...i go to the dealership tomorrow. I have a some printouts of pictures and posts from this site. I also have some info that cnatra was nice enough to fax me. Last time I was in to see the dealer, they told me the actuator only flipped based on load conditions. They said that is why it won't flip when the car is in park/neutral. I guarantee they state this again. I'll try to convince them to try it on another CL-S. If they won't, however, how do I respond to this?

 

that is total crap!

I finally got my receipt in the mail & that part was only $56 for the dealer.

If you have 3 days to spare I'll mail you a copy of mine.
(I'll FAX it if yoy want but you said the FAX was dark)

Insist on them picking any type S off the lot CL or TL
& revving the motor to 4k or so. If it's working correctly
it will flip.

 

Once again, thanks cnatra.

 

Yep. What cnatra said. Drag the dealer out by his shirt if you have to. Just be polite but firm about it.

 

What dealership are you going to?

 

I'm going to Acura of Bellevue. I had been going to Acura of Lynnwood but my experience, while good for most of our relationship, ended up becoming sour. I've been to Bellevue once and will give them another chance to pull their heads out of their arses and realize my actuator is broken. If they don't give me a hard time I may try to convince my wife to buy a MDX this fall instead of the RX300. The only good dealership I've ever had(meaning: the customer is always right) is Ron Tonkin Acura in Oregon. Awesome, awesome, awesome...then again, I did purchase my car there.

 

Well I only had a brief phone conversation with him & a couple of e-mail exchanges BUT
Tommy Moua in the parts department is a cool guy.
He's who I dealt with when I bought my headers.


He was familiar with the CL & TL sites.

I'd say that's a good sign.

 

Well, despite all of cnatra's hard work to get me paperwork and plenty of bitching on my side (started nice and then just lost it), my baby still isn't any closer to getting her actuator fixed. The service manager wouldn't even come out to speak to me...the counter-boy said he was in a meeting. When I asked when the meeting would be done the useless boy said there was no way to predict how long the "meeting" would last (yeah, right). Obviously, the sales manager just wants me to go bug some other dealership. I then asked to speak to the mechanic that originally "looked" at my actuator the time before. He was also unavailable for comment. Apparently, nobody was available for the rest of the day. They did say I could make an appointment for the Wednesday TWO F**KIN WEEKS from now...just to spend the FIVE F**KIN MINUTES it takes to open the hood and show them the F**KIN BROKEN actuator (AGAIN!!!). Needless to say, I'll just take my business elsewhere. So far, Northwest Acura dealerships are super nice to make the sale and total A-HOLES when you want service. Why do they call it a "Service Department" anyway?

 

WTF!
Was that Bellevue Acura ????
WTF!

How can anyone defend these dealerships????

You should call ClientServices & bitch up a storm!
1-800-982-2238 www.ahm-ownerlink.com
Tell them about your crappy service at the dealers you've been to.

The guy you get on the phone my be a low level moron BUT
it will get documented & Allegedly a "case manager" will call you back to address the problem. I'm still marking the days on the calender for that.

What I can't fucking believe about this is it's a part with a $59.03 cost to the dealer that will be covered under the manufacturers warranty!

Are these people completely ignorant or just lazy?

Why don't these dealers step up to the plate to provide the service Acura claims the consumer will receive??

I'm beginning to think I should have bought a IS300.
At least in the unlikely event of requiring service they would treat the customer right.
Maybe I will take the financial hit & trade this thing in on an Infiniti or Lexus.

When I took my car in for the Actuator problem & showed them all the information I printed off the site & my Service Manual they said "What are you an engineer?"
NO! I'm just an educated & informed buyer/owner!
Why does that intimidate them?

Well, you headed to Ron Tonkin?

I mailed good copies of all that stuff.

Good Luck!

 

Have you had any experience with Acura of Seattle (Tukwila actually)?
So actuators and transmissions are the two problems to keep an eye on.
Good luck with your quest.

 

Sorry to hear about your transmission cnatra. I feel for ya.

I've made an appointment at Acura of Seattle. I'll try them first before considering the long drive down to Ron Tonkin Acura. The guy making the appointment at A of S didn't know what I was talking about either. Maybe I'll email them first to give them the heads up on the actuator. That way, I can hopefully just go down there without a hassle. If they give me a problem, I'll just tell them to order the part and install the damn thing. I'll take before and after videos and make them watch it...then make them apologize and kiss my ass!

When I get mad, I also start thinking this car sux and I want something else. Then I realize it's just the service...and I've heard plenty of bad things about other brands so I don't think it's just Acura. Then again, my tranny is still working. I may feel differently when that thing goes.