I bought my car from Honda and while the warranty had just recently expired, I still thought I could trust them with my car. They charged me $150 plus tax to diagnose my car. They told me my opinions were bad, the starter was going out and the steering have a leak. I went to get a second opinion from a friend of the family who is a mechanic. Only the steering was true and the other two were made up. I feel cheated like they just wanted to buy my used car and get me into a new one. Honda is now wanting me to give them a stellar review and really I want my money back. Is there anything I can do?
I want my money back.
You can ask, but they aren’t obligated. Caveat emptor.
it can still be a decent car. keep it or sell it.
All dealers are like this, every single one.
other two were made up.
When the car's under warranty - "everything is fine" no matter how terrible things actually are.
When the car's out of warranty - "a ton of things are worn and need to be replaced".
Is there anything I can do?
You need to know how to deal with these kinds of people correctly - it requires some skill.
It's a dealer, they're used to angry costumers so it may not be easy at all (it's routine for a dealer)
Some dealers actually learned ways to charge angry costumers more! By telling them they can run another diagnosis at a fee to verify wether the first one was actually false and just copy everything from the old diagnosis and save the 2nd fee.
If you have a mechanic you know, and that is actually a friend who won't rip you off - always go to him!
Only the steering was true and the other two were made up
What is the 3rd fault Honda said you have? steering, starter and?...
You should report this to Honda U.S.A. - they probably won't get you your money back, but if they get regular complaints, they can get the dealership to provide more reasonable service by withholding cars (which is really easy for them to do these days - no dealer is getting all the cars they want).
Never trust dealers. Consider this a lesson learned. Even Toyota or Honda dealers are scrupulous.
But just remember, the dealer is not the manufacturer.
The manufacturers have no choice but to sell through dealers because of stupid laws that give middlemen dealers oligopoly’s in the car market.
I bought my car from Honda and while the warranty had just recently expired, I still thought I could trust them with my car.
For sure when the warranty is up, you should take your vehicle to an independent mechanic, assuming you can find a good, honest one. But seems like you found one - so stick to them from now on.
I think in your case, I would eat the fee the dealer charged (it’s not the end of the world and may not be worth the hassle to recover it), learn from it, and definitely put a (bad) review for them so that other folks will stay away from that dealer. In the review, just state the simple facts (don’t get emotional), don’t start claims (esp. without proof): it’s clear from what you stated above they were not fully honest since you had an independent mechanic look at it.
Here is your problem; car dealers, like real estate agents, cannot be held accountable for anythings they say, no matter what they say. But they can be held accountable if it is in writing. Take your business elsewhere.
We're you cheated? Yes. On the bright side, you ONLY lost $150+ tax because you didn't allow them to tear up your car by proceeding with the so called "repairs".
Dealerships have one mission in life, to take as much of your wealth as possible by any means.
Every single person who has ever done business with a dealership has been looted.
As for them wanting a stellar review, no problem. Give them a one star review and explain what happened.
