Why do I say this? Think about the last time you went to a car dealership wanting to just check out what’s there. How many of you saw a group of dealers sitting around, and once you arrive, they stalk you like prey. And even if you INSIST that you are browsing, they keep tagging along. Once you show remote interest in a vehicle, they are already sitting you down to get your information. I just hate it.
At Honda Windward, where my dad purchased an Accord about 2 years ago, we have the most pleasant experience. No one hounds you, no one pushes you to buy, and best of all, everyone is very friendly and smiles all the time. But I’m not here to talk about the dealers. I’m actually here to talk about the service department. I recently bought an Acura in 2006 from Pfleuger. They treated me fairly well, as I had previously bad experiences with them (and sadly, they are the only Acura dealership on Oahu and I wanted an Acura). Luckily all the people I dealt with were really awesome and nice. BUT, their service department…it’s just a big rip off. I was lucky to receive two free oil changes when I got the car, but little did I know, the oil changes were $49.99. REALLY?! Are you kidding? When I was up for my 3rd oil change, I called to figure out the price since I had my first two for free. They told me $49.99 and I just gasped. Mind you, I don’t have a high performance Acura…it is just the base model RSX. It doesn’t need special oil. It just needs Honda oil.
So I called Honda Windward. What does it cost there? $29.99. Pflueger Acura’s SPECIAL for oil changes cost $39.99. Is there any difference? No. There is no such thing as Acura oil. Honda makes Acura, and they use all Honda parts. Don’t believe me? Open your hood next time if you own and Acura and notice all the parts are labelled Honda. That’s what I mean. And Honda Windward also service Acuras along with Hondas. Why? They share similar parts and pretty much run the same way. Makes sense since Acura is just the luxury line of Honda. So I got geniuine Honda oil and filter for $29.99. That was great news. But besides the price, what made it worthwhile? The friendly staff, who call you when the oil change is done. They even look for you if they can’t get in contact with you on the phone (they found me at the show room). Here are the reasons why it was good:
1. $20 cheaper
2. They stay true to the manufactuer’s timing to change oil. They did the usual 6 months or 5000 miles, whichever is first. Pflueger reminds you that it’s due on 3 months. The ACURA MANUAL says it’s 6 months, and changing it more frequently will not help your vehicle.
3. Friendly friendly staff.
4. They give you a FREE CAR WASH at their Honda Windward Auto Spa not too far away. Yeah, it’s normally $9.
5. They gave me ANOTHER free car wash through e-mail just for using them.
I can go on and on. No wonder those commercials for Honda Windward always praises them for being a good dealership. They do live up to their name. I can’t say the same for other dealerships.
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August 7th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Uh, Honda Windward??? The “Best Dealer in Hawaii”?? Nah! Don’t get caught up in the spin! In fact . . .
DON’T EVEN “THINK” ABOUT BUYING OR RECEIVING SERVICE FROM THESE FOOLS!!!!
We bought a brand new 2008 CRV from these clowns, loaded to the gills with every feature you can imagine (sales price nearly $34,000!) just 4-months ago, and yet, when the very first oil change came due, they wanted $30.00 to change it! Crazy! Service Manager (Dalton Somebody) says that we had to pay EXTRA for that.
Virtually every mainstream auto manufacturer on the flippin’ planet provides free oil changes for the first 1-3 years or so, but not these misers! Toyota, Mini Cooper, hell, even junk auto manufacturers like GM provide this most basic service at no additional charge! Unreal!
Are they being shortsighted? Uh, yuup! But hey, that’s cool! We’ve lived here on Oahu for nearly 30-years now, and we know a few folks, so we’ll gladly spend the whopping $20.00 to get the oil changed elsewhere?!@#$%^&*? No worries!
But guess what we’ll do then? We’ll make sure to spread the word to every single person we know throughout the state including every meaningful on-line auto forum throughout Hawaii and the greater U.S.
Will their greed and arrogance have cost them more than $20.00? Automatic!
August 14th, 2008 at 6:04 am
30+ years in Hawaii and you get 1-3 years of FREE oil change? You must live in a different Hawaii that I live in. Usually, cars that get any type of free oil change are cars that are leased, because the dealership wants to keep the car in tip-top condition when they get it back, so it can get a higher resale value. Secondly, unless you get some Euro luxury car like BMW that gets their first 3 years of free maintenance, Toyota isn’t going to give you any type of free oil changes. Think about it, Lexus, which is sold through Servco in Hawaii, doesn’t have any free oil changes. Servco also owns Toyota. Thus, if Lexus doesn’t have free oil changes, neither does Toyota. In fact, Servco may be the most frugal when it comes to giving free things or at a lower price.
The fact that you purchased a fully loaded CR-V for $34K is quite appalling. If you are complaining about a $30 oil change (which is definitely the cheapest for ANY car dealership) and you purchased a compact SUV which usually starts around $20K, you’ve already been had.
I currently own an Acura, and I got my first oil change for free, just because they are a luxury car dealership. No, not 1, 2, or 3 years. Just ONE free oil change. And I’ll be first to say I’m happy about that. All my previous vehicles (I’ve owned a Toyota, Infiniti, and Honda) did not offer free oil changes for 1-3 years. Inifiniti gave me one free oil change as well.
Instead, dwell on the fact that you spent $14K more on a CR-V, instead of griping that you could have saved $180 on 3 years of oil changes.