AutoNation Acura Spokane Valley

Review: Took my Acura MDX to dealer for alignment. Next day noticed that power steering boot was ripped. Went back to dealer asking them to fix the boot and it may require alignment again but dealer refused to fix it, stating that this is not factory part and they are not responsible. Power steering rack and pinion is new and was changed in another place just few days before alignment and boot was new and NOT ripped. After alignment it is now ripped and may cause more damage to power steering rack and will need to be replaced again. It was twisted and ripped by mechanic at Auto Nation Acura dealer of Spokane. Dealer doesn't want to replace it and fix their mistakes.Desired Settlement: I want dealer to be responsible for their stupid mechanic's mistake, replace the boot and do alignment again. If my power steering rack brakes again before they fix this I want them to replace the power steering rack as well.

Thank you.

Business

Response:

In response to the letter sent to you by Mr.[redacted]. The vehicle was brought into the Acura dealership for an alignment. It should be noted that the vehicle he brought in has a salvaged title and aftermarket parts have been installed. The alignment was performed by an Acura trained technician. It was noted on the alignment report that the right front toe was out of specification by -1.9mm. To readjust this measurement requires only ¾’s of a turn on the inner tie rod end. This is not enough to damage or twist the power steering rack boot in the manner that it was claimed to have. Furthermore, the aftermarket power steering rack that was installed had the wrong type of clamp on the small end of the boot. The clamp that was used is a hose clamp that was obviously over tightened and the is not the correct clamp that should be used on this installation. It should also be noted that the rear camber was out of spec and lower arm toe adjustment tab was welded back on to the car. It is our opinion that improper parts and possibly installation led to the damage on the steering rack boot. Best Regards, [redacted]Service ManagerAutoNation Acura & AutoNation Honda

Consumer

Response:

Revdex.com,

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

When I brought the car over to dealership, [redacted] took down VIN # and it showed that it was salvaged title right away. He even came up to me and said that it's salvaged title, so technician knew about it before he started doing alignment. In response to dealer saying that it only requires 3/4s of a turn for alignment please see attached images of a twisted boot. On a picture you can see how it was twisted and a hole on a right side. When I had to untwist it I had to turn it 2 times back to how it's supposed to be. There is no other way it would get twisted that much. It could only get twisted during alignment. When technician was doing alignment, he should of seen that the boot was getting twisted but he didn't notice that and it caused this damage. It doesn't matter if the car is salvaged, alignment can be done the right way. Technician's goal is to provide good quality service, and if something goes wrong they should notify the customer, but he failed to do so. I did NOT receive any good quality service and very unsatisfied.

Regards,

Business

Response:

After further review, we have determined that the original statements were true and correct. The technician would have a very hard time seeing the outer boot while aligning the car based on the position of the boot in proportion to the sub frame. Granted the boot was twisted as we have the same pictures that were attached, but in no way would the -1.2 mm adjustment cause this boot to twist as much as it did nor would it cause a tear.That being said, we would gladly replace the boot for a discounted rate of $86.13 instead of the normal price of $206.44. If we were to replace the boot, we would then provide an alignment at no charge to the customer.

Consumer

Response:

Revdex.com,

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Because this took longer than I thought it will, I don't accept Auto Nation Acura's offer. My car was in a garage for a week, I was not driving it so that dirt/dust doesn't get through teared boot. But I couldn't wait any longer and had to fix my car. I changed the boot and did alignment at another professional shop, and they did a great job without braking anything. Now because I had to pay twice for alignment, I would like to get a refund for the alignment I got at Auto Nation Acura. That alignment was done incorrectly and caused more damage to my car. My 2nd alignment was done properly and didn't cause more damage, this proves that it doesn't matter if the car is salvaged title. If service is done correctly it will not cause any damage. My car is now fixed and in great condition! I'm asking for a refund for the service was done improperly.

Regards,

We bought a new acura in Nov., 2013 from Spokane Valley Auto Nation. The salesman told us we would have 2 years of free oil changes. My wife took the car in on Oct. 14 for it's second oil change. She was charged 38.45 for the oil change. She was also charged 109.95 for a rear differential oil change. Our owner's manual states that a rear differential oil change is due at 60,000 miles towing a trailer or under severe weather conditions, none which apply. We have 14,113 miles at time of this service. I called [redacted], the Service coordinator to question the service. She stated that she wished the sales people would not state giving 2 free years of oil changes, without the proper details. She transferred me to the manager, [redacted] who only had a list of excuses with not customer satisfaction. Never trust a salesman or Auto nation, Spokane. They have deceptive salesmen and service people.

Review: I ordered a new car from AutoNation Acura, was given a price for my trade-in, gave a down payment, and was told it would be about 2 months or so till the new car would arrive. After 2 months they called and said the car would not be produced in that particular configuration for another month and that I could expect delivery about a month after that - AND that since the car was taking longer than originally planned, my trade-in value was decreased by $3000. It was not my fault that the car was taking longer than was originally thought and I should not be penalized for their problem. A deal is a deal -how can they do this? I since found out that this vehicle has been produced in the configuration I asked for, so that is an out-and-out lie.Desired Settlement: I would like them to honor this agreement.

Business

Response:

Mr. [redacted]:

This is in response to the customer concern we received from your office regarding [redacted]. Ms. [redacted]’s situation is much the way she describes it, with some exceptions. Due to [redacted] Corporation filling the order much later than expected, Ms. [redacted]’s MDX is due months later than anticipated. Accordingly, we needed to make an adjustment with her trade value. We have apologized for the unfortunate delay, and explained the change in her trade in’s value.Our offer was to complete the sale with the lower trade value based on a late December 2013 delivery. The vehicle in question has not been produced and continues to be scheduled to be built the first week of November 2013. Our goal was to provide Ms. [redacted] with her vehicle on time, and at the agreed dollar figures. We have also agreed to return Ms. [redacted]’s deposit check at her request. Should you have any further questions please contact [redacted], [redacted] Sales Manager at ###-###-####.

Sincerely,

Service ManagerAutoNation Honda Spokane Valley

###-###-####

E-mail [redacted].com

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

The issue here is the reduction of the value of my trade-in. I have talked with several other car dealers in the Spokane area and have determined that the practice of decreasing the trade-in value is unethical to say the least. AutoNation could have done a dealer-trade to get the vehicle I wanted but chose not to. I even told them of a car dealership in WA state that had that particlar vehicle and in fact, that same dealer is expecting another one the end of October. If the timing were the issue, I offered to solve that by turning my trade-in in to them and lease a vehicle until my new vehicle arrived. AutoNation said they still would decrease the value of the trade-in by $3000, which is proof that timing was not the issue. We need to focus on this unethical practice of reducing the value of a trade-in after a deal is made.

Regards,