Audioholics

I just experienced the most unpleasant service call since I've owned acura cars dating back to 2004 and this was from the dealer I puchased my 05 TL from. I recently purchased an 07 TLS from a small independent dealer.

I had a few issues with this car since I bought it. One being wind noise in which this very dealer kept my car for over 1 week, sent it to their body shop and allegedly re-aligned the door. Since their re-alignment, the wind noise was reduced slightly, but the door has to be closed with force else it stays open. Also the rubber door handle is starting to come off b/c they didn't fasten it correctly after the reinstalled it.

So I waited a couple of months to get it fixed so coincide with other service issues.

The Service Manager said he would fix it but can't give me an Acura loaner since I didn't purchase the car at his dealer. He said he would ask his manager to override that and that manager would call me to discuss.

Later that day I got a call from that manager whom off the very bat tried to point fingers at me for creating problems with my own car. He told me he talked to another Acura dealer where I had my car serviced and they told him I used to have window shades on the exterior of my car and that I had them remove them. I said yes that’s true, the car came with them and I thought they looked cheesy so I had the local Acura dealer remove them for me. No biggie.

He then went on to claim my aftermarket mods likely caused the wind noise and door misalignment. I was so shocked by these accusations I actually thought he was joking.

He also said since I didn’t purchase this car here then I am not eligible for a loaner. I said OK so my 05 TL doesn’t count? He said no and continued to proceed down the path that the problems with my car were a result of my modifications to the windows, which for the second time I told him I did NOT do and those were simply Weathertech aftermarket shades that slide under the weatherstrip. He said who knows what other mods you did to your car that could have caused this problem.

I then told him based on his attitude I would never purchase another Acura from his dealership again. He didn’t even care and said “so what, you already side stepped us and purchased this car from someone else”.

Tomorrow is my service appointment with this place and I already phoned my local Acura dealer that they called and they thought this whole situation was bogus but said they would not fix my door since the other dealer screwed up the alignment and they could not take that liability on.

At this point I guess I will take it back to this dealer to get it fixed and swallow my pride. But how can I complain to corporate Acura about this experience?

Bender

I would break his damn nose.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

I would contact customer relations at Acura corporate -- if you can't acquire the phone number from the a-hole stealership which mis-aligned your door -- then get it from a reputable dealership like Continental Acura 630-960-2100 and they'll get you Acura corporate's phone number.

Never waste your time on shady small stealerships with stuff like this -- call a big Acura dealership and get the corporate number.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Gene, I'm so sorry you are having this kind of problem with this dealership. I wish you lived in Kansas City-I'd take you to my dealership and introduce you to them. THEY know what customer service really means. Obviously, this dealership has plenty of business-even with the economy being in the trash. The owner of this dealership must be independently wealthy and not have to worry about customer relations at all. He doesn't care who he pisses off. PLEASE report this to Acura and PLEASE let us know the name of this dealership-so others in your area can take their cars somewhere else. ...To other dealerships who care about their customers and actually WANT business.




2009 Kansas City All Acura Meet-May 17th
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=714994

Audioholics

The name of the dealership that did this to me is Crown Acura in Clearwater Florida.

http://www.crownacura.com/

I will be calling my original service manager this morning to see if he will honor my service call and also get me an Acura loaner car. Last time I brought my car in for service, they put me in an Enterprise rental car which they were supposed to pay for but my credit card got charged and it took them 2 months to issue me a credit for it.

As a small business owner myself, I simply don't understand how a company can treat their customers this way, regardless if the customer is right or wrong. I treat me current and past clients equally well especially since I know they come and go. This seems to be a lost courtesy on this dealership.

luckyAKAhappy

Hold on a sec...you are bringin in your TLS to an acura dealer you didn't buy from and expect them to fix things for free while giving you a free loaner?

Majofo

+1.. but first get him fired.

Who did you talk to? That is unacceptable. Voice your complaint to Gail & Randy about the service advisor. They don't care if you buy a car from them because the service shop and the sales shop are different entities. If I were you I would voice your complaint to the sales manager (Dan) and the general manager (Larry) as well. Tell them you have been a loyal customer and be very matter of fact how the service shop is losing them business.

man.. the TL-S has been nothing but trouble for you.. lol. Did your wife's fender bender get fixed? If I were you.. I'd consider getting OE Visors, that may indeed fix the infamous wind noise issue, plus they look 10X better then the weathertechs, well the rears anyways. I really hope things work out for you. You definitely have our support, everything they said is b.s., I can't believe how patient you are, I'd rip that guy a new asshole. GL and keep us updated.

Majofo

Sales & Service are totally different. The warranty is transferable and bottom line, Acura got paid on that deal whether it was that dealership or another. People move relocate etc.. that doesn't give a dealership an excuse to refuse warranty service. The service dept makes boatloads of money on warranty service. They're probably being assholes because this problem can't be blamed on a part vendor so they're blaming gene.


edit: ahh crap.. I totally missed the part where you said you talked to the service manager and manager. Well give the sales dept a talk then call corporate.

luckyAKAhappy

I agree on warranty issues. It just doesn't sound like a warranty issue. and loaners are not a guarantee and shouldn't be expected. It would be nice if they were to provide one.

Audioholics

Yes since my car is under warranty and I bought another car from them so its not like I am a staggler off the street.

Also they didn't fix my car correctly the first time but had no problems charging Acura over $1k in parts and labor.

Audioholics

Yes I got the bumper fixed. It seems anytime I get something fixed on this car, something else breaks. The other Acura dealer replaced the entire framing of my seat to stop the rattling and now my driver seat has the same issue. My subwoofer rattles with bass and I noticed the front hood and rear trunk space gap on each side is uneven.

This car was poorly put together and has lowered my opinion of Acura. I am seriously thinking about trading it in for a G37 as I don't have the time to keep servicing the car. Sadly I had my hands on a BMW 335i for around the same price as this rattle box and shyed away b/c of all the alleged reliability issues of BMW.

luckyAKAhappy

Ok. If it's the same issue which they originally took under warranty, they should fix it. Maybe it would have helped if you brought it in sooner instead of waiting few months since the fix?

Audioholics

The Acura dealer will only put me in a rental car loaner for 1 day to fix my car. Since this repair will likely take them a week like last time, I cannot accept these terms. I must now live with the door alignment issue or drive the car to Orlando to get it fixed. Unreal.

Majofo

Hey a 335i would be great while it's under warranty.. then push off before it becomes a money pit.

Have you taken a look at some of the new muscle.. I've been eyeing the SS Camaro. I know it's not very family friendly but damn.. If you really do trade up again I'd go Lexus. I've always had a great experience with the service shops I've been to and I've never encountered such issues in my RX. I wouldn't give up on the TL so fast.. if the wind noise problem is not fixed after several attempts it qualifies for the Lemon Law buyback. Keep pushing.. you may get a new TL-S or money back + on it. Call corporate before having to go out of your way.

Audioholics

The service manager told me to bring it in next time I get service done and he would take care of it. Their center is over 1hr drive from my house so I'd prefer not to take it in unless I am doing it to resolve multiple issues or do general service.

luckyAKAhappy

wow...that sucks. In that case, I would make a complaint to corporate.

Audioholics

Yes I am trying to figure out how to do that now.

Majofo

• ACURA CUSTOMER SERVICES
  
  For further assistance, feel free to contact Acura Client Services. You can reach us through the following ways:
  • By Phone(800) 382-2238 toll free
    Monday through Friday
    6:00 AM to 5:00 PM
    Pacific Standard Time
  • By Fax(310) 783-3535
  • By MailAcura Client Services
    1919 Torrance Blvd.
    Torrance, CA
    90501-2746

If you call it's extension 5. GL!

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Looks like you got yer answers! nice job Majofo

Audioholics

Thanks but it was a complete waste of time. All they could do was file a complaint against the dealership. I don't have a complaint against the dealership, just their main service manager. I don't like penalizing all of the good people that work there as a result.

Also Acura told me its up to the dealer to provide a loaner car as they have no policy for that.

I think I may be taking a ride to Infiniti this weekend.

Majofo

You're not penalizing anyone.. Your next step after a complaint with corporate is to get hold of the Acura district manager. Call the first dealership, since they have been kind to you, and get contact info for the district manager so he/she can get involved. When you make your complaint, make sure you start from the beginning. The next move is the FL state atty general, they should have a consumer affairs department and they're great for mediation and lemon law enforcement. Nothing against Infiniti but if you enjoy the TL and would like to keep it.. you still have plenty of options. You may not get it fixed tomorrow or next month but your issues will eventually be resolved.

File a complaint
http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.ns...torney_General

FL lemon law
http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/...256cc9005da68a



also, they can't argue that you did anything to create the problem because this is a known issue.. That service manager is an asshole and the world would be a better place if he was fired.. The world would probably be a whole lot better if a hydraulic lift failed and a MDX fell on him, otherwise he might end up being an asst. mgr of a McDonalds barking at his 14 yr old employees and yelling at customers that they didn't get fries with there combo because he'd previously seen them eat at Wendy's. That guys an ass and the best way to deal with an asshole is to create a shit storm, just make sure you smile when you do it.

All in favor of creating a shit storm?.. I vote Yea!

Audioholics

Yea I am just venting right now. I try to hate my TLS until I go into my garage and see her maginficant beauty staring at me. I don't feel this way with the G37 so maybe its worth raising some hell. I tend to back down b/c of time constraints but in this case it may be worth it.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Audioholic is exactly right. You know what...in this day and age and economic times, EVERY dealership should be doing all they can to create customer loyalty and building new streams of revenue. This dealership is way off base. If I were the service writer, I would already know that Audioholic has purchased from us once before. But to keep him happy and continue to build customer loyalty, do a nice thing for a guy like Audioholic and take care of the Type S for him. As my mom says, "a little sugar goes a long way."

Take care of a great guy like Gene, and he tells all his friends to go to that dealership for sales and service. Don't take care of him-and negative word of mouth will KILL YOU !!!!




2009 Kansas City All Acura Meet-May 17th
https://acurazine.com/forums/midwest-312/kansas-city-2009-spring-all-acura-meet-may-17th-12pm-%40-jay-wolfe-acura-714994/

Cerezo

Loaners are courtesies by the dealer that's usually only given to people who bought the car there. This is regardless of what brand of car you have based on my experience.

They can indeed blame aftermarket visors for wind noises... weatherstrip is used to seal in-between the glass and frame obviously. They should do a better job on the door alignment however. They should not have accused you with other mods they didn't see. You can complain but it probably is not going to do anything.

I avoid going to the dealer for small problems for the very reason that other things can be messed up. I'd try to do easy things to see if it can be improved; if not, try to live with it. Unless it's totally not bearable I would not bring it to the dealer.

If you think buying a different car is going to solve your problem, you'll be surprised that most new cars have rattles. Having dealers taking things apart to try to fix them usually induce even more of it. My previous 3' had its share of rattles. I used to battle them, tried to find ways to fix them, in the end I fixed some and lived with some.

Just bring it back to have them fix the alignment problem and hope they don't mess up other things. You bring the car there, go somewhere else and pick it up when it's done. The nicer you are the better you are treated.

Audioholics

Sadly I did try to buy my 2nd Acura from that very dealer 3 times but they couldn't get me a Type S. I am very loyal to companies when they treat me right and I don't buy based solely on price. That dealer lost me as a customer for life which is sad b/c I refer my friends and families on big purchases like this and I usually get a new car every 3-5 years.

Agreed and I am usually very nice when I am treated with respect. My 15k mile service is do which I am bringing to a different dealer as a result of this. In a month or so when I am in the area, I will bring my car back to that dealer for them to re-align the door and I will never step foot in that place again.

BTW when I called the other dealer and told them I was bringing it in for my 15k mile service and a few rattles, they asked me if I prefer a TSX or TL loaner. Now that is service! Too bad they won't mess with the door, but I understand their position on this.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^ It sounds like this other dealership really wants to work with you. Forget the other dealership.



2009 Kansas City All Acura Meet-May 17th
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=714994

YeuEmMaiMai

I didn't buy my acura from the dealer that does work on my car and I get a loaner...whenever I need it and they even do all of my warranty work no questions asked. Where is the problem here? The OP's dealer sucks that's the problem......

YeuEmMaiMai

1 hour drive is nothing in this case as it is quite appearant from your threads that your local dealer sucks

Audioholics

Good point.

smarty666

I been overly happy with my response from Acura Headquarters over the years, while they can't do everything they have been great of calling dealerships I've reported to them about their crappy attitude and treatment toward me and whipped them into shape with simply a phone call; Acura hqs doesn't tolerate any crappy customer service from their dealerships because it reflects poorly against them

you'd be surprised how quickly my service manager and techs attitude has changed once corporate got involved!

I feel for you about the loaner car situation; I leased my 06 TL from one Acura dealer and when I returned it to lease my current 08 TL that same salesman gave me the BS "oh we can't match your old lease and you'll have to pay much more then you did on your old lease" and I was like yeah sure, so I shopped around at two other local Acura dealers and one of them beat the price I was paying on my old lease with even less money down; when the original salesman called and asked if I got a better price and I said yes, he said I was lying to him and that if I ever wanted a loaner car from them I would never get one

suffice it to say when I brought my 08 TL in for warranty work to the dealer I got my 06 TL from, service manager said that as long as your an Acura owner/lessor no matter what dealership you go to, if you have warranty work done you get a loaner car no matter what dealership you get it from!!! if you think about it, no matter where you get your TL from, your payments all go to the same hqs; hell, that why you pay more money for the luxury cars, so that you get the higher quality of service and convenience, such as loaner cars

I hope you did report that dealership to Acura Headquarters!!!

dhong87

iTrader: (2)

call us at 800-382-2238 and press option # 5 for product concerns/dealership concerns.

to the person you talk to, have your VIN ready, name of service manager, name of district manager (in which i think you talked to)

dont say stupid stuff like "im never gonna buy another Acura and im gonna tell all my friends never to buy one".

At this point, in our heads, is gonna be "why should we help you/invest money into you, if youre not going to stick around".
be polite and dont raise your voice. stay calm.

so yeah, good luck with that and let me know the outcome.