Vent? You sure!
most recent event and I’ll work backwards.
15 fit towed there for injector extended warranty. Car has been disabled for a month or more. Hard codes for cylinder 1 and 4 misfire.
I previously changed all. Coils and installed new ngk plugs. Codes persisted so definitely the injectors.
They call and state that they will have to charge a diagnostic fee if the issue isn’t a warranty one. No problem.
they call and tell me they found the problem, a cracked spark plug on the #1 cylinder. We fixed it. -300$ come and get it.
I ask how this fixed the #4 misfire?
“Oh , interesting I’ll check with the technician and call you back “
ok…. So I’m in the repair industry, have been for 30 years and a close friend worked as a tech at this dealership for 12 years. I know how things work. I do business with a dozen dealerships and I understand how sleazy they can be.
three hours later they call again. “ ok we determined that it does need new injectors and that there is a #4 misfire.”
Ok so it Is a warranty issue. “Yes”
and I obviously won’t be charged the diagnostic fee correct? “No, we did diagnose a cracked spark plug “ so you do need to pay the 300$.

— I literally put those plugs in 2 days ago. And I did not crack them. I’ve changed a thousand plugs and I’ve never cracked one. Vertical crack, on both sides of the ceramic!
(I insisted they save the plug for me)

I ask to speak with the service manager who claims the same. I then proceed to explain the misdiagnosis.
he claims the car had no hard codes and only a random misfire code. When I state that the technician maybe broke the plug, he says “if your going to say talk like that, we will just keep this car” —— wtf!?!? Haha wow!
im heated now. So I let him know I’ll have the corporate rep on speakerphone when I come in to pick it up. Oh also I have the hard codes saved on my scanner I’ll bring in.
he knoCks the diag off and charges me for a known good plug at 133$.
ok. Fair enough.
I send the wife in to get the car as I’m pretty fed up. We get home, I scan it and now I have two 02 sensor codes. Ok. I’ll put some miles on it and see what happens.
pop the hood to inspect the work.
plastic covers broken from over torque. No biggie. Air pipe is stuffed and grommet is ripped. Ok 10$ Part. No big deal.
now the fuel joint pipe… very wet. Perhaps it’s excess glycol from a shoddy installation ?
so the injectors and fuel pipe must be replaced as part of the warranty. The pipe needs replaced because there is a likelihood that it will leak fuel if it isn’t changed.
Quick back track here… before I was informed about the warranty, I couldn’t buy the fuel pipe anywhere. National back order with no lead time. This caused us to need to purchase another vehicle. Stinks but such is life.
when I called lundgren Honda for price and availability for said pipe, I was told about the back order and the parts guy stated. “we don’t always change them, and haven’t seen any come back” !!!!!!
this is a part that Honda deems necessary to change due to liability. As in, there is thousands of psi of gasoline being pumped through this pipe and if it leaks, we will be in trouble “
a manufacturer isn’t going to change a part that isn’t absolutely necessary as part of a warranty.
So backstory over, both ends of the pipe are wet. Hmmm.
I’ll let the car cool down and look at it tomorrow.
I’ll also pull the plug that they replaced with a “known good” plug for 133$.

more to come. As I’d like to air my previous issues with said dealer.

 

The new at the time car came with a complimentary oil change that the wife decided to use at lundgren Honda. 1st oil change on the new car.
she tells me this so I go peek at it. The engine splash shield is missing. This is a large shield that keeps water and debris out of the engine compartment and is needed to provide longevity of the under hood components. Water, salt and other debris will enter the engine compartment and rust and corrosion will occur without said shield.
it is necessary to remove this shield to access the oil drain plug and oil filter.
I tell her to let the dealer know and ask for it to be reinstalled.
she drives there and the service manager laughs at her and stated “we don’t remove that to change the oil” and generally makes her feel belittled. When I get home I show her the filter and drain, and she sees that the shield needs to be removed for service. And the service manager was perhaps misinformed.
so I go down and speak with him, ask for the shield to be replaced with the necessary fasteners. He insisted they do not remove the shield. I argue that the need to and ask how they service the car?
he shows me a technician about to perform an oil change, the car is on the lift, the tech removes the two front screws and proceeds to rip the splash shield down and bends it out of the way. Then drains the oil all over the shield and into the drain pan. — ok so they don’t remove the shield! He wasn’t lying. They destroy the plastic fasteners, cover the thing with waste oil and essentially damage your property.
I persisted. They must have this shield behind the dumpster or something. And I’m not leaving without it.
he says hold on. 30 minutes pass.
30 minutes.
he comes back with a big smile and a number written in pencil on a piece of paper. He holds it up to my face smiling at me. “436.73$” or a similar outrageousness. “ that’s what it will cost you” he taunts. Smiling.

nice. I’ll play your game your highness .
oh geez, I can’t afford that right now, is there any way you could just look around for it for me, just in case, sir, master king god?
— I didn’t use those words but you get the point, he likes his so called power over the customers.
Great guy.

he obliges. Comes back in two minutes holding a shield. “There was seven or eight of them down there” he says all excited.
could you please put it on with the proper fasteners oh god of the service center, I beg of you?
“I’ll get that done for you right away”
I get the car home, in the air and there is an old broken shield from a different vehicle held in place with two zip ties and an unrelated screw.
great. At least I have some protection.
thank you lundgren honda

 

The wife loves the fit. So I go to lundgren and order one in hopes of a birthday surprise.
500$ refundable downpayment. Paid.
should be less than a month I’m told.
Then I get the call that they are being upgraded for a better crash rating and there will be a delay. Ok. No birthday car but oh well.
a few months go by and we stay in touch with a few calls. And 12000 emails a day from the dealership.
can’t get one yet I’m told. Black, manual trans. We’re looking though and it’ll be soon.
time goes on and on. Months.
I call the next local dealer and they have three on the lot! I asked if the just arrived? Nope the manual trans cars have been here for 3-4 weeks I’m told!
great. I’ll take one.
happy wife, happy life!
a solid month later, lundgren calls and they found one and will have it shipped over ASAP.
errrr sorry guys, I bought one at another location last month.
“Oh geez, we’ll don’t forget to get your security deposit back and I’m really sorry we couldn’t make the deal” the salesman was a sweetheart. Really nice dude with genuine concern.
I told him I’d forgotten about the downpayment and I’d swing by that week. Thanks man!

an hour later he calls me back and states that “the manager said we are keeping the downpayment because we put so much work and time into this”
haha the dealer a half hour away had them in the lot for weeks! They didn’t even try!
so I ask for the managers name and drive down to get my refundable deposit back.
he’s pointed out to me by reception, and I politely state my name and reason for my visit
- get this. He turns and walks away. Into an office and closes the door. Didn’t say a word to me.
so I walked over to his office and knocked and looked at him through the glass. He didn’t look up. I continued this uncomfortable game several times without eye contact untill after maybe 15-20 minutes, he picks up the phone for a moment. The sales man then approached me super sorry and states that a check will be mailed to me. His manager just informed him.
The poor salesman has this to look up to!?
dang.
anyhow.
Business at lundgren Honda

 

Need a battery, the wife says.
im out of state for work quite often.
So I tell her to get one from lundgren Honda.
the price is very similar and the factory battery lasted a long time.
she buys one, and calls me stating that it doesn’t fit. She ordered at the parts counter by application.
well, back to lundgren Honda she goes.
“this is the wrong battery” she states.
-no returns on electrical parts, sorry.
she pleads her case, lundgren sold her the wrong battery, and they won’t make it right.
the parts guy is condescending and offers her a solution of purchasing cable extenders.
“Not here because we don’t sell them”.
she brings her incorrect home.
I head to lundgren Honda with the battery.
No returns on electronic items sir.
Manager please.
no we can’t take batteries back.
you sold us the wrong battery and I’d like to exchange it.
nope.
back home I go.
sigh. I look up the battery info and it turns out the battery was changed mid year for the car in question and I need a late year battery.
I go back. With this information. And raising my voice politely, that there was a mistake and I need a late year battery.
they take 10 seconds to look into it and come out with the correct battery to exchange.
thanks guys! Thanks lundgren Honda