Here is my evaluation of the "service" I received at Newport Hyundai.
Last week I called the Sevice/Parts department because my engine, I thought, was making a whining sound during acceleration and deceleration. I made an appointment for Tuesday the 18th. I was only going to be in town for 36 hours and I needed it fixed. My wife lives in Middletown and I live in Pennsylvania because of work. Needless to say spending time with my family is important and time is precious.
I brought the vehicle in at 7.45a and was given a loaner car. At approximately 12.30p I received a phone call saying that the mechanic/technician drove the car and before he even got close to the Barnes and Noble parking lot he could hear the noise. I was told that the cause of the noise was the scalloping of my rear tires. The service technician was absolutely sure of it. Because they are allegedly experts I accepted the fact that what he was telling me was the truth.
The Service technician then begins to tell me that Hyundai recommends that I do the following:
4 new tires with alignment. costs ranged from $715.00 for Nexen Tires $1070.00 for Hankook tires.
New front brake pads and rotors. cost $428.00
Brake fluid flush. cost $124.95
Spark plugs. cost $140.00
Fuel Injection service. cost $124.95
Engine air filter. cost $32.95
Total cost = $1920.85
I originally bought the tires at Town Fair Tire so I declined the service so I could go and speak with the manager at Town Fair Tire. The Town Fair Tire manager showed true service by admitting that the tires were their fault and gave me $375.00 worth of free tires, balance, and alignment. They provided this service in twenty minutes. I drove the vehicle after the new tires were put on and the car was still making the noise so I went back to Town Fair Tire. The manager, who is not a certified Hyundai mechanic, asked to take my car for a drive. He drove around the block and said that my ball joints were bad but he was unsure which one. That was the cause of the noise in his opinion.
So back to Hyundai I go. I tell the service technician of the problem and his excuse is that we have to eliminate everything before we can diagnose the issue and now that we know the tires aren't the issue we need to again look at the vehicle. Are you kidding me that you were going to charge me almost $1920.00 to eliminate problems to find out what the real issue is? Sounds like a big scam to me. The service tech drove the car with me and after a few turns of the wheel he said it was indeed the ball joints. You mean to tell me that your "certified mechanics" couldn't have figured that out in the first place? I said that I was leaving at 5a the next morning for Pennsylvania and he said that all of the mechanics were going home for the day and he would be unable to get it done. Not only that but they would have to order the parts. It's now 5p and this is something that should have been handled when I got the call at 12.45p. Make a mechanic stay and pay him overtime.
I now had to drive a V8 Chrysler Aspen, my wife's car, to Pennsylvania which cost me $160.00 in gas instead of driving my Sonata which costs me $60 to make the same drive. Since I will not see my wife and kids for a month I have to wait to drive my car. If I wasn't in town and my wife had the car and she was the one dealing with Hyundai and speaking with me by phone we would have paid the $1920.00 because what else would we have been able to do. She doesn't know anything about vehicles.
Hyundai of Newport showed extremely poor problem solving skills when it came to diagnosing a problem. You tried to shake me down for almost two grand and that still wouldn't have solved the issue. Thanks to the guys at Town Fair Tire for doing your job. You should model your "customer service" after their business model. You want to make me happy and show that you care about your customers and you want to make this problem right? How about calling my wife and fixing everything that you recommended for free? You wasted my time, Town Fair Tires time, and you took me away from spending time with my family fixing your issue.
I would be MORE than happy to tell everyone on social media how I have been treated and how the Newport Hyundai dealership is just trying to pull money out of your wallet. I will also let every person involved with Hyundai that I can get a hold of and let them know about the alleged service I received from the East's #1 service center. How does it feel to be on the other end of a shakedown?
I am extraordinarily disappointed in your dealership and how you treated me and my family.
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