| bdmd |
| I just called to make an appointment to get my 3750mi service done and asked for a loaner, and the guy in the service department "refused" to give me a loaner! He stated that "it only takes 45 minutes" and that a loaner would be "impossible to arrange for that short a period of time," even though I was willing to schedule the appointment several weeks out. Has anyone else run into this kind of a hassle? Is there anything I can do about it, or am I the one being unreasonable? Also, I received a "Maintenance Assistance Program" coupon book from the dealer that I purchased the vehicle from, and he refused to honor those coupons as well. Is there anything I can do, or am I the one being unreasonable? Thanks, bdmd. |
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| Maik |
I believe that is standard SOP, at least around here. I was told by two dealerships that they would only give me a loaner if the service would be more than three hours.
Having said that, I was offered a car to use during the couple of hours my 7,500 mile service would take, I declined and instead went for a walk. Who knows, maybe the offer was the result of my bringing donuts and muffins in with me! |
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| mdxxxx |
quote:
Originally posted by Maik
I believe that is standard SOP, at least around here. I was told by two dealerships that they would only give me a loaner if the service would be more than three hours....
I was told the exact same thing.. |
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| renov8r |
... SEEMS to be that if "the factory" is picking up the tab, you can complain to THEM -- BUT -- for maintence visits it is "every dealer for themselves".
A quick google search will show that some dealers claim they'll give a loaner "when they are available", others will do "when appointments are made", others will do it for maintence taking longer than X hours....
What about the coupons?
Well, if they are from another dealer, well how they heck would be of any value to the shop you pulled into? Kinda defeats the whole "customer loyalty" discount that is impled with coupons handed out at purchase, don't you think?? |
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| jurincie |
I specifically looked into this at Hendrick Acura here in Charlotte before ordering my X because one of my neighbors was refused a loaner. They told her it was because she purchased her X from another dealer (the wait at Hendrick was over 6 months at the time). She was told that by the service advisor and it is contrary to what they have told me. Hendrick gave me a copy of their loaner policy. Here are a few of the key points.......
COMPLIMENTARY COMPACT RENTAL CAR - Available for one day with major repair or service work exceeding $250. Subject to availability.
ACURA LOANER CAR - Available when major warranty repairs or maintenance performed by us on your Acura exceeds 2 hours. Subject to availability. (They specified to me verbally that it is 2 hours billable time, not expected wait time).
I chose the MDX because it was by far the best vehicle for me. But their loaner policy is a far cry from Hendrick Lexus down the street. As long as I made an appointment first, Lexus would give me the choice of an RX300 or ES300 that was never more than a year old. Even at dealerships owned by the same company, I am seeing a huge difference with the sales and service experiences. |
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| bdmd |
Well, from what I am hearing from you guys, I am getting no worse of a deal tnan anyone else, which is the main thing that I wanted to find out. It just seems a shame that Acura bills itself as a "luxury" car company, yet the qualities that to me define luxury, such as service and convenience, are far lacking from Acura when compared to Lexus or BMW. But, then again, if I had wanted to spend 40K +, I would have bought BMW or Lexus. Moral of story = you get what you pay for!
With regards to the coupons, I did not expect them to honor them. But to me, there is more to be gained from Acura in the grand scheme of things by achieving loyalty to BRAND over loyalty to DEALER. But this is America, and everyone has to make a killing, I mean living (including me), so I understand their position. Thanks, bdmd. |
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| renov8r |
quote:
Originally posted by jurincie
I specifically looked into this at Hendrick Acura here in Charlotte before ordering .... loaner policy is a far cry from Hendrick Lexus down the street. As long as I made an appointment first, Lexus would give me the choice of an RX300 or ES300 that was never more than a year old. Even at dealerships owned by the same company, I am seeing a huge difference with the sales and service experiences.
That "fleet" of RX300's costs SOMEBODY an arm & a leg. Whether it is "da factory" (and my guess is that it is...) or "da dealer" IN THE END it is Joe Consumer that pays.
All one has to do is compare VALUE of RX300 vs MDX to figure out where Acura decided to put thier emphasis. Don't get me wrong, if you want the "to the manor born" treatment one gets at Lexus then great, go for it. OTOH, Acura should invest some EFFORT in improving the overall dealer expereince, even if they can't afford to jack prices to cover loaners... |
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| DaveI |
I was told by Hopkins Acura that there are no loaners unless you're paying for a major service. I've had my X in for three separate defects, two of which they had the car virtually all day, and one which was the factory water-pump recall. You would think they would have at least provided a loaner for the recall.
It's a little disappointing when you're expecting Lexus-like service & quality. |
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| Arzoo |
| Is it normal that a dealership will only provide a loaner if the MDX was purchased from them? |
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| jurincie |
quote:
Originally posted by renov8r
That "fleet" of RX300's costs SOMEBODY an arm & a leg. Whether it is "da factory" (and my guess is that it is...) or "da dealer" IN THE END it is Joe Consumer that pays.
All one has to do is compare VALUE of RX300 vs MDX to figure out where Acura decided to put thier emphasis. Don't get me wrong, if you want the "to the manor born" treatment one gets at Lexus then great, go for it. OTOH, Acura should invest some EFFORT in improving the overall dealer expereince, even if they can't afford to jack prices to cover loaners...
Let me first say that I can't wait to get my MDX, it is a great value, and it fits my needs exactly. The MDX was not on the market when I purchased my '99 RX300 in the spring of '98. That said, if Lexus had a vehicle that fit my needs and was within $5,000 I probably would have bought it. From my standpoint, the GX470 has sacrificed to much to be an off-road vehicle, including the third row seating flexibility that the MDX has.
Lexus however worked very hard to earn my brand loyalty from both the sales and service perspectives. I understood that these things were factored into the price when I bought my ES300 and RX300. For example the RX had a recall after I had owned it for about 3 months. The dealer called me to let me know I would be receiving the notice by mail, scheduled a time for me to bring it in for service, and arranged for a Lexus loner car. After the service, I was sent a follow-up "sorry for the inconvenience" note from the dealer with a $25 home depot gift certificate for my trouble. This is not the type of experience I am seeing shared here regarding the water pump/timing belt recall.
I think that Acura has found a great niche as a "value luxury brand" and that their products are engineered and built extremely well. My single biggest concern when trading in my RX300 for the MDX has been the sales and service experiences shared on this board. The sales experience has had some serious issues so far, I hope the delivery process and service process go well. |
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| BaldEagle |
quote:
Originally posted by bdmd
I just called to make an appointment to get my 3750mi service done ......... Is there anything I can do, or am I the one being unreasonable?
Speaking of being unreasonable, what are they charging for the 3750 service and what service will they be performing.
If it's just an oil change it would not be normal IMHO for them to provide a loaner. If they are doing one of the $200+ overcharge service for an oil charge, VTM, and tire rotation I bet they would give you a loaner. |
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| srpbep |
bdmd,
If I understand the policy correctly, any Acura dealer is obligated to provide you with a loaner (no cost) if the vehicle is in for a warranty repair. Read your warranty info .... I know for a fact that Acura provides dealers with a special deal on these vehicles. I drove a new TL loaner and the "window sticker" was in the glove box. It was labeled a "something or another" (forgot the name) and there was NO PRICE listed on the window sticker. So you might do what I have been doing, saving my warranty visits (where I can) until I needed to take the X in for scheduled maint and have both done at the same time.
When it comes to maintenance only, Acura does not have a policy that I am aware of. Thus, the dealer can and will do whatever the dealer chooses to do. To be frank, I wouldn't provide a loaner for a simple, 1/2 hour LOF that I charged $25 for (how could I and make a living). They could charge $50 for the LOF and provide a loaner but would you pay the extra $25?
I suspect that the "Maintenance Assistance Program" you received was from the selling dealer, to the best of my knowledge, Acura does not offer such an animal. As a dealer promo, no other dealer would be motivated to accept the other dealer's stuff and IMHO, rightfully so.
Might as well get used to it quickly, this is NOT Lexus or Mercedes. It is better than Honda but only on warranty repairs ('cause Acura provides the loaner). |
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| DaleB |
I would not expect a loaner on anything less than 2 hours, unless something failed as a result of a defect, and I can't drive the car, and it' s being fixed under warranty.
Over 2 hours if a warranty repair or major service I would expect it.
If the average dealership put out a loaner for every newer Acura vehicle in for any service, wouldn't they run out of loaners quickly?
I don't know, it doesn't seem like that big an issue to me. If I was refused a loaner under the above conditions I specified, then yes, I would be upset. But if they offered to drop me off (which they will do for most any service) AND pick me up I would not be thrilled but probably would not complain unless it happened every time like that.
Where I was going for service at a Lincoln-Mercury dealer before, any major service or warranty repair got me a free loaner. But once out of warranty they would drop me off, or charge me $15/day for a Lincoln Continental. |
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| smlewis |
I bought my '01 MDX at Pohanka Acura in Chantilly, VA. I took delivery near the end of October 2000. They were having an "end of the month" special in which they gave me a certificate that guaranteed me a loaner car for any factory maintenance. There was no fine print specifying minimum time requirements for the maintenance. I went to them for the 3750 and 7500 maintenance, and got the loaner, no problem. For the 15000 maintenance, they refused, saying they couldn't give out loaners for maintenance under 2 hours. I told them about the certificate I had, and they basically said "tough s***."
The result: I found a Japenese specialty shop that does factory maintenance. They are close to where my wife works, and they give her a ride to work and pick her up when the X is ready. Plus they are less expensive than the dealer. Way to lose a customer, Pohanka! |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by smlewis
The result: I found a Japenese specialty shop that does factory maintenance. They are close to where my wife works, and they give her a ride to work and pick her up when the X is ready. Plus they are less expensive than the dealer. Way to lose a customer, Pohanka!
That brings up a good point, anyone take their X to a specialty shop instead of a dealer?
IF there are enough of you, maybe we should have recommendations listed on the forum.
Most of us have enjoyed very trouble-free miles, and just taking into a dealer we trust every 7500 mi, is probably enough.
But those with only one Acura dealer a resonable distance may have other thoughts. |
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| young |
quote:
Originally posted by bdmd
It just seems a shame that Acura bills itself as a "luxury" car company, yet the qualities that to me define luxury, such as service and convenience, are far lacking from Acura when compared to Lexus or BMW. But, then again, if I had wanted to spend 40K +, I would have bought BMW or Lexus. Moral of story = you get what you pay for!
um, getting a bmw or mercedes doesn't necessarily guarantee loaners either. it is really dealer specific. (not sure about lexus...)
my bmw dealer has a fleet of 4, yeah, 4 3 series as their loaner cars. you want one? make sure you make your appointment way in advance. and you have to ask for one. and you have to have bought the car from them. otherwise, they may give you an enterprise rental... (does enterprise have some sort of monopoly? ;))
keenan mercedes uses enterprise rentals... just like my acura dealership. i got a buick from keenan...
having said that, my regular mb dealership has a fleet of about 25 mbs - c, e, and ml classes. and they ask you if you need one. no time requirement, you didn't have to have bought the car from them, etc... in fact, they'll pick up the car and drop off a loaner for you if you want. i'm in philly, and they do this for people in NJ.
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i should also add sort of an ironic thing about service. the reason i know so much about loaners is b/c my car's been in for services (all covered by warranty) several times... my acura integra? no problems except for regular servicing. so you pay... |
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| DavidM |
I ahve had my X in for the 7500 mile service, and an oil change at 10,000. Both times I had a couple of very minor warranty items I wanted addressed. (It was interior clicking noises, and the brake clicking thing when you cahnge directions).
I called ahead of time, and made an appointment. Both times, I was OFFERED a loaner. The first time it was a '02 TL, and the girl behind the counter actually specified one the same color as my X. The other time, they did not have a TL, so I had an RL....although it was an '00 model.
This last time, I brought Krispy Kreme donuts to the guys, and I guess they really appreciated it, because the oil change was NO CHARGE!!
Overall, I have been quite pleased with the level of service I have recieved. No complaints here, I can highly recommend the dealer to anyone in D/FW:
MAC CHURCHILL ACURA
:cool: |
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