NFLblitze1

I hate dealerships for many reasons. for one, they rip you off, but thats a given and its also besides the point.

i took in my car for service yesterday to Montclair DCH Acura, i got such friendly service from them when i walked in, told him i was having a few problems. so on and so forth. Gave me his card as i walked out the door. Now, today, i get a call. a not so friendly call from my service rep. He was getting all angry because they couldn't find a certain problem and they are trying to blame it on my after market installations and certain things i have installed on my car. i understand that sometimes aftermarket installations if not done right can cause problems. i can assure you that these things i have installed on my car which u can see in my signature haven't caused me any problems for the passed 2-3 years. but when Transmission Light and brake light and ABS light stay on and won't go off. automatically i get the, HEY THIS GUY HAS AFTER MARKET SHIT LETS FIND OUT HOW TO BLAME HIM FOR IT. uch i hate dealerships. why are they so judgmental sometimes

NFLblitze1

oops i realized i put this in the wrong section, mods can u please fix

01tl4tl

what exactly is this certain problem?

Distorted Reality

+2

chill_dog

^My guess would be this...

TeknoKing

Engine:
-AEM Intake
-UR Crank Pulley

Enough said... dealership are there to make money, so why not blame the error codes on the installs above..

The Dark Knight

iTrader: (1)

i would have removed those aftermarket parts before taking it into the dealership

CL6

So what did the dealership do wrong? There is an unexplained problem with the car and they notice all this aftermarket stuff on it. You don't think it's not a logical conclusion that perhaps, maybe, that had some part to play in it?

Why are people so quick to judge?

TypeSDragon

I've been hearing a lot of bad stories from DHC montclair acura. Since you are in NJ, I would rather take my car to Open Road Acura in Wayne or Park Ave Acura. They never had a problem with aftermarket parts.

TeknoKing

^ Agreed, Park Ave is pretty good.

So far the Brooklyn Plaza one is the worst. The requirement to work there is a BS degree in Douchebag.

SERVICEADVISOR

we make money wether you pay the bill or acura pays the bill, but some one needs to pay the bill and we would be ripping acura off if we charged them for something that was caused by something other than oem parts or installation caused. People who say we only here to rip you off are the same people that are always trying to lie to get free repairs when they know they are the ones messed up their car or can't afford to service their cars properly.

TeknoKing

^ I've paid over 1K cash for a PCM/Fuel Controller replacement in my 2G....that wasnt even the problem! They kept on adding stuff to the bill...

I took my car to my mechanic, one cheap ass fuel pump later, my car was brand new again...

Acura dealerships are privately owned, it's cash now vs cash later ((walk-in cash vs warranty work)), so yes, some of you, will milk us, the clients, as much as you can... Most customers are not mechanically inclined, and some dealers take full advantage of that...

Since you are such an honest and nice guy, convince your boss to branch out to NYC.

blatallic

I still don't understand why people trust in dealers so much to service there cars...They charge an arm and a leg...My mother takes her caddy and pays double to get a simple oil change...I tell her that its non sense and to take it somewhere else....

For example, she wanted a video system in the car, She went to the dealership and 2k later, she has a small ass 6 inch screen/dvd....I was like wow for 2k she could gotten a whole lot more some where else...not all service departments are bad but most will try to milk you...Gives the few that are left and bad rep!!

01tl4tl

you give a perfect example of people expecting the dealer to be able to install anything they want and being unhappy with the results!
The dealer is for special diagnosing, having a person actually trained on that exact car doing the bigger jobs, oil change guy doing those as their loss leader....

You want stereo--- go to a stereo shop- you want detailing go to a detailer

When a car with several mods that may have tapped into critical wiring, or caused rubbing somewhere.... a broken wire or sensor comes into the equation- its always a nightmare
Even worse if the owner tries to hide things by removing parts!- now the car is not as it runs for you- how can the tech know whats what!

If you dont like the dealer, go to a brake specialty shop- every town has at least one- try the phone book in the back part of it

KJSmitty

It would be one thing if the dealership actually stated:

"The root cause of your ABS, trans, and brake light, "lights" staying on is your (add mod here) install resulted in said wiring harness being stretched/broken/chaffed etc.. To fix we must replace the harness which will not be covered under warranty for obvious reasons. Here, my tech will show you the damage...."

This however is near never the way the verbal transaction transpires. More realistic would be:
"You have numerous modifications to your TL which are "obviously" causing (or caused) your issue - You do understand the repair will not be covered under warranty - do you want us to proceed??"
- This with no "valid" explanation of the "actual" and/or root cause.... I could write a short story on the plethora of "explanations/excuses/stories/descriptions" I have received in my numerous decades of visiting dealerships for warranty or repair. The truth would have been so much easier and resulted in much less egg on the Service adviser's/Managers face...


As you know NFLblitze1,
The best you can due is request they show/put in writing exactly how your mod's have caused said issue. Getting them to actually do this without several pissing contests and legal action could be near impossible. Their more apt to tell you to go away - which may be your next step, IE-try another dealer.

Now, if it is your mods that have caused the issue one must take accountability and pay for the repair. Where and how is up to you.

In the old days (my dealership-employer)/manufacturers would fix/repair/replace darn near anything, no matter who was at fault, just to keep the customer happy. Not the case in this economy. Dealerships, and mainly auto manufacturer's have gotten wiser, more fiscally "tight", and overall extremely picky when it comes to "accountability" of repairs. Tis business etc.. Given my years working at and dealing with dealership's however, issues like yours are very common. I know for a fact dealerships are "schooled" by the manufacturer to heavily "screen" each and every issue to "prevent" warranty claims whenever possible. Many make the right call in order to run a good business. Other times it's blatant disregard for the warranty policy/process to save the corporation money.


As for the suggestion to take it to a local brake shop - that could be a complete nightmare and they will most likely tell you to go to the dealer..... Some do, yet most wont tackle a "code" / multi system issue due to not having the specific diagnostic soft/hardware.

Best of luck!

SERVICEADVISOR

NFLblitze1

wow this thread got a lot of attention, let me clear up some issues that some of you might have. i have had my after market parts on my car for about 3 years and i haven't had one problem. I have been bringing my car to DCH Montclair over the passed 3 years for services and i have never had a problem inbetween the maybe 20 times ive been there to have work done on my car. each time ive gottne compliments on my car from people that work there and they have worked with me for certain services, they have always been very nice. about 4 months ago, swerved into my car and forced me to hit the barrier nearly totalling my car, the amount totalled to nearly 18,000 dollars worth of damage, i took it to ACURA to fix everything, insurance paid for this. i disclosed this to the service rep that the transmission light was going on and off, the ABS, BRAKE and VSA light stayed on and the interior dome ligths don't work. They never saw this as a problem. They just kept accusing me that my neons and door sills are the reason that there computer can't communicate with my car.

NFLblitze1

i also want to add, as it was mentioned before, IF and that is a big IF, IF in fact some of my add-ons have caused the so called problem, i have no problem paying for them to fix it. Money isn't the issue, im not trying to cheat the dealership and try to undercut them in anyway. Im just pissed off about how the first thing he jumps to is, "hey those door sills were installed improperly, they are gonna have to come off" when ive never had any problems and they were professionally installed. All of these problems happened after the accident. Like i said before i don't mind paying for it, i just don't like being blamed for something that isn't true and being talked to as if i shouldn't have put the after market parts on in the first place.

SERVICEADVISOR

in that case you have every right to be pissed, you built a relationship with the dealership/advisor and they let you down, I am sorry for that they should always give you and anyone the benfit of the doubt and treat the issue as warranty until proven otherwise.

01tl4tl

Note- that I said a brake SPECIALTY shop- my local one has all the scanners and tools to fix any car. A regular midas speedy type place is NOT what I am suggesting for any type of work on the TL~!~~
Only that if the dealer blew you off-- and you still need a diagnosis- there are professionals who work in the industry outside the dealrship

ndabunka

So, why don't you just "remove the neons and the door sills" and put the OEM stuff back on it and THEN let them fix it? Who knows, when you remove those items, your errors might even just "go away" and you will have realized that the Dealership may have been in the right all along and your mods actually may have caused the problem. It is certainly a plausible scenario

NFLblitze1

as much fun as that sounds. no. and like i stated before, i have no problem paying for damage that my judgment may have potentially caused.

UPDATE:

it turns out that my ECU chip was damaged in the accident and it had nothing to do with aftermarket parts, and it was shorting out some wires. i believe they quoted me 1200 for a new ECU with labor and all that crap. something ill have to take up with the insurance company for not fixing in the first place. that just goes to show you how judgmental some assholes can be and try to screw you out of warranty service.

visuelz

I've never had any problems with DCH Montclair Acura. I've always been treated professionally and never had a problem with them. To me, the best way to get the best treatment is to know what you're wearing. If you're going to be wearing shorts and a tshirt, don't really expect to get the respect you're looking for. I always wear a polo and jeans to DCH no matter how hot it gets.

KJSmitty

Well then,,,, that would explain why when decked out in my knee high black socks with sandals, a Speedo, and nothing but a set of 90's RayBan's I couldn't even get them to ask my name!

:-) :-) :-)

firstacuratl

iTrader: (2)

^ ROFL....I like your style Smitty!

NFLblitze1

**update**

here is an update on my situation, they have had my car for about a week and a half now and narrowed down what the problem is. they said that my VSA modulator was screwed up so they need to replace it. okay sure, an extra 1k down the drain, they also told me that, they are having an acura rep come to investigate my car to see if its covered under warranty. then im like okay that sounds good. but heres where it gets even better he proceeds to tell me and i quote.

"they are probably going to void the warranty because of all the after market parts on the car"

what the hell kind of bullshit is that? i told him about the The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and he said that doesn't cover emissions. is this true? and even still, how is someone going to tell you that your warranty is void on the situation because you have after market parts on the car. and not to mention the only after market part of i have on my car is the CAI and i cut the resonator out of my exhaust.

ricgrrarrow

if you were worried about voiding warranties, you shoulda thought twice before modding. if there's any way your mods can be linked to the error or warranty issue, they will void it and hold strong to that. no hurt in fighting it, but a modded car just sets off a red flag either saying you're out of any warranty or have voided them.

try to fight it, but they're gonna fight back.

ricgrrarrow

the respect you get from a dealer shouldn't be established by how you dress, regardless they should be professional and respectful. even if you walk in scrubbed out.

Sclass88

And to the OP, I hate to say it, but i agree with ricgrrarrow. Acura will fight it for sure. To me, when someone mods their car and then goes in for warranty work, though the person is typically doing the mods for personal preference, the dealer and Acura Corporate will see it as 'abuse' to the car in a sense due to the fact that you are trying to enhance the performance of the vehicle in order to get a superior driving experience. However, when something goes wrong, though it may have nothing to do with the mods like it sounds like in your situation, they will nearly ALWAYS blame it on the modifications and claim that you are the cause of the problem because you "beat" on your car.

Furthermore, given that you are the same age as me, I assume you have faced much of the same adversity as I have going into dealerships given our age. I got my TSX at 16 and originally brought it to the dealership where I bought the vehicle from for any service work that needed to be done. Though by no means am I cocky or snobby, the dealership would always classify me as a rich kid with a stuck up attitude and would treat me accordingly. Any time I had an issue with the car, they would instantly try to blame it on me, and indirectly blame my immaturity and youth. What they didn’t realize was I knew more about the car than any of them and often times would prove them wrong. Given that you, too have a nice car at a young age, the service advisors are going to be “jealous” in a way that you are able to afford a nice car and then be able to modify it significantly as your signiture shows. My advice is to kill them with kindness. Don’t take no for an answer. It sounds highly unlikely that your VSA problem is caused by your modifications so stand true to your ground. I understand where you are coming from here in saying that it is not about the money, more so the principal of the situation so be sure to stand firm in what you believe and don’t take no for an answer. Good luck.

KJSmitty

Describe to me how your mods caused an "emissions" issue resulting in your VSA module going bad??

Bottom line, how did your mods directly cause the VSA module failure?

Are they trying to say that the "enormous" increase in power from your mods has resulted in the VSA working overtime???

Continue the good fight!

NFLblitze1

well i am going on monday to pick up the car, they fixed everything, with a $1540 tab. all for a VSA sensor. They are having an Acura rep come in to see what percentage is covered under warranty. so we will see how it pans out. ill let you guys know. thanks for the support and advice

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Dude I would of immediately took my car out of that dealership and gone to Park Ave acura and just started the process over again. Saved yourself the aggregation and almost with 95% certainity they would of covered you no questions asked. They are very mod friendly as many of us have gotten CAI installed by them.

Also correct me if I'm wrong isn't there some law that protects us against this shit? It starts with a 'm' just can't remember.

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

Service: Not agreeing or disagreeing with you but can you answer this...how do you get paid? Is it straight salary or do you get commission or percentage of the work performed/amount charged?

I know the advisors at the local Honda dealership get a commission on the work done so one could see where a person would suspect they're getting ripped off for work that's recommended not not needed. Just wondering if it's the same with Acura (or other manufacturers)?

SERVICEADVISOR

commission , and bonuses for good survey scores. note, we get the same commission wether warranty pays or customer pays. I have worked for other makes and they are all commission based also. A good advisor makes 85k plus a year doing things the right way and not ripping anyone off. ripping people off hurts your survey scores which cost us our bonuses and if we get caught it will cost us our job. so besides it being morally wrong it doesn't pay in the end to rip customers off.

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

^^^ appreciate the response.

Distorted Reality

Interesting didn't know that. Good info.

apnorm

iTrader: (3)

Blitz...good luck with the warranty coverage. Did you call your insurance co. to let them know it was caused by the accident or did I read it wrong and it was really something else?

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

Yeah dealerships suck, they once tried to tell me they were not going to cover my window regulators if they went out cause I had tinted windows....LAME. That's why any engine mods you want to wait until AFTER the warranty runs out, that way you won't have to deal with their B.S.

paliknight

thats true. they shouldnt think of you as a bum. specially when theyre working on your 40 thousand dollar car.

NFLblitze1

BIG UPDATE:

okay, so here is the deal. you guys won't believe some of this.

just so you know the price i was quoted was 420 to fix interior lights, 80 dollars for a service, 1000 for a new VSA modulator and 105 dollars totalling to about 1600 dollars

my car has been there for 2 and a half weeks. i get a phone call today telling me that an acura rep has decided to cover the VSA modulator (-1000) yay!. okay so im down to about 600 bucks. NO!

"your gonna pay us 1463"
"what? why?"
"because of all the extra labor we had to do on this car"
"uh, no, im going to pay you the price you quoted me, minus the amount warranty covered"

this went on and on and he proceeded to tell me to never bring my car back to DCH Montclair Acura because of the big headache it has caused them. he was complaining that now nobody is going to get paid for the work they did, i told him that money wasn't an issue multiple times and if that was the case he should have quoted me a higher price. Mind you he was telling me he was trying to get the VSA modulator covered under warranty the the whole time. he was the nastiest prick i have ever talked too. I then called the manager of DCH Montclair and told him about the situation and he said he would call me back to mediate the situation. what a crock of shit.