What should I do now?

TURBO2GO

TURBO2GO

Illustrious Member
Joined
8 March 2006
Messages
16,594
Location
Boston
A while ago I took my NSX in for headlamp replacement and specifically asked the car not be test driven to both the manager and service advisor, and my car was not only taken for a test drive, but later reported to be "the fastest NSX I've ever driven" by the mechanic that fixed the headlamps.

I let this go for a long time then just got more angry over time and I contacted the dealership's general manager. I told him the whole story in a long email and he ignored me completely. Then I sent a second email asking if he had any sort of reply to me, that was ignored as well. I was pretty polite in both and even praised some of the people there but made it clear that I felt what they did was wrong.

I can't seem to get a hold of the dealer's owner, but I am thinking of contacting some sort of corporate acura number and making a service complaint. A long search on google for a phone number/email got me nowhere.

Does anyone know who I can contact and get something to happen? I think what they did was bullshit.
 
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Without fail, every time I've taken my car in for service at the Acura dealership, I receive an "after-service follow-up" phone call the following day. That would be the ideal time to share your story, but sounds like you've allowed too much time to elapse. How'd you find out the car had been driven, and about the comment re: it being it being the fastest NSX? Just curious.

I found the following information on Acura's website about contacting Customer Relations:

Acura.com said:
For further assistance, feel free to contact Acura Client Services. You can reach us through the following ways:

* By Phone(800) 382-2238 toll free
Monday through Friday
6:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Pacific Standard Time
* By Fax(310) 783-3535
* By MailAcura Client Services
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA
90501
Click to expand...

Good luck! Sorry to hear about your story. I've had similar experiences in the past -- like when I specifically ask that they do NOT wash the car, and then I see it being driven through the automated brush wash destroying my swirl free paint. It's happened at least a few times.
 
Theres not much you can really do....Honda Corp is not going to care since that is a dealer issue and not a Honda issue.

The only thing you can do is talk to the owner of the dealership or the GM.The service manager is just going to cover his ass and his tech's ass.


The only thing you are going to get out of this is a sorry and maybe a free oil change.
 
4cruizn said:
How'd you find out the car had been driven, and about the comment re: it being it being the fastest NSX? Just curious..
Click to expand...

service advisor was chatting with me and asked me about the car and then that bit of info slipped out of his mouth.

ediddynsx said:
Theres not much you can really do....Honda Corp is not going to care since that is a dealer issue and not a Honda issue.

The only thing you can do is talk to the owner of the dealership or the GM.The service manager is just going to cover his ass and his tech's ass.


The only thing you are going to get out of this is a sorry and maybe a free oil change.
Click to expand...

I don't want anything, but I feel like someone took advantage of me and that bothers me. Had I at least received an apology from the dealer that would have been better. Ignoring both my emails irritates me. Especially since I have bought another car from this dealer and sent them 3 other customers who bought cars there.
 
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CL65 Captain said:
What should you do? Don't take your back there. My car has seen the Acura dealer once and hasn't been back since that experience.
Click to expand...

I won't Jim, it was a warranty thing, thats why I went there.
 
TURBO2GO said:
service advisor was chatting with me and asked me about the car and then that bit of info slipped out of his mouth.



I don't want anything, but I feel like someone took advantage of me and that bothers me. Had I at least received an apology from the dealer that would have been better. Ignoring both my emails irritates me. Especially since I have bought another car from this dealer and sent them 3 other customers who bought cars there.
Click to expand...

Well you are wasting your time with emails. You actually need to either call and get a hold of the GM/owner or go down there and talk to the GM and owner only about this.

Anyone else below is just going to blow you off.
 
Sadly given that this will boil down to he said and you heard .... and this from several months ago, just chalk it as a bad experience.

If you really feel compelled to be heard, you have several options.

1) Ask to talk to the Acura district manager; for the most part they are really customer focused if nothing else they may be able to get the "we are sorry" from the dealer's GM that you seem to be yearning. Good for the soul and morale.

2) Put an add in the local newspaper that you have filed service complaint - without specifying the issue as that may lead to defamation - but noting that the dealer has not even bothered to acknowledge your e-mail and ask the readers to suggest a remedy. The humiliation to the dealer would be enough .... at least one would assume.

3) You can also contact one of your local TV stations that have consumer ombudsman and tell them your story ..... I doubt that they do anything but you never know, you may hit on a low news days or a dealer that doesn't advertise on that station or pay their bills on time ....:wink:
 
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Its been to long? I figure somebody wont do anything about it. Its hard to prove this happened. I think maybe next time you can take a picture of your mileage???? I always check out my mileage before I give it to my guy. Its always the same but my car has only seen small things that had to be done tires/oil change stuff like that. I trust this man with my car but for certain things he just cant do cause its so low or he doesnt have the right tools to get the engine out. I have to go to an Acura dealership to do a major service soon. Im going to check the mileage and tell them this is the miles.... There better not be to much more then this. I would just be glad my car isnt possibly wrecked or beating badly. I just hope they didnt drive your car around beating the piss out of it for many miles. Lets face it some people dont know how to drive at all. I hope you find a person to service your car without any mishaps. Good Luck!!
 
First, e-mail doesn't always work well. You should bring your ugly mug over and have a talk to the manager. If you can break mirrors, you can break his silence...

There's a useful little device if you are paranoid about your car being driven. It can record highest RPM, highest speed, etc. It's called the ScanGauge and with that you can have solid evidence. It will work as long as it's plugged into the OBDII port. Like with car security, it can act as a deterrent if they know the data's being logged.

There are a lot of complaint boards online and if you wanted to stick it to them you could post on each one. Probably the most visible one will be Yelp (though I hate Yelp with a passion but that's a different story).

If it were me, I would just chalk it up and try to forget about it.
 
very vague info Dave.....If it were me and I heard that the tech said what he did I would have asked at that moment...well how fast did you go and how far? The answer could surprise you..it could be as benign as he shifted from 1-2 at 6000 rpm on the grounds of the dealership or as malignant as an off campus road trip. That said face to face with at least the service manager would have been apropriate...email is weak....and why are you wasting precious time worring about this long after its done,and there are no ill effects on the equipment:confused:
 
I guess I will stop by the dealer and just let the GM have it. I didn't want to waste more time setting up an appointment with the guy but I guess if I want to follow up I have to.

Doc, the issue is that I specifically said "NO TEST DRIVES". So even if its in the parking lot, it shouldn't have happened. It's my own fault for letting it go for so long. I said to myself "forget it, its done".... but everytime I drive past that dealership it irritates me. Then the total lack of response to my emails... just says "we don't care" and that bothers me more.

Maybe I should just move on. Its been so long. I will go on Yelp right now.
 
The universe is not a just place, and pursuing some sort of "satisfaction" in this instance will lead nowhere. The energy would be better spend on other pursuits.
 
TURBO2GO said:
A while ago I took my NSX in for headlamp replacement and specifically asked the car not be test driven to both the manager and service advisor, and my car was not only taken for a test drive, but later reported to be "the fastest NSX I've ever driven" by the mechanic that fixed the headlamps.

I let this go for a long time then just got more angry over time and I contacted the dealership's general manager. I told him the whole story in a long email and he ignored me completely. Then I sent a second email asking if he had any sort of reply to me, that was ignored as well. I was pretty polite in both and even praised some of the people there but made it clear that I felt what they did was wrong.

I can't seem to get a hold of the dealer's owner, but I am thinking of contacting some sort of corporate acura number and making a service complaint. A long search on google for a phone number/email got me nowhere.

Does anyone know who I can contact and get something to happen? I think what they did was bullshit.
Click to expand...

1) never try to take it to the dealership if possible
2) record your mileage, document it, and make sure the service manager acknowledges the mileage on paper

this has happened to a lot of nsx owners
 
Dave I'm not sure about the fixed lights but with popups the tech has to drive the car to make sure the lights don't vibrate or bounce after adjustment....just sayin....
 
docjohn said:
Dave I'm not sure about the fixed lights but with popups the tech has to drive the car to make sure the lights don't vibrate or bounce after adjustment....just sayin....
Click to expand...

Doc, I told BOTH the service manager and the service rep DO NOT TEST DRIVE. Both said OK. Does that mean nothing? You cant see the bounce outdoors in the sun anyway. He just wanted to drive the car. I gave them a horrible Yelp review.
 
TURBO2GO said:
Doc, I told BOTH the service manager and the service rep DO NOT TEST DRIVE. Both said OK. Does that mean nothing? You cant see the bounce outdoors in the sun anyway. He just wanted to drive the car. I gave them a horrible Yelp review.
Click to expand...


Dave, I believe I gave you the same argument as docjohn did back then too.

But just to see if you have some legs to stand on, do you have a copy of your service order? If so, does it say that customer stated he didn't want the car to be test driven? Also, did they mention in their final invoice that they test drove the car?

If neither is stated, and even though you may have indeed stated it at the time, irrespective of how you still feel about this, you have no case. A prudent GM may give you lip service for PR but he would also go back check your invoice to make sure ........
 
Turbo, have you considered sending in your complaint to the Better Business Bureau?

https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx

I think they are nationwide and may be able to question the dealer about the issue. Also BBB keeps a record of complaint issues about a business and ultimately will hurt a business since many folks check out BBB to make sure they are reputable before doing business. Not used 'em but, if available to you, would certainly appreciate you posting any outcomes. Good Luck.
 
TURBO2GO said:
Acura of Boston. Now Bernardi's Acura of Boston.
Click to expand...

They have a sizable/well-known online OEM Honda/Acura parts store:
http://acura.bernardiparts.com/

I think I may have bought from there once. Unless they resolve this to your satisfaction (apology from GM, service manager, & service tech). Maybe such "internet justice" if broad enough would be a fitting outcome if they don't resolve...though such could backfire and give them free publicity which would benefit them (people who never knew of them now do).
 

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