Jerry944T

So I took my 2007 TL-S with 67,000 miles in to Ardmore Acura for State inspection yesterday. While waiting for the inspection in a nearby restaurant I got a call from the service manager informing me that my car failed because of "excessive play" in the ball joints on both sides.
Interesting because the same stealership had replaced them 8,000 miles ago which was last January.
When I informed the service manager that he had replaced them recently the line went silent. He then came back on saying he was checking his records. He acknowledged, after a pause, that they indeed were replaced only 8000 miles ago but perhaps they went bad because of the pothole situation.
I told him that was BS and I wasn't paying for another set of ball joints. Another pause and he then told me he'd call back. He did call in a couple of minutes and said he had talked to the factory rep and they would replace them under the heading of "goodwill" this one time but I'd have to pay for an alignment ($80). I gave him the go-ahead for that.
So now I'm questioning whether I ever needed the first set and whether they were actually done. The only other explanation would be defrective new parts.
To say I am pissed is an understatement because obviously I was lied to at some point. I'm just not sure when. The first time or the second?
They will never see my car again. Thoughts?

NBP04TL4ME

Unfortunately they don't call them stealerships for nothing. Always ask to see the defective parts and/or what they are talking about. Is "last January" three months ago or 15 months ago? You should inquire about parts warranty and if they are covering the cost of the new ball-joints, IMHO they should cover the cost of the alignment.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

agreed. they should eat alignment cost

polobunny

Pothole situation, ball joints on both sides? Uh please! Did you fall in a crater and both wheels ate the ditch at the same time?

They tried to reel in easy money and they didn't even bother checking the service history for your car. Dishonest dealership is dishonest.


No more thinking needed, never ever go there again like you said.

Jerry944T

The ball joints were allegedly replaced 15 months ago but only 8000 miles. Asking to see damaged parts is usually useless. I am sure there are piles of damaged parts they could show me from other vehicles. Also they have a policy of no civilians in the service bays.
Grrr!!

polobunny

Either way, it's no use now. Pay the alignment and GTFO. Tell them as nice as possible you will never come back or recommend them. Walk out like a sir, enjoy life, live it to the fullest, get to know a reliable garage.

NBP04TL4ME

Thinking about this more - So they are going to replace the ball joints and then send you on your way with a car that is out of alignment??

Yeah, we will put new tires on your car but you have to pay for the air we put in them.....
Yeah, we will replace your windshield, but you have to pay for the wipers to be put back on.......
Yeah, we will replace your brake pads, but you have to pay for us to put the tires and lug nuts back on...............

Seriously, they are only going to a partial job???

I think you politely need to tell them that alignment is on them too. Only $$ coming out of your pocket is for the inspection.

In terms of looking at the damaged parts, the only ones you are interested in are on your car. And that policy is BS. You can be in the shop but need to be accompanied by shop personnel.

Jerry944T

An alignment, I was told, couldn't be covered because its an "adjustment." I was also told that the alignment was only "recommended." WTF? I've worked on enough race cars to know that an alignment is always needed when replacing a suspension part.
Regardless I don't mind paying for the alignment because there have been some pothole issues this winter and I don't want my tires to wear unevenly. I consider that preventative maintenance.
Its a shame because I have been using this dealership from the time I owned my second gen TL-S. This is the first time I was ever disappointed or lied too, at least to my knowledge.
I have above average knowledge of the mechanical aspect of cars since, when I was younger, I was always my own mechanic. Being over 70 has disadvantages. Not quite as flexible as I once was :-(
I really pity the people who have little knowledge, trust the dealership and get ripped off.

polobunny

That's the thing though, once the bond of trust is broken between you and your dealership, you'll doubt their every move. The people with little knowledge, while spending more money, at least won't have their trust shattered. Blissful ignorance if you will.

It doesn't need saying that any direction or suspension part being replaced and alignment is highly recommended as you mentioned. There's certain exceptions, but for what it's worth it seems ridiculous to play Russian roulette and incur more costly repairs or have an unsafe car.

TL-GIXXER

Sussman pulled the "one time replacement" of front rotors on my 03 TL-S with less than 20k miles. Gee- thanks...

truonghthe

Pot hole blaming is just a lame excuse, they should eat up all the cost since IF they not lying to you the part is failure prior to 1 year 12k miles rule thereford they should slap thw bill on honda. I always decline the serviced right on the spot and bring it it to another shop for another look, that way i know if the stealership is BS me or not.

nfnsquared

They should eat the alignment. Period. I'd tell the service manager that you are filing a case with Acura Client Services and see where it goes from there. And I would indeed actually file a case with ACS so they know what is going on at that dealership.

And always, always, always request the old parts.

NBP04TL4ME

No need to pity them as polobunny said it's blissful ignorance. And in reality, it's those folks that put us in this position. The average joe doesn't have the mechanical knowledge so the stealership can get away with pretty much anything. They stumble, when they run into someone like yourself because you (we) are the minority.

Hopefully you will be on your way shortly and can enjoy the balance of your day -

aspec2016

Just my .02 cents here almost 30 years in this business.


Your parts have a 12 month unlimited mileage warranty, when purchased and installed by an Acura dealer then that warranty covers parts and necessary labor to replace said parts. This includes an alignment if necessary. On that car and a lot of others the alignment is not changed with the replacement of the LOWER ball joint (so it's not required but still a good practice). Upper ball joint replacement requires an alignment.


Don't pay a dime! Good luck,I'd rather think it was an oversight on the dealers behalf but the nonsense about potholes is B.S.

dezymond

They didn't just try, they did. They got you to pay for an alignment that should've been on them.

Jerry944T

I haven't paid for anything yet. I didn't have the time to stay so I re-appointed to this Monday when a loaner was available. I guess I need to re-think the alignment because it was (allegedly) the lower ball joints.
The 12 month parts warranty doesn't apply since its been 15 months since they (allegedly) were replaced.
As Polobunny mentioned once trust has been lost.........
Trust is vital in business as well as personal matters and it's earned. Once lost it's really hard to earn it back. Words of wisdom from an old head.

truonghthe

Can you have another independant shop double check make sure the ball joint is bad?

v8eatr

Just my .02 Cents. I'm a service advisor at a new car dealership. Our parts carry a 2 year unlimited warranty. If the part fails outside of that, the dealership has every right to not do anything for you, HOWEVER if it fails at something like 2 months and 1 week, I will for sure do SOMETHING to help you out, it won't be free but I will help. If only one side was loose and your tire had a big dent/bend in it from obvious damage they COULD make a case against not replacing it under warranty but IMO there is no reason to piss off the customer when you can just do a service part warranty that doesn't effect you. Also if they replace a part under warranty that requires an align, you bet they better do at minimum a 2 wheel alignment and charge that to Acura/Chevy/Toyota/Etc...

v8eatr

FYI for most manufacturers, rotors are only covered under a 12/12 warranty against defect. If they do warp, especially more than once, there is a 99% you are beating the shit out of your brakes and the dealer has no responsibility in replacing them for you.

NBP04TL4ME

This makes sense to me...........

Just curious - what marque do you work for?

NBP04TL4ME

I would consider rotors a wear item, so again I agree.

v8eatr

Ford

polobunny

I'm sorry to hear that.


At least there's worthy V8s over there!

TacoBello

And I bet they will neither do the alignment nor the ball joint replacement. But hey, they're $80 richer!

v8eatr

Have them show you before and after specs, should have your vin. Also if its a service part warranty, you can't request parts back because the manufacturer has claim to them. Just FYI.

v8eatr

Hey, the less reliable they are, the more $ I make haha.

NBP04TL4ME

I believe Ford has come a long way, but I'm sure there are plenty of older Fords on the road to keep you busy

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

Shame on you Ardmore Acura

One thing I realized on Acurazine is that they have really good SEO.

Soon when someone searches "Ardmore Acura" on Google, they will see this thread in the first few pages
This thread already shows up in the 5th result page.

Sure, every dealer will have complaints online, but just letting you know, Acurazine has good SEO

TacoBello

i've heard many times the newer fords aren't any much better. but their marketing campaign is damn good and will lead you to believe they're just as good, if not better, than toyota and honda....

FamilyGuy

Go to a different dealer buddy

And if you can have an independent mechanic check the ball joints immediately to see if they are in fact new. Should be able to tell whether or not they were serviced if you go right away.

NBP04TL4ME

Like I said - "I believe.". In my driveway you won't find any Fords. You will find an Acura, a Lexus and two Hondas.

FLOORED

i deal with ardmore acura all the time and they are crooked. i work for an insurance company and do collision estimates. they had a claim in there for inspection on a 06 base with 80k the car failed inspection due to a broken weld on the engine cradle.. they told me the customer hit a pothole and broke the weld on the aluminum engine cradle. i asked if any of the wheels or tires were damaged. they said they inspected the wheels and tires and all were ok. there is no way in hell a pothole is going to break a weld to an aluminum engine cradle without destroying our extremely soft wheels.

another dealer( philly honda ) did my timing belt service. all went well until i got home. i checked the price of all the parts and the dealer used ( matrix pricing) on all the parts. matrix pricing is when a dealer marks a part up on top of the retail price. i called a few dealers to check the retail pricing on everything. i then called the dealer back, said i was happy with the service they provided but had one question about the bill.
i asked if they use matrix pricing. as soon as i said matrix pricing, the sac writer was stumbling all his words. they sent me a check for the difference that they overcharged me.

typical STEALERSHIPS

Jerry944T

lMAO! Ardmore Acura called me this afternoon for a post service review.
Told me I will be getting a survey and a possible phone call from Acura to rate "my experience and they would appreciate high grades."
Of course it was a routine call from someone who had no idea what had happened.
Can't wait to fill out that review!
Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. I've learned quite a few tips and affirmation that they really are a Stealership.
Yes I will certainly check to see if the work was actually performed. Pretty easy to tell if a bolt has been turned and if a part is new.
I still have my jack and crawler so I'll get under there and check. Of course my wife may have to call 911 to get me back on my feet but I'm on a mission.
To be continued....

YungMoola15

You should have taken it to an independent shop to see if the joints were actually bad. That way we would have had some serious proof with that stealership. Why do people service their vehicle at dealerships anyway?

MarcDavidoff

I've had similar experiences at dealerships but typically for fluid replacements. I've been told my trans fluid and coolant is looking in need of replacement when I literally just changed both within the last 5k miles and look new. A lot of that nonsense is just throw out there figuring most people will just say yeah change it..and likely many may actually need it. But that rubs me wrong to say it looks old or dirty when that would be a flat out lie

DarkTower19

Sorry to hear that about Ardmore Acura. I'm surprised they didn't check the service history of the car first...especially since you've been there before.


I know it's a little farther for you in Haverford, but I take our TL and MDX over at Davis Acura in Langhorne for service and have had good luck there over the years and always felt they were honest enough (for a dealer anyway).

screaminz28

iTrader: (1)

A lot of times those surveys ask if anyone tried to sway your opinion or coaxed you into giving them higher grades. I'd nail them on that, and give them TERRIBLE scores on everything.

The most likely scenario here is that the tech figured he'd try and make some quick labor, or con some labor by claiming parts are bad and getting you to pay and him not even doing it. The service writer is just a clueless dolt that probably doesn't even know what half the parts are - he's there to sell you stuff. Not trying to offend any honest techs or good service writers, but if you ARE an honest tech, or a good knowledgeable service writer, then you know what I'm saying is true and how many behave.

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

a couple years ago I lived in the Mainline. at that time I was thinking of purchasing an Acura. Ardmore Acura was the dealership that I visited, and it was, BY FAR the worst experience with a dealership I've had.

When I was speaking with the sales reps, they had no respect. They didn't even want to take me for a test drive because I was in my mid-late 20's at the time. When talking price, they didn't want to work with the price at all and basically told me it was their way or the highway. (this was on a certified pre-owned 3G TL at the time).

DeathMetal

iTrader: (2)

Truth. Hamilton Honda buggered a repair on my TL, so my natural response was to go ballistic on the forums. After returning to Hamilton, the service manager immediatley asked, "So...I presume you're 'DeathMetal' on Acurazine, no??"

I shat bricks...but they did me right and I responded in kind.

The dealerships do INDEED monitor forum activity...

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

^^yes...they do lurk on the forums.