This is another sad story about the service at Penske Mercedes in West Covina. I am in a dispute with the dealership because my car was damaged while in their possession. To add insult to injury they tried to charge me apx. $800 for a misdiagnosis.
On February 9, 2010 I had my G55 2003 AMG Mercedes towed to Penske after a roof leak had caused the vehicle to go into 'Limp Home' mode. I told the service rep that I suspected water was leaking in through the antenna port. 2 weeks later I picked up my G55 and was told that a complete diagnosis was performed on my vehicle and the Penske service dept. determined that the left front door seal was leaking. They did a complete and through exam and were positive that was the source of the leak. The tried to charge me $650.00 for the diagnosis and parts $135.00 labor, but I knew it could not have come from the door seal and thought this was outrageous! Door seals are not covered under the certified pre-owned extended warranty. They had the Vehicle for 14 day's and that is what they came up with!
I was very surprised that it was the door seal, and told the rep Mr. Doehla that I wanted this in writing because I was sure the source of the leak was the sun roof, windshield or antenna port. Mr. Doehla assured me it was not any of those areas because his service center had run a full diagnostic test that proved it was coming from the door seal. I was a little upset that Mr. Doehla did not take me seriously and it made me suspect that he was trying to take advantage of me and make a 'sale'.
I refused to authorize the repairs, paid my bill for the bogus labor, and decided to run my own test. As a 10-year client of Penske you can imagine my disappointment at being treated like a second-class citizen yet again. I got the impression that they treat all women as gullible imbeciles.
I had my G55 detailed and photographed, and put the it up for sale. I had dozens of calls because it is beautiful, and I showed it several times times. I am very familiar with every scratch and flaw on my G55. There was no damage to the roof line!
Another rain storm resulted in water in the light compartment under the rear view mirror. I did not notice any water coming from any door seals. I checked the seal myself and could see no problem, it was obviously coming from the center of the Vehicle.
On April 26, 2010, I took the AMG G55 back to Penske and I was greeted by Mike Doehla. I explained to him for a second time that I believed the leak was coming from the antenna/sunroof area. We both looked very closely at the sunroof/antenna and there was no damage to the roof line, the sunroof had been making a terrible noise when you open it, I assumed it was due to the water on the tracks and maybe it needed some lubrication. Had there been damage to that area i would have been noted and they would not have proceeded with trying to find the cause, it would have also been noted on the check in report.
The next day my Service Advisor called and left a message on my voice mail in a very serious tone. I was told the leak would not be covered under my extended warranty because it was caused by some type of accident or collision to the vehicle. I was advised to take it to a body repair shop. The G55 has never been in any accident and so being told by Penske that it had been been hit by something falling on it was a shock to me. I said I would pick the car up immediately but I was informed that door panel and sunroof repairs were still in progress so I should wait a few hours.
Mr Doehla apologized and said that the prior door seal explanation "was a misdiagnosis". He offered to talk to the service manager to see if he could get me a refund on the bill I had previously paid. How could there be damage that requires a body repair shop that no one noticed when I brought it in? It is an accepted practice that dealer service departments always inspect vehicles when they arrive and note any visible damage. Needless to say, I was very upset, confused and anxious to see my Vehicle.
25 minutes later the vehicle was ready and immediately we noticed fresh damage to the front roofline of my AMG G55. There were clearly fresh scratch marks, torn rubber on the windshield seal, and dents across the top of the vehicle. It looked as if someone had tried to fit it under a bridge that was to low! Mr Doehla said "he was surprised he had not noticed it before either, it must have been overlooked!" In addition, there was a suspicious looking white rubbing compound on the roof but according to Penske, they do not use wax. Was it an attempt to cover something up?
Another service advisor approached me who was very kind and asked me if I had a problem. I told him what had happened he asked me if I wanted him to get the Service Manager, Mike Daniels. Mike was actually helpful and indicated that the antenna could be the source of the leak and they would re-evaluate the situation, and it was checked back in. No apologies and no loaner.
I received a follow-up call from Service Director Steve Usrey "The Boss". He told me that he personally took my G55 through their car wash because they were so busy (An odd thing to mention? Why would the Service Director be taking my vehicle through the car wash? It is not implausible to suggest the damage may have been caused by the Penske car wash but there's no a chance in hell that they would ever suggest this a s a possibility) He also informed me that he and the Service Manager drove the car through twice after I discovered the problem just to make sure the car wash was working properly, implying that the Penske car wash was not responsible. I asked him to put this in writing, but he refused. He also said Penskes policy with employee's is clear, if they damage a vehicle they will not get fired, but if they lie about it or try and cover it up they will. I have a feeling no one is going to admit to anything at this point! He smuggly suggested I pick up my vehicle and take it to a body shop because the warranty is now void due to the damage to the vehicle.
I have no doubt that fresh dents and scratches appeared while the vehicle was in their possession. I am not a forensic scientist but I have numerous witnesses who have corroborated my story. I think the car wash at Penske could be the culprit. My warranty is up in 2 days, and the leak would have been covered if not for this "accident" I am not giving up! It is the principle. I love my G55, I am just very disappointed with the staff at Penske Mercedes Benz in West Covina.
Roger Penske is one of the most respected names in the auto industry but the West Covina dealership has shamed it again! Avoid Penske West Covina! Sorry Mr Penske..