any advice or comments

[ccrover]

Hello-

i am relatively new to the forum, and want to say thank you for the help i have received and the wealth of knowledge this website offers.

ive been having tremendous trouble with a dealership that will remain nameless...i had to go to a dealership because of my extended warranty.

i have a 95 d-90 ST that overheated on the trail, i took it in to diagnose the problem and to fix it. I have an extended warranty on it that should cover most problems (or i hope that it will cover - not always the case)...

i took it in on october 28th it was diagnosed the next day with the viscous coupling fan had failed and i should get new head gaskets and a valve job...

this is where the problem starts....

my warranty place was not called until friday november 7th....8 working days after diagnoses!!! wow i was at the bottom of the pile and didnt even get looked at...

and i was calling in and never getting a returned call... until i complained to the supervisor.

but the ball is dropped again with the next step calling to get an inspector in to see the problem for warranty people ... wasnt scheduled until the 14th... another week goes by that my car is still sitting there.

all is good now get the authorization 2 days later as guaranteed by my warranty people...

now my valves need machining... given a quote of 2 days tops they are sent out.

well they were sent out on the 19th they came back on the 2nd of december... 2 weeks. and no explanation as to why and there is nothing they can do etc etc etc.

but my car is top on the list now!! as soon as the part is in they are on it... well that was yesterday and they still havent started!!!

well they have offered to pay for my rental car... which i calculate at about 50 dollars a day for 40 days... wow...that is around 2000

but i didnt have a rental car, ive been using the bus to get to work and sacrificing the rest of my life to save some money....

my question is what can i do? if anything at all? my tab is at 2500 bucks with warranty picking up 1000... and my fictitious rental car will be at around 2200 what should i pay???

is it fair to ask to only pay for parts cause this kind of service does not deserve to be paid for!!!! do i have any recourse??

any comments or advice i would greatly appreciate!!! my car is supposed to be ready by friday


comments on unnaceptable service please!!!

[Buckon37s]

You have a lot of recourse both through the Better Business Bureau and through the California auto repair bureau. A friend of mine just got hit like you and they will take care of you. This is all assuming that the dealer does not take care of you right away.

If it were me I would lay out my objections in a nice way and politely refuse to pay anything due to the difference in the rental value and bill due. I am a jerk though. The thing is, I do not understand why the valves would need any kind of machining. Doesn't make sence to me. I could be wronge. You just can't trust dealers especially LR. They seem to hit people the worst. Good luck!

[javelinadave]

For the next time read the fine print on your extended warranty. My LR extended warranty states that I can take it to almost any place that will work with the extended warranty company. Good luck, I do know how frustrating that could be. Here in Scottsdale the dealer has been good to me so far. I run into the parts aren't in stock problem a lot...Dave

[DJ Menasco]

I agree with Dave! Go to the BBB, but first I'd present your case to the GM of that LR dealership. At this point it seems as if this particular dealership has made more trouble for themselves through, what appears to be, poor communication. It really behooves them to just complete the job in it's entirety all the while incurring the total cost plus a rental!

I would push on them and squeeze everything I could from them because chances are they're going to reciprocate. This is just how I'd approach the issue but that's only because I'm an ass when it comes to issues such as this. Watch out for the add-on's though. Some dealers seems to favor unloading multiple "repairs" opportunisticaly at check-ups and diagnostic sessions, e.g. the machining of your valves? I've experienced that first hand myself so beware. Good luck and keep us updated with your progress.

Regards

DJ

[ccrover]

thanks for your replies so far....


here is the update. The GM just called me back and i pleaded my case, he does completely agree and is going to take a look at my total bill and get back to me tomorrow morning with what he is going to do for me...

which should be me paying nothing... but will let you guys know.

my other complaint is that i never got a returned phone call from my service manager within the same day the message was left -- ever!!!!!! i always had to call back the following day to catch him on the phone! now that is frustrating!!

-cc

[flippedrover]

Wow and I thought I had problems with my extended warrenty and LR dealer. I spent about $3000 on the engine. The problem was finaly fixed when it went to an independent specialist an hour away from my house. I found that if you complain to LRNA the dealership will jump through hoops to make you happy.

[evilfij]

Go somewhere else.

Get a referal from someone, in CA there have to be plenty of dealers and indys. If the dealer cared about your business they would have at least been in touch. While i am sure the extended was a contributing factor (I have stories . . .) the conduct is unacceptable and should be rectified.

On a side note when I was at the dealer the biggest problem we had with D90 customers (who BTW were always the best customers compared to disco/RR/ and eek F/L people, never complained about anything and very understanding on all issues--parts, cost, time etc. though I have to admit I always looked over a nice 90 like a child) was getting them to pick up the truck when it was done. It seems that no one daily drove their 90, or if they did they had a back up and thus the truck would sit waiting for pick up for a week.

Ron