A few months back I had brought my TL-S to the dealership to address a cosmetic issue regarding the steering wheel cover (cover was not centered, therefore right edge of cover had a visibly wider gap vs. left edge); service tech said they couldn't re-center the cover due to the way it was mounted. I wasn't too thrilled with the explaination but I shrugged it off, as the gap wasn't that big of a deal to me.

Fast forward to yesterday--I brought my car in (to the same dealership, BTW) for an oil change and to have the moonroof shade rattle fixed; anyway, I pointed out the steering wheel gap to a different advisor and told her about the explaination I got the last time I addressed the issue. Basically, I told her that if they can't fix the gap, then they better put in a new steering wheel. Lo and behold, they somehow managed to re-center the cover by remounting the air bag assembly--apparently, it wasn't mounted properly.

Just goes to show how lame some service departments are; it more or less came down to, "Gee, it can't be fixed because it comes like that" vs. "I think we're better off seeing if we can fix it rather than wind up replacing it..."

Tony

P.S.: Okay, so it wasn't a short story; the moral of the story is that you shouldn't let service departments BS their way out of a warranty repair job if it can be resolved, no matter what the cost (within reason, of course).

 

Odd, I get a completely different feel when I go get my car serviced for warranty. It almost seems like they get paid buku bucks to replace anything in my car since they are really eager to replace every part I complain about.

 

You're right Earnest,

Warranty is part of the purchase price which the dealer pays when they buy it from the mfgr..

anytime they can do work against that, they recoop thier money as they are charging Honda for it (parts and/or labor).

The mfgr is responsible for shelling out the bucks to the dealers to fix anything that is defective from production.

 

And here I thought I was the only one with this feeling! Every time I come in b!tching about a blem here, paint needs claybared, rotors need replaced, Bose stereo display goes wacko, etc. the dealer is more than happy to fix it, no questions asked. Hell, I even "debaged" the rear decklid of the 3.2CL, and Type-S emblems, only to change my mind. They're installing new ones for me as well. Granted, most of my complaints are legit, but they've really went out of thier way to help me resolve my issues. I've got no real complaints with Acura of Columbus, that's for sure.

Jim

 

Well, I can see instances where something cannot be repaired but in all likelyhood has to be replaced. What I was getting at was that the feeling I got regarding my warranty service was that the service department decided to actually fix the problem (mis-centered steering cover) only after I suggested to them that if they couldn't re-center it, then perhaps they should replace the entire steering wheel. Remember, this is after the first time I had addressed this issue and their response was that there was nothing they could do to fix it. In other words, why the about face?

Tony

 

tdoh -

Some dealers are obviously more receptive to customers concerns than others. I just happen to have a dealer that has so far treated me with the respect I deserve. You, on the other hand have not been so fortunate. Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but keep your head cool, be polite, and persistant. These actions will get you what you need. And hopefully, after time, the need to be repetitive about issues of concern will cease.

PS - throw them a bone now and then (i.e. - an oil change, trans fluid flush, etc.) This at the very least sounds fair to me! Let them make a bit of money in the service dept.

Good luck in the future - Jim

 

mackdaddy--thanks for your sympathy (at least that's how I interpreted your reply); no, I didn't lose my cool or anything. Nothing more makes a person look like a total idiot than making a big scene over something without attempting to resolve it in a professional and courteous manner. I was polite, but firm, and basically reasoned with them in a way such that they could not cop another excuse for not resolving my warranty issue (fixing vs. replacing steering wheel cover when they initially told me that they couldn't do anything about it period).

And yes, I like to think that I'm trying to give them my business as far as servicing my car goes. I live in an area where I can choose from three different Acura dealerships--for those of you in the Bay Area, I can choose in increasing order of distance from my home one of the following: Oakland, Concord, Pleasanton. I chose Pleasanton because that's where I bought my car from and from my initial observation it appeared to have the most organized service area of the three.

Tony

 

tdoh -

Yes, sympathy was intended! Sounds as though you've started a relationship with them that hopefully, they now understand (your not going to let them pull the wool over your eyes.) Sometimes it take a bit of work to get what you want (as you've found out.) None the less, your on the right track. Good job.

Take care - Jim

 

I recieved the same lame #ss excuse from Charlie Thomas...they didn't even look to see if they could fix it. I thought the same thing, no big deal, it's not real noticeable. However, over the weekend I got in the TL and noticed the off-center thing and it bothered me.

On October 31st, I have an appt. to meet with an official Acura rep at my local dealership. I'm meeting with him about the paint quality and will be sure to point out the steering wheel, as well, and demand either a fix or replacement.

Thanks for the experience!

 

No problem!

You gotta talk smart with these guys--pull your own "end-around" play around their "end-around" tactics; otherwise they'll take you for an idiot and come up with all kinds of lame excuses, hoping that you're one of those people who can take "no" for an answer.

Tony

 

You're absolutely right!

I'm gonna try it.