I went in for an oil change today at the local Acura dealership and when i got my car back the passenger seat had a huge gash in it, about 4-5 inches and a smaller one next to it about 1 - 2 inches. So i go back inside and they are nice about it and go look at it and said that they are going to have their leather guy look at it, and i was late for school so i didnt have much time. But he said its all done and if i have any problems let him know, and it seems like he knows im going to be unhappy. So i go to my car and they just put a gray (interior is gray) glue on it that isnt even flush and to top that off the rest of the leather for some reason is hard and grimy. It would seem like the guy sprayed that crap all over my seat! So i leave for school, and call them this morning telling him i dont want to be a dick but the fix you guys did is unacceptable. Before there was no problem and now there is an obvious one. Plus the retail value of my car is probably at least a thousand less. So i am waiting for a call back but what are your guys expectations?

 

i would hope they just replace the seat skin for you ... i would think that would be the easiest route to go based on what is posted here

 

Replacing the seat cover is the best option. I would not be taking my car back there after they've made it right. Some dealerships/auto shops really irritates me. If they know they screwed up, and based on the description of the gash...I seriously doubt they miss seeing the gash they created including "hearing" the seat being ripped....why not tell you the moment you arrived to pick up the car and present to you a plan of action.

OP this is what to expect. The dealership needs to repair the seat at minimum to its previous condition, if not better. In addition this should be done in a reasonable timetable and if necessary a car be provisioned for you. And as a customer service, not saying they have to, but per customer service, you should not have to pay for that oil change. After all, this is a major inconvenience....to say the least.

 

PS...I would keep the calls to a minimum and make it a priority to physically go to the dealership with the car. Being physically there commands more attention than being a phone call that can easily be put on hold. This is a time-sensitive issue and just based on the countless bad experiences other members have had with dealerships across the country...you can play the phone game or take your car in and get the immediate attention deserved. My

 

I fully agree with Flyer92. My girlfriend works for a dealer and she has told me they could care less what you do over the phone, its the customers that come in and "make a scene" that get what they want taken care of. I am not saying go in there and throw a fit, just keep going up the chain of people. Go right to the service manager now, they guy your working with had his chance to fix it and screwed it up. demand a new seat cover, evey if they repaired it so it looked nice it will crack the first time it gets cold and someone puts weight on it! Good Luck

 

Nicely but firmly...demand a new seat cover- it's the only way to make things right- how did it get cut anyway?

 

I will be going in there this afternoon. And they said that when they were cleaning it, they clean after they do any service, that the clearner probably put their knee on it to reach somewhere and it ripped. He said it was due to the leather being brittle but thats bs its only 6 years old and you would know if you ripped the leather anyways so they did try to hide it.

 

Rebuttal to the dealer- you should NEVER kneel onto leather (if it doesn't tear, it will leave a divot in the leather- I'm always careful not to kneel onto a leather surface). Maybe they'll learn after making your car right again.

 

After taking my 06 tsx to the local acura dealer for the annual state inspection I noticed a deep scratch on the one of the doors. I brought it to the attention of the service manager. He told me to bring the car back in two days when their body repairman was there. I had use of a loaner car and I must say they did an excellent job fixing it. I did not have to proove anything.

 

I think the only thing that really irritates me when I read these damage threads is that the service manager won't advise you of the damage and hopes you drive off with the damage (they hope you wouldn't notice the damage before you left)- this way, they will feel they're not liable once the car leaves the dealership. I would respect a SM/dealership more if they owned up to the damage and promised to make everything right. I guess the lesson learned is to carefully check your car when leaving the dealer, and be sure to inspect it in the daylight otherwise you may see a nasty surprise the next day.

 

By the sounds of it, replacing the seat skin is the only option. I wouldn't demand anything less, and start doing your service somewhere else.

 

I did not notice the damage until a few hours after I left the dealer. I did not have any problems. I do kneel on the seats on occasion, the dents or divots disappear in a short time.

 

Bump....any updates?

 

only more reason NOT to have your car washed at the dealer. have you seen the chamois they use to dry your car with. YUCK! the first thing out of my mouth when i get serviced is please do not wash my car with great emphasis on DO NOT WASH.

i've never had any major issues with my dealership. in fact they are very willing to right any wrong they have done if you ask nicely and let your service advisor know what is up. the other thing is it really depends on who your service advisor is. the more you make nice with them, the more they will make a greater effort to take care of your car while its being serviced.

be firm and nice, and you'll get your seat fixed up the way its suppose to be. good luck.

 

How much are those seat covers anyway?

 

Not cheap- I think they are at least $600 depending on where they're purchased (and that's not for both parts of the seat)

 

Update

Sorry for the delay, but on Friday I went back and told him the fix they did looks like crap and he looked at it and agreed. I then told him i dont want to be a dick but i brought it in and it was just fine and now there is damage to it that if left like that would ding a few grand off retail value and he understood and was nice about it. So he said that his manager went to lunch but he will call me so he calls me a few hours later when they are about to close. He is really nice and everything and wants to know what i want done, again... so i tell him i want it looking how it was when i brought it in, new! So he starts saying that it is brittle, old and was going to happen in the future anyways! I say well we can say what ifs all day long but the fact is it was perfect until one of your employees ripped it. He briefly went down the path that it could have been like that when i brought it in because no one admitted that they did it, but i don't blame them either. I wouldn't want to be responsible for that and potentially get fired. But they have to know, because why would they try to fix it in the first place if they had any doubt that they didn't do it? Anyways, no one really sits over there and if a seat was brittle it would be the drivers seat and it seems just fine. I condition the seat at least 3 times a year. But anyways, he is going to tell his manager, again, that i want it fixed. He keeps saying that its going to be more ugly if they fix it because of the color, and lining up the creases or whatever, but i think he is just bs'ing trying to convince me not to fix it because they don't want to do it. Fact is, they messed it up i want it fixed. If the seat doesn't match then i need a whole new seat. I don't think wanting my car back in the condition it was before they broke it is unreasonable.

 

All that crap the mgr is stating about the condition of the leather is irrelevant bullshit. They damaged your seat, they are obligated to replace it. It's that simple.

 

dealership, stealership, fckership ftl

 

You need your seat cover replaced, no questions asked. Don't get it "resurfaced" or repaired, you had the confidence and faith in this dealership to return your vehicle the way you proposed it to them. I would insist on having it replaced for N/C due to the dealerships failure to ensure your car has been properly taken care of. Don't let up, don't give in, get what you deserve.

 

So after this problem is dealt with, where should i go get maintence done? I always have liked this dealership and anytime i have called the other ones to find out where my code is to get the radio started after i changed the battery they want to see it in person, or mention high fees and this once just told me over the phone. The other times when i have had service done they do it fast and its reliable. Should i continue to go here for warranty work, like the pressure sensors, side mirror motor replacement, radio console replacement, etc...

 

I would not bicker nor go back and forth with the dealership. Rksokol put it quite succinctly and that is the exact verbage you want to use. Say it calmly and keep the attitude in check, but it really is essentially, "...they damage the seat, they are obligated to restore/replace it" and it really is that simple.

Sounds like you have to jump couple hoops, but I am confident they will do the right thing. Small claims court will easily handle this matter if it ever comes to it.

 

I think the most important thing to stress is NO WASH! This way they won't touch your car except for the portion being attended to.

 

Sounds like the service manager wants to dick around the topic....'he needs to talk to his manager' means you need to talk to his manager. Skip this guy and try to find somebody higher up...I would mention you have had good service in the past and you will potentially bring them a lot of future business (ie. pressure switches, side mirrors, etc) if and only if you are treated fairly on this.

 

For stinkin cow skin? Damn.


+1 on the no wash thing. My dealer always acts surprised when I decline it.

 

This would piss me off, I would have gone ape sh*t after hearing his BS.

 

OP - Don't fall for their BS. Sure, the leather may have been old, but the point is... it wasn't damaged when you bought the car in and they damaged it. They simply need to bite the bullet and make it right. Let's put it this way... I bet if you had one of their loaners and damaged it... they'd definitely charge you for the damage.

Don't let 'em off the hook. They're hoping that you accept the story. Don't let them get away with damaging your seat and trying to put on a crappy band-aid "fix". Good luck, I hope you get this resolved.

 

That sucks dont take that bs.

 

its simple. tell them to fix it, and if you are unsatisfied with the resolution when you get it back, you will be contacting corporate acura to complain.

 

There is no reason you would not be able to call the same dealer to get the radio code but i dont understand why you just dont write it down so you dont have to keep calling.
Anyway, if there is anything I have learned from my girlfriend working at an Acura dealer is just keep taking it up levels. like its been said if he needs to go to his manager then you need to get that managers name and go to them. it will get the the dealership GM or the owner at some point. thats when you point out that if they feel it was dry and it was not thier fault why did they attempt to fix it in the first place. Good luck and just remember to stay calm when talking to the dealer managers, if you get angry they shut down and wont help you.

 

I hope you have a chronological order of events with names, dates and times. Nothing helps your case like naming names. Who is this dealer anyway?

 

Guy is giving you the run around, don't talk to anybody on the phone, walk into the dealership during non-lunch hours and directly speak to the manager...and straight to the point tell him they damaged your seat, and the least you'll take is either a new skin for the seat or an entire new seat because there's no possible way to fix a rip or tear in a seat to make it look like how it was.

 

make sure when they replace ur seat skin to check the rear of the seat. once those things comes off once, they are loose, so you may have to get that fixed as well after the seat cover is changed

 

^ this, and tell them you plan on finding out what your legal recourse is by getting an attorney involved.

 

man, i just hate hearing stories like this... you take in your car to get something done that'll make it better and you end up with something else that makes it worse... don't let up and definitely take it to the next level of management.

 

i dont think they get scared when you mention an attorney.
At least I dont. I actually chuckle when I hear people saying that.

Matter of fact as soon as the words, attorney or lawyer are brought up. I immediately end the conversation and advise them to go ahead and do so.

No lawyer is going to litigate over torn leather. Your retainer will cost more than buying the seat new.

 

+1 This is exactly what will get your issued resolved if you need to contact corporate. It will show that your taking this seriously. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security with peons promising you things they can't do. List both dates/times/names of all individuals spoken to and what each individual said at each conversation (both in person and over phone).

That way they have to be held accountable for the bs they're throwing at you and if their story changes there is hard factual information at your disposal. Don't be afraid to take a notepad and a pen and jot notes down as you speak to anyone there. I've noticed as soon as you do this in a customer service atmosphere people start to take you seriously real quick.

If they ask you what your doing just tell them you are maintaining a record of all conversations and information provided to you in case this information is ever required in future.

 

This = a must do.

 

I'm sure there are plenty of lawyers that deal with small claims such as this and charge a reasonable amount.

 

**Update**

So he was supposed to call me last monday and he didnt so I waiting until thursday to call him and left a message to call me immediatly and he never did. So i went in on monday to talk to the manager, he is on his day off, so the guy that was supposed to call me, is at lunch! So the nice guy helping me called the guy and told him and then i got on the phone and he said that they are waiting for corporate. So he calls me back that night and says they will pay half of it! Fucking half of it! They fucked it up they need to pay for it. He kept saying my seat is really brittle and it was going to happen in the future anyways etc and that is complete BS! My seat was in original condition and they messed it up! Its the same as saying if my car has 200,000 miles on it and i go in for an oil change and they forget to put the new oil in and my engine blows up and they pay for a new engine! They dont say well your car was about to break down anyways so we will cover half of it. Anyway right now I am so frustrated and he keeps saying you got to understand it from my end. I say something like there isnt anything to understand you fucked up my seat you fucking fix it! So he says he is going to talk to his manager again and call me back. The next day he calls they say they will cover 340 of it instead of 450. I told him i keep my car in good condition so i dont have to pay for bs like this and he says thats all they can do. So i take down his name, his managers, his managers manager and then ask him the number to the legal department. He doesnt know it. So i ask if he knows how to get it. He doesnt. What an idiot! Point me to the Acura website or something!

So I talked to the compliance manager at my work who deals with complaints about the company and they said that a similar thing happened with their vw but they messed up and blew he engine and they replaced it but they just told their own insurance and their insurance dealt with the company and everything got fixed. So i called my insurance and they are on it now and going to contact the dealership today sometime.

My compliance manager also said if the insurance company cant do anything, to write a letter explaining in detail what happened with who and what time etc and send that to the better business bureau as well as to the state government, acura corporate, the dealership and any other place you can see and usually you will see a response. But regardless of what happens I am going to report it to the BBB!

This is pissing me off so much!