Do dealers treat NSX owners differently?

[Honcho]

That's true. I was always treated extremely well by Ray Laks Acura when I lived in Buffalo and John Holtz Acura when I lived in Rochester. Rallye Acura here in Long Island has nice salespeople (I have bought 2 new cars from them) but the service department is awful (with the exception of Chad T., who is great). When I broke a bolt installing my spool valves, Rallye refused to sell me a 15 cent replacement because it was a Saturday. I went down the road to North Shore Honda and they hooked me up no questions asked- for free. Rallye also got me for about $3000 fixing my NSX A/C. As soon as they saw the NSX, they treated me like an ATM. $300 for a R134 retrofit and about $2000 for replacing the compressor (mostly labor). They charged me list price for all parts and refused a NSXCA discount. I wish I had gone to pbassjo instead! There sure would be a heck of a lot more money in the Honcho NSX fund right now...

 

[H-carWizKid]

I have seen it go different ways- When I bought my TL (certified used) my Dealer (McGrath) advised that if i needed to bring it in for service I would get a loaner, car would get washed ect. Just prior to moving to Denver I wanted to get the car chacked out and THIS happened.

I determined after my shake up @ McGrath that dealer service wasn't worth the hassle, and determined to use independant shops moving forward.

Then there was a recall on my TL for a power steering hose, so I called the nearest Acura Dealer to get it taken care of. Took the car to Flatirons Acura, and could not possibly have been more impressed with their service. I came in on a Saturday to drop off the car and there was a top line TSX (Navi) waiting for me. My car was completed when they said it would be. Service writer didn't try to "sell" me any additional services. When i got into my car I noticed it had been washed/dried and interior vacumed.

All that, and they had only performed a recall service that carried no charge.

I'll be going back.

Phil

 

[brahtw8]

I have had world-class service from Acura of Brookfield.

John Vasos is a well-known asset to the NSX community. The amount of money I have saved on comped labor, free parts and discounts is easily over $10,000 over the last 7 years.

AoB is owned by Zimbrick. They have a number of dealerships in Madison, also very high quality.

As just one example, when my E46 M3 VANOS system and cats failed, the VANOS was under CPO warranty (6yr/100k) but the cats were just outside of the federal emissions warranty (8yr/80k). Concours BMW in Milwaukee refused to repair the VANOS until I paid them $4k+ for the cats. They were unsure if the VANOS would be covered, and would not attempt to get BMW to cover the cats.

Zimbrick BMW in Madison opened a case with the Regional Rep. and got them to cover the entire repair, which would have been close to $10k retail.

 

[RamVA]

All Acura Dealerships treat you like gold,, Even with their low end TSX,, another reason Honda is the bomb, and BMW Dealerships, give you the run around to get even a warranty item repaired,, cuz they over charge for everything,, but when you need something replaced on the NSX it can hurt your wallet,, even more so than a BMW! But yea I have always gotten a loaner car from Acura

I've always gotten good treatment from my BMW dealer, and never gotten a loaner with either of my previous Acuras. (I've not had my NSX to the dealer.) They over-charge for service, but they've treated me well.

Now LEXUS dealers - they're the bomb. I've never owned one, but my folks have had three. When one of them needed a new motor (it had some miles on it) they hemmed and hawed about replacing it for a month, and had a loaner RX300 the whole time.

 

[CL65 Captain]

I had a Lexus dealer tell me that I needed new brake pads. So I played along.

Q: "How bad are they?"
A: "Almost down to the backing plate. That could be very dangerous."

Then he proceeds to show me one of the brake pads that is indeed almost totally gone.

Q: "Is that my pad? Because you're right it's even past the wear pin. Wonder why I never heard the squealing?"
A: "Yep, I recommend replacing all four at the same time, because the rears only have a few 100 miles left on them too."

So then I inform him we have a HUGE problem then.
1. That isn't one of my pads - I had just replaced my pads 4 days earlier myself
2. The fronts and rears do NOT wear at the same rate.
3. That wasn't even a pad for a LS400.

Oh boy did he turn red, and then he got hostile and defensive and started yelling, "do you think we are here to screw you?" So if front of everyone in the showroom, I yelled right back at him that absolutely not only were they screwing their customers but he just got caught in a major scam that is out and out fraud.

Talked to the GM who is a friend of the family and he laughed and said, "ya, so what? Sales are slow."

 

[drtruong]

DRTRUONG
Acura is the luxury line of Honda, not Honda dealers, and they treat their customers with red carpet treatment. Lexus dealers will do the same. It is not the NSX that you drive , but it's the name that they carry.

First I was talking about How Acura AND Honda Treat their customers, DUUUU we all know Acura is the Luxury Line of Honda,,,and Lexus is still a Toyota,, with all these recalls its funny that they dont mention the recall cuz they use the same parts as the toyota Branded cars,, but its even more funny they sent letters out to lexus Owners to bring their cars in to be fixed!!! I didnt see that on the news report,,, dont wanna ruin the LEXUS brand name either!! so lets keep it quite,,, well my buddy has a new Lexus and told me about the letter,,
and When I pull up to my Acura Dealer all the guys run up to my car and start talking to me about it,, open the doors for me,, at the same time the Lady in the new 2010 TL has to open their own door to get in the building,, LOL,, so Yea its the car,,, when I go to the Honda Dealership same thing run to my car ,,managers ask me to drive it,, I say no, maybe next time,, so its the car itself not the Name!! I have an NSX do you?

Are you asking me do I have NSX? What the hell am I doing on this forum if I don't have one, DUUUUUU! You think you are special because you have NSX? Pathetic !Go blow your nose because it is only high school kids' dreams.

I can buy 2 more if I want to.

 

[jaybird]

As a recent owner of an NSX, I went to the dealer to ask about bringing the car in for a state inspection, and for an undone recall notice. They brought out the head of the service and parts department, who chatted for about 30 minutes. They set up an appointment, gave me a loaner (unsolicited) which was a new RL, and gave me fantastic service.

I also own a Lexus, and the Acura service experience was equal or superior to the Lexus experience (especially since I didn't purchase the NSX from them). In sum, they surpassed my expectations.

I generally have been very negative to have anything done by the dealer - but so far, I'm impressed. Perhaps as others have said, it varies dealer by dealer. But I can tell you, they treated my NSX with kid gloves :wink: Jay

 

[lunchman]

Are you asking me do I have NSX? What the hell am I doing on this forum if I don't have one, DUUUUUU! You think you are special because you have NSX? Pathetic !Go blow your nose because it is only high school kids' dreams.

I can buy 2 more if I want to.

I think you read the guy's post in a way other than which he intended it. The "I have an NSX do you?" remark was targeted at those who work at the dealership not at you.

As far as dealerships go, I've always received very good treatment at my local dealer, Acura of Auburn, where I've taken the Integra, RSX, TL, Accord and on occasion the NSX since 96 when I first got the Integra. Loaner cars when needed, wash and vacuum (they always ask first) and they know when the NSX comes in that I keep a careful eye on what they're doing. And yes, even at an Acura dealership a 91 NSX still draws a crowd.

 

[tosugrad]

Wait..........did you say you let them WASH your car?

 

[NSXclear]

I bought my 91 NSX about a year a go and have used the local dealer for a couple of minor things. Haven't spent much money there, less than $500 so far.

I took it in today to have them install the Dali swaybars (yeah, I know, it's easy but I didn't want to try and lift it in my garage and the dealer is close).

This is an almost 20 year old car that they didn't sell to me and is obviously out of warranty but they gave me a loaner car, washed the NSX, and did a safety check at no cost.


Brian

I'm curious what your dealer charged you to install the Dail swaybars. Did they do both of them or just one?

It takes me about 30 minutes to do both of them.

 

[lunchman]

Wait..........did you say you let them WASH your car?

Once in a while I'll let them wash the RSX, never any of the other cars and especially not the NSX. The RSX is silver and once it gets the Porter Cable treatment this Spring, the dealer won't touch it again. Promise.

 

[sptrader]

When I go to my local Acura for filters etc, I mention that I'm a member of the NSX Club of America and they always give me 10%-15% off anything I buy from them. (the filters come with free washers taped to the top)

 

[A.S. Motorsport]

I had a Lexus dealer tell me that I needed new brake pads. So I played along.

Q: "How bad are they?"
A: "Almost down to the backing plate. That could be very dangerous."

Then he proceeds to show me one of the brake pads that is indeed almost totally gone.

Q: "Is that my pad? Because you're right it's even past the wear pin. Wonder why I never heard the squealing?"
A: "Yep, I recommend replacing all four at the same time, because the rears only have a few 100 miles left on them too."

So then I inform him we have a HUGE problem then.
1. That isn't one of my pads - I had just replaced my pads 4 days earlier myself
2. The fronts and rears do NOT wear at the same rate.
3. That wasn't even a pad for a LS400.

Oh boy did he turn red, and then he got hostile and defensive and started yelling, "do you think we are here to screw you?" So if front of everyone in the showroom, I yelled right back at him that absolutely not only were they screwing their customers but he just got caught in a major scam that is out and out fraud.

Talked to the GM who is a friend of the family and he laughed and said, "ya, so what? Sales are slow."

Trust is very important at a dealership
You should always be able to trust the guy working on your car if you don't do it your self.

It's of critical importance it's done right. (you don't want your brakes failing at speed do you? and i have heard some story's about that)

 

[brians]

Great discussion!

I didn't pick up the car until yesterday because as part of their "safety check" they found the battery was bad. Interestingly enough, I bought it over the counter from the same dealer about a month earlier. As soon as I told them that, they said no problem, we'll look it up, replace it, and go ahead and use the loaner as long as you'd like.

I do think it's a combination of the dealer and the car. The service writers we're all beside themselves because they had 3 NSX in at once. They had them all lined up and were taking pictures.

This particular dealer really seems to love the NSX and wants to treat the owners well. If I have to pay a bit more, I'm ok with that, and they're close to home.

The BMW dealer is right across the street and I've puchased three cars from them (545, and two X5s). Not nearly the level of service from them as the Acura dealer and I've spent over $175k with BMW!.

Now off to figure out how to pay for a Comptech SC!

Brian

 

[4AU4LIFE]

. (the filters come with free washers taped to the top)

Trust me, you are paying for them whether you know it or not. You might not see a charge for it on the ticket but it is factored in on the price of the filters, even if you do get a discount on them.

 

[captngaryr]

I have seen it go different ways- When I bought my TL (certified used) my Dealer (McGrath) advised that if i needed to bring it in for service I would get a loaner, car would get washed ect. Just prior to moving to Denver I wanted to get the car chacked out and THIS happened.

I determined after my shake up @ McGrath that dealer service wasn't worth the hassle, and determined to use independant shops moving forward.

Then there was a recall on my TL for a power steering hose, so I called the nearest Acura Dealer to get it taken care of. Took the car to Flatirons Acura, and could not possibly have been more impressed with their service. I came in on a Saturday to drop off the car and there was a top line TSX (Navi) waiting for me. My car was completed when they said it would be. Service writer didn't try to "sell" me any additional services. When i got into my car I noticed it had been washed/dried and interior vacumed.

All that, and they had only performed a recall service that carried no charge.

I'll be going back.

Phil

I also was screwed by McGrath Acura (Morton Grove) on a PPI. You are not alone. The PPI plus compression check was $569. and not worth the paper it was printed on. They checked off that the suspension was in good shape only to get the car home and find the ball joint boots were split. This was not an obscure defect, but easily visible with the car on a lift. They checked the tire pressures and indicated that the pressures were exactly what was on the door sticker. How miraculous!! But when I got home 1200 miles later, the tires were all 10 lbs under inflated. 1200 miles at 70 MPH on under-inflated tires. I'm luck I didn't blow a tire! Some peace of mind!! What else did they miss? I would recommend Primers stay away from McGrath Acura (Morton Grove).

 

[nsxalot]

Ditto...it's all about the individual dealership. The Acura dealership I go to provides excellent customer service and quality repair service, although service is more costly than an independent mechanic. I've heard horror stories about some of the Acura dealerships in Southern California however.

Henderson/Las Vegas Findlay Acura gave us a meeting room for our last NSXPO planning committee and gave us bux lunches. They have been good to us.

Lance

 

[tbromley]

I had a Lexus dealer tell me that I needed new brake pads. So I played along.

Q: "How bad are they?"
A: "Almost down to the backing plate. That could be very dangerous."

Then he proceeds to show me one of the brake pads that is indeed almost totally gone.

Q: "Is that my pad? Because you're right it's even past the wear pin. Wonder why I never heard the squealing?"
A: "Yep, I recommend replacing all four at the same time, because the rears only have a few 100 miles left on them too."

So then I inform him we have a HUGE problem then.
1. That isn't one of my pads - I had just replaced my pads 4 days earlier myself
2. The fronts and rears do NOT wear at the same rate.
3. That wasn't even a pad for a LS400.

Oh boy did he turn red, and then he got hostile and defensive and started yelling, "do you think we are here to screw you?" So if front of everyone in the showroom, I yelled right back at him that absolutely not only were they screwing their customers but he just got caught in a major scam that is out and out fraud.

Talked to the GM who is a friend of the family and he laughed and said, "ya, so what? Sales are slow."

Sorry to hear that Cap'n,

Wait just a minute....."friend" of the family's and that was his response....mmmmm....must not be a real good friend of the family???? I got a better response from the owner and I never met him - that was another car and a different dealer - a Volkswagen. I won't get into it but it was satisfactorily resolved with a HUGE discount and not a "HUGE" problem. I would have expected the dealer owner "friend" to talk with the GM and ultimately the A hole that tried to rip you off. Oh, well - sometimes "friends" don't treat you as well as strangers I guess. I'd at least put him (the friend) in another catagory! :wink:

I'm glad you yelled back at him in front of the customers - he deserved that and more. Yes that is fruad and I wouldn't take that easy peasy like that. "So, business is slow"...I mean c'mon - that is inexcussable. Stuff like that makes me really, really mad and THAT's why I have always mistrusted dealers and dealer service.

To give you my NSX example with the Ed Voyles Acura here in Atlanta - it went like this. I took my wife's RL in and they did a good job on an oil change - I think- but they also replaced the batter for free under warranty. That got me fired up about them. I had an ABS issue and before I could check around on Prime I talked with the dealer and he said bring it up - we'll look at it and won't charge you - ok so I took it up. About an hour and a half later I got a proposed bill/estimate for $5000 bucks to replace my enitre ABS system - yeap - it was shot! MMMMmmmm, I said I'll think about that - not going to do that.

I did my usual checking and got a ton of good advice from my buddy Primers! Yep, ended up at Eiffel's Place to have the ABS flush done and $138 later everything was back to norma! Yeah - needed the whole entire system .....mmmhhhhmmm. Then I called the Service Mgr. and told him the story and how I found out what to do- that he needed to educate his service techs if he wanted to save his business - and YOU KNOW that went over really well. Got a lot of Yessir Mr. Bromley etc,,,,etc. Lip service and now I have Eiffel to take care of me and our RL. End of story for the dealer! Adios Ed Voyles Acura - now is that fair for the RL - maybe not - but then who knows what the hell actually goes on back there, you know. I know when Eiffel tells me something it's going to get done right! Peace of mind - that's what we all need; right! :smile:

 

[CL65 Captain]

Sorry to hear that Cap'n,

Wait just a minute....."friend" of the family's and that was his response....mmmmm....must not be a real good friend of the family???? I got a better response from the owner and I never met him - that was another car and a different dealer - a Volkswagen. I won't get into it but it was satisfactorily resolved with a HUGE discount and not a "HUGE" problem. I would have expected the dealer owner "friend" to talk with the GM and ultimately the A hole that tried to rip you off. Oh, well - sometimes "friends" don't treat you as well as strangers I guess. I'd at least put him (the friend) in another catagory! :wink:

I'm glad you yelled back at him in front of the customers - he deserved that and more. Yes that is fruad and I wouldn't take that easy peasy like that. "So, business is slow"...I mean c'mon - that is inexcussable. Stuff like that makes me really, really mad and THAT's why I have always mistrusted dealers and dealer service.

To give you my NSX example with the Ed Voyles Acura here in Atlanta - it went like this. I took my wife's RL in and they did a good job on an oil change - I think- but they also replaced the batter for free under warranty. That got me fired up about them. I had an ABS issue and before I could check around on Prime I talked with the dealer and he said bring it up - we'll look at it and won't charge you - ok so I took it up. About an hour and a half later I got a proposed bill/estimate for $5000 bucks to replace my enitre ABS system - yeap - it was shot! MMMMmmmm, I said I'll think about that - not going to do that.

I did my usual checking and got a ton of good advice from my buddy Primers! Yep, ended up at Eiffel's Place to have the ABS flush done and $138 later everything was back to norma! Yeah - needed the whole entire system .....mmmhhhhmmm. Then I called the Service Mgr. and told him the story and how I found out what to do- that he needed to educate his service techs if he wanted to save his business - and YOU KNOW that went over really well. Got a lot of Yessir Mr. Bromley etc,,,,etc. Lip service and now I have Eiffel to take care of me and our RL. End of story for the dealer! Adios Ed Voyles Acura - now is that fair for the RL - maybe not - but then who knows what the hell actually goes on back there, you know. I know when Eiffel tells me something it's going to get done right! Peace of mind - that's what we all need; right! :smile:

Dealer = why fix it when they can replace it? 9 out 10 times.

 

[03 raw nsx]

It all depends on the 'idiot' in charge :wink:

I asked for a loaner when I d brought my 03 for the first visit. They told me we do not have loaners for that service, but would offer to shuttle me to public transit or call a cab for me After arriving to the dealer I saw that they do have loaners and do not have any policy except for if a loaner is available.

Another friend that also goes to MARIN ACURA can always get a loaner for any kind of maintenance when she brings in her 2000 TL that she purchased used.

AND no she is 55 and not hot, in case you were thinking she was a hottie

I would rather see Don and Hilltop for any of my NSX needs, service is red carpet compared to MARIN ACURA

 

[tbromley]

Cap'n said - "replace it rather than fix it - 9 out of 10 times" - how right you are and that goes for all dealers mostly. I've heard of a few that are really good - not here around Atlanta - although Ed Voyles Honda was pretty good for routine quicky maintenance.

I mentioned this to the guy that gave me the estimate at Ed Voyles when I said I'll unhook the ABS before I spend 5000 to replace it. He said - "That's why YOU own one - he said most people just write a check and tell us to do it - 9 out of 10 times - he said everytime - mostly. Then there was me....lol.:wink: Not no but hell no.

 

[NousDefions]

Gary Force Acura treated me extremely well, and charged me an extremely reasonable price to get my car aligned ($80). It doesn't hurt that Barney Demonbreun works there, who I trust implicitly to work on my car.

 

[tbromley]

Gary Force Acura treated me extremely well, and charged me an extremely reasonable price to get my car aligned ($80). It doesn't hurt that Barney Demonbreun works there, who I trust implicitly to work on my car.

Barney is the man! He's excellent and actually that's a good price on an alignment at the dealer- seems like mine was more. Anyway that the typical charge at a dealer - it's the same in Atlanta. That's the easy stuff. You probably take it to Barney for anything else; right? He did a bunch for me when I bought mine. Great guy!

 

[H-carWizKid]

I also was screwed by McGrath Acura (Morton Grove) on a PPI. You are not alone. The PPI plus compression check was $569. and not worth the paper it was printed on. They checked off that the suspension was in good shape only to get the car home and find the ball joint boots were split. This was not an obscure defect, but easily visible with the car on a lift. They checked the tire pressures and indicated that the pressures were exactly what was on the door sticker. How miraculous!! But when I got home 1200 miles later, the tires were all 10 lbs under inflated. 1200 miles at 70 MPH on under-inflated tires. I'm luck I didn't blow a tire! Some peace of mind!! What else did they miss? I would recommend Primers stay away from McGrath Acura (Morton Grove).

Yeah- McGrath Morton Grove sucked. Westmont was better, but I was still pretty uneasy after all was said and done.

I'm real happy to have a good dealer in Flatirons though. They took great care of me, so I am sure to sing their praises as often as I can.

Phil

 

[QWKSLVR]

I didn't have time to read all of the other responses to your question, but the following should easily answer your question regarding taking your NSX or any car for that matter to the dealer's service dept. My brother in-law is a sales manager for a major factory auth. Acura dealership here in the Wash. D.C. 'burbs, a very large market. To my astonishment, he has revealed to me that the service "advisors" are on 100% commission and the "sharks" make easily into the $100K+ salaries. This is just simply unethical and confirms my long held belief that most dealership (service dept.) is a rip-off. Find a reliable & honest independent mechanic and save yourself some $$. $500 to install sway bars is too rich for my blood, c'mon man.