How do you rate your dealerships service?

msmyer · Post by **msmyer** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 11:11 am

How do you rate your dealerships service? (general service, parts, sales, body shop, ect) List the good and bad!

meathead333 · Post by **meathead333** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 11:17 am

id have to say i am undecided. i was only there twice. once to look at cars and once to buy my vibe. maybe thats a good thing

micheles_bad_vibe · Post by **micheles_bad_vibe** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:10 pm

cibomatto · Post by **cibomatto** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:14 pm

The dealership I bought from Closed so I go to a nearby dealership for service and they are HORRIBLE...SUTTLE MOTER in Newport News VA

millster · Post by **millster** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:17 pm

I said average. The dealership in Cincinnati where I bought the car was great! I really liked the salesman, they let me come back the day after to get the stereo out of my old car, when I noticed some sticky stuff on the paint they took care of it the same day. However, the topper was when I looked at the window sticker nearly a year after buying the car and noticed I should have gotten the cargo nets. One phone call and they had a set to me later that week no charge and no questions asked.The dealership here is the one that I rated. I had some trouble with them when they overfilled my engine oil, but it was quickly resolved with a call to the service manager. Therefore I while I can't say it was excellent service, it certainly wasn't too bad.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:17 pm

Seems my dealer likes to write off complaints I make as "unable to reproduce" or "no problem found."Of course, most of the time they do that on squeak complaints, and all the techs are at least 40 years old, so maybe their aged ears are just messed up. I dunno.When I had my mysterious window issue, I went to another dealer, and saw a sign "free car wash with every service visit." My dealer sure as hell doesn't do that. Wish they did.

fire_502 · Post by **fire_502** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:28 pm

I think I have reached horrible now. They started out pretty well, but every time I go back, it's worse. Now they have gone from helping me, to telling me there's nothing wrong, to actually screwing up stuff I told them I could and would just do myself. So far I have been nice and way more than agreeable, but I swear if this latest issue I have with them isn't cleared up next week, I'm going to go nuts on them.

Post by **NSimkins** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:35 pm

I voted average since I have never had horrible or excellent service anywhere.Following the topic from ragingfish on the "unable to reproduce" or "no problem found" results.. I always make it a point to drive a tech in the vehicle and point out the problems to them firsthand before I leave it with them. And, yes, there is the occasion when you get the 50+ aged tech that visibly can't hear normal levels try to diagnose squeaks that are obviously audible. If this is the case, I'll just schedule another appointment the next week and get another tech to look at it then. Oh well.. I'll stop now. These gripes aren't with my Pontiac dealership (haven't been there yet for service!), but with past dealerships.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 1:26 pm

quote:I always make it a point to drive a tech in the vehicle and point out the problems to them firsthand before I leave it with them.That is a damn fine idea. Why I never thought of that is beyond me...

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 1:48 pm

I didn't see an option for FAR WORSE THAN HORRIBLE!!!, if I did, then I would have picked that one. you don't even want to know

Cubanpete · Post by **Cubanpete** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 2:14 pm

quote:The dealership I bought from Closed so I go to a nearby dealership for service and they are HORRIBLE...SUTTLE MOTER in Newport News VASame here.......these guys in my area, are completely lost, they should come here and the matrix forums to get a crash course...This is the only thing that P___es me off, about my GT, other then that no major surprises...... I should have bought the XRS straight from toyotathese GM guys here(local dealers) are really chitty.

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 3:20 pm

I selected great, because that's what the guys at Penninsula Pontiac/GMC/Buick in Torrance, CA have been.quote:I always make it a point to drive a tech in the vehicle and point out the problems to them firsthand before I leave it with them.This seems to be SOP for these guys...I drove one around the block 5 times until I could get the A/C recirculation switch to "reproduce" it's incessant knocking sound.1) They offered me a 66k/6 yr warranty2) R-2000 paint and interior protectant / 5 yrs3) $3,000 in rebates/coupons4) Did not try to sell me one of their on-hand Vibes. I asked for the one I have with options, and it was delivered from San Diego on a flatbed truck. Apparently, it was the only one in CA with the exact options I wanted. 5) Have given me a loaner car each time I've come in for service (including tomorrow morning @ 7am). 6) Service dept. is open from 7am - 6:30pm, which gives me plenty of time to drop it off and pick it up without missing work.7) they have fresh cookies, muffins, and coffee every day 8) Their evening shift cashier dept. girls are gorgeous! I just hope Pontiac reads this site frequently and rewards them!

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 4:25 pm

quote:7) they have fresh cookies, muffins, and coffee every day My dealer offers coffee, but it's actually pretty lousy...now find me a dealer that offers Krispy Kreme's, I'm THERE!!!

msmyer · Post by **msmyer** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 7:53 pm

quote:I didn't see an option for FAR WORSE THAN HORRIBLE!!!, if I did, then I would have picked that one. ADD a new choice!quote: you don't even want to know Sure we do! We're all family!

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 8:57 pm

I think mine is average as far as the service department. The service I got from my dealer was awesome though. I like the dealership overall.

DetroitFolly · Post by **DetroitFolly** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 9:28 pm

I voted "great." I had a poor experience at my neighborhood Pontiac dealer, so I walked out. I went to a different dealer, and was treated well, dealt with promplty and fairly, and not given any of the usual dealer BS. Rinke Pontiac in Warren, Michigan gets my approval.

disneydj · Post by **disneydj** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:29 am

Ah yes Mr. Hansen here to tell you about his experiences at McNamera Pontiac... ah the joy of a really old dealership. I was actually the first Pontiac Dealership in Central Florida, they still have the old neon sign out front, and as I was reminded time and time again, they've been around forever. Even my dealer had been around forever... his career with Pontiac spanned over four decades. But I was kind of partial to his thick German accent. But I'll get to that...The Dealership -- I stumbled upon it... I was looking at the Kia Spectra, Ford Focus, PT Cruiser, and Matrix when I saw this strange looking car on the lift. I pulled in checked it out... walking into the showroom it reminded me of a really old high school cafeteria. It had lovely brown particle board crown molding throughout the building, and it smelled like an old library. Looking around at the people in Pontiac shirts I wondered if I had somehow walked into the retirement home by mistake... and that's when I met Richard.Richard, my Dealer -- We both hit it off, due to the fact my family reigns from Denmark, and he is from Germany. He actually came to America to fight the Germans during WWII... that's how old he is! His favorite thing to tell me about the Vibe was.. "it comes with a full tank of gas, and fully detailed." He really was a fan of the "tank of gas" cause he ended every other sentence with it.The Test Drive -- I only bring this up because I found that Richard knew nothing about the Vibe... I knew more than he did, and this was before all my research. He couldn't figure out how to unlatch the front seat that was in storage position. Didn't know anything except the names of the packages, and never explained the monotone package. I really would've like to know about that one.Sales Day -- With a beacon score in the double digits I didn't expect financing through GM so I went with my bank... and it took a couple days to sort out since the bank is located in Texas. By the time everything went through my Vibe... the Base Salsa, had been sold. How could this happen? Well Richard took care of me... I got a brand new Satellite Vibe with Moon and Tunes, and only 6 miles on it... all for the price of the other. He also gave me $3000 for my Kia Sephia with 198,000 miles on it, a true steal for me.Driving Home -- Nothing can describe how it feels to drive a Vibe home for the first time. I opened the Moon roof, turned up the tunes and looked down to see how fast I was going... that's when I noticed... no "full tank of gas."In the Shop -- Somedays there good, sometimes there not. Found and fixed an alignment problem for free one visit, and swore they rotated my tires in 8 1/2 minutes the next (too bad I was on my cellphone in the bay that day... and saw they never even took my tires off, I'm pretty sure rotating them means you have to remove them.) They also put my car back together after the accident, which was nice, but they didn't have the right paint, so they repainted it a bright silver. So whatever...Final Thought -- The dealership is where I bought my Vibe... I like that... and it's not 1950 anymore and service is pretty bad where ever you go. Everyone cuts corners and tries to get away with things... I do, don't you. So why should I expect anything more? I'm just glad I have all of you people to share my stories and opinions with... there was never a GenKia website. And with the exception of the kids in Michigan where every other car is a Vibe, I love driving a car that people still look at and say, what the heck is that. So keep on Vibin' , hammer down, and look out for Smokey...

Cubanpete · Post by **Cubanpete** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:30 am

quote:I selected great, because that's what the guys at Penninsula Pontiac/GMC/Buick in Torrance, CA have been.I always make it a point to drive a tech in the vehicle and point out the problems to them firsthand before I leave it with them.This seems to be SOP for these guys...I drove one around the block 5 times until I could get the A/C recirculation switch to "reproduce" it's incessant knocking sound.1) They offered me a 66k/6 yr warranty2) R-2000 paint and interior protectant / 5 yrs3) $3,000 in rebates/coupons4) Did not try to sell me one of their on-hand Vibes. I asked for the one I have with options, and it was delivered from San Diego on a flatbed truck. Apparently, it was the only one in CA with the exact options I wanted. 5) Have given me a loaner car each time I've come in for service (including tomorrow morning @ 7am). 6) Service dept. is open from 7am - 6:30pm, which gives me plenty of time to drop it off and pick it up without missing work.7) they have fresh cookies, muffins, and coffee every day 8) Their evening shift cashier dept. girls are gorgeous! I just hope Pontiac reads this site frequently and rewards them! My dealership was good in terms of the selling part......... the VibeGT I got was off the truck with the wrappers as well, They gave me extras on the car(mudd flaps and security system, 17 " mags and high Performace tires) and did not charge me a preparation fee!, and the price I got was about 2500.00 then the rest GM were selling them at the time because(My dealer) they were closing and liquidating there stock!) My comment is based on the pontiac dealers sevice/mechanics in the Montreal area. This is why I said that had I had to do this again I would have bought the Matrix XRS as the Toyota guys are up to par with these cars, alot better then the Pontiac guys thats a fact!

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:27 am

quote:My dealer offers coffee, but it's actually pretty lousy...now find me a dealer that offers Krispy Kreme's, I'm THERE!!!I just came back from the dealership, and guess what???...They had Krispy Kremes this morning! I could only have one b/c I'm avoiding sugars/carbs, but damn, it was good . Apparently, I missed the breakfast burritos by 10 minutes .They also gave me the new Randall-McNally road atlas so I can find my way to one of these east coast meets you guys keep having (c'mon SoCal peeps!)I'm crusin in an '03 Buick Century for the day lol. Oh, and they were startled to see all of my panels pulled, including the A/C head, but they all asked me to show them my finished product when I'm done.As always, a great experience and beautiful girls to gawk at as well

cds22 · Post by **cds22** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 4:42 am

I would rate my dealership only so/so. I think the prices they charge for oil changes are ridiculous, but so far I've needed warranty work at every service interval so have been going to them anyway (no more!). Plus, a couple of times they have had to order parts and in both cases never bothered to phone me when the parts were in (as they had promised). And when I book a service I tell them what needs to be done, including service bulletin numbers, but when I arrive it's like they have no idea what I'm there for. My previous vehicles have all been Toyotas or Honda and I had much better service from those dealers.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 5:09 am

my dealership blows! first, i went in to get the adding on the bottom of the front passenger door fixed (it was coming off), get my cd player fixed (made rubbing noise) and get a new door panel on the drivers side (chrome coming off). they said they would have to order parts (after i scheduled an appointment and they knew what to fix). second visit: parts are in and installed (except for cladding, they said it just needed reattached) then, the stuff was all fixed. or was it? the cd player started making the rubbing noise again - new appointment - cd player fixed. in the process of fixing the cd player, they scratched the silver plastic around the player. now, the door cladding is coming off again on the same door! i work business hours and have to take off to get this crap fixed and never have time. not to mention, the guy behind the counter is consistantly rude and snappy (maybe its my tattoos and earings and the fact that im a young sprout, but so what? im still human! )

GT_03 · Post by **GT_03** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 6:18 am

Well, my cousin owns the dealership and my mom works there, so i would have to say great. It's nice getting to do what you want around a dealership, like taking the cars whenever and bringing them back whenever.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 8:39 am

Great!!no pressure when I bought the vibe. took it in for CD noise and rr window regulator had a repairman look at it when I took it in both times, they ordered the parts and made appt. to fix.

SCTM · Post by **SCTM** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 12:34 am

Add 5th element on your list: Not visited yet!!!Since my dealer in still on "lock-out" (since mid-december) such as other dealers in Quebec City area... Went to neareast local garage for oil change. If any "major" occured I have to call 1-800GM or go many miles away out to get GM services.(nothing happened yet - so help me God)

Bowlsie · Post by **Bowlsie** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 12:22 pm

Well not being biased towards my dealership but I have to say our service is pretty good. I go out of my way whenever I can to make my customer happy. When they are trying to explain some odd ball noise I always ask them if they would like me or the shop foreman to go for a ride with them to see if we can get the noise to occur. Another thing I do is offer the customer a ride back home or see if they would like to be dropped at the shopping mall and picked back up after we have serviced their vehicle. It's the extra steps you have to take to make someone happy. You have to put yourself in their shoes. It's an inconvienience for them to be in for service in the first place. So you have to turn a not so pleasant visit into one where they will be happy to come back. I guess thats why I and our dealership in general carries a 3.50-4.0% csi score every month.

russ257 · Post by **russ257** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 1:30 pm

i would have to say craptastic. I may not be the most important customer in the world to them but they should at least put forth an effort

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 10:13 pm

My service was also below par. When I bought my truck in '99 from the dodge dealership they were fantastic. I got a really good price and the service was always great. They even washed it after being serviced. The place i went to purchase my vibe tried to screw me on my trade-in, more than usual, and tried to screw me on the car as well. It was like I could have bankrupted their entire operation over a couple of grand. I bought mudflaps for it and the least they could do was put them on for me considering i just bought a car from them, but they wanted to charge me like 40 dollars more because they had to take the wheels off to mout them properly. I was like no thanks I will do it myself. I knew I should have went to a small dealership that was like 20 miles away and just have them get the car from the other place, probably could have gotten better service there.

E-Man · Post by **E-Man** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 1:31 am

sucks sucks sucks! 5 times to fix the same problem and hot fixed yet!Rinke Pontiac in Warren, MI -- sucks -- I would never buy another car from them!sorry, I had to get it outed

ZedTim · Post by **ZedTim** » Wed Jul 30, 2003 1:46 am

let me see hummmm how do I rate my service well if we are talking on a scale of crap to a big pile of cow dung then I would have to say it's closer to the dung.... I've taken my car to 3 different places and have had the same crappy service at all 3

philndz · Post by **philndz** » Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:28 am

I have had to TELL the service MANAGER how much oil to put in the vibe 4 times now. I told them, much to their disbelief that the GM exhaust tip is not supposed to hang out from the bumper a good 3 inches like some coffee can. And today I told the service manager once over the phone and then once in the shop that the vibe doesnt have a 3000rpm rev limiter when its not in gear. He actually denied everything i said and kept insisiting that the rev limiter is how its built from the factory. So the guy pulls the car right up, I jump in and before moving into gear i let it rip: vroooooom all the way to 6400 rpms.....i got out and told the guy that i had no idea what he was talking about b/c it revs right up. He just kinda looked confused and mumbled about how grand ams and such have those limiters. oh and BTW that was a really great post you made DISNEYDJ.....Well written and a good laugh too!

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 8:20 am

"8) Their evening shift cashier dept. girls are gorgeous! "That and 99 cents will get you a cup of coffee! Oh well - better than the alternative.Jake

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Fri Aug 01, 2003 10:18 am

Salut SCTM!Great to see another Quebecer on this site Which dealership did you buy your Vibe?Bought mine at Boisvert Pontiac, these guys are the best!!

pmh013 · Post by **pmh013** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 4:13 am

Well, I didn't vote because I've had to deal with 2 different dealerships, of entirely different calibre.#1 -- Carlyle Motor Products. I don't know if it's just the fact that these guys are in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, SK, but their knowledge approaches nothing. I bought the car there, only because it was close to where I work, and they did give me a really great deal on my trade-in. However, the salesman admitted that he knew very little about the car (I knew more about it than he did). However, they did manage to do a dealer trade to get me the car I wanted, so they get a gold star for that. Their service department, on the other hand .... well, in my opinion, they couldn't find their (removed) with both hands and a map. My car was spontaneously downshifting on the highway. "Must be the cruise control module, we'll order one in." THREE MONTHS LATER, the module finally arrives (2 times the paperwork said it was in the box, but wasn't physically there). Guess what, that didn't fix the problem. After "replacing" a few other components, the car was still not working right. That's when they started with the "That's the way the car's designed." I did get to drive 2 different loaner cars, one with bald tires (in the middle of winter). The Reader's Digest version of the story is that GM had to get involved, and they sent my car to another (big-city) dealership.#2 -- Capitol Pontiac (Regina, SK) These guys have excellent service. I had looked at Vibes there, too, but their sales people wouldn't give me anything for my trade-in. With the help of GM engineering, they successfully diagnosed my problem & got me back on the road. The parts came in, and they were right, the first time. For that, they get 2 gold stars. They are open early, have a shuttle service & loaner vehicles. I got my car back with a coupon for a free car wash, and a full tank of gas (after I complained that they left it empty).I think dissatisfaction with any dealership is due to 1 of 2 things: 1. Lack of knowledge of the staff, or 2. Lack of a professional attitude. If you can do either of these 2 things, you can generally make people happy

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 4:26 am

well, my family and i have been buying our cars from the same dealer, Alaska Sales & Service, and same salesman, Richard Dixon, since 1995. he's now the fleet manager, so he has to refer us to an actual salesman, but he's still the main contact. customer service is always fantastic. they have the patience of Job, waiting on my indecisiveness for 6 months until i finally bought mine. i didn't get the best price, but i'd rather buy the car from someone i know and trust than costco on the internet. they fixed some paint scratches for free, gave me a loaner car too. all in all, they have been good to me and my family. this is the 5th vehicle we've bought from him. as for the service department, well it just depends on who's working that day. some techs are better than others. overall, i give them 2 thumbs up.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 4:46 am

I read about the problems you had. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=2894 Wow.I'm worn out just reading about all you had to go through. Hopefully the car's been running ok since they finally figured it out.

pmh013 · Post by **pmh013** » Fri Aug 08, 2003 8:51 am

quote:I read about the problems you had. http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=2894 Wow.I'm worn out just reading about all you had to go through. Hopefully the car's been running ok since they finally figured it out.Ya, it was a trial. I have only had 1 instance of the car downshifting since. It was 90 km/h winds (which I was heading directly into), while traversing a bridge that goes over some train tracks, so there was absolutely no protection from that wind. Oh ya, and I was doing 110 km/h.In hindsight, I should have started being a raving lunatic 2 weeks after the CCM didn't arrive, but ....It took 6 months to fix the problem. Hopefully somebody has re-written the programming that triggers CEL's from the exhaust system. I bet if the parameters were 5% tighter, I would have had a CEL & an error code. The moral of my story is, always ask to speak to the manager. I wish I had. And, while you're waiting for the manager to phone you back, phone the manager's manager. Pretty soon you'll end up talking to somebody who cares, or manages somebody whose job is the appearance of caring.

MonotoneSatellite · Post by **MonotoneSatellite** » Tue Aug 19, 2003 2:53 am

I suppose my dealership is about average. When I first took a Vibe for a test drive, they knew nothing about it. I took my first ride in a Vibe about a year before I purchased one, so this would have been March 2002. The sales rep I spoke with was unaware that the Base engine was to be supercharged at some point in the future (despite the article in Car & Driver the month previous) and that the Vibe would soon be available in a monotone style. I got in a GT with Sara (my wife) and the salesman. I took the Vibe on the route that he described. Turn left here, turn right there, etc. Never once was I allowed to get above 35 mph. As far as I know, I never hit lift. I left unimpressed with the GT. It was a result of that ride that I choose the base Vibe. A couple months later, I took out an AWD Vibe. This time no Sara and no salesman. I took the route of my own choosing. Given the lack of supervision I was able to open up the Vibe a little more. I liked the AWD Vibe more given my expectations and lack of supervision. At that point I was leaning toward the base Vibe.I stayed away from new cars until November 2002. My lease on my Olds Alero was coming to an end in March 2003 and I wanted to get a car for less then $20,000. I took the opportunity to test drive a Saturn Ion. I really liked that car. Still do. In fact I would have purchased one that day if I could have killed my lease early without penalty. However, that was not an option at that time. The salesman I dealt with was great. He told me all about the forthcoming 4 door coupe, the Ion American Tuner edition, the battery in the trunk with room for a second one if I wanted a stereo that really bumps. That guy new his stuff.While waiting for my lease to end (or an incentive for an early out) I talked with my wife about our options. She pointed out that the whole reason I wanted the Vibe in the first place was its versatility. She had 4 door Cavalier at the time and pointed out that the Ion and the Cavalier were basically the same car (a 4 door compact car). The next day we went to the Pontiac dealership again. We spoke with a different salesman and that made a world of difference. Cecil knew all about the various options, configurations and such that the Vibe offers. That day, I took my third ride in a Vibe. This was base with the five speed. I liked it as much as I expected to. Sara and I took it out for about 45 min of driving around town and we decided then that this was the car for us.Since then I have never looked back. I have been back to the dealership on a couple of occasions just to see about the supercharger and chat with Cecil. Every time I come in, he greets me by name and asks how the Vibe is running. So what I have found is that it really depends on who you deal with. After two trips to the dealer I wrote off the car I wanted due to one persons lack of knowledge and enthusiasm. But I went back because of the product, dealt with someone else and had a great experience.

threekrows · Post by **threekrows** » Mon Aug 25, 2003 2:05 pm

I guess I can't complain because I'm the one that works on my car at the dealership.....lol I will say that most of customers concerns are not due to stupid mechanics(we're called techs now) it is due to a communication failure before we even see the car.You wouldn't believe some of the crap I've read on repair orders that was not even close to describing the concern of a customer.There are other factors too,like the time you get to spend on a car, I work on commission,so that makes a difference on how much time I can commit to finding a noise.GM in it's infinite wisdom is far from generous in the way it pays us.It is about half as much as I make from a non-warranty repair.live on that...

champcaracing · Post by **champcaracing** » Mon Sep 01, 2003 5:47 am

threekrows, all, right!!, same here. last week i USED MY OWN car (matrix) to repair a customers' car. good thing this week end was cool. i don't have A/C right now.

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:56 pm

Just got my first oil change, waited for fifteen minutes and was done! Great and fast service at Boisvert Pontiac in Blainville, QC. My tech advisor is the same guy I had when I owned my 96 Cavalier! He is a great guy who knows his stuff (even on the Vibe!)On another note though the other GM dealerships know squat about the Vibe. I called about a dozen of them asking if they had a strut brace bar for my car and no one had it I called a Toyota dealership and bam right away he knew what I wanted...but 240.00$CAN for a TRD bar???? I saw a bunch on Ebay for 35.00$US (Non TRD). My guy at Boisvert said he would take a look into it and get back to me tomorrow or Monday the latest. My question is to the Canadian owners, where did you guys get your bar?Anyhoo that is my two cents...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 1:18 pm

Anyone who is having SEVERELY bad dealer experiences, please post in this thread: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5682I am keeping a list of the most troublesome dealers so that we can (hopefully) discuss our concerns with Jeff Strausser and hopefully fix the customer service problems some of us have unfortunately experienced...

DavidPIL · Post by **DavidPIL** » Sun Sep 07, 2003 3:16 pm

Hi All..I feel rather 2 sided about my experiences. I checked several dealers. One was pushing a model on their lot a bit too much. They said they checked other dealers for the color and options I wanted but didn't find any with the Mono-tone. Offered me a great deal on a trade and was willing to make changes in the wheels and tires for me but still not on a vehicle I wanted. The dealer where I purchased my Vibe was very patient with me. He did the same regional dealer search and found 5 with variations of what I would accept. Mind you, the dealers are only like 50 miles apart and 2 of the vehicles the last one found were closer to the other. The dealer where I purchased the Vibe gave me a decent deal on a trade but wouldn't work with me on changing out the wheels and/or tires which didn't make me too happy. Also, the dealer where I purchased mine had no clue as well on anything about the vehicle. I was basically telling him things about it. The Service there has been decent though I've only taken it in once. I'd have to give sales a 7 and Service an 8.5Dave

Big_Red · Post by **Big_Red** » Sat Dec 13, 2003 9:33 am

AVERAGEHowever, here is why. The service is good...friendly people, quick turnaround and always a smile on their faces (although I have only gone for regular oil changes), but what bites me in the (removed) every time is the fact that they charge over $50 for an oil and lube when I can go to the nearest Toyota dealership and get the same service for under $30. That alone is why I will not go to a GM dealership anymore.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:24 am

OTB ( old thread bump )didn't feel this rated a new thread, so rediscovered this one http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05293/591531.stmQuote Â»Thursday, October 20, 2005...Q: I was shopping for a Pontiac Vibe and I was surprised that my salesman didn't know what vehicle stability control is. It's an available option on this car. Should I get it? I had considered manual transmission, but vehicle stability control is only available with automatic transmission. If I had a choice between all-wheel drive and vehicle stability control, which is the better option?BETH DUTTON Bradford Woods A: I think I'd be worried if my salesperson didn't understand such an important part of a car.Stability control helps when you're going into curves and around corners, or coming out of them. "I'm a great believer in stability control," said David Champion, of Consumer Reports. "It's a completely passive system, and you don't have to do anything for it to work."If the car slides out of control and the tail end starts to slide off -- maybe if you're coming off an exit ramp in slippery weather, for instance -- the system applies a brake to the front outside wheel if your tail is coming out." Another potential use, he said, is when a driver is turning the steering wheel but the car keeps going straight. Stability control "will apply the brake to the inner rear wheel, which will help your vehicle turn into the corner that you want to make."The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has done a study which says that if all cars were fitted with stability control, it would save about 7,000 lives a year.The bottom line is you need stability control as well as traction control, which prevents wheel spin when you hit a slippery surface by cutting the engine power, applying the brakes and putting more power to the other wheel, which has more grip.The ideal situation is all-wheel drive with both traction control and stability control. "I think I'd be worried if my salesperson didn't understand such an important part of a car."Obviously this columnist has never been Vibe shopping. Don't know how it is now, but when I was buying mine, the salespeople knew next to nothing about the Vibe.

Toolman · Post by **Toolman** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:08 am

My Pontiac dealership rocks, I got 10k off a brand new 2004 GTO in Feb and 2 Months ago I got a good deal on the Vibe. They always work with me and when I had the Talon sold and needed te Vibe Today, they found one that same day for the price I needed. Also my salesman is a cool guy and I met the parts manager the other day for the first time in person, he has a few Trans ams including a WS-6 that I raced in my Goat a few weeks ago. We joked at the parts counter for 15 minutes while I looked through a bin for terminals for the bluetooth install in the vibe. I will buy from them again and give it

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:54 am

Well the ones that i will allow to work on my vehicles i;d say average to good. However where i purchased the Vibe, I really cant grade b/c i moved 2 months later. Although I'd rate the after sale lousy as they weret willing to work with me to get a cruise system installed that i was willing to pay for.The dealer here where i know live wouldnt give me the time of day for my Rotteng egg issue. so I drove to the nearby town that has given Great service.

jasonvibe · Post by **jasonvibe** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:03 am

the dealer(45 miles away) we bought the Vibe from was easy to buy from. We went in on a weekday. We had a 10 year old Bonneville. He immediately called his wholesaler to find what they would give him. Can't do that on a weekend. That helped a lot. The service/parts dept. is helpful but still gave me a line of B.S. about the radio...I think? The mechanic who swapped out the battery, still did not pay attention to which direction the hook goes. Bet most don't know, even here. The dealer 3 miles away is a jerk. Damaged my old car every warranty repair, and charges 40-50% over list for all parts. and refused to even check my new Vibe's battery. The jerk dealer is, Northwest Hills of Torrington, CT. Needless to say, I will never buy a car from these guys.

TheBri · Post by **TheBri** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:23 am

The Service I have recieved at the dearl were I bought my car is HORRABLE I mean SO BAD that I have called head office 4 time and have a case open with them.The List of what the dealer has done- Over filled the oil 3 times.- Scratched my paint a number of times.- Didn't re-apply my rear hatch symboles.- Greased my floor mate so bad it took them 2 time to fix it.- The service tech talked on a cell phone while driving my car in and out of the shop and while performing the oil change.- I have recieved rude interaction with the service personal and the parts counter personal also.- The service manager got rude with me on the phone after I called him to ask about when I should bring my car in for them to fix their poor workmanship issues. I guess because head office has a case open with me about all the workmanship issues they have inflicked on my car.I bet there are other things that I can't remember off hand. But such a bad experince but I love the car. Except that I am getting realy poor gas mileage, realy bad! lol the same dear did a mileage test and they came to the conclusion that its getting 6.8 liters per 100 km. From my records I am getting 11-13 liters per 100 km. And thats in the summer.So I am at the point were I am going to question GM service techs abllity to fix cars that are made but other car manufactures???In shot most likely I will be buying a Honda from now on, and its said to say that both of my grand fathers worked for GM and so did some of my other family too.

4X4CHICHI · Post by **4X4CHICHI** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 11:40 am

luckily I've only had to go to the service area once, and that was to get a copy of how to program my remote I just replaced. in the mail this week, I just received a coupon for a frre oil change and a full inspection. Can't beat a free oil change, so in large I would have to sy I am very pleased with my dealer and their service.