Complaint Review: Gene Messer Val-U-Lot - Chrysler Jeep

In January, my wife Krista and I visited the Gene Messer Chrysler Jeep dealership in Amarillo, TX, seeking a pre-owned vehicle. We wanted a minivan and the decision was between a Kia Sedona and a Plymouth Voyager. The salesman said both were good but recommended the Sedona over the Voyager, so we chose the former.

At first we were pleased and willing to overlook a couple of minor issues- after all, it wasn't a new van. However, it wasn't long before our pleasure turned into disappointment. We were dismayed at the number of problems the vehicle developed. Here are some of them:

Sometimes it runs only at idle speed regardless of how far the accelerator pedal is pressed.
The motor periodically jerks (or stumbles) hard. Even though it continues to run, the Check Engine Light illuminates.
The vehicle burns about of a quart of oil every 3,000 miles.
The airbag light lit up, requiring a visit to a dealership and a $75 payment just to get the code reset.
The interior door handle on the driver's side broke into two pieces making it impossible to open the door from the inside.
On the left sliding door, the plastic bushings on the rear support bracket broke and fell out, causing the door to bind.
The windshield wipers stopped working.
The air conditioner stopped cooling.
The paint beneath the rear window is peeling. Clear coat paint on the piece above the license plate is "alligatoring or checking.
After filling up with gas, the fuel gauge immediately moves to half but takes about five minutes to move from half to (nearly) full. After that, it continues to read inaccurately (e.g. it shows only a tank of fuel when it's really full).
The trip computer (clock, temperature, time-to-empty, etc.) in the overhead console failed. The display for the various functions was wrong. For instance, it showed time as 3:69 p.m. and the temp readings were preceded by a small L.
The charging system failed.

I understand that problems are to be expected with a higher mileage, used vehicle. However, the sheer number and magnitude of the problems are far out of proportion to ones found in other vehicles of similar age and mileage.

Although no warranty was provided, the dealership (in its pricing) and the salesperson (in his statements) implied quality that is not present.

I sent a letter to the dealership to express my concerns. I did not receive even the courtesy of a response. I contacted the BBB in Amarillo, TX, and they refused to even forward the complaint to the business. (The second of two times that the Amarillo BBB has been of no use.)

Because of the seemingly unending problems with the Kia Sedona, we opted to trade it in after only 9 months and ~9,000 miles. The quality was so poor, it was valued at only $2,500 ($6,495 less than we paid and $4,000 less than we still owed).

When my wife and I want car shopping to replace the Sedona, we intentionally avoided all Gene Messer dealerships (inc. Amarillo, TX, and Lubbock, TX). We will never again purchase from any member of the Gene Messer Autogroup and will discourage others from shopping there as well.

Christian
Tucumcari, New Mexico
U.S.A.