Dealership dramas!

[Woogler]

3 weeks ago I had my ride in for a rattle in the dash area somewhere. 1100km's on it. Turns out it was the air bag mount in the steering wheel. Next night, I turn on the car and there are a whole bunch of scratches all over the instrument panel plastic/perspex!!!! And I mean all over it! Some are long, others short. I reported it to the dealer and they reckon some guy might be able to polish them out???? WTF! This is ridiculous. But they insist on him looking at it Monday week. I thought it was simple, replace the damned thing with a new one! And to top it all off, my drivers door handle has 2 distinct scratches above the lock barell. They have been there since delivery but I didn't notice them till the next day or so. I reported that at the same time as the dash damage. All I am getting is resistance...And....the car pulls to the right! Waiting for Honda Australia on this one though. Frustrating!!!

[tdl]

i would be interested to see how you go.

its not good enough after you buy a new car and to get poor follow up service

[EuroDude]

Thats hectic, complain to Honda Aus about it.

A wheel alignment should fix the steering pulling.

[Woogler]

Been through all the wheel alignments and wheel swaps etc...over to Honda and Bridgestone engineers I am told...

[MiSloVic]

3 weeks ago I had my ride in for a rattle in the dash area somewhere. 1100km's on it. Turns out it was the air bag mount in the steering wheel. Next night, I turn on the car and there are a whole bunch of scratches all over the instrument panel plastic/perspex!!!! And I mean all over it! Some are long, others short. I reported it to the dealer and they reckon some guy might be able to polish them out???? WTF! This is ridiculous. But they insist on him looking at it Monday week. I thought it was simple, replace the damned thing with a new one! And to top it all off, my drivers door handle has 2 distinct scratches above the lock barell. They have been there since delivery but I didn't notice them till the next day or so. I reported that at the same time as the dash damage. All I am getting is resistance...And....the car pulls to the right! Waiting for Honda Australia on this one though. Frustrating!!!

i reckon, we should have a new dealership feedback section :wave: where customers can give their feedback.. good or otherwise.

[ECU-MAN]

Euros have a very average wheel alignments from the factory.

you should write a letter to Honda Australia with your problems you have expeirenced.

[yfin]

Been through all the wheel alignments and wheel swaps etc...over to Honda and Bridgestone engineers I am told...

a laser aligment or did the dealer check the alignment manually? Take it to a shop that has the lasers - some will charge a nominal amount if you dont require any adjustment so it isnt costly.

[Woogler]

I have no idea what sort of alignment was used. The dealer checked it twice and said it was perect! They sent it to another dealership for confirmation and they confirmed the same. They then reported it up the chain to Honda. That was 6 weeks ago now. Honda Aust have said they are still working on the fault. It is known to them from other dealers also. I have to wait. Annoying to say the least!

I just spoke with Honda customer service and told them what has happened to my dash and door handle to get some advice before I speak with the dealership again. Awaiting call back from head office.

[Tobster]

One thing I find with my Euro is that the steering is quite direct (quite noticable after my Magna -- but most cars have more direct steering than Magnas!) and that it also tramlines a fair bit. I find that I tend to feel like I'm holding the steering from pulling to one side most of the time. I think it's just part of the nature of the car and you get used to it.

[EuroDude]

Well Aus roads are designed to pull to the left for safety reasons, to avoid head on collisions. But if it pulls to the right, then there is most definetely something wrong with the car.

[Woogler]

It definately pulls to the right. If I let go of the wheel, I am into oncoming traffic, even with roads that heavily slope off to the left. The dealership said it is not right.

[Jaso]

i reckon, we should have a new dealership feedback section where customers can give their feedback.. good or otherwise.

Thats a good idea mate. I think it would be benificial to members that are prospective buyers :)

[rollin_high]

wot dealer you go to?

[Woogler]

I would love to name them, but unsure of the ramifications legally. It is in country northern NSW.

[UNLS1]

its not good to read things like this...but it does happen, its even happened at my dealership and it happens all over the place....its just some dealers handle it in a good way and some in a bad way....

[MiSloVic]

its not good to read things like this...but it does happen, its even happened at my dealership and it happens all over the place....its just some dealers handle it in a good way and some in a bad way....

yeap. agree. and i always respect dealers who took the effort to sign on forums to help/explain to fellow forumers. :thumbsup:

[aaronng]

I would love to name them, but unsure of the ramifications legally. It is in country northern NSW.
Good move. You can't badmouth dealers or businesses here on Ozhonda because they could sue for defamation.

rollin_high, if you really really want to know, just PM woogler. :)

[Tobster]

Good move. You can't badmouth dealers or businesses here on Ozhonda because they could sue for defamation.

rollin_high, if you really really want to know, just PM woogler. :)
Actually, you can't be sued for defamation if what you're saying is true and factual.

[bennjamin]

Actually, you can't be sued for defamation if what you're saying is true and factual.

Since its incredibly hard to prove any "truth or fact" in a court of law beyound a resonable doubt ~ there is no way anyone here can say its 100% true and factual.

So , you CAN be sued for defamation so be careful of what you type guys n girls !

[thenozman]

I understand that truth is now a complete defence to a defamation claim nationwide.

Civil claims for defamation only have to be proven to the "balance of probabilities" (i.e. effectively 51%), likewise any defence.

[Tobster]

There are 3 main types of defence to defamation (on a bulletin board it would be considered libel, as it's written down -- slander is when you say it out loud):
1. What you said is true
2. You had a duty to provide the information
3. You are expressing an opinion.

The law varies slightly from state to state, but I would imagine that this would also be considered to be in the public interest to know (which is sometimes required as well as it being the truth -- some states just require the truth).

You still need to be careful about what you say, but people need to be aware of their rights to free speech.

EDIT:
Defamation suites are rare because they are expensive and hard to prove -- the chances of a dealer suing an individual over what they had to say about their experience is HIGHLY unlikely.

[VTECACCORD]

Its funny how, whenever someone has a bad experience with a dealer or shop they are too scared to name them.

Everyone is too scared of being sued, even the US isn't as paranoid as Australia.

Our free speech has gone down the crapper, flushed along time ago with ethics and politeness. Thats Australia for ya

[avid]

Woogler,i feel for you,its a real bummer when you spend a lot of money buying your pride and joy and something like that happens.Ive worked in a lot of dealerships as everything from shit kicker mechanic,spare parts sales,warranty clerk, to service manager and what youve experienced happens a lot.Unfortunately a lot of places put pressure on mechs to complete jobs in better than book time(dealerships have manuals that tell them how long each job should take)and if a mech takes longer the dealership loses refund money for warranty jobs paid by the manufacturer.
Its a shitty system,but its all theyve got.The point is, sometimes under pressure, accidents happen and unless the mech 'fesses up,the boss will (conveniently) choose to believe you did it, not them.He makes that choice because if he cant prove the parts replaced were faulty, then Honda wont replace(pay the dealership)for them under warranty.Dealerships are supposed to fix up their own stuffups and not expect, or try to make the manufacturer pay for them.They(the manufacturer) will howver fix problems if you make enough noise(without being obnoxious) under what they call "customer goodwill".
Be persistent,patient,firm,and adamant in your belief that it was done by the dealership,you will get some action eventually.
About your steering pulling,if after youve exhausted all the usual suspects,have a look at your tyre tread,if youve only done 1000 or so K's the weight/bias lines might still be painted on your tyres in between the treads.Look to see if the red/yellow lines(i think) are on the in or out side of both front tyres.If the red, line for example, is on the inside of one tyre and its on the outside of the tyre on the other side front wheel, then you can experience slight bias or pulling to one side.The dealership will probably not have heard of it (or wont acknowledge it) but it exists.Look at all your tyres, and if you can still see the lines, see if rotating them till you get a combo where both wheels/tyres have the red/yellow lines either both on the outside ,or both on the inside of your front wheels is possible.

[aaronng]

Defamation suites are rare because they are expensive and hard to prove -- the chances of a dealer suing an individual over what they had to say about their experience is HIGHLY unlikely.
Except that Ozhonda is not an individual. Woogler won't be sued, but Ozhonda might.

[Tobster]

Except that Ozhonda is not an individual. Woogler won't be sued, but Ozhonda might.
Once again, unlikely. "OzHonda" as an entity doesn't have any money, so why sue? You sue the maker of the statement, not the means.
OzHonda should (if they don't already) have a public disclaimer along the lines of, "The opinions expressed in these forums are those of the individuals expressing them and are not necessarily those of OzHonda. OzHonda takes no responsibility, etc."
It should also be part of the terms and conditions that people agree to when they sign up.

[tRipitaka]

Once again, unlikely. "OzHonda" as an entity doesn't have any money, so why sue? You sue the maker of the statement, not the means.

maybe woogler doesn't want to involve himself in such a case..

[_CiVIC_]

At the end of the day, this isn't a thread on "defamation" etc.. its about this guy and his Euro with the poor workmanship on his service..

I feel for ya dude, I had that once, I ended up servicing it elsewhere, and had no problems :wave:

Hope it works out for ya :thumbsup:

[Tobster]

While I'm sorry for Woogler's plight, it doesn't affect me personally because I'm unlikely to go to a dealer in country NSW. People in NSW might want to know...

There are a lot of misunderstandings about legalities here, and I'm just trying to explain the facts...

If you're scared of saying something, don't say it in the first place.

Woogler -- if you have no luck with the dealer, go direct to Honda Australia.

(People also need to be aware that it's easy to brand a "dealer" as bad, but dealerships are made up of a lot of people -- and bad things are often due to just one person.)

[Woogler]

I started this post to vent and to find any other instances of dealers damaging cars and not repairing it.

It will be a very unhappy day for the local dealer come next Monday. I have had a gut full. I have an expectation of the "polisher" failing in his attempts to remove the array of scratches. I will then demand replacement and make a hell of a noise about the delay and lack of responsibilty they are displaying and in turn make a complaint to Honda Aust. I have asked them (Honda Aust) for guidance already and have not been called back. Sounds like a bit of ducking and weaving!

If that fails, then I will contact Dept of Fair Trading if I do not get what I want.

The dealer policy is what is pissing me off. I had to contact Honda Aust to get my money refunded for the tint they charged me for which Honda say "don't offer!" In that instance I had the dealer principle speak with me and offer me a full refund. I am sick of their pathetic excuses and lack of action.

I still have a card up my sleeve. I have not yet completed the survey. I am sitting on it until this crap has fully played out

[Woogler]

Well the "touch up" guy did not touch it. Beyond his capability he said. The dealer is now getting options on either a whole new instrument cluster or if they can just get the glass/plastic screen.

They are putting on a new door handle as well.

....only taken 4 weeks!

[tanalasta]

I had some very faint post-wash scratches on my paintwork that weren't there before the service (I inspected the paintwork very carefully before giving the car in for the 1000km service).

I always state 'no car wash' on my service now.

[Woogler]

New instrument cluster plastic fitted and new drivers door handle as well.

No fix yet for the "steering tracking right" problem.

[mastcell]

About your steering pulling,if after youve exhausted all the usual suspects,have a look at your tyre tread,if youve only done 1000 or so K's the weight/bias lines might still be painted on your tyres in between the treads.Look to see if the red/yellow lines(i think) are on the in or out side of both front tyres.If the red, line for example, is on the inside of one tyre and its on the outside of the tyre on the other side front wheel, then you can experience slight bias or pulling to one side.The dealership will probably not have heard of it (or wont acknowledge it) but it exists.Look at all your tyres, and if you can still see the lines, see if rotating them till you get a combo where both wheels/tyres have the red/yellow lines either both on the outside ,or both on the inside of your front wheels is possible.

This is true, but swapping tyres is only possible if your tyres are uni-directional when they are all from the same 'biased' batch. (ie, you can swap the right sided ones with the left sides ones to even up the pull tendency). If the Euro Sports wears the same Bridgestone RE040 as in the Luxury model, you may be out of luck if the tyres are all from the same batch. The only way to balance out directional tyre bias is to pick tyres from two different batches at the time of tyre fitment. ie, each batch has the red line on the outside face.

[Omotesando]

Except that Ozhonda is not an individual. Woogler won't be sued, but Ozhonda might.

Yes I have heard of that happening to some online forums as well. Hint: Aust ECU company related.

Although in that/those cases, someone did make a comment which turned out to be unproven, exaggerated and as such damaged the company's reputation. And yes they sued the forum instead of the individual.

In this case, if the dealer was named but ends up fixing the problems under the warranty period anyway, they probably have grounds to sue... so better not directly name the dealer I guess.

Although no one is preventing PM'ing to other members. :p

[EuroBro]

Well Aus roads are designed to pull to the left for safety reasons, to avoid head on collisions. But if it pulls to the right, then there is most definetely something wrong with the car.

I thought the roads are cambered left to let water drain away so you dont aquaplane at high speeds (which is a saftey thing too I guess)