Complaint Review: Autoway Dodge - Clearwater Florida

Lillian - First off I was quite suprised to see this posted here but I will go into detail, best as I can, on each concern. Window motors - You state 2 specific problems with the motors yet they are not related and hence it did not take 2 years to diagnose the issue. Since the motors slide into a lip of rubber the sound they make is often percieved as slamming...grease is used to lube the window channel. Brilliant you say..yet it is covered under a TSB from Chrysler telling Techs to do just that! Amazing is it not, they actually did what was required of them from the manufacturer. ( fail to see the ripoff there). The motors were actually replaced 2 years later due to noise in the regulators. (ripoff?) Radio - Yep a scratch was made in the radio when it was installed, sometimes a person for whatever reason wants to become an auto tech, they have to learn somehow..and sometimes they along with everyone else at one time or another makes a mistake..new radio was ordered and was due to come in at the same time as the vapor barriers. It was unfortunate but it happened, tried to make it as painless as we could by having all parts in at the same time (ripoff?) Vapor barriers and belts - This was very odd, only one other person in the shop had seen rubber decay like this (vapor barriors have a rubber backing). I might add we were under no obligation to check other rubber parts once seeing this but we did (I care about what I do)..and notified you..and covered the belts under warranty. Some outside force acted on the rubber, it wasnt a defect in the parts..I still suspect the vehicle is parked someplace where heat buildup is an issue. (ripoff?) After reading the post over and over I still cannot see where the ripoff is. You mention the miliage of the vehicle over and over but radios and window motors arnt part of that, that is to say they arnt affected by miles driven..electrical componets rarely need a reason to go out and TSB's were followed relative to the time the vehicle was brought in. The only thing I see that has merit would be the fact you are without a vehicle to drive, for that I dont know what to say. We try to make it as painless as we can, try to shuttle you to where ever you may want to go...car repairs are never fun, It is my personal goal to fix every car correctly....more often than not this is not the time saving method but it is the correct method (to not order the vapor barriers would have saved lots of time). I do wish you would reconsider your position with Autoway Dodge. We have a staff full of people who care about the work they do and care about the person behind the wheel. That may sound cheesy but its true and if it wasn't..I wouldn't work there. Everything aside I am sorry you feel ripped off. I think back on this and cant see what we could have done to make this easier. I welcome any comments or suggestions on how this could have been avoided. I would like to thank the poster for the kind words on my replacement of the barriers..I try. although there are no TSB on this model year for radios or blower noise. You got my interest on that.

Lillian - First off I was quite suprised to see this posted here but I will go into detail, best as I can, on each concern. Window motors - You state 2 specific problems with the motors yet they are not related and hence it did not take 2 years to diagnose the issue. Since the motors slide into a lip of rubber the sound they make is often percieved as slamming...grease is used to lube the window channel. Brilliant you say..yet it is covered under a TSB from Chrysler telling Techs to do just that! Amazing is it not, they actually did what was required of them from the manufacturer. ( fail to see the ripoff there). The motors were actually replaced 2 years later due to noise in the regulators. (ripoff?) Radio - Yep a scratch was made in the radio when it was installed, sometimes a person for whatever reason wants to become an auto tech, they have to learn somehow..and sometimes they along with everyone else at one time or another makes a mistake..new radio was ordered and was due to come in at the same time as the vapor barriers. It was unfortunate but it happened, tried to make it as painless as we could by having all parts in at the same time (ripoff?) Vapor barriers and belts - This was very odd, only one other person in the shop had seen rubber decay like this (vapor barriors have a rubber backing). I might add we were under no obligation to check other rubber parts once seeing this but we did (I care about what I do)..and notified you..and covered the belts under warranty. Some outside force acted on the rubber, it wasnt a defect in the parts..I still suspect the vehicle is parked someplace where heat buildup is an issue. (ripoff?) After reading the post over and over I still cannot see where the ripoff is. You mention the miliage of the vehicle over and over but radios and window motors arnt part of that, that is to say they arnt affected by miles driven..electrical componets rarely need a reason to go out and TSB's were followed relative to the time the vehicle was brought in. The only thing I see that has merit would be the fact you are without a vehicle to drive, for that I dont know what to say. We try to make it as painless as we can, try to shuttle you to where ever you may want to go...car repairs are never fun, It is my personal goal to fix every car correctly....more often than not this is not the time saving method but it is the correct method (to not order the vapor barriers would have saved lots of time). I do wish you would reconsider your position with Autoway Dodge. We have a staff full of people who care about the work they do and care about the person behind the wheel. That may sound cheesy but its true and if it wasn't..I wouldn't work there. Everything aside I am sorry you feel ripped off. I think back on this and cant see what we could have done to make this easier. I welcome any comments or suggestions on how this could have been avoided. I would like to thank the poster for the kind words on my replacement of the barriers..I try. although there are no TSB on this model year for radios or blower noise. You got my interest on that.

Lillian, ignore the twaddle spewing from the numbnut who claims to be a Doctor. He says German Cars are the greatest so, he is obviously a mental case himself. The best thing he can do is leave the state. Please don't stop untill you get home to Ohio Doc. The reason the GERMAN company Daimler-Benz purchased Chrysler wasn't because they were poorly designed/made. It's because they are on par with their own. Even the CEO for Benz says you can buy a 300-C for about $10K less than the comparable Benz model and get the same ammenities and quality. Sort of like buying a Lincoln LS instead of a Jaguar. Same car, different tags and lower price. The intial respondents for the BMW, Benz, Porsche crowd all say great things about their cars. Then it happens. The repair bill from hell and the owner can't figure out why he needs to buy a NEW engine instead of fixing the one in the car. It's called "cost-effectiveness" and replacement costs just a little bit more than repairing in most cases. "What do you mean I have to pay THOUSANDS of dollars to fix my car?". "Why can't I buy anything over the counter for it instead of having to buy EVERYTHING at the dealership?". I could make a fortune if I got the exhaust business for them. Ever pay over $1500 for a factory-stock cat-back exhaust system on an American car? On most of them, the muffler alone is worth a $600 bill for replacing. You can always see the POSERS though. They drive the nice looking BMW or Benz and have a $20 AutoZone special dragging under the car. Idiot is right. He was looking in the mirror I guess. There are TSB's on the window motor/regulater assemblies, and the noise you hear under the dash. Tell the dealership to fix it. The buzzing you hear may be from the installation of the new radio and not related to the air door actuator. Look in your owners manual and it will tell you how to reset the automatic temperature control unit. That is the cause of most actuator problems. It takes about 5 minutes. The radio was also a TSB that wound up being a recall in some models. The belts are not covered unless you have a "bumper to bumper" warranty. Brake pads aren't either, nor are the starter and alternator. Both are pricey. But, they seem to hold up well. The vapor barriers(black plastic sheets) are usually just ripped off the doors and never replaced. the fact that your dealership is replacing them says alot about the service you're getting. I'd say it's above average. I have 119K miles on my '98 Concorde LXI and plan to get many more with little or no trouble. Good luck. Help your community. Run all the Yankees out of the area.

Consumer Lillian, It is very unfortunate that you have had several small problems with your purchase however inconvenient. I myself purchased a new & used I might add, 2003 vehicle from autoway dodge & must say was treated very well. Have had no problems with my purcahse. However if I had purchased a dodge or an american made vehicle I no doubt would have run into to a myriad of problems. But You see I was smart and bought a good german car, thats right and have had no problems and expect many years of hassle free enjoyment out of my purchase. American cars just suck, and thats a fact, they break down more often, don't last as long and guzzle gas like crazy. I'm sure you can keep your car running for ever if your willing to sink lots of money into it, but ya should have been smart and bought a hybrid or a car other than an american one. Why are you crying about a few small things you could have avoided by buying a real car, after all you live in here in Belleair and probably are well off so quit nagging and whining like all of the other yanks in Bellaire who don't know how to speak properly do. Fortunately I'm not from here and will be moving back home to the Northwest and won't have to deal with idiots like you anymore. You are among the same group of unintelligent people from pinellas who sue for mental damages when they get a scratch on their car. After all a person as stressed out as you probably has some mental difficulties, but it's ok any number of anti-anxiety or anti-depressants will work for you. If not you'll be smart and put a written statement in your emergency plan so that when your on life support from you mental breakdown you can atleast have the dignity & right to die off just like Terri Schivo should have. Be smart buy an un-american car next time. Or face your actions and stop crying. Read consumer reports on cars before you buy them & good luck, I think we can all see your going to need it. Dr. A Consumer