My 78 year old Mother In Law took her Toyota up to Pohanka the other day because she was going to make a trip to North Carolina and she wanted to make sure her fluids were at the proper level and so forth.
Mind you, this vehicle is a couple of years old and it's her around town vehicle with very low miles on it, 9,000 to be exact.
By the time she got out of there she was hit with replacing the water pump and a belt that allegedly needed to be replaced.
Now I don't know about any of you but there was no noise coming from any belt and the damn belt better last for more mileage than 9,000 miles, especially on a Toyota. There were NO fluids leaking out of the vehicle onto the ground and no overheating problems whatsoever, but she is a woman and she is 78 years old. Need I say more?
No one is selling cars, so obviously they need to make it up on service.
84 comments:
The real question is did they replace the waterpump or did they
just say they did. I always ask for my old part back that I've marked . Sometimes they will break the part to insure it is bad. The ford dealer did this to me. They replaced a computer board the old
board was broken into when I got it back.
I've never had a bad experience at Pohanka. I have had bad experiences at other places, which I will not name as of late you tend to business bash. Did you see all those pohanka people cleaning your beloved river the other day? There were over a dozen of them when I went on break down by the ramada, on both sides of the river and a few in a boat cleaning crap out of the river. I asked and was told it is part of some chamber of commerce volunteer project.
I'm tired of all your business bashing and negativity. Why not say something good or encourage kind words from your readers. You have all mostly become rigid, mean spirited know it all crabs.
That's why I provided the photos of the OLD PART above.
CB,
As you know I know who you are, I'm not here to win a popularity contest. You may not like when I bash a business, just as the Mayor and Chief don't like it when I get into their business either.
However, we live in a new society of accountability and people are growing tired of Dealers and other businesses screwing with Customers, especially 78 year old women who walk into your service department.
Not that many years ago I bought a 2 year old Mercedes from a Doctor in Annapolis. I brought it into the Mercedes Dealership there and asked them to give it a good look over and let me know what the vehicle needed.
A few hours later they called me back and said, Mr. Albero, the only thing that vehicle needs is a new power antenna. Other than that, the car is perfectly fine. I asked what it would cost to replace that antenna and they said, $75.00. That was it. They were very fair, they have always been very fair and they will always have my business.
Auto Dealers need to stop screwing with people, especially the elderly. Some things never change.
By the way, just because I know who you are doesn't mean I'll expose that. That's not within my interest. My suggestion to you is, when you go into your daily or weekly meeting, mention that there's a Blog out there who just might end up getting a ton of horror stories from Customers and they need to tone it down, especially with the elderly.
Ripping off anyone, but especially a 78 year old, is unconscionable. An elderly woman is obviously on a fixed income. Way to go, guys. I'm a big fan of Grant's--they have always been very honest with me, and if something costs $40 to fix, that's what they do. I have never had them try to run up a bill, and they are very professional.
Times are tight these days. However Joe, my son and I do all the work on our vehicles. I have a Toyota with 128,000 miles and the only parts that I have had to replace is the starter and the battery. Best to always get a second opinion
They have to pay for their ads in the Metropoltian some how...those guys were voted "Best of "
I have seen plenty of positive posts in here!!! Where is the problem in calling a spade a spade? When any business is doing things, whether good or bad, I for one appreciate the advice of others so not to "learn" the hard way. Keep up the good work Joe!
are you sure that there were only 9,000 miles on it? weren't there 12,000? and were you not shown where the waterpump was leaking from? and wouldn't you have been even more upset if the vehicle ended up overheating and she get stranded somewhere!!!??? and did you even think about the fact that she doesn't drive it very often. parts and fluids deteriorate over time when the vehicle is not driven!!
we don't "screw people" if you want to get screwed go to some joe schmoe shop who ends up calling us anyway because in most cases they don't know what they are doing!! at a dealer, like pohanka, there are genuine toyota parts and a parts and service guarantee. there are certified toyota technicians who know what they are doing!!
I am sorry you feel the way you do but your accusations are way off!
At the dealerships all their mechanics are reimbursed a percentage for any new parts that they install.SO BEWARE when you go in.
well iguess the real question would be , what would sbynews say about a 78 year old woman who was going to north carolina and her motor went up cause of a faulty water pump? after having pohanka diagnose the problem? so it sounds like to me it doesnt matter what happens to this lady pohanka will be bashed either way.
that is not true about techs getting a percentage of parts they sell. get your facts straight!!!
a few years ago, i was rear ended. the insurance company recommended using pohanka for thier body shop, so i did.
now all that needed to be done to my truck was replace the bumper(its all metal) replace a shock, replace the tailpipe, and do an alignment
it took em 3 days. for for something that should have taken @ 3 hours
As a very distrusting former customer Pohanka is teflone, bad repairs don't stick, non repairs don't stick, any indication of a warranty doesn't stick and the bull crap they pulled on my financing stuck me right where it hurt. I won't deal with them and thankfully they aren't the only game in town
I went into Pohanka once, seeking OEM replacement parts and they sure charged me like I got them. Two years later the parts failed. I tried to get them replaced under warranty only to find out that I got after market junk. I could have had that same repair with the same part for a few hundred less. I went their seeking quality, and all I got was ripped off.
Waterpumps leak from a weep hole because the shaft and bearing are beginning to fail. The impellers can look fine but the problem may still exist. I used Pohanks for 15 years while in the automobile business and always found them to be upstanding. The M/Benz and Toyota service was particularly exceptional.
My name is Nina DiCarlo, I am the Public Relations Director for Pohanka Automotive Group of Salisbury. Part of my job is to research issues that customers may have with us in our sales, service and parts departments and fix the problem and make it right.
I chose to work for Pohanka because they are a dealership that does the right thing no matter the cost. Every business has issues but its how you address and fix the problems that matter.
Please give me a call to talk about the issues you may have with Pohanka and I will do my best to fix the problem and make it right...that is my job! My phone number is 410-548-3411 x8158 and my e-mail is ndicarlo@pohankaofsalisbury.com
Wait a minute if the car is only two years old with 9,000 miles then the factory warranty should have covered this at no expense. Better to have found this out now rather than down the road.
this vehicle has so few miles on it it is probably still under manufacturers warranty. could be a case of billing the owner and then billing manufacturer for the warranty labor.
Techs work on flat rate for the most part..that's it. I know..I was one and hired many over 12 years. As one said, take it to your "brother -in-law that used to know someone who used to work at a real shop" and see your results when they bring the parts to a real shop in a bushel basket. Also the parts sold at auto zone type stores that are guaranteed for life are done so because you'll need to take them back every 6 months. Whats not guaranteed is your labor to install their cheap "knock offs". By the way I don't and never have worked for Pohanka but they have the finest management team around.
NO, You cant trust Pohanka!
I have purchased cars from them and they are a JOKE when it comes to helping out the customer after the sale.
I had to ride through the parking lot with a sign before stating my car was a lemon before the owner would come out and address the issue.
THEY SUCK! in my opinion and MOST car dealers are rip offs. They just want your money and will screw you in a heart beat. Most used car sellers are snakes and scam artists, you talk about Mortgage companies ripping off people, well what about car dealers and the finance crap they pull. They take a percentage of the loans, so if you interest rate is 8%, they get 2% of your loan. HOW THE HELL is that even legal other than they are in bed with banks and giving loans to peole they should not.
Buy from a private owner, find a good mechanic "Good Luck" stay away from Dealers.
for the record the factory warranty on a toyota is 3 years 36,000 miles- whatever comes first. from what i have gathered the vehcile is a 2003 with 12,000 miles on it!
After working in the auto parts business for nearly thirty years there is quite the crooked side to some repair shops and dealerships. Over the years the amount of customers screwed over particularly at dealerships is disgusting. Think about it folks, not many people take their vehicles to a dealership because dealerships are typically higher priced on repairs. Honestly most people will take their vehicles to Joe Blows shop where they feel comfortable verses a dealership. Through my experiences dealerships including the one mentioned replaced unnecessary parts and charge a ridiculous amount. I’ve seen dealerships charge double and triple what a general repair shop would charge for the same repair. Dealership mechanics have told me many times they have to make it where they can. Face it dealerships are typically slow shops therefore when you bring your car in for repairs look out! Now did that car need a water pump, I highly doubt it. And the belt replaced was more than likely a timing belt which didn’t need changing till 50 too 75,000 miles per the owners manual. Just a good word of advise for the future never take your vehicle to a dealership unless its for a warranty issue.
I owned a Lincoln Town Car, Signature Series. I went into their Dealership to replace my tires. A few months later I was cleaning out the trunk and I noticed the spare tire cover was flopping kind of loose so I lifted it and there was a dummy spare in the trunk.
I immediately called the Dealership very ticked off because I had realized that they had stolen my spare tire, used it as ONE of the four tires they had replaced and CHARGED me for and threw in a dummy spare.
They denied ever doing it and became very aggressive towards me. I called Ford, (being a preferred customer) and they asked me what kind of Town Car I had. I told them it was a Signature Series. They replied, ALL Signature Series cars come with a full sized spare tire.
The Dealership LIED and STOLE from me. Ford immediately replaced the old spare tire with a full sized spare. I sold the car immediately and haven't been back to Ford since.
It amazes me how uneducated some of these posts are. Sweeping generalizations do not signify the whole. I do business with Pohanka. I have purchased two Honda's and a used truck from them. I EDUCATED myself before I went into the dealer by contacting my bank and obtaining a fair market interest rate before I went to the dealer. Pohanka actually beat the rate by .25%.
Being involved in the Chamber of Commerce, I see first hand how much Pohanka does for our community. Does anyone realize the owner of Pohanka will be the Presidnet of our Chamber of Commerce in two years? They are good people, who give back to the community. If you have issues, the young lady above had the nerve to give her phone number. Take it up with her. Stop bashing a company that does so much to help our community.
POHANKA, you been blogged, your cold busted.
There is nothing wrong with Auto Zone parts. I have been buying from them for more than 20 years. You have choices to make when buying parts as to which manufaturer you want. Don't buy the cheapest anywhere. Spend a few more bucks, and get the good parts. I have never had a problems with an Auto Zone warranty, or taking something back that didn't fit.
I have been repairing cars for most of my life, and I find it quite suspicious that this water pump has failed after two years and 9,000 miles. How was this tested? Was it buy pressure testing? And if so, at what pressure did it fail? This should have definitely been a warranty repair. Please ask your mother in law to let you take her car in next time she needs things "checked out". Tech and service managers can put the fear of God in people about braking down far from home.
How old is this car really? My mom is 79 years old and puts about 900 miles a year on her car. Her tires and belts all dry rot. Cars are made to be driven! Just sitting around is very hard on a car. Especially if there's no garage.
I've seen that trick pulled before to.
I know first hand that their body shop is crooked. A former employee told me that the manager ordered them to quote a minimum standard figure for all body work, regardless of the damage. The number was so far off base that It wasn't funny. The employee told me about hundreds of customers that were taken to the cleaners and ripped off by this practice. I took my vehicle in for a quote one time and it was unbelievable. The quote was $ 2700 more than Kelly's. This was a small job.
The local insurance crooks are knee deep in this formula for body shops. They have what are called preferred shops. The insurance companies recommend certain shops for the insured to visit. The claims agent tells the shops that they will allow them to charge a much higher rate in exchange for them sending them a customer. The real looser is the customer in the end. Pohanka is in tight with many insurance companies and plays this game very well. I know this for fact, because my spouse was formerly in the insurance business. It made them sick to see the crooked games that the two played on loyal customers daily.
anonymous 10:19:
You're amazed at just how many people don't educate themselves?
Try this buckaroo. I went to Pohanka to purchase a brand new truck for my Son. I gave them chance time and time again to give us a decent deal on the truch he wanted but they didn't have in stock. They wanted to sell us what was in their inventory, we weren't buying it. They then came back and told us they had looked on their dealer locater and there are NO TRUCKS like the one my Son wanted.
I asked my Son to please be patient, lets shop around. Thankfully he agreed and when he returned home, (he works in Jessup) he contacted the Dealership next to him, talked to a guy working there and filled him in on how we were shopping and they discounted the exact truch that he wanted, he actually located it at another Dealer, bought it and brought it back to the Dealership and I paid cash for the truck. I saved thousands of dollars as this Car Store Dealership sets one price and they don't haggle. I was perfectly fine with that because they were so much less than the Dealer, (Pohanka) right here in Salisbury.
I believe many of us are far more educated than you think and now that you know other Dealers, (even in the Washington area) will sell for far less, consider YOURSELF educated.
she had the NERVE to come out, thought it was her job.
I have bought6 vehicles from Pohanka. They have ALWAYS treated me with nothing but respect. There employees are people that care about there customers. I have had issues with some of my cars but AS LONG AS you make the dealership aware of your problems they will do there best to make it right. If you are on here complaining about an issue and have never took it up with the dealership to give them the chance to fix it then you have NO right! They do so much for our community you should research it and see just how much! I think you would be surprised. Its not just the money or other things they do, but there employees take there time to volunteer in the community as well. When was the last time you did that? If you think you are being charged to much then research it dont just agree to the repair. Me, my family and most of my friends do business with Pohanka and are nothing but SATISFIED.
I had Pohanka hit me for nearly $2000 in 2005 for repairs to a Mazda that were neither needed nor in some cases done. They had me by the shorties b/c I was also trying to get MD inspected. I had bought the car new from them, but it was no longer under warranty. One of the things they were supposed to have done was turn the rotors, and even I could tell that it had not been done. They were not shiny at all. Not only that the girl at the desk was extremely rude and then they backdated the inspection so that we got rejected at MVA b/c it was out of date as soon as it was written. After much stomping of feet and gnashing of teeth, Wayne Bowen met me in the parking lot and agreed to turn the rotors "again" - never admitting guilt. Pohanka Service Departments are criminal enterprises. It is one thing to do work that is not needed and overcharge, it is quite another to charge for work not even done. That is fraud and by that standard they are a criminal outfit.
Some of these comments sound like they're coming from the Metropolitain Magazine. You know, CYA.
Pohanka is not the worst of the bunch, by far. I will never buy a car locally, because the deals are horrible!! My wife and I were searching for an SUV a few years ago, and looked at all the local dealers. We finally went online, and found the exact vehicle we wanted across the bay (annapolis) for $5500 less than any local dealers "bottom line price" without one minute of haggling. One local dealer even told us that the price they were quoting us would mean that they would lose $500 on the deal, but since we were so nice, they were willing to do so, if we would BUY RIGHT NOW. I used to sell cars, no dealer is in it to lose money. They actually quoted us the price with a srtaight face. It is worth the money to take the time to shop in the Baltimore and Virginia Beach area. I should start a shuttle service for car buyers!
To those of you saying it should have been replaced under warranty. It wouldn't have mattered if it was under warranty. There have been several times things that were "suppose" to be covered under warranty that they try to find away to NOT cover them. This happens time and time again to the young and old. If you are young you are "hot rodding" your car if you are old they simply take advantage of you. Even when they KNOW a part is bad and Honda or Toyota have told them so they STILL try to get out of replacing the parts. Anyone remember a few years ago when someone shot out their front windows? If I remember correctly that was an older gentlemen I guess he was "hot rodding" his vehicle up and down the roads.
While you are there find out they charge you book time on the job. If the book states three hours for belt and water pump that is what they charge, even if the job took an hour and a half. That is theft as far as i am concerned. As for the techs there bonus is based on overall totals on the work completed. That is why they like book time. So to say they dont get paid for jacking up prices that is a flat out lie. There is some shady stuff going on there
I bought a car from Pohanka here in salisbury when i was living out of state. I told them that i did not live in maryland and if they could register it in another state or at least give me the direction/paper work to do this. Sure no problem they said....funny because i got maryland tags in the mail with maryland registration and not a word from the state i was living in. Typical i'll tell you anything you want to get the sale. But who doesn't know that already!!
Now your just not making sense. Why would Pohanka not replace a part thats under warranty and get paid for it.
Well Pohanka isn't the only crooked place in Salisbury. First you have to watch out for the government now the buisnesses. My ordeal happened at Pep boys. I had went there to get a brake job done...just new pads put in is all which was 85bucks no biggie even though I thought that was high, well later that day they called and said that I had pins seized in my calipers which will require extra work, at a total cost of 200 bucks. Though ok this hurts but I'll get it done. So this all took place at the end of summer and after the christmas holiday I noticed I needed new pads again, so I thought well I'll change the rotors as well. Well what I found was horrifying. They had never changed the pins and let them remain seized in the caliper. Thankfully I had a more qualified person remove the pins and replace them. Now comes the fun part going to Pep Boys and explaining what happened. So I go there tell them what I found and what happened, also had a receipt, and the service manager asked what was I expecting from them, because it had been passed there warranty on labor date. Well I said that I first want to make sure this didn't happen to any one again, and then I would like the money spent on that labor back which I thought was fair. Well he said it was nothing he could do. So I called the corporate office, filed a complaint, and got my money back. I will NEVER get any work done there again, and I don't feel like that store has the customers interest at heart. It was a pleasure however dealing with the regional manager and he got me my money back.
This is why I do my own work to my cars, unless it's over my head. If that's the case, I have connections. With dealers there are always good and bad experiences. It doesn't hurt to have a little better understanding on the mechanics of your vehicle. I'm not implying you have to be certified but it helps to know a little something so that they can't throw bs over your head. The internet is a wonderful tool. Use it!
HELLO!! please keep in mind that if a job pays 3 hours to do and it takes him less yes you are still charged the 3 hours. . . BUT if it pays 3 hours and takes them 4 or 5 you are not charged any additional time!!!
it doesn't matter if it had 500, 10000, or 75000+ miles on the vehicle. Things can go wrong at any given point- simply having a faulty part from the factory. Same as bringing home electronics or toys or what have you.... everything is not perfect that is why products have warranties. So throw out the whole deal that it was only a couple years old with low mileage. You have to be a smart consumer no matter where you shop or for what products. Even a brand new car fresh off the lot can break down within a day. You just never know. It's up to everyone out there to really see what the problem is- and take it from there.
If you want to take your car to mechanics that won't rip you off and believe in good customer service, try Peninsula Total Car Care on E. Carroll St. in Salisbury. I've taken my numerous cars there over the years and NEVER have been ripped off or had negative experiences. The owner Dave is a true, honest Christian who would turn business down before he became crooked like these rotten suckers!
I have always had good experiences with Centre Automotive, located at Barren Creek Rd. & Rt. 50 on the eastern edge of Mardela. If you need a second opinion or are just looking for a good shop for whatever reason, give them a chance. They used to be located in the old Exxon station that stood where Tiger Mart is now next to the Centre back before it was built, hence the name.
Mr. Albero,
We are employees in the Pohanka Toyota Service Department and we are writing in response to a post about someone’s mother being ripped off. We would appreciate it very much if you would post our side of the story so the folks out there have all the information before they pass judgement.
The customer came in with a 2003 Echo, with 12,268 miles on it to be exact and asked us to perform a complete check over since she would be taking a trip. One of our highly qualified Master Technicians was given this job. After checking her vehicle over he found that the water pump was leaking at the weep hole (there is a gasket located there) and also the customer was informed her air filter was dirty. The customer authorized us to replace the air filter and the water pump. After the repairs, the customer’s daughter came by to pick up the old part and was shown exactly where the leaking was occurring on the old part. This leak can be evidenced if you show a photo of the side view of the water pump that was shown on your blog.
We would like to explain a little about the water pump on a vehicle. According to AAA, cooling system failures are one of the leading causes of vehicle breakdowns on the highway. Coolant leaks probably cause more problems than anything else. Most vehicles today have very little reserve cooling capacity, therefore most vehicles cannot tolerate a coolant leak for very long before the engine starts to overheat. Overheating leads to boil over and even more loss of coolant. It may also cause engine damage as parts swell up from the heat and start to seize. Valve guides can be damaged, pistons can scuff, cylinder heads can crack and head gaskets can be crushed and fail as a result of overheating. The water pump moves a lot of coolant, hundreds of gallons per hour mile after mile. The pump shaft and bearings are under constant load not only from the drive belt or timing belt but also the fan on vehicles with pump-mounted mechanical cooling fans, eventually the water pump bearings and seal wear out and the pump begins to leak. If a water pump is leaking, coolant will come out of the weep hole under the pump shaft. A leaky pump should be replaced as soon as possible to reduce the loss of coolant and the risk of overheating.
This customer does have very low mileage for a car that is over 5 years old, yes, we checked to see if the vehicle was still in the Toyota Powertrain warranty period and it had already expired, as a result of low mileage you run into issues where seals become hardened over time. The water pump still has to hold pressure and when a car sits the seals tend to get hard and leak.
We feel, in our opinion, that we did the job asked of us. The customer came in and asked us to let her know what could be a problem for her going on a long trip. This water pump was leaking and she was told that. If we had not told her about this and she had gone on her trip and had a problem with the water pump leaking and perhaps the engine overheating do you think we would have gotten a post about us not doing the job that was requested of us? We stand by our work and our technicians. We are not out to rip off customers. There are enough legitimate maintenance work and problems with cars that we don’t need to do that. We gladly supplied the customer with the faulty water pump and if they would like to bring it by our shop we can show them exactly where the leak was occurring again. The people that work at our dealerships are people that live in this community just like all of you. We shop at the same stores that everyone else does, we go to the same churches, we frequent the same restaurants and other businesses that keeps our economy going. We are not here to take advantage of anyone no matter what their age, gender, race, etc. We try to treat our customers as we would want to be treated by others. When someone doesn’t understand a repair we gladly explain it to them until they do understand what we are talking about. If they choose to get a second opinion then that is fine too. We are here to do our job which with that is the obligation to alert the customer to any problems that we see when we have their car in our shops. It is up to the customer to decide to repair their car or not. We are always here to answer any questions and if you have a concern about a repair you can always ask to speak with the manager to get the issue resolved.
Thank you for your time
Pohanka Toyota Service Department
another case proven that there are ALWAYS two sides to EVERY story.
I've have bought over 2500 cars while in the car business ...many of them through the wholesale department at Pohanka. Pohanka never misrepresented any car that I bought and would stand behind them if there was a problem that was missed by either one of us. That is something that typically is not done because of the "buyer beware" agreement between dealers. I find them to be very credible.
Lets break this down some. YOUR customer clearly stated that there was no leaking on the ground. there would be anti-freeze mixed with the water, hence a stain would be noticable to the average person. YOUR customer clearly stated that the vehicle had no over-heating problems. you yourself just explained what the symptoms would be if the pump were leaking, YOUR customer clearly had none of these symptoms. so it is clear to see that you are calling YOUR customer a liar. thats some heck of a way to handle PUBLIC RELATIONS.
sounds like you can trust Pohanka Joe.
hey Joe, when was the last time you had a hug?
Ive bought a Honda and a Toyota there. Also I go there for service, Ive got nothing but respect out of them.
(I only checked this because there were so many comments)
When people start talking about auto repairs why do I always feel like I'm listening to fishermen talking about the one that got away? This story has the sound of a fishing tournament where no one caught a thing
Grant’s Texaco is another shop in town to keep a close eye on. I took my truck there for a cut off problem; first thing I know there’s a $600 distributor. There very next day on my way to work truck cuts off again. Back to Grants we go again this time $725 for a new computer. That night on my way to a softball game truck cuts off again. Next day Grants wants to due a tune up at the cost of $300. Two days later truck cuts off again; this time my dad comes to get me. The kid next door comes over who happens to be in vo-tech automotive class and wants to look at it. In ten minutes he finds a corroded ground wire on the engine block so he cleaned it up and my truck has run great for two years now. Thanks Grants for nothing.
Most of you would not know a water pump even looks like. just the people they hire at advance or auto zone.quit your bitching.
In any situation there is always the possibility of less than honest behavior. ALSO, was it dishonest or just a mistake? There are always going to be people who feel that they weren't treated right. Those people need to go somewhere else the next time. The ones who swear by Pohanka should stay with them.
We should try to be informed customers at every point of purchase, so that it isn't easy to take advantage of us or our situations. Caveat emptor.
To the hundreds of readers who love Pohanka, good for you.
To the hundreds who don't, good for you also. At least you've learned a lesson.
you sure can!!!!
Time to pull out the old maxim "Caveat Emptor" - LET THE BUYER BEWARE.
POHANKA SUCKS!! Unless you buy a Mercedes or BMW, then they will buy you lunch everytime you walk through the door. That is hte only customer service they provide to people who spend tons of money. If you are Middle Class, you get treated like crap as soon as you sign the line.
Why not give money back to community when you make a killing of their backs.
More of FOB's
Thank you for posting the comments written by the service department. For a while I have thought that your blog was only YOUR opinion not those of your readers. AGAIN! thank you!
I have dealt with the same dealer for years and have always trusted them to be right on the mark when they told me we needed a repair. Until the last couple of time my vehicle needed service I carried it to the dealer and they did the service and it was reasonable. Because of having no time to carry my truck to them I started to service it myself. My wife's vehicle needed a radiator and the dealer quoted $300 for the radiator and $400 labor. We waited until we could wait no more. Last Friday I stopped by Salisbury Automotive to see about ordering the radiator to find it was much cheaper than the dealer. I went ahead and got it expecting the worst when putting it in the car. My 11 year old son and I installed it that night and were done in 2 hours. The moral of the story is you must keep a close eye on who you are dealing with because sooner or later they will try to get you.
When I read this post I went to my husband, who works on any vehicle and also builds motors, to see what his opinion was just by looking at the pictures not reading the post. He first said "It looks fine to him." I then read the post to him and he then said "Well if the water pump was seeping then yes he would of replaced it." Me not knowing to much about vehicle parts, I asked him what would happen if the part was not replaced and it was seeping. He stated, "The engine would run hot and leave that person stranded." So knowing this information and trusting my husband that has been doing this kind of work for years, if this was my mother in law or anyone of my family members I would be happy that the dealer was looking after this elderly lady and fixed the vehicle properly. Obviously there is two sides to this story and now we have heard both sides. Dont judge until you have heard the whole story from both sides.
WG
I dont know what is worse Joe, a car service department recomending a repair for a customer before they take a trip; or her son not helping his mother when she obviously needed it and then ranting about it later. I would say that the service Pohanka provided far exceeded what you have for your elderly mom. It does not make sense. Can you be trusted!
I realize that after 60 previous post, nobody will be reading this. I am in the car business and I can tell you that these dealers are just like dentists and doctors. They will try to sell you anything they can. Show me a water pump that doesn't have a little moisture in the weep hole and I show you a vehicle that is out of engine coolant. Toyota, more than any other company, will deny problems with thier vehicles, and blame the customer when things break.
I can't understand why people think toyotas are great when they have so many problems and bad reliability. The toyota owners seem to be drinking the Kool Aid.
BUYING JAPANESE CARS IS UN-AMERICAN.
LOOK AT THE ECONOMY! WHAT ARE YOU TOYOTA BUYERS THINKING?
STUDY AFTER STUDY SHOWS AMERICAN CARS BETTER IN QUALITY, OR JUST AS GOOD!
i to have had problems with Pohanka. a few years ago i had a mazda and i took it in for work that was under warranty and low and behold they tried to tell me that i needed things done that was in fact not under warranty. they told me i needed a new battery and i knew that the car started fine and had no symptoms of being replaced so i told the guy no and told him i would take care of it when the time arised. i drove on that battery for 2 years before it gave me any problems what so ever. everytime i went there they tried to juke me into something not needed. of course im female with blond hair what they dont know this blond haire came out of a box. i also went to them to buy a new car this year. the sales man did a wonderful job and then the sales manager came out and acted like a total prick and blew the deal. I bought my car from Koons. I will not buy anything from Pohanka ever again because of the way i was treated. i still do indeed intend to make my complaints. To the owners and whom ever else that will get that clown out of their. that clown is losing them business because of his pi** poor attitude towards their customers. i went back just to let the salesman know that i bought else where and he knew why. he lost a commission because of that prick. thats who i feel sorry for they bust their butts to sell a car and that prick blows the deal. so whats the phone numbers i need, if someone has them please post them so i can indeed put my complaints in. This is not bashing this is fact!
I had a problem Pohanka Mazda. I took my car in for it's 30,000 mile tune up. Pohanka's list of itmes to be done and cost were much higher what Mazda had listed in the owners manual. Pohanka said if i did not get it done THEY would void the waranty on the call. I called Mazda USA and they said Pohanka could NOT void the waranty. I guess Pohanka was mad i bought the car from Preston. It gets better I only had the oil changed. After i picked up my car and took it home I noticed both of the straps that lift up the hatch back cover in my Mazada station wagon were gone! That morning a car like mine was in for service also. I went be the next morning and raised HELL with them. They denied they did it BUT agreed to replace them for free.
you keep getting on here telling us how much pohanka does for the community...please tell us exactly what they do for the community other than screw their customers...please were waiting. I am one of those victims and tried to get it resolved but got no where. I will never go there ever again. so please tell us just exactly what do they do? They are donating the money that they got out of us so really we the screwed are the ones giving. So again just what do they do? please please please tell us were waiting.
Most Japanese cars are more American made than Ford and GM cars. Most of the parts for American cars are made outside the United States. Please give specific study details you are referring to. Most studies and reports rank Japanese cars much better than American. Many Japanese car companies provide many jobs to American's at their plants in the United States.
Car Care on Allenwood Drive is top notch. Before them I used only one man to turn a wrench on my vehicles and that was Bobby Joseph down in Nanticoke. That ole boy could fix anything that had a motor. He has worked on my cars, trucks, riding mowers, farm tractor and boats. Everything he fixed was done right the first time and I didn't mind paying him the small fees he charged.
Jim Wade was a damned fool to let him go. I and many like me miss that ole boy. God rest your soul Bobby Joe.
cx-p[0-All I can say is that 2 weeks ago, my 72 year old mother took her 2003 Honda (with 50,000 miles on it) to Pohanka for an oil change. She always uses Pohanka, even though we had to buy the car in Annapolis because of the crappy deals down here. She even does those worthless "required maintenance" recommendations. At any rate, they told her that her tie rods and boots were bad, but they didn't need to be replaced yet. There is no noise coming from the front of the car, and it drives fine (I drive it often). Of course my Mom got scared and thought she should get it fixed right away. Long story long :-), we had our personal mechanic (not a dealership) look and the car and tell us that there was nothing wrong with the tie rods or the boots except a little road dust. I also have a 2001 Honda with 130,000 miles on it, and the only things we have ever replaced were the timing belt, other engine belts and the battery. And we never did the "required maintenance"-a $500 rip off. Of course, my husband takes care of our car issues, so you tell me-would they try to rip him off that way? I think not. He will be handling my Mom's car issues now too.
You people need to learn how to work on your own vehicles like me. Do you know when you take your car to any shop you pay list price on parts? Do you know what list price is? List is double the shops cost on the parts then you pay labor on top of that at about $65.oo per hour. Thank god I work on my own vehicles.
Wow-I was gonna work my butt off for the next 15 years to send my kid to medical school-think now I will make her to go to Votech and learn Automotive Tech LOL.
Seriously heres a question no one brought up yet-WHY go to a dealer at all once a car is over 4-5 yrs old? I go to a good local mechanic (Double Duece in Crisfield,honest Christian family-owned business) and they do all the work on our 10 yr old Honda.The only thing I have ever needed from the dealer was a replacement key.
For what it is worth reading after 73 comments, I take my car to Pittsville Motors. The customer service there is amazing. It is a family owned business. I have both purchased and sold cars to them. They are great to work with. Give them a try.
OK, facts. I am in auto repair 34 years now in this town.Auto repair #1 consumer complaint.Japanese autos much better quality than U,S. made.You will get better vaue on repairs if you go to a shop where the owner is tech and is involved in the repair.Independent shops run by Dave at Peninsula,David Guy,Brad Wulff,Jim at Centre,and my own shop are the best.There are others.
not to beat a dead horse... but give me a bat!!!! obv there are two sides to every story, as we heve seen and heard. just from my personal experience with the car business, buying or servicing a car can either be a great experience or a painstaking one. Like any business, any car dealer or service dept is looking to be profitable, within reason. Name one business who's goal is not to be profitable. I am willing to bet that the vast majority of the people bashing car dealers have a double standard. I am also willing to bet you went to the dealer and asked for your "best price" and said that you didnt want to "play any games". When in actuality you were the one manipulating info. Once again, in my experience car dealers are like cops, if you are straight up you will get a fair deal. If you play games and have double standards, its open season. If you want to play straight, play straight. If you want to play games, play games. But dont expext to have your cake and eat it too. Just my opinion...but wait a minute...this is a blog...isnt it?????????????
No,you cant trust Pohanka.I took my Crv to Honda because I was going on a trip to PA to get serviced,one week to the day it broke down on 695 & 97.It was a $494.00 oil change. The car was towed to the Apple Honda in York, & their 1st question was who serviced your car last?They told me that whoever serviced it last ruined it, and it needed a new engine.
Pittsville Motors is not family owned now. It's now owned by the Preston Group.
Car Dealers are like Lawyers.... If you need a car you need a dealer. If you are marginal on credit to good "Not Great" you are going to get SCEWED! Period. If you have money, good credit and your finances are in order, you are going to get treated great, why because you will come back...
Customer service period depends on the people working car dealerships. How many salesman move from one dealer to another ALL year long. I know of one personally who has worked every dealership in Salisbury TWICE... HE sells cars on the side of the rode now "Curbing" in Salisbury right on Moss Hill Ln.
They are all scam artists.... So are lawyers....
JOE YOU NEED to keep this alive, put it back on top... Obviously car dealers are scred of the comments....
Preston Group is also a family owned business. Pittsville Ford still has amazing customer service, since all the same employees are there still.
Pohanka is a family owned business to. So what is your point?
Anon 7:32
I agree with that-Japanese automakers are yrs ahead of US.Honda and Toyota are especially dependable and rugged.The worst cars?Korean made ones ironically.
Give me a fully loaded Ridgeline over a Silverado anyday.
My Pohanka experience involved a sales person, sales manager, and general manager of the Mazda dealer ripping me off of $100 and thhen ignoring my requests for my money back. The wonderful finance person, when doing her calculations, over charged me $100. All of these great and reliable people refused to answer me or give me my money back. Keep in mind that I paid cash so there was no financing for a NEW car. How great is that for salesman ship? Gotta love how My Baby will never drive a Pohanka. If anyone would like to see the bill of sale to try to dispute the wonderful mathwork done at Pohanka feel free to request it.
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