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I'm thinking that the level of pure nonsense involved in this dealer experience makes it worth sharing beyond just leaving terrible reviews.
This begins on June 30th and continues until at least today. The only reason a dealer is working on the car is because I have the 7 year/70,000 miles warranty on a 2014 Dodge Caravan, and I was getting close to 70,000 miles. I had a heater hose assembly fail in mid-June on a short road trip, which would have been a warranty item, but since the dealer service never seems prompt, I decided not to tow it to a dealer out where it was stranded, only to wait days or weeks for it to get fixed.
Previously, I had an issue with this dealership where they gave me a service credit, so intend to use that (catch-22 of sorts.) So I take it in at 68,700ish for an inspection, hoping things would turn up under warranty - and they did! The inspection found 4 items; a front tie rod needing replacement, a leaking front strut, a leaking transmission hose or similar, and a fourth item I can't remember. Finally, one last time, I could get use out of the warranty. I had to wait nearly 4 hours for them to do the inspection at that scheduled appointment on June 30th, but once those results came in, it would take a few days. They needed to get a part for the strut, I think. Totally fine. They say Wednesday, maybe Thursday (Day 3 in shop)
Now the saga begins. As a note, this is the only car my fiancee and I have while, so we are car-less while it is in the shop. The rule of this service department is that they maintain a strict silence about your repairs, and are incredibly hard to reach. You have to hound them to get any results, which perversely makes you feel bad for being pushy, but if you didn't it seems possible that your car would stay on their lot forever. So on day 3, having heard nothing, I try several times to reach them. I don't even think I was able to get through, or if I did, the information was useless.
Day 4 in the shop arrives, and I'm getting nervous - I have a trip planned for the upcoming Monday (which would be day 7 in the shop). I call in the morning, I call in the afternoon, no response. I reply to the stupid text message service they send you where the only point of subscribing would be to get an update, which you never get. I'm halfway in the direction of the shop on public transit in the afternoon, and decided they I'm just going to go there and find out what the **** is going on. I call again as I'm riding, and finally get through.
The service advisor says something like "It won't be ready today. And... to be honest, it hasn't been started. There is a part that won't come until Tuesday (day 8 in shop). I asked the tech to start, but he figured why start if all the parts on there." I explain that this isn't an option, I need the car for a trip. I ask for a rental, they can't offer it, because I'd need it past when they claim it would be fixed. So she says "well, you could come get it." What!?!?! And yet that is all I can do.
So on the 4th day in the shop, I have to go all the way there just to take it out with absolutely nothing done. I work to get assurance that if I bring it back with over 70,000, the work is still under warranty. The service advisor says it will be, it is an open ticket with the mileage under 70k. I take a photo of it in the lot with that under 70,000 mileage trying to hedge against them not honoring this. She says they'll be a morning appointment for a Tuesday in the future. I take the trip.
An odd aspect of the pickup on that Friday afternoon is that the service advisor ended up having to be the one to find the keys, go out in the lot, and pull the car. This is a place where they usually have drivers for that. It was like everyone had already left.
I return from my trip, and call ahead to drop it on a Tuesday morning in accordance with this scheduled appointment. When I call, they don't know about the appointment, or who has it. But I take it. When there, they have to work to find the ticket and figure out what the work is. Later, I find that the service advisor I originally had no longer works there. So it gets returned early last Tuesday, which would therefore be Day 5 in the shop.
Comments are made that it will be done in a few days. I was told the parts were in (they should have been, that was 20 days ago.) No one updates. I call, and keep getting vague updates. On day 9, Friday, I get an admission that it might actually be in queue to be worked on! I'm told it could be done on day 10, Saturday. On Saturday, I get no updates. I finally reach them: "the mechanic who works on it doesn't work weekends. But could be Monday." Monday, day 12, I can't reach them until someone new finally answers at 4:20pm. They don't know the status, "but they'll call me back." I note that I've been told that a dozen times, and it's never happened. They insist that as soon as a meeting is over in 20 or 30 minutes, they will. No one does. Tuesday, day 13 - not done yet, tech has to many parts apart to see it getting put back together that day. Should be wrapped up this morning.
Lastly, for now - today, day 14. Did not get wrapped up this morning. Should be this afternoon - I'll get a call at 4pm! If I do, it would be the first time ever.
If and when it ever actually gets done, I really hope that the work is actually done, and that some nonsense doesn't come up about what the odometer is at now. I'm trying to prepare myself for that.
As a final note, the insane timeline for repair and absolute lack of communication are themes present in many other recent reviews of this dealer.
This begins on June 30th and continues until at least today. The only reason a dealer is working on the car is because I have the 7 year/70,000 miles warranty on a 2014 Dodge Caravan, and I was getting close to 70,000 miles. I had a heater hose assembly fail in mid-June on a short road trip, which would have been a warranty item, but since the dealer service never seems prompt, I decided not to tow it to a dealer out where it was stranded, only to wait days or weeks for it to get fixed.
Previously, I had an issue with this dealership where they gave me a service credit, so intend to use that (catch-22 of sorts.) So I take it in at 68,700ish for an inspection, hoping things would turn up under warranty - and they did! The inspection found 4 items; a front tie rod needing replacement, a leaking front strut, a leaking transmission hose or similar, and a fourth item I can't remember. Finally, one last time, I could get use out of the warranty. I had to wait nearly 4 hours for them to do the inspection at that scheduled appointment on June 30th, but once those results came in, it would take a few days. They needed to get a part for the strut, I think. Totally fine. They say Wednesday, maybe Thursday (Day 3 in shop)
Now the saga begins. As a note, this is the only car my fiancee and I have while, so we are car-less while it is in the shop. The rule of this service department is that they maintain a strict silence about your repairs, and are incredibly hard to reach. You have to hound them to get any results, which perversely makes you feel bad for being pushy, but if you didn't it seems possible that your car would stay on their lot forever. So on day 3, having heard nothing, I try several times to reach them. I don't even think I was able to get through, or if I did, the information was useless.
Day 4 in the shop arrives, and I'm getting nervous - I have a trip planned for the upcoming Monday (which would be day 7 in the shop). I call in the morning, I call in the afternoon, no response. I reply to the stupid text message service they send you where the only point of subscribing would be to get an update, which you never get. I'm halfway in the direction of the shop on public transit in the afternoon, and decided they I'm just going to go there and find out what the **** is going on. I call again as I'm riding, and finally get through.
The service advisor says something like "It won't be ready today. And... to be honest, it hasn't been started. There is a part that won't come until Tuesday (day 8 in shop). I asked the tech to start, but he figured why start if all the parts on there." I explain that this isn't an option, I need the car for a trip. I ask for a rental, they can't offer it, because I'd need it past when they claim it would be fixed. So she says "well, you could come get it." What!?!?! And yet that is all I can do.
So on the 4th day in the shop, I have to go all the way there just to take it out with absolutely nothing done. I work to get assurance that if I bring it back with over 70,000, the work is still under warranty. The service advisor says it will be, it is an open ticket with the mileage under 70k. I take a photo of it in the lot with that under 70,000 mileage trying to hedge against them not honoring this. She says they'll be a morning appointment for a Tuesday in the future. I take the trip.
An odd aspect of the pickup on that Friday afternoon is that the service advisor ended up having to be the one to find the keys, go out in the lot, and pull the car. This is a place where they usually have drivers for that. It was like everyone had already left.
I return from my trip, and call ahead to drop it on a Tuesday morning in accordance with this scheduled appointment. When I call, they don't know about the appointment, or who has it. But I take it. When there, they have to work to find the ticket and figure out what the work is. Later, I find that the service advisor I originally had no longer works there. So it gets returned early last Tuesday, which would therefore be Day 5 in the shop.
Comments are made that it will be done in a few days. I was told the parts were in (they should have been, that was 20 days ago.) No one updates. I call, and keep getting vague updates. On day 9, Friday, I get an admission that it might actually be in queue to be worked on! I'm told it could be done on day 10, Saturday. On Saturday, I get no updates. I finally reach them: "the mechanic who works on it doesn't work weekends. But could be Monday." Monday, day 12, I can't reach them until someone new finally answers at 4:20pm. They don't know the status, "but they'll call me back." I note that I've been told that a dozen times, and it's never happened. They insist that as soon as a meeting is over in 20 or 30 minutes, they will. No one does. Tuesday, day 13 - not done yet, tech has to many parts apart to see it getting put back together that day. Should be wrapped up this morning.
Lastly, for now - today, day 14. Did not get wrapped up this morning. Should be this afternoon - I'll get a call at 4pm! If I do, it would be the first time ever.
If and when it ever actually gets done, I really hope that the work is actually done, and that some nonsense doesn't come up about what the odometer is at now. I'm trying to prepare myself for that.
As a final note, the insane timeline for repair and absolute lack of communication are themes present in many other recent reviews of this dealer.
