Complaints / Canada / Ontario / Acura of North Toronto Dealership
Acura of North Toronto
Dealership: Acura of North Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
On October 23, 2001 I left my Acura Legend with the Acura of North Toronto Service Department, with a motor overheat problem, hoping that the problem would be fixed. The same day, a technician called me to deliver the “bad news”: it looked like my car had a major problem, maybe related to a head gasket leak. The technician said that this could only be confirmed if the engine would be opened, and even then it would be possible that the cause wouldn’t be determined.
On the evening of the same day, I went and discussed this issue with the Manager of the Service Department. He recommended (based on his Mechanic’s technical report) to get rid of the car since trying to find the cause and repairing the engine (or putting a re-built engine) would be too costly for me. The same evening I started to look for another car, but the next day, driving in front of a Canadian Tire, I saw their Car Service open. Since I was never convinced that the symptoms of my car’s overheat problems (after 10 minutes into the drive, the engine would slowly overheat, and then 5 minutes after that the gage’s needle would go down and stop just slightly above its normal position) I decided, on the spot, to have a second opinion. The Canadian Tire mechanic indicated that he thought that the overheat problem was coming from a defective thermostat. He replaced the thermostat and I drove the car for a while to see if the problem would reappear. My car did not have any overheating problems since then. It was so relieved knowing that I do not have to spend a big amount of money to replace my Acura with another car (if the thermostat problem would not have been discovered and solved by Canadian Tire).
Based on the above, on November 5, 2001 I sent a fax to Acura of North Toronto describing the situation and requesting a refund of $102.35, which is the amount I paid to them (their invoice # 68675). This is because I took my car to North Toronto to have a problem solved, but the problem was not solved. Their inspection report was pointing to a wrong and costly solution (opening the engine). Paying $150 to Canadian Tire saved my car and the extra cost and trouble of purchasing another car at that time. I think it would have been fair to be reimbursed for the cost of the inspection, which did not help me, since it was not pointing to the right solution. I am just wondering why their mechanic did not replace the thermostat as a first and easy step - 15 to 20 minutes work - so he could, at least, eliminate a likely cause of the problem.
Since no reply was received for a couple of days, I called the Manager and he requested me to take the car to him, to see it. After inspecting the car, he told me that I should wait at least 6 months to see if the overheating would reappear. Since I had no problems after that, I called again after 8 months and left many messages for the Manager to call me back (he was never available). Then, finally, I could get a hold of the new Manager who, in short, told me that Acura of North Toronto would not reimburse me for the money I paid. I guess, this would be just because by paying me back (which in my opinion would be the right thing) is like admitting that a Canadian Tire Shop is better skilled than a “specialized” Acura Service Shop. But at the end, this was EXACTLY the case!
Advise to others: Never trust Acura of North Toronto – always get a second opinion from another shop. You may save a lot of money.
George Oprea
I WOULD LOVE TO POST MY EXPERIENCE WITH ACURA HERE !!!
SO lets make A VERY long story very SHORT !!!
Dealership - Acura of North Toronto !
I have never experienced such a bad customer service in my life !!!
SO lets start
#1. THEY LIE LIE LIE AND LIE !!!!!!
#2. They get rid of the cars - hide all the bad details and then make you pay for it - I got a car there - LEASE - and when i returned it - REPAINT was bad !!!! I NEVER REPAINTED THE CAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and now they want me to pay for paint !!!
#3. They Offer you one deal and when you sign up for it , give them deposit ... THERE IS NO SUCH A DEAL !!!! and its too late to get out... you are stuck paying EXTRA thousands !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#4. After that THEY IGNORE YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They do not reply to your emails, they do not return your calls , they are always "busy" ....
#5. They will never ever will give you your money back !!!!
#6. Plus, HONDA FINANCE WILL NOT HELP YOU EITHER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I REGRET GOING THERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Biggest mistake EVER !!!!!!!!!!! STAY AWAY FROM THAT LOCATION !!!!!!
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