12,000 for a 3-yr old car I paid $42k). I'm never getting another Audi.
Since Acura parts are so expensive, I got a warranty extension up to 100K miles. I plan on keeping the car that long, but have no intention of paying to keep it in one piece. Service in San Diego has been good (Kearny Mesa).
10-24-2004, 12:14 PM
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I have the same problem. The guy torn apart the linging and the plastic cover was lose after I took my car in for the wire recall thing. I have alot of stuffs in my trunk. I can see that the guy lost the clip in my trunk but he couldn't find it. So, he just used something to put in the hole to hold the linging and the plastic cover. 
How do I know he lost the clip if you want to ask? Because I FOUND THAT CLIP IN MY TRUNK! AND THE THING HE STUCKED IN THE HOLE DIDN'T FIT!
Moral of the story is... if you want to do it right, do it yourself!
How do I know he lost the clip if you want to ask? Because I FOUND THAT CLIP IN MY TRUNK! AND THE THING HE STUCKED IN THE HOLE DIDN'T FIT!
Moral of the story is... if you want to do it right, do it yourself!
10-24-2004, 01:32 PM
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You guys have any pics of the problem? I changed the wiring under the rear deck to accomodate the amplifier and a blue neon light I installed. It doesn't look anything like factory.
With amp
With light
With amp
With light
10-24-2004, 01:57 PM
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The bunch of wires is tied in the left hand side of the hinge in the trunk.
Basically, they duck tape the bunch of wires there from the trunk all the way to the trunk lid.
Basically, they duck tape the bunch of wires there from the trunk all the way to the trunk lid.
10-24-2004, 03:15 PM
#6
Stryker, sorry to hear that you had such a poor experience. You must understand that things like this happen from time to time. You shouldn't let one bad experience turn you off completely towards a brand. There are good Honda/Acura service centers in the LA area and you can always look for a good independent mechanic who will be able to perform most of your services. Hope your future service experiences will be better.
10-24-2004, 04:22 PM
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This is what they taped. It goes all the way to the trunk lid.
I took apart the plastic cover and linging to look for more missing clips.
I found the white one that hold the plastic cover in the hinge.
No wonder they torn off the linging. That guy just didn't know how to
take out the plastic cover. You need to slide the cover in place. That
guy might be pull the thing out hard because that white clip is very hard
and it was place permanently in the hinge. I need to use a C-clamp to
force the white clip to be put back in place.
I took apart the plastic cover and linging to look for more missing clips.
I found the white one that hold the plastic cover in the hinge.
No wonder they torn off the linging. That guy just didn't know how to
take out the plastic cover. You need to slide the cover in place. That
guy might be pull the thing out hard because that white clip is very hard
and it was place permanently in the hinge. I need to use a C-clamp to
force the white clip to be put back in place.
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10-25-2004, 03:50 PM
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Just returned from my 4th trip to the dealer svc center, just to have the trunk wiring recall fix done AGAIN, this time correctly. And...
I'll be going back again in a week -- because they don't have the parts in stock.
AND... I'm asked by the service advisor if there's anything they can do gratis, to make up for all the time and in convenience. I tell him that I can use a wheel alignment, as it is now it's way off. And his response:
"Sorry, we can't do that for free."
Mind you, throughout all this I've been perfectly courteous and easygoing. And I remained so in response to the above. But I'm beginning to wonder what's going through these people's heads. If anyone from Acura corporate or a dealer is reading this: experiences like these can kill brand loyalty. And right now, mine's not feeling too well.
I'll be going back again in a week -- because they don't have the parts in stock.
AND... I'm asked by the service advisor if there's anything they can do gratis, to make up for all the time and in convenience. I tell him that I can use a wheel alignment, as it is now it's way off. And his response:
"Sorry, we can't do that for free."
Mind you, throughout all this I've been perfectly courteous and easygoing. And I remained so in response to the above. But I'm beginning to wonder what's going through these people's heads. If anyone from Acura corporate or a dealer is reading this: experiences like these can kill brand loyalty. And right now, mine's not feeling too well.
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