Only bashing was on the techs that did the shoddy work so entirely justifed. Work needs to be done correctly and to the proper specified method regardless of the time required to perform. Anything less than that is a fail by the dealership and the tech performing the work.

_

 

i understand what everyone is saying. no one is perfect every job they do and flat rate sucks. i hope everyones car gets repaired to their expectations every time but thats just not how the auto repair business works and anyone who turns wrenches for a living knows that

 

Well said.

I'm a flat rate tech (granted I work for a highline dealer) and while everyone can preach the "I don't get paid shit to do it, so imma half-ass it" line - the truth is it ends up costing you more when it comes back broken from when you fucked it up. All that time you spend fixing it you don't get paid and you look like a hack.

Anyone bitching about not making enough hours as justification for screwing up a job should find another line of work.

 

There are good reports about techs here too. My experience was pretty first rate. Anyway, the horror stories always make it to the Internet and most people that have a positive experience will not say a word. That's life.

 

i never said it was ok to screw stuff up. i dont know what kind of "highline" dealer you work for, but in case you havent noticed, the economy is in a slump and people arent exactly throwin money into their cars for no reason. everyone knows comebacks cost you in the end, so do it right the first time. im simply saying that guys are tryin to hustle out there. people are taking a single broken clip so personal. major stuff like cracked windshield, excessive valve noise after adjustment, missing clamps, coolant leaks etc. . . is def complaint worthy.

 

A single cracked clip, I may overlook it. 4 broken clips, cracked right molding, the part next to the cowl. Left molding clip broken too. Not a word when I picked it up. The tech knew he was causing damage and never bothered to mention it.

 

Might be unrelated but:

After a double shift, my fit stumbles while accelerating briskly from a stoplight. Then loses all power. Gas pedal does nothing. I limped down a hill and am currently waiting for a tow truck to take me to the dealer where I had the work perform ( only good news, its less than a mile away).

I recently noted a buzzin when in the 3k to 3200k rpm range. Other than that the car seemed fine. Now while I'm here I've started it several time hoping it would be ok (dumb) and the car vibrates violently while rpms goes all the way down till it shuts off....

I'm hoping to work the recall angle since I have 63k on the odometer.

 

Thought it was LMS related, but turns out it is K&N related (alledgedly). Supposedly the oil killed the MAF sensor which in turned killed the ignition coil packs and prematurely wore out the plugs.

Code thrown was random misfire (all cylinders)


will start a new thread about it.

 

I think that if there's a problem with the hours allowed, that's between you and Honda, and should not involve the customer having to get substandard work. I have seen NO "rippin on the techs" except for those who SCREWED UP. What pisses me off is techs who know they are screwing up but think the customer is a ditz who won't notice or won't hassle with coming back.

geo

 

I definitely agree with Geo. The dealer needs to do what it takes on their end to do it right.

I'm guessing about three times the amount of everyone's time would have been saved if the job was done right the first time in my case.

The dealer keeps sending me reminder cards for maintenance thinking I'll take it back there. Pretty amusing.

 

Saw a sign on the wall in a dealership.........

"WHY IS IT THERE'S NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO IT RIGHT, BUT ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO IT OVER????"

 

LMS horror story here.

I took my vehicle in for oil change and LMS recall on 5/27. i did not research the recall before hand. my 09 fit (30K miles) has been perfect since i got it.

first, they cracked the windshield doing the repair. took almost a week to get a new one. dealership provided a loaner. when i got my vehicle back, after about 10 miles the check engine light came on. i thought maybe gas cap, so i tightened it when i got to work. later on, the light started flashing and the engine was racing/not shifting, so i limped back to work, and had them tow it back.

got it back a second time yesterday. i do almost all highway driving with my fit. when i pulled off the lot, i noticed the engine sounded different, almost like an exhaust problem. a much deeper sound. i got on the highway and it was terrible. not shifting, engine was racing. cruise set at 70 on an even highway and it would drop to third, 5000+ RPM out of now where.

went back today. in defense of the dealership, they have given me a loaner the whole time ('11 civic), i returned it on empty last time, and they replaced the molding on the roof of the car that somehow was missing at no charge. however, its been back twice now, and i am worried that they seriously screwed the car up.

 

I have not done the recall yet. This is what I am afraid of?

 

Considering that Honda based this recall on a very small number of LMS failures, I think there might be a bigger chance of problems from taking a car in for the recall work than NOT taking it in.

geo

 

I suspect the same. I am definitely not taking mine in - at least for a while. I only got 20K on it.

And besides, there is a chance that mine doesn't need the actual springs replaced so they would just mess with the valve cover to find that but I don't want them to even do that.

My brother is a honda dealer mechanic in Huntsville Alabama. I might wait for him to do the work on my car knowing he will do a good job.

 

I've heard this "flat rate sucks" a few different times in a number of threads here... If you don't mind me asking, what are we talking? Minimum wage? $9 an hour? Most mechanics I know make decent rates so while a pre-defined set of time to repair may not be at the tech's liking, it's not a reason to complain. Honda specified the 1.4 hours for a reason (because it should be able to be done within that amount of time). if it can't be done, than the dealer should be talking with American Honda, just like when we have complaints about a dealer, WE talk with American Honda. Those that opt not to, don't have the right to complain. If the 1.4 hours is feasible but that dealership just can't do it, the dealer should be spending money to train, or finding better techs.

~SB

 

Sounds like you actually lost the motion springs with all that engine trouble

 

I started a thread about just the opposite problem from what is being described here. I took my Fit in for the LMS recall and it looks like nothing was done. The car runs as perfectly as the day I bought it but don't see any sign of work being done anywhere. I don't see any sign of anything having been touched!

I went back to inquire and they say the work was done and have nothing to worry. So either they do superb work or it was never done!

 

I took my 09 Fit in to have a 30K service and LMS recall a couple of months ago. I did notice a louder than normal valve train after picking up the car.Seemed a bit down on power also.. I spoke to the service manager about it over the phone and was told to bring the car in at my convenience and they would listen to it and adjust the valves if needed. I drove the car for 5K miles more before bringing it back to the dealer this past weekend. The service manager said " If you think the valves are noisy, then they probably are." They did a valve adjustment and I had them change the oil while I was there. The car is definately running and sounding like it should now. Power is better also. I think the service people are very aware of problems with this recall work. Honda of Nanuet took good care of me. Did their best to accomadate me as a customer. Right now the car is running like new. Be aware though when you get the LMS work done. Listen to your car before you drop it off to have the work done. You will be much less likely to imagine valve noise or dismiss it as normal if you give it a good listen and mentally remember the sound before you leave it....

 

This is interesting, because noisy valves and down a bit on power are exactly the things that I've been trying to convince myself I wasn't experiencing for the last two weeks. I've been thinking I was paranoid, but I might not be. Problem is, I've got to make a trip to Colorado in less than a week and I am totally booked between now and then for trying to get to the dealer for them to check it out...