Pohanka Acura rip off
05-21-2009, 09:51 AM
#1
8th Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2007
Age: 54
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pohanka Acura rip off
I bought a 2001 Acura TL from them back in 2004. It wasn't a great experience but not too bad either. Went there 2 years ago to change the tranny under warranty and the whole experience was great (Jerry was the service advisor). I usually take my cars to Goodyear Gemini for state inspections and oil changes and to Koons Honda in Manassas for more serious issues. 3 weeks ago I had the 105k major service done at Koons (timing belts, water pump, side engine mount) mainly because of the price $1000 vs $1700 at Pohanka. They did a very good job and was told that the car is in great shape and there's nothing else that needs to be replaced. Couple of weeks later, the state inspection is due and since Pohanka is 2 minutes up the road and I just received a Free State Inspection coupon from them, I went there to do it. BAD IDEA! Dropped the car for state inspection and a brake fluid flush around 9 AM, I get a call from Tom Smith the service advisor around noon. He tells me the car failed inspection and I will have to replace the front engine mount (says it's leaking hydraulic oil?!? but i don't see any oil spots under the car) and lower ball joints to pass inspection. The cost to fix all this at Pohanka? about $950 before taxes and shop fees. Whole thing smelled fishy since I didn't notice anything abnormal vibrations when accelerating hard or any noise from the ball joints, plus the car had just been inspected 3 weeks ago at Honda. So I tell him I decline the repairs and I start calling around for some quotes. First call to Goodyear Gemini in Centreville, service advisor says "I won't call names but there's a lot of Acura's coming in that failed inspection at certain dealership in the area because of lower ball joints and when they come here for a quote we find no problems with them and cars pass inspection without any need for repairs."!!! Go figure...how many Acura dealerships are close by? Just Pohanka. So being on the way home, I stopped by NTB in Chantilly for a quote, they inspected the car for about 15 minutes and then told me there's nothing wrong with the front engine mount or the lower ball joints. They see no need to replace them!!! Unfortunately they don't do state inspections but can pretty much guarantee it will pass. They suggest to remove the rejection sticker and take it to a different station for inspection. So I take their advice, stop by my house to take down the sticker and drive straight to Goodyear Gemini in Centreville. One hour and $16 later the car passed state inspection. Lesson learned: a free state inspection at Pohanka Acura will cost you $1000!!!
05-21-2009, 01:24 PM
#7
8th Gear
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2007
Age: 54
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did post this on dealerrater.com and edmunds.com so other people don't get scammed. By the way, there's 4 more complaints about the same type of scam at Pohanka Acura on dealerrater.com. I thought about filing a complaint with the state but it's probably not worth the time. I didn't think about complaining to ACS but I don't see what good can come out of it. My goal is to warn others about this so they don't get ripped off.
Trending Topics
05-21-2009, 02:39 PM
#8
Advanced
Join Date: May 2006
Age: 51
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My ex had a similar problem with them back in '05 when her '03 MDX (under warranty) had it's VSA light came on for no reason. We went down there bc they were close. They gave some song and dance, said it was something minor, gave us a loaner car, and told us to come back tomorrow. Two days after we picked it up the light came on again. "Gee, they said, it must be something else." So they gave us a loaner car, and said come back tomorrow. We came back, dropped off the loaner, and proceeded home. 10 min away from home the VSA light came back on. So I pulled a U-Turn on FFCP (across the road, not in the opposite direction) and drove back there. "What? It came back on? Gee..." I told them either they fix it or I call the State licensing board. And, for S&G, have a tech come out and we will both look at it. Sure enough a tech came out, a very nice guy, who checked the codes, looked at the paper work and said it was some unit and it would have to be replaced. This would entail the steering column being taken out to repair it. He also said something along the lines of "How the F could they have missed this? Where we even looking?" So they fixed the problem under warranty, we got it back, and haven't had a problem ever since.
The moral of the story: When a business dicks you around, mention that you will contact your state's licensing board (in VA it's the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation or DPOR) and they will change their tune. If it is after the fact, contact the licensing board and register a complaint with them. Posting on DealerRater is helpful and they may lose a few customers, but if they lose their license then they lose all their customers. This is why I never go to the dealership- Tim at Ray Lakes for parts and a local mechanic for the heavy work.
The moral of the story: When a business dicks you around, mention that you will contact your state's licensing board (in VA it's the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation or DPOR) and they will change their tune. If it is after the fact, contact the licensing board and register a complaint with them. Posting on DealerRater is helpful and they may lose a few customers, but if they lose their license then they lose all their customers. This is why I never go to the dealership- Tim at Ray Lakes for parts and a local mechanic for the heavy work.
05-21-2009, 03:21 PM
#9
I did post this on dealerrater.com and edmunds.com so other people don't get scammed. By the way, there's 4 more complaints about the same type of scam at Pohanka Acura on dealerrater.com. I thought about filing a complaint with the state but it's probably not worth the time. I didn't think about complaining to ACS but I don't see what good can come out of it. My goal is to warn others about this so they don't get ripped off.
05-21-2009, 04:25 PM
#11
Safety Car
iTrader: (5)
Tired of them mofos too. Hope everything works out for you.
They didn't want to give me a "free will" I told them to check my transmission because it was beginning to slip....had to wait until it went out then got owned.
They didn't want to give me a "free will" I told them to check my transmission because it was beginning to slip....had to wait until it went out then got owned.
05-22-2009, 09:01 AM
#23
Senior Moderator
Not to say they arent bad but its highly possible your front mount is bad (easy to miss especially for a shop that doesnt know what to look for or how to test) If they are original and or you have more than 50k miles odds are it is shot
Actually it does have oil
Actually it does have oil
05-22-2009, 03:13 PM
#25
6MT Someday..
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville Ky
Age: 46
Posts: 1,229
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
05-22-2009, 03:53 PM
#26
S E L L
OP, report these a-holes to Acura corp. Make sure you mention the other 4 complaints on dealerrater.com too. They'll probably clean house if they have to.
05-22-2009, 07:16 PM
#27
I miss my 03 CL-S :(
Definitely write Acura Customer Service - I did, and they made things right. Here's a paragraph from my letter to ACS with the two issues:
A month later, four calls and a couple of emails later, the issue was still not resolved, so I sent a letter to ACS. They really made the dealer take notice. A few days later, I had my money back and they replaced the center cap at no charge.
Truth is, Pohanka offers the best service compared to Karen Radley in Woodbrige and Radley in Alexandria. After this incident was rectified, I've taken my car back there twice for scheduled maintenance. The first time back they said I had a leak in my axle. I smelled BS and declined the fix. The second time I asked them to check out the axle for leaks and they said it looked fine.
Definitely not the best of the best, but Karen Radley has ignored me every time I've gone there and they act like I don't exist - Radley in Alexandria (where I've bought both cars) is just a disorganized mess and they scratched my CL-S back when I had it.
I noticed the first issue as soon as I got out of my TSX when I arrived home. The wheel center cap on the rear driver’s side wheel was missing. Apparently the dealership had failed to properly secure it in place after removing the wheel for the tire rotation and balancing. I noticed the second issue while I looked over the receipt for the service. Although the invoice quoted $447.70 as the total for all services performed, I was billed $477.70 on my Visa credit card. I am enclosing a copy of the invoice and credit card receipt.
Truth is, Pohanka offers the best service compared to Karen Radley in Woodbrige and Radley in Alexandria. After this incident was rectified, I've taken my car back there twice for scheduled maintenance. The first time back they said I had a leak in my axle. I smelled BS and declined the fix. The second time I asked them to check out the axle for leaks and they said it looked fine.
Definitely not the best of the best, but Karen Radley has ignored me every time I've gone there and they act like I don't exist - Radley in Alexandria (where I've bought both cars) is just a disorganized mess and they scratched my CL-S back when I had it.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
