Hogan Chev Olds ripoff Toronto Ontario
I went to Hogan Chev olds for new wipers, the service agent [ Rorry Yung ] said that I needed new tires even though my tires still had lots of tread and passesed saftey standreds...my car drove perfectly with good wheel alignment before adding the tires, when i picked up my car [ with the new tires ] the car pullled very heavy to the left of the road making driving impossible and dangerous...I complained and Rorry said how can I make this up to you...I said just align my tires without charge and he said that he would do so...after waiting two hours he presented me with a bill for $114.95...I was angry and said that i woud never do business with them again...pulling ou of the dealership the car has exactly the same problem, pulling heavy to yhe left...I telephoned them and they refuse to acknowledge my legimate concerns...saying that i had been drinking and was not capable of comprehension...
I feel that they are in a possition to do and charge what they feel without concern for drivers saftey...
the car was bought at Hogan Chev olds in 1995 and serviced their yearly till this date...loyal customer since 1995...
how can the put an unsafe car on the road...
ps, when I asked Rorry why they had not aligned it he said they they did not have the time to do it...letting me drive an unsafe car!
Abel
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Abel
Toronto,Ontario,
Canada
Resolved!
#7Author of original report
Thu, December 01, 2005
Hi, I am happy to report the the service mngr. [ Tom turner and
Dan Ioannou ] the technical service manager at Hogan Chev called me to resolve the tire issue.
They provided me with a free rental car fixed the alignment and also refunded $114.95.
Although the problem was intiated by them by not road testing my car I am happy to report that I am satisfied and will continue to service my car at Hogan...
I want to thank all those that wrote in to give me advice, it was very helpfull and encouraging...
I am not sure what the problem was but the drives OK!
Thank you ,
Dave
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
Stop with the alignment already
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, December 01, 2005
You don't align a car everytime you change tires. That's ridiculous. It's like buying a new coffee machine everytime you change buy a new pack of filters!
If you want to go after them for not aligning the car, you will lose.
Mike
Radford,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Just to expand on what Robert said.
#7Consumer Suggestion
Thu, December 01, 2005
First check the air pressure in all four tires and adjust if necessary. If the problem persists, switch the left front wheel with the right front one. Use the tire-changing tools that came with the car. You will need to put on the spare tire to hold one side up while you get the tire from the other side. If you've never done this before, its good practice in case you ever have a flat.
Now if the car pulls to the right, you have a bad tire. You can go to any shop that services that brand of tire and get it replaced under the warranty.
If the tires have worn down evenly and lasted a reasonable number of miles, there's no need to align the car when replacing them. Most late model cars have only one alignment adjustment, the toe-in. If toe-in is off, the tires will wear rapidly though the car will not pull to the side. The other alignment angles should remain at factory spec for the life of the car unless there is a crash. Adjusting them is not to be done routinely because there is no adjustment. An experienced tech will have to carefully bend something.
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
You don't need an alignment
#7Consumer Comment
Thu, December 01, 2005
If the car tracked properly before putting new tires on, the problem is with the tires. Swap them from left to right and see if it pulls to the other side...it probably will.
As for needing an alignment whenever you buy tires...what for? The alignment settings on any vehicle never change from the original factory setting. If there is an actual alignment problem, it is ONLY because something is worn out or damaged. There is no other reason to adjust the factory settings(changing ride height not included). I had a 45 yr old car in the shop. It needed new control arm and idler arm bushings. The factory settings had never been messed with. All I had to do was mark the torsion bars for ride height, and the cams for camber/caster, replace the bushings, and put it all back to the marks I made...factory settings. Perfection every time.
Most front end guys make a bundle PRETENDING to make adjustments. They set up the heads, and sit there under the car.
Stop wasting your money on stuff you don't need. Take the car back to the dealership and have the tires swapped for good ones. Yours are bad.
Abel
Toronto,Ontario,
Canada
Read it proper!
#7REBUTTAL Individual responds
Thu, December 01, 2005
If you can read, I said the service mngr tried to deflect blame by asking me if I had a drink?that I may have had a drink?
the service mngr did not offer to talk with me in private..he was unprofessional...this matter could have been resolved very simply, after all I have serviced the car thier fo close to 12 years...
The Issue is not why I bought tires that I did not need... the issue is why would they send me on the road in an unsafe car?
why did [ Rorry ] service agent say that he would resolve the problem by doing an algnment at no charge then presenting me with an unexpected Bill?
$ 114.95 and its still to dangerous to drive...
However the Issue is why would a new car dealership install new tiers without doing an algnment...Rings without Valves???...oil change without a Filter????
why would they send you on the road in an UNSAFE car????
Fred
San Jose,California,
U.S.A.
Why did you fall into the trap of buying when unnecessary????
#7Consumer Comment
Wed, November 30, 2005
Your complaint contains lots of vague information....you stated your tires were ok and all you needed were wipers SO why didn't you simply say no thanks to the tires since they were ok according to you......and secondly why would a person spend all that money for a new set of tires and not do an alignment YOU NEVER DO ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER!!!! that's false economy to say the least...they refused to achknowledge ???? what does that mean???don't you have the work receipt???? did you talk to the serv manager???? and not just to the serv writer....they charge what the mkt will bear and they could be liable if the car is not aligned properly as long as you have the paperwork and it states the problem is still not resolved because the car pull dangerously.....you can probably work this out but not until you approach this in a systemic manner....take an impartial wittness with you........finally what's all this stuff about drinking?????? any truth to this ......go in IN PERSON WITH A WITNESS............