Darcars Ford / Lanham Kia

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: For one, I never signed a Special Delivery AgreementSecondly, if Darcars would've done their job correctly there would have been (2) payments due, not three! Inspections are never in that amount and I had no issues with a tire so the fact that a tire was replaced is not my responsibilityI worked at an auto shop that performs state inspections and Darcars is not being truthful on that cost nor anything else for that matterBy law, a dealership cannot keep a deposit when the dealership allows the customer to drive off the lot without financingDarcars never even mentioned me not having financing until 30+ days after the car was in my possessionIt is not my responsibility to pay for DARCARS 'mistake' Regards, [redacted]

Dear [redacted] , Roman"> Hess D [redacted] , General Manager, Alex G***, Collision Center Director and I met with [redacted] on December 3, to inspect the [redacted] We agreed on a resolution and agreed to have a Release of Claims signed I e-mailed [redacted] on December 3, with the Release After not haring from [redacted] , I followed up with an e mail on December 8, [redacted] responded and explained that his wife had been out of work and his granddaughter was very ill I am currently waiting on the signed Release and will update the file once I receive it Please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### if you have any questions Thank you Rose *B [redacted] ###-###-####

Dear [redacted] , Roman"> Please allow me to apologize that we did not provide [redacted] with the level of service that she expects and more importantly deserves when doing business with us Attached is a copy of a refund check in the amount of $ This will be mailed to [redacted] this week Thank you Rose B***

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the... business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.] RevDex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that a temporary car for one week as a resolution is satisfactory to me. I called the Business today and was told that work will not be completed in the time they estimated. It has been prolonged another week. The Rep Jennifer O [redacted] told me that it was pushed back with holiday and therefore it won't be ready until "maybe" the end of next week.This is NOT satisfactory. I was This is the reason for my complain initially as the Company keeps procrastinating and pushing back the delivery date. This should now be considered top priority and I want the work to be completed by the end of this week as initially discussed with the satisfactory resolution. Regards, [redacted] ***

Dear ** [redacted] , The van was brought in 11/21/for "check engine light on, vehicle cutting off and loosing power going up hills"Initially, we found codes stored for the check engine light, codes [redacted] & ***, further diagnostics found injectors not firing at all, both cylinders #& were completely deadWe performed a relative compression test to determine engine condition and electronically checked the injectorsWe gave the customer an option to replace all injectors, or just the that are currently showing a failureWhen we mentioned replacing injectors, the customer made us aware that they had injector work done at another dealerWe were shown invoices from the other dealer that showed injector #being replaced, so there was not a case for a service part warranty repair because it was a different injectorThere were also several other repairs over repair orders in the past year for a total expense of $4,from that shopSome of these repairs were related to or caused some of the current issues with the vehicleThe customer gave verbal authorization for $2,for the replacement of the failed injectors, reprogram the computer with the latest calibration, and an oil & filter change on 11/13/12:During the replacement of the injectors, our technician encountered several obstacles that needed repaired that appeared to be a result of the previous work completedThe turbo unit was not properly sealed to the manifold, the supporting bracket was loose and there was a grommet missing from the valve coverWe also found several missing, broken and stripped bolts that had to be repairedThe customer was contacted again and given an updated estimate of $3,492.71, which was approved on 11/18/9:The technician road tested the vehicle twice after the repair was completed on 11/20/13, had no concerns during the test drive and released the vehicle back to the customer That evening after the vehicle was picked up, the customer called back in and mentioned there was un unusual beeping sound coming from the vehicleThe customer was advised to bring the van back in for reinspectionThe next morning, the van was driven back to the dealership, and we were told that the engine "stalls out while driving and loosing power." First we scan tested, although the check engine light was no longer onThere were no trouble codes presentWe test drove the van twice, and felt no unusual engine performanceOn the 2nd road test, the customer test drove the van with our technicianWe pulled the van in the shop for further evaluation, reviewed all of the areas that we had just repaired to ensure they were not an issueWhile monitoring the engine performance data, the engine started running rough, we noticed random misfire graphics for cylinders 2, & While performing a fuel pressure test, we found the needle fluctuating between 30-psi, then while still sitting at idle in the service bay, the fuel pressure jumped up to psi and all of the misfires stoppedBased on all of the information we had, we advised the customer that the fuel tank would need to be removed and inspected for possible debris floating in the tank or more likely, a fuel pump issueWe gave an estimate of $for the replacement of the pump, but advised the customer that the technician would be willing to eliminate the labor as a gesture of goodwill to try to help with a difficult situationThat with an additional part discount, brought the estimate for the replacement of the fuel pump down to $After several discussions with the driver and later with the owner, they declined to have any further repair and drove the vehicle from the shop The validation that the initial repairs were necessary and properly completed is that the check engine light is off and the diagnostic trouble codes, [redacted] & ***, are no longer presentWhen evaluating a vehicle that is years old with just over 289,miles, other symptoms may exist that are intermittent in nature, yet there would be no way to identify further failures unless there was some evidence by visual inspection, road test performance or computer trouble codes stored, none of which were present after the initial repairs were completedIt was also noted to the customer that after the fuel pump is replaced, the vehicle would need to be re-evaluated to determine if any subsequent repairs may be needed Please feel free to contact [redacted] , Service Director with any questions at ###-###-#### Thank you [redacted] Vice President, Customer Relations DARCARS Automotive Group [redacted] ###-###-####

This customer has informed us that he has hired an attorneyI have shared this with our attorneys and can no longer discuss this concernThank you

Dear *** ***,
Roman">
Mike G***, Service Manager spoke with *** *** on
October 9, 2014. *** *** will return
on October 16, to have the oxygen sensors replaced. *** *** will pay for the parts $
and DARCARS will pay the labor. They further
discussed the possibility of further failures such as the catalytic convertor
and *** *** agreed this would be at her expense
Please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### if you have
any questions or would like additional information
Thank you
Rose *B***
Vice President, Customer Relations

Good afternoon, I spoke with our General Manager who stated that he met with *** *** the day after she purchased the RioShe came in because she did not like the carWe offered to switch her to a *** ***The customer stated that her father did not like the SoulIt was so soon after she
purchased that we had the window of opportunity to make the switch. In the State of Maryland there is no "return policy"At this time we are not able to change the vehicle for another. Thank you

By signing the "Special Delivery Agreement" the customer agreed to be deducted any expense from the deposit if the car was not fundedAs the customer stated she drove the car for months with out making any car paymentsThe agreed monthly payment was x months =We also had to re-inspect the vehicle to sell itThe cost of the Maryland State Inspection was (needed a tire which is included in the 303.93)The vehicle had been driven by the customer for milesBy law we have the right to charge $per mile which would equal Total money that could be charged is We only took a deposit of We will not be refunding the down payment

I have spoken with *** ***Our technician made the determination that the fuel is contaminated based on the vehicle's symptoms, diagnostic data, and his experience working with fuel on a daily basisWe still have the fuel sample from his *** available as he requestedAfter we drained
the contaminated fuel from the tank, then added fresh fuel, the engine started and ran for about an hour in the tech's bayAfter that hour, Mike G*** went for a road test with the tech to see if it still had any performance issues. They noticed right away that it lacked power still, so they only drove it around the block, about - miles When they came back, after the car idled in the shop for a few minutes, it began to run very rough and stalled back outWe were able to restart it again a couple of times, but only after an extended cranking time, then it did not run very smoothI have spoken with this customer as well as Mike G***We explained to the customer what we found and recommendedWe contacted the warranty company as the customer requested and explained exactly thisI suggested that the customer take his vehicle to another authorized location, as he was not comfortable with us and our findingsThank youJammie D***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me now that the vehicle is paid off. Thank you for your assistance
Regards,
*** ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
On the 1st of December at approximately 6:pm, I was contacted by Joyce from ford who told me my car had a bad electronic throttle bodyShe also informed me that she would be contacting my warranty company that night to give them the estimate for my carI researched the part and found that it was a defective part in cars that were built from to I then found the Customer Satisfaction Program and address this issue with MrG*** in an email on Tuesday nightI received correspondence from him on Wednesday morning that he would research the issueOn Wednesday afternoon around 4:pm, I was contacted by MrG*** who then changes the diagnostic code of my car to a different code and claimed it was bad gasHe then said the car needed $1,dollars’ worth of workThe original code was included in my invoiceIt was ***:
Definition of Diagnostic Trouble Code ***
Category:
Powertrain
Definition:
MAP - Turbocharger/Supercharger Inlet Pressure Correlation
Note: This definition of *** is applied to all manufacturers
This is a powertrain code and issue which is consistence with the problem my car experienced to include why you still could not get it to accelerateThe code was later changed to the following codeThe code is ***:
Definition of Diagnostic Trouble Code ***
Category:
Powertrain
Definition:
Fuel Rail/System Pressure - Too Low
Note: This definition of *** is applied to all manufacturers
I then asked MrG*** on Wednesday to provide me a detailed estimate of all repair costMrG*** refused to complyNot only would he not give me an estimate but he also could not provide any test that could prove the gas was badBasing it on just looking at it is not actual fact but rather an opinionI asked for the written estimate on every day from the 2nd of Dec to the 7th of Dec but Ford Service Department refused to provide me with itAs of today, I never received the requested detail estimate from FordHowever, this is standard practice with any repair that you provide the customer with a detail repair estimate upon requestWhat I did receive was an invoice when I picked up my car on the 8th of Dec with a general recommendation for $1,dollars repair but it did not have a breakdown of individual cost of parts and laborIn addition, the parts he wanted to remove and clean or replace were not damaged so it was unnecessary and would inflate the cost of the repairsHe provided not proof they were damage and also the invoice stated that this would not even fix the car back to running conditionAs far as my warranty being denied, it was denied because, MrG*** lied to the warranty claims intake person by omitting information and also by changing the diagnostic result that he reportedIn his report to me and stated on the invoice, he told me the fuel rail system pressure was too lowMy warranty would cover the replacement of this part of the fuel systemHowever, he told the warranty claim representative the fuel pressure was good and only addressed the issue of it being bad gasThus he made them believe it was mechanical failure due to the bad gas onlyHe also omitted the fact that the first test revealed a Turbocharger/Supercharger Inlet Pressure Correlation problemAn issue that is also covered by my warrantyMrG*** never submitted any actual documents to the warrant company so the claim was not process due to lack of documentationWhen I got me car back, it had the exact same amount of gas it had when it went into the shopIt was not at a full tank when it went in so it is almost impossible to put back in the exact amount you took out!!! To include the amount of miles on the trip odometer to be the exact same miles as before you claimed to have driven it two milesRegards,
*** ***

We have contacted the customer and have made arrangements to provide a loaner until the work is completeWe also explained the delaysWe are anticipating the vehicle to be complete by the end of next weekThank you

Other than the dealer that I dealt with (Alonzo), this was the worst car buying experience I have ever hadThe finance team is full of incompetent liars who care nothing about the well being of the customerI purchased Kia Sorento from this dealership and traded in my old car on December 11, The payoff for my trade has still not been paid offThe finance team actually lied to me and told me that the check was sent out on January 11, but when I called the previous bank to see if they received it today (January 20, 2016) they said they had not received itI called Darcar's accounting office to see what was going on and was told it was being send out today! When has it ever taken so long to get a check out and why was I lied to? In addition, I told Chico, who is one of the finance members, not to use my maiden name because it wasn't my legal name and he did it anywayThis caused issues with the bank and two weeks after I purchased the vehicle, I was called back in by him to provide my social security cardHe made a copy of that, my passport, and military IDEven after that, the payoff was still not sentWhen I called to inquire what was going on, I was constantly placed on hold, told I would get a call back, and was never called backI had to keep calling back to see what was going onI finally got fed up and contacted the finance manager, RomaineIt was pointless to talk to him because he acted as if he had no concern for what was happeningI spoke to him and he said he would take care of it and call me back but of course, that never happenedYou cannot be in a management role if your main focus isn't the customerHe should find another job if he's not concerned about the issues of his customers, especially when the customer's credit is at stake (the bank has threated to report late payment to the credit bureaus even though I have not been in possession of the car for over a month)He's pretty much useless and a liability to this companyThere is a huge lack of transparency at this dealership and if there's one thing I hate, it's being lied toI will warn all friends and family about going here and I will never do business with this dealership againPlease believe I will let Kia know what kind of company they have selling their vehicles

Dear [redacted],
Roman">
Hess D[redacted], General Manager, Alex G[redacted], Collision Center
Director and I met with [redacted] on December 3, 2014 to inspect the 2014
[redacted].  We agreed on a resolution and
agreed to have a Release of Claims signed. 
I e-mailed [redacted] on December 3, 2014 with the Release.  After not haring from [redacted], I
followed up with an e mail on December 8, 2014. 
[redacted] responded and explained that his wife had been out of work
and his granddaughter was very ill.   I
am currently waiting on the signed Release and will update the file once I
receive it.
Please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### if you have
any questions.
Thank you
Rose *. B[redacted]
###-###-####

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the...

business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that a temporary car for one week as a  resolution is satisfactory to me.  I called the Business today and was told that work will not be completed in the time they estimated. It has been prolonged another week.  The Rep Jennifer O[redacted] told me that it was pushed back with holiday and therefore it won't be ready until "maybe" the end of next week.This is NOT satisfactory. I was This is the reason for my complain initially as the Company keeps procrastinating and pushing back the delivery date.  This should now be considered top priority and I want the work to be completed by the end of this week as initially discussed with the satisfactory resolution.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],
Roman">
Please allow me to apologize that we did not provide [redacted] with the level of service that she expects and more importantly deserves
when doing business with us.  Attached is
a copy of a refund check in the amount of $204.06.  This will be mailed to [redacted] this week.
Thank you
Rose  B[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
For one, I never signed a Special Delivery Agreement. Secondly, if Darcars would've done their job correctly there would have been (2) payments due, not three! Inspections are never in that amount and I had no issues with a tire so the fact that a tire was replaced is not my responsibility. I worked at an auto shop that performs state inspections and Darcars is not being truthful on that cost nor anything else for that matter. By law, a dealership cannot keep a deposit when the dealership allows the customer to drive off the lot without financing. Darcars never even mentioned me not having financing until 30+ days after the car was in my possession. It is not my responsibility to pay for DARCARS 'mistake'. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Good afternoon,I spoke with our General Manager. The customer came in to purchase another vehicle because her previous car was considered a total loss. Her insurance company was to pay off a portion and the customer would have to file a claim with her Gap to pay off the remainder of...

what was owed on the previous car before the finance company would fund her new purchase. She was approved just needed to settle the money owed on totaled car. Customer did not file a claim with Gap. Our finance representive ended up walking her through that. This took a month in a half just to settle this part. After all claims were put through customer still had a balance of 1200.00 with her previous finance company. Customer could not come up with the rest and we could not get financing with out this. Customer drove our vehicle for three months making no car payments. Customer put mileage on the car as well as we have to pay for it to be re-inspected. Since the customer did not finalize the funding process we are not going to  refund the customer her down payment.

Dear **. [redacted],
The van was brought in 11/21/2013 for "check engine light on, vehicle cutting off and loosing power going up hills". Initially, we found 2 codes stored for the check engine light, codes [redacted] & [redacted], further diagnostics...

found 2 injectors not firing at all, both cylinders #1 & 2 were completely dead. We performed a relative compression test to determine engine condition and electronically checked the injectors. We gave the customer an option to replace all 8 injectors, or just the 2 that are currently showing a failure. When we mentioned replacing injectors, the customer made us aware that they had injector work done at another dealer. We were shown invoices from the other dealer that showed injector #8 being replaced, so there was not a case for a service part warranty repair because it was a different injector. There were also several other repairs over 6 repair orders in the past year for a total expense of $4,398.00 from that shop. Some of these repairs were related to or caused some of the current issues with the vehicle. The customer gave verbal authorization for $2,875.89 for the replacement of the 2 failed injectors, reprogram the computer with the latest calibration, and an oil & filter change on 11/13/13 12:55. During the replacement of the injectors, our technician encountered several obstacles that needed repaired that appeared to be a result of the previous work completed. The turbo unit was not properly sealed to the manifold, the supporting bracket was loose and there was a grommet missing from the valve cover. We also found several missing, broken and stripped bolts that had to be repaired. The customer was contacted again and given an updated estimate of $3,492.71, which was approved on 11/18/13 9:02. The technician road tested the vehicle twice after the repair was completed on 11/20/13, had no concerns during the test drive and released the vehicle back to the customer.
 
That evening after the vehicle was picked up, the customer called back in and mentioned there was un unusual beeping sound coming from the vehicle. The customer was advised to bring the van back in for reinspection. The next morning, the van was driven back to the dealership, and we were told that the engine "stalls out while driving and loosing power." First we scan tested, although the check engine light was no longer on. There were no trouble codes present. We test drove the van twice, and felt no unusual engine performance. On the 2nd road test, the customer test drove the van with our technician. We pulled the van in the shop for further evaluation, reviewed all of the areas that we had just repaired to ensure they were not an issue. While monitoring the engine performance data, the engine started running rough, we noticed random misfire graphics for cylinders 2, 5 & 7. While performing a fuel pressure test, we found the needle fluctuating between 30-40 psi, then while still sitting at idle in the service bay, the fuel pressure jumped up to 54 psi and all of the misfires stopped. Based on all of the information we had, we advised the customer that the fuel tank would need to be removed and inspected for possible debris floating in the tank or more likely, a fuel pump issue. We gave an estimate of $942.00 for the replacement of the pump, but advised the customer that the technician would be willing to eliminate the labor as a gesture of goodwill to try to help with a difficult situation. That with an additional part discount, brought the estimate for the replacement of the fuel pump down to $796.82. After several discussions with the driver and later with the owner, they declined to have any further repair and drove the vehicle from the shop.       
 
The validation that the initial repairs were necessary and properly completed is that the check engine light is off and the diagnostic trouble codes, [redacted] & [redacted], are no longer present. When evaluating a vehicle that is 9 years old with just over 289,000 miles, other symptoms may exist that are intermittent in nature, yet there would be no way to identify further failures unless there was some evidence by visual inspection, road test performance or computer trouble codes stored, none of which were present after the initial repairs were completed. It was also noted to the customer that after the fuel pump is replaced, the vehicle would need to be re-evaluated to determine if any subsequent repairs may be needed.
 
Please feel free to contact [redacted], Service Director with any questions at ###-###-####.
 
Thank you
 
[redacted]
Vice President, Customer Relations
DARCARS Automotive Group
[redacted]
###-###-####