The auto repair industry should be ashamed of the way they treat Women!  | | | | I am so angry, I could spit cotton! Okay, here's the scenario: We bought a 2005 PT Cruiser last year. It still had warranty protection on it. The warranty was up to 36,000 miles and then would expire. My husband was traveling out of town at the time, and was only home on weekends. Keep in mind that my hubby is an auto technician. He kept bugging me to get the Cruiser into the dealership to get the warranty work done before the warranty ran out. I kept telling him it would be better if he took the PT in for the work, not me. Well, I finally got around to it as I was tired of being nagged about it. I made a list of things that were covered under warranty: knobs missing on the vents, the rear seal on the hatch was leaking, the automatic door locking system that kept trying to lock even after it was locked, noise in the drivers side window when it was opened, the oil sending unit was going out and throwing oil all over my front tires/wheels, and what sounded like a miss in the engine. Now, I've been with my hubby for 21 years. I'm not stupid when it comes to automobile repair. I took the Cruiser in and had to leave it for them to look it over (they SAID they didn't have a loaner vehicle to loan me), and in turn, had to have a ride to work (which they supplied, after waiting forever). It took them literally ALL day to go through my list. They lost my phone number, so contacting me to let me know that the vehicle was ready (and I had told them where I worked). So I finally gave up and called them. They said they hadn't made record of my phone number or my work number... ummm... yeah, okay. Next I had to find a ride back to the dealership to pick up my Cruiser. Fortunately, it was on the way home for my boss, and she thankfully said she would drop me off at the shop. This is what I was told: The drivers side window was fine and wasn't making any noise, the oil sending unit was replaced, the knobs had to be ordered, the seal on the rear hatch was replaced, the locks weren't automatically locking after they had already locked, the engine was fine - I should put some of that engine treatment in it and see if that would help the noise. They made me feel like I was a stupid woman. And man-o-man do I RESENT that! They said they would call when the parts they had to order came in. They finally called 2 weeks later. I went back in to the dealership and waited 90 minutes for them to put KNOBS on the vents. Okay fine. Not a month later, the engine is still making the noise, the oil sending unit is still throwing oil on my wheels and tires, the window is still making noise and the doors are still trying to lock even when already locked. So last week, my husband finally called and made an appointment for the Cruiser to be seen again. We had already passed 36,000 miles, but my hubby told them that I had already had the Cruiser in for warranty work, and things still weren't right, and that they should still be honoring the warranty until things were right. They said, "Sure thing." So the cruiser was taken in on this past Saturday. The oil sending unit was quickly replaced, the window and the locking system was fixed. The engine noise turned out to be a manifold gasket that had blown out, and one of the rear axles was bent (this problem began AFTER it was in the shop), and the first they they wanted to know; had I run over something. Uh, no I hadn't. They had to keep the Cruiser, because they had to order the gasket, as they didn't have any in stock. My husband came home in a LOANER vehicle (another Cruiser), when for me, they didn't HAVE any to loan out!! Imagine that. They repaired everything on my list, only when my husband took the Cruiser in for repairs. Imagine that! Man that really makes my Irish ire fire up! How can they treat women like that and get away with it. I really wanted to smack the service manager up side the head with my purse. Okay, rant over. Have you ever been treated like this by a dealership? Please share you story with us! Hugs. | | | | | | | | | | Los Angeles Auto School Accelerate Your Future& Train As A UTI Auto Tech Near Los Angeles! UTI.edu/RanchoCucamonga
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| 1. Transdisc (18434)
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5 years ago
| | How do I despise automobile dealerships, Irredell? Let me count the ways. Unfortunately, I don't think that your experience is limited to women only. I do think that they will try to get away with as much as they possibly can, and if people are insistent, then nothing will get done. I have been treated in the way you have experienced auto dealers, and in the way your husband has experienced them. I once took my automobile to a '5 Star Dealer' for warranty work like the things you described. When I picked up it, barely any of the problems were care for. I called the owner of the dealership to express my concerns, and he 'invited me' to his office the next day to 'see if I was the kind of person he approved of.' I was seething as I sweetly asked him what kind of person that would be. He was actually arrogant enough that he told me that it had to do with how I looked, my grooming, dress, etc. I showed up the next day looking as 'bad' as I possibly could, and let him know that I would be leaving my car for the repairs I left it in previously, that I would be taking a loaner, and that I was not to be bothered until every single repair was made. At first, he protested to my attitude, but after we had a few more words, he agreed to my terms, and the repairs were made in record time. It is unfortunate that we have to be so firm at times, but I have discovered that this is how I have to deal with these types of establishments if I have any hopes of having my basic rights met. | | | | | | | lreddell (107)
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5 years ago
| | Hear Hear Transdisc! I cannot believe that the owner of the dealership had the audacity to tell you that! How dare he! I agree, they tend to take advantage of the fine folks who don't know anything about automobiles, and wouldn't know any different if the work hadn't been done. This seems to happen with every professional services. I think that's so sad. | | | | Transdisc (18434)
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5 years ago
| | It is sad. I always get an opinion from my friends who know their way around an automobile before I ever take in my car to a dealer, so that I am at least prepared to defend myself in some small way. | | | | | | | Los Angeles Auto School Accelerate Your Future & Train As A UTI Auto Tech Near Los Angeles! UTI.edu/RanchoCucamonga | add comment | | | |
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I have an automobile that I haven't used in years. It isn't running and in order to get it on the...
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