Jack Winegardner Chevrolet

Concerning case ID # ***No brake work was done to Ms***'s ** ***There was only a visual inspection performedI have attached a copy of Ms***'s invoiceIf the brake are making noise we would suggest the owner take it back to whomever had done the previous brake replacement,
or replace the brake pads and machine/replace the rotors to with factory brake parts to ensure there is no noiseObviously Ms*** had some concerns with the braking system because she asked to have the brakes inspectedWe will not take responsibility for a condition that was obviously present when the vehicle was brought to our dealership.Regards,Jim W***Service Director Jack Winegardner Chevrolet

Concerning case ID # ***No brake work was done to Ms
***'s ** ***There was only a visual inspection performedI have attached a copy of Ms***'s invoiceIf the brake are making noise we would suggest the owner take it back to whomever had done the previous brake replacement, or replace the brake pads and machine/replace the rotors to with factory brake parts to ensure there is no noiseObviously Ms*** had some concerns with the braking system because she asked to have the brakes inspectedWe will not take responsibility for a condition that was obviously present when the vehicle was brought to our dealershipRegards,
Jim W***
Service Director
Jack Winegardner Chevrolet

July 28th Dear *** ***:This letter is in response to the case ID# ***, which we received notification by mail on 7/28/14.On 6/02/*** *** brought her Chevrolet *** in for serviceOne of *** ***’s complaints stated on the repair order
was “The customer states that the A/C control only works from the highest speed highThat’s the only time the fan comes on.” Not that the vehicle does not blow cold air with the A/C onAfter diagnosis it was found the blower motor resistor had burnt causing the fan motor to only work on the high settingThe blower motor resistor is an electrical component located on the passenger’s side under the glove box areaAfter the blower motor resistor was replaced all fan speeds were restoredThe complaint had been corrected.On 7/14/*** *** returned stating “Customer states A/C not cold please check and advise.” After performing the A/C leak diagnosis we found the condenser is leaking refrigerantThe condenser acts as a radiator for the A/C systemIt cools the refrigerant just as a radiator would cool the coolant in for the engineThe condenser is located in the very front of the engine compartment right behind the front grill / bumper, not behind the radiator which *** *** stated, but in front of the radiator.*** *** stated her A/C worked before the previous work was performed to the blower motorWe explained the location of the repair we performed to the blower motor and the location of the leak at the condenser*** *** did not accept the fact that repairs performed to the blower motor had nothing to do with the leak at the condenserThese are two completely separate repairs and completely unrelated.There was no negotiation of a 20% discount by *** ***The 20% discount was offered as a goodwill gesture due to the customer’s previous patronage, not for any wrong doing on our partIf **or *** *** wishes to have the condenser replaced in the future, the 20% discount would still applyWe will not reimburse any of the previous unrelated repairs to the vehicle.Regards,Jim W
Fixed Operations Manager

Review: My credit was pulled from sales person [redacted] without my permission. I had my car there being services and inquired about a vehicle, just wanting to know the price. I was told a sales person would contact me. I told the service department to leave my keys with a sales person and I would be there to pick up my vehicle. On a Saturday morning the salesperson brings my car to me and tells me that I would be able to purchase the vehicle. He told me he ran my credit. I never told him that I wanted to purchase this vehicle or to bring me my car. I have since received letters from different credit agencies about my credit being ran to purchase a vehicle. Since I previously purchased a vehicle at this dealership before they had contact with my personal information. I spoke to the manager [redacted] and the owner [redacted] and neither one of them took action. This means that my personal information can be ran anytime or anybody has access to my information.

Review: Upon purchasing my vehicle my husband and I noticed spots in the paint that needed to be fixed. The staff at Winegardner Chevrolet told us several times that the paint issues would be an easy fix and ensured us they would be able to fix the vehicle with no problem. They noted the issues in the paint on the "We Owe" form that I obtained a copy of, they listed the problem as repairs needing to be done on specs of paint. We returned our brand new vehicle to the dealership a week later so they could repair the areas of concern; however they did not pay attention to all of the spots on the car and focused mainly on the right side of our vehicle. We were informed that they tried to repair some of the spots in the paint by went sanding them but they could not remove the spots unless they went well below the clear coat. We were told that the body shop was waiting for confirmation to "break the paint", we contacted the service manager to understand what "breaking the paint" would mean. He told us that if we were to let the body shop "break the paint" that it would go onto our [redacted] report and would end up devaluing our car due to warranty work being done. We informed the dealership that we were not comfortable doing that type of repair right away without researching everything first because I felt it was unfair to have to devalue our car over something they had told us would be an easy repair. Our service repair form says that the spots are a "manufacturer's defect." We later talked with the service manager again and he requested that we bring the car back to the dealership so he could inspect the car again, we took the car back up that evening and he discussed our options with us. He told us that he would have to repaint the whole car but could not ensure that there weren't underlying issues that he would run into, he said that he may not be able to make the car look better or that dirt may not get under the paint again or that there may be underlying issues with the metal. He said he did not want to have to repaint the car because the car is black and he would have a problem with matching the colors because black is the hardest color to deal with or to paint, it shows everything. He told us that he would be more comfortable trying to put me into a new vehicle and a vehicle of a different color rather than painting the vehicle we have. He told us that he remembered seeing us walking around the Camaro and pointing out spots and he said if staff would have came to get him he could have fully explained all of the options and how it would affect the value of our brand new car before we agreed to buy it, he said that the staff that helped us was not knowledgeable in service and warranty issues and he apologized to us for not being able to make an informed purchase. He suggested to us that we do not drive the car and put many more miles on it so that way we wouldn't be charged for mileage when being traded out to a new Camaro. He told us that he would first try to get the dealership to trade us out, if the owner didn't agree to it he'd have to go through GM and get trade assistance. The owner of the dealership did not want to assist in trading us out so the service manager informed us that he would be trying to go through GM and go ahead with getting trade assistance. When the service manager made me aware of this he told me that I still had the option of getting the vehicle repainted in their body shop (but he said he didn't want to do it), not painting it and living with the paint the way it is, or seeking legal action against GM. I then shared my concerns that I did not feel comfortable painting the car since he had already told myself and my husband several times that he did not want to paint the car because of the color and the issues that come with painting a black vehicle, I relayed to the service manager that by him saying that it did not instill confidence in us as consumers. I am also concerned about the paint issues we could have over the lifetime of the vehicle (ie. paint chipping, or issues past the warranty) He said he would be in touch with us again after he knew more, we were asked to return the vehicle to the dealership so the district manager could inspect the car, I asked if myself and my husband could be present. We met with the service manager and the district manager on 10/22/2013. The district manager confirmed that there was dirt under the paint in one area of the car that we noticed. He then saw the areas of paint under the clear coat that were a concern to us. We explained all of our concerns and expressed that we haven't been able to enjoy the car because we were advised not to put many more miles on the vehicle so we could get traded out to a new one. We explained everything that was said to us by the body shop as well as service manager, the service manager confirmed to the district manager that he did not want to have to paint our vehicle. The district manager said he wasn't sure what the spots were, that they could be rail dust which is only rarely seen on light colored cars. We explained that these spots had been tried to be repaired but they were unsuccessful without authorization to "break the paint." He confirmed to us that he personally doesn't want to "break the paint" either. He asked me what my desired outcome is and I explained to him that the service manager and I spoke about a car they already had on the lot and being switched out to that vehicle instead (exact same options and model just different color). The district manager told me that he was going to talk to the sales department and do the paper work. He told me that this issue would be cleared up by the time I would go out of town on Oct. 31, 2013 and that he would be in touch with us to move forward after he spoke with GM. I got the impression that I would be getting a new vehicle replacement, when I called to get a status update from the service manager the following day, I was told that the district manager was working on everything and that we would be contacted with all of the decisions and information and the service manager said it looked as though the district manager was following his advice of not wanting to paint the car and replacing our vehicle, he said that he was working on the paper work and that he would get back in touch with us once a decision was made. We were not contacted by the service manager or the district manager like we were told we would be. My husband called and spoke with the service manager and he had informed him that they would not be replacing the vehicle because the district manger now deemed the spots in the paint as well as the dirt under the paint as "commercially acceptable." The service manager told my husband that we had the option to get the car repainted (with no extended warranties on a whole vehicle paint job), not painting the car and living with it or seeking legal help to sue GM. I have tried being able to get in contact with the district manager however the dealership and GM has refused to even give us his name or business phone number so we could talk to the person who said that he would be contacting us with the decision. I also wanted clarity on why the spots there were originally found went from being a "rare manufacturers defect" deemed by the service shop to "commercially acceptable" by the district manager. I am upset that the district manager did not tell us what he was really looking to do for us or not do for us and that we were not contacted when a decision was made and we have had to do the follow up calls with the dealership. We were sold a car with issues that staff at the dealership told us were easy repairs and we were not made aware that fixing these problems with devalue a car past the normal depreciation of driving it off of the lot and I feel that this was very unfair to do to a consumer. Had I have known the issues that would have ensued with this vehicle and dealership, I would have never signed the contract and bought this car. I am very unhappy with the overall treatment and sale of this vehicle and the vehicle itself and have the dealership has known this since they said they could not repair the issues without repainting the whole car and "breaking the paint." I think it is very unfair to be told that the staff that sells these vehicles are not educated with all aspects or are not required to get the service manager to look at issues before promising a service or an outcome that they are not aware of, that in turn is very manipulative and has caused a very frustrating experience to their customer.Desired Settlement: I would like to be put into a new replacement vehicle with all of the same options as discussed with the service and district manager.

Business

Response:

November 20, 2013

Dear [redacted]:

This letter is in response to the complaint ID# [redacted] filed on 10/25/2013, which we received notification by mail onl 1/18/2013.

Without making lengthy discussion on every point the owner stated; The owner did bring up paint issues at the time of sale, not just for the minute spots but for small scratches on the vehicle that were wet sanded and buffed. Yes the vehicle does have a manufacturing defect in the paint. We tried for “Trade Assistance” through GM to get the owner into a like but different color vehicle, but unfortunately GM was not able to do so. GM will not replace the vehicle due to this condition. GM finds the paint to be “commercially acceptable”. GM will honor the warranty by refinishing the affected area.

After speaking with the owners it became very apparent that the owners are very particular about their vehicle. It was for this reason we did not want to refinish the affected area, not that it can’t be matched. It is our belief that the owners will not be happy with any refinishing repair because the refinish will be put under a microscope. That being said, we will honor GM’s warranty and refinish the vehicle if the owner so desires.

Our recommendation was/is to do nothing and not break the factory paint. The spots in question are so minute that unless shown, they would never be seen.

Regards,

Review: We have a 2004 Chevrolet [redacted] which was in very good repair until we took it to Winegardner Chevrolet on [redacted] in [redacted], MD. Initial repairs involved extensive repair of the right side of the vehicle costing over $4,000.00. Shortly after that, the transmission started having shifting problems and was returned to the dealership and from there continuous problems. All little, a headlamp loose, resister on a/c not working--repaired so tat A/c could work on all settings. Then no cold air blowing from a/c--took it back and now told that the compressor which sits behind the radiator has a hole in it. Given a price of $900.00 dollars to repair--negotiated for 20% off. When We refused to get the repair done, they recharged the a/c and showed me the leak from the radiator and the compressor,

The damage to the radiator/compressor was explained as damage from rocks flying through the grill--damage looks like the coils were pulled apart vs blunt injury yo the grill.

When we first brought our truck in, we were told how well kept up it was. On this last visit, the mechanic seemed pleased that my wife was so frustrated with frequent repairs and seemed even happier when she said she would probably get rid of it. This vehicle is rare and has only 87,000 miles on it.Desired Settlement: Will use refund for all services over the last year to get our vehicle back up to par at the dealership we used to go to, which is further from where we live.

Business

Response:

July 28th 2014Dear [redacted]:This letter is in response to the case ID# [redacted], which we received notification by mail on 7/28/14.On 6/02/2014 [redacted] brought her 2004 Chevrolet [redacted] in for service. One of [redacted]’s complaints stated on the repair order was “The customer states that the A/C control only works from the highest speed high. That’s the only time the fan comes on.” Not that the vehicle does not blow cold air with the A/C on. After diagnosis it was found the blower motor resistor had burnt causing the fan motor to only work on the high setting. The blower motor resistor is an electrical component located on the passenger’s side under the glove box area. After the blower motor resistor was replaced all fan speeds were restored. The complaint had been corrected.On 7/14/2014 [redacted] returned stating “Customer states A/C not cold please check and advise.” After performing the A/C leak diagnosis we found the condenser is leaking refrigerant. The condenser acts as a radiator for the A/C system. It cools the refrigerant just as a radiator would cool the coolant in for the engine. The condenser is located in the very front of the engine compartment right behind the front grill / bumper, not behind the radiator which [redacted] stated, but in front of the radiator.[redacted] stated her A/C worked before the previous work was performed to the blower motor. We explained the location of the repair we performed to the blower motor and the location of the leak at the condenser. [redacted] did not accept the fact that repairs performed to the blower motor had nothing to do with the leak at the condenser. These are two completely separate repairs and completely unrelated.There was no negotiation of a 20% discount by [redacted]. The 20% discount was offered as a goodwill gesture due to the customer’s previous patronage, not for any wrong doing on our part. If **. or [redacted] wishes to have the condenser replaced in the future, the 20% discount would still apply. We will not reimburse any of the previous unrelated repairs to the vehicle.Regards,Jim WFixed Operations Manager