Dealerships getting "cheap" on customers?

[hjr]

OK, in 99, when we got our first Hyudnai(sonata v6), we had a major misalignment after only 300 miles on the car.

I took it in to the dealerhsip and they Refused to do the re-alignment for free( I was told by 800 number 12,000 miles/1 year for stuff like that is covered).

Well, they set up an appt a week later to meeet w/district facotry rep(for Ohio). I met the guy, and within 1 minute, he ahd them getting me a Elantra for overnight, free, filled w/gas, and gonna do the 4whlle alignment free.

Move forward to May of 2004.
Wife's 01 Tibby needed both front axels replaced, Under Warranty.
I asked the dealership if they'd give us a car for the day/overnight. They said NO, "we do not have cars for rent here". I mentioned the 800 number/free car and they said"that is for participating dealerships who have rentals on the lots". I got this from TWO dealerships around Dayton, Ohio!

Big Difference 5 years made, I see.

They went from catering to the customer, to saying" we can get you a rental car, from Avis,and you pay".

ONLY dealership that still gives you a car for warranty issues or whatever is 130 miles east of me, in Columbus,OH, Hatfield Hyundai!(they may still do this, not sure).

They also give you(or did) a rental if you get your 30,60K, etc, tune ups there.

What Gives here?

I was really ticked off. If I were working F/T, I'd have to call off 1/2 a day or 1 day and lose pay! Why? Because they only give you rides to work if it is 10 miles radius from the shop!
I think when I go get my next Hyundai, I will tell them to knock off another 250 , in case I need to miss work and they refuse to take me to work/give me a car!




That is NOT service, at least not like it used to be.

Is it Hyundai telling there dealerships" do what you want as far as this issue is concerned", or is it the dealerships getting cheap, or both?


I like the cars, but some of the nonsense these dealerships are starting to pull......

[HondaTech]

Hmmmm. Sorry to hear that. Sounds like they're becoming more like Honda/Toyota dealers.

A few years back, when I visited a Toyota dealer, I was asked if I have driven a Toyota before.

My most recent visit is to my local Suzuki dealer to check out the Forenza. They treated me nothing like that. I was impressed, both by the car and by the dealer. I hope they remain this way.

[HondaTech]

hjr said:

Is it Hyundai telling there dealerships" do what you want as far as this issue is concerned", or is it the dealerships getting cheap, or both?

I like the cars, but some of the nonsense these dealerships are starting to pull......

My mom's experience with her Mazda dealer is not any better. They refused to fix anything.

[megadethmartyrdethmartyr]

Unfortunately Hyundai can't force dealers to give out loaners or rentals. THey do have a loaner program that the majority of the dealers do participate in. The majority of the dealers have up to a dozen (Elantras and Sonatas are the most common) loaners for major repairs. Also alot of our stores do have a courtesy driver.

[Brian Gluckman]

[quote author=HondaTech

My mom's experience with her Mazda dealer is not any better. They refused to fix anything.[/quote]

I know what you mean! Mazda dealers are horrible! (From what I hear, AND personal experience.) I had a Mazda 323, and the dealer was ridiculous with me!

[hjr]

went by the Scion(Toyota) deaelrship today, and took an automatic tC out( I hate to say this, but it was great! Wish it were a Hyundai!).

Anyhow, they had an older guy(maybe 50) take the car out with me.
He asked me i f we liked our Hyundai's(me and my wife, although spouse was not there). I said yes. I said the tC had same interior diomensions(wheelbase) of my 99 Sonata, and he was like,"well, their value sinks like a rock, and you could buy one cheap, used; they lose their market value quickly"(he was being a jerk, in hos tone of voice and "smirk"). He then saw I was not happy with his remarks and quickly added" Ohm, but they do the job they were made for, they are good cars, for that'.

The guy came off as condescendng in his voice, mannerisims!

My wife likes the car(looks), and asked if there was a better deaelrship, but they are the only Scion for 100+ miles.

So, like the wife said, Hyudnai trumps Toyota in these areas(fathe rin law had a Toyota truck, 87 modle,and agrees with this...) 1) Parts for reparis could be costly, if we needed them! 2) One guy told us it cost him more to get his Camry serviced at Toyota than it did to get his Sonata tuned up for the 60K by about 200 dollars(this, not sure, but I know replacement parts for father in laws trucks cost toomuch at the deaelrships. he went to a locla mechanic and saved, he claimed 1000 dollars on engine work/parts, due to lower labor costs and parts more at Toyota?).
3)WARRANTY: No comparison.
It saved us over `1000 on axels being replace.
4) Hyundai, although being a bit "nasty" lately(at the smaller dealerships, say with less than 100 cars on the lots, or all th edealerships in my area) with no rental cars for reparis,etc.... they are acceptable in their dealings with people, either if getting a tune up, warranty work done(no arguing about it), and even the salespeople are not quite "as snooty" as the Toyota/Honda places I went to before.

Like my wife said, Hyundai has been the best(out of GM/Nissan/Hyundai) in treating us fairly decently, cost of maintainence, sales people, etc, and warranty and what you pay for is fair priced for what you get.


My car has until late next year to be paid off. May just buy a Elantra or wait an see about the next gen Elantra.
They do have that "weird' seats I like, where it feels like the whole seat tiltsup and back, like a race car seat?

(this , of course, may have to be put off until 06, IF Hyundai makes the Sonata Coupe! Then, youknow what I'll buy!)

[thejoyof6]

My 98 elantra with the old warranty covered loaners for repairs but not for simple things like oil changes and tire rotations. Now with my mazda i get asked if i need a loaner just by walking in the service dept, thats the first thing they ask. The service department is very friendly but VERY stupid and their one of those "Could not duplicate" dealers.

On a side note... last year we went to test drive a santy and a saturn ewww i mean vue and we were telling the stealer what other vehicles we were looking at and he gasped when we mentioned the santy...he told us the whole resale and problems story with hyundais. A few mins into the test drive i tried to open the moonroof and the button fell off the headliner, bounced off the gearshift and hit the stealer in the leg. He didnt talk anymore on the way back to the dealer.

Funny that santys DO hold their value better than vues and cost a few thousand less when brand new. THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMMM!.

[Brian Gluckman]

LOL! Quite true, thejoyof6!

[hjr]

talked to my fatherinlaw today,.and told him abotu the saelsman at Scion, and them saying"we do not need a 100,000 mile warranty"(as in their cars are perfect).
he told me I should have said'then why not throw in the 10/100K warranty; it would no tcost Toyota anything, then(if they are all perfect and never breaks, that is).LOL.

That comment wil be filed away for possible future use(I did find another Scion deaelrship in Ohio. Might check 'em out, but if they are arrogant, I won't eevn test the car).

Most likely stick w/Hyundai.

[Brian Gluckman]

Good. Because a Toyota is just a Toyota.
But a Hyundai is a car that will someday be a classic

[eCkS]

i went to the new hyundai dealer in my area, just a few block from my house, and i was treated very well.... the building was previously used by bob smith bmw...then was renovated , i liked the treatment i got.. and the finance manager that helped get my car finance now works theres... they have a huge waiting are a compared to the previous hyundai dealer and it'll have a flat screen tv... and in the front in big blue cursive letters it says... home of the 100,000 mile warranty... i got my oil changed and they washed the exterior of my car when they got done.... the building still smelled of new stuff... all in all im very happy and excited that they opened by my house...they even took a picture of me and my bro while in lounge room... ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[megadethmartyrdethmartyr]

Just for info's sake, Scion was one of the worst brands in Initial Quality in J.D. Powers must recent study.

Hey, thejoy0f6, like the term "stealer", whether intentional or not, very funny. I should mention about the only way we can try and keep the dealers even headed about the recent sucess is their surveys. It helps give the customer a voice in how they were treated. They do have the region rankings in store. ask to see them, if someone around there ranks higher, go there.

[jgribin]

Dealers vary. My sister was hard to find a car for, flat out refusing all kinds of great cars we were suggesting on her budget of $13-14k. Among the cars suggested and shown were the Toyota Corolla (My friend has one :, Scion xA (its ugly), Scion xB (its a box- i happen to like it, tho, lots of space for the money), Toyota Tacoma (its a truck) Honda Civic ("wiggers" car - her words, not mine), Mazda 3 (ugly interior ), Kia Spectra (ugly), Ford Focus (its a ford- her B/F is a GM nut), Mitsubishi Lancer (ugly).

The Hyundai Elantra had not been one I had thought of because i figured if she thought the Mazda 3 ugly, she'd not like the Elantra. The Tiborun, i assumed, was too expensive. Never even thought of it. We were running out of cars, so much so I had offered my 95 C220 (I've been aching to move to a 95 LS400 for a while anyway). Anyway, we went to the Hyundai place to look at the Elantra. She fell totally in love with the Tiburon. They gave a clear out special price of $14500. (it was the end of the model year).

My family has generally bought more expensive cars (Infiniti, Mercedes, BMW, Audi) and for the most part we are used to the more laid back attitudes of those dealers. They may seem a bit arrogant, but they don't try and pressure you. This was the kind of thing we got at the Hyundai dealership we went to first. We asked for their best price, and they gave us a number well below the AAA deal for the car. Simple, clean, and fairly honest. We ended up paying cash (check actually).

My father went to another dealership to makesure the price was good. Totally different. The usual bs. This is the best deal i have ever given, and its done tomorrow. Bull. If I walk in 2 days from now and tell you I'll buy it right now for that price, your going to say no deal? 'course not. And that wonderfull "How much do you want to spend?". "You can finance this and only pay X amount per month". So? I am still paying more money for a car then i want to! Plus the waiting. Yeah, like he has no idea if the manager will accept it. Bull. You know. And if you don't a yes or no does not take 10-15 minutes. It takes 2. That kind of behavior will definately stop me from using a specific dealer if i have the choice, and may even get me to not buy the car it self anywhere.

I know our dealer gives loaners. Some don't. You can judge companies on the majority of their dealers, but not all of them. About the only company who has a perfect dealer network is Saturn.