Herb Chambers - Allston, MA

[SSMV6]

I had to give them a :thmsup: for their patience with me, but a :thumbsdow for their coordination of the repair services. I went in three times to fix a rattling on the rear shelf. :eek: The good news is, it's finally cured of all rattles and squeaks (other than from the item I put in the car such as water bottles). They even fixed the third brake lamp cover free of charge (I broke the retaining tabs by accident when I was trying to figure out what the problem was).

The first time I went was on a Saturday. They told me that they don't do noise diagnostics on Friday or Saturday, but I insisted they took a look at it. There were other problems with noise when I brought it in that time. If the sunroof was opened in cold weather, it would make a horrible screeching noise (kinda like fingernails on a chalkboard). They fixed the sunroof squeal that time. :D

The second time was last Friday (I'm bad, I know :biggrin: ). I went in, drove around with a tech and he heard the noise. He didn't have enough time to fix the car so I arranged another appointment on Tuesday morning to have everything fixed (along with reserving a rental).

The third time I brought it in was this past Tuesday (5/31). The service manager told me it was going to be 1-2 days, but it ended up being 2-3 days since they were waiting for a part. I also declined the rental and told them about the door seals squeaking... Fast forward to today: I picked up the car, no squeaks or rattles and the car feels solid as a rock! :thmsup:

During the whole time, the service manager was being very patient with me and wasn't trying to place any blame on me because of the brake light cover. Customer satisfaction would be an 8/10 since the left some lubricant all over my car including a bit on my rear seat. The best thing of all was everything was covered under warranty! :yes: :thmsup:

[Dave]

i take mine to Boch Honda over in Norwood. took them 3 tries to finally fix the sunglass holder thingy but other than that they are very quick and efficient. the service staff there are always friendly and polite.
plus they have nice fruit cups, pastry and decent coffee in the waiting room. :D

[SSMV6]

Mmmmm Fruit Cups!

What was wrong with your sunglass holder? It didn't come down?

[Dave]

wouldnt stay closed. after 3 tries, they eventually replaced the entire unit.

[fju2112]

herb chambers in burlington has a very good service manager. a day after picking up my 2006 EXV6 (i picked it up in the rain and at night, not a good decision) i saw a paint chip on the driver's door handle. i called and he saw it when i was ready to come up, told me they'd just replace the door handle instead of trying to fix it.

i also called out one of their service reps on a TSB. it was out of warranty, but it was the TSB regarding the lights going out in the radio head unit display (thanks again to princess in factory direct forum here - wonderful resource!). i brought it in and he said they'd throw in the remanufactured unit after i asked for goodwill consideration, but that it would be two hours of labor. i called and asked him why it was two hours after reviewing the tsb, which called for 1/2 hour labor. he apologized and i was only charged for a 1/2 hour - i expected some pushback from them; usually dealers don't like educated customers!

my rep was very good too, i won't mention names good or bad but she was nice. thing is, she didn't tell me until the very last day that she couldn't quote prices over hte internet anymore at herb chambers, and i just thought she was slow to get back over email. for an internet sales manager i thought it was strange that she used the phone so much, until i told her at the last minute that another dealership would slice $300 off her price and that i'd rather go to chambers but needed that same price.

overall, great experiences at chambers.

[mypp]

i was banned from that dealership for a while a few years back.
their service department is a joke.
after getting crap from them and a few obvious attempts to rip me off, i bitched to honda, and didn't let up until they confirmed that the service manager got reprimanded.

i swore i'd NEVER go back there if my life depended on it. then about a month later, i needed to grab a part from them. i called, gave them car details (incl. my plate#). they told me i'm banned from their dealership, and my car wasn't welcome there. good freaking riddance. i'm not a violent person at all, but i swear, if i saw that service manager on the street then, i would've kicked his teeth in.

heard good things about boch honda. bought my car in RI and promised i'd go there for service. i'll probably honor that on major service/repair, but it's too far a drive for minor stuff.

but the allston herb chambers? -i- know more about my car that that ass did..... STAY AWAY from them if you want your car back in once piece and reasonably priced.

and oh, once (before the aformentioned incident) i took my car there for a transmission fluid change. the lifted the car up, did the transm. fluid, and then told me they can't in good conscience release the car to me because the breaks were completely shot, and i'd be a danger to myself and others on the road. after much yelling, they gave me the car back. next day took it to my regular mechanic and an independent garage down the street. both said the breaks had some average wear and were rather far from needing to be changed.

argh!

[stiller fan]

i hate going to dealers for that reason; they try to rip you off....

for instance, last year, went ot keenan honda for a free look-over that they were offering.... they told me that i need about 10 things done on my car... took to normal mechanic, said that everything was fine....

casey honda tried doing the same thing when i was down there...... even calling me an idiot for telling them what was wrong with my car (window motor); of course, they backtracked after that, along with a bill for $420.xx.... :headbash:

[SSMV6]

I noticed they changed their sales/ service floors around a bit (modernized) the last time I went there (one year ago). Maybe the service rep and tech's attitudes towards the customer's cars changed also. :dunno: I've only been there for service once, so I can't say how good/bad their diagnostic skills are.

[mypp]

I noticed they changed their sales/ service floors around a bit (modernized) the last time I went there (one year ago). Maybe the service rep and tech's attitudes towards the customer's cars changed also. :dunno: I've only been there for service once, so I can't say how good/bad their diagnostic skills are.

i wouldn't hold my breath.
besides, the -attitude- may've changed, but i bet the quality (or lack of such) of mechanics didn't.

when i asked that mgr if the guy working on my car was ASE certified, his response was "who the hell do you think you are to ask that????" *sigh*

[stiller fan]

well, if the manager said that to you, i would tell him to stop doing the service right now.......

that kind of reaction = :puke:

[mypp]

well, if the manager said that to you, i would tell him to stop doing the service right now.......

dude, you have no idea :)
he said a looooot of things. i bet if i dig deep enough, i'll find the actual letter i sent to honda quoting everything he said to me. granted, i waltzed in sporting jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt, as opposed to a suit, but, esp. as a manager, when a customer tells you "xyz is wrong with my car", even if you think the customer is wrong (or when they're right, like in my case), you NEVER reply with "oh, what do -you- know about what's wrong with the car?" and bump that up to "if you're so smart, how come you're here instead of doing it yourself" in a little while......

then again, i think it was '99, and i had a lot more patience back then :P

[stiller fan]

that kinda happened with me recently at casey honda in newport news, VA....

[BenjiBoy650]

I've walked in with shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. They get an earful when they try to BS me with things like "your battery needs to be replaced"...why, the car still starts fine?? Show me the tests your performed? :dunno:

Stupid dealers...

[stiller fan]

why must dealers stereotype people?!?!?! :furious:

one of the many things that piss me off in life.... :yes:

[stiller fan]

besides, when they try to get me to pay for stuff that doesn't need fixed, i tell them i'll have my normal mechanic replace it as needed......

that goes for the muffler, brakes, etc.....

[mypp]

besides, when they try to get me to pay for stuff that doesn't need fixed, i tell them i'll have my normal mechanic replace it as needed......

well, i try to do that too, but it bothers me. every shop outside of my regular mechanic doesn't let me inside when they work on the car. "againt regulations"... granted, they walk me around once they've "diagnosed", but i'm always afraid that, after i say, "don't fix that, i'll get a second opinion", they'll break something on purpose just to get back at me.

well yeah, ok, just because you're not paranoid, doesn't mean they're not after you. but i actually did have a similar experience at a shop... true, i have no reason to believe they did something malicious... but i brought the car in, they fixed it (well, not really, but that's besiddes the point). had a minor argument with them about their diagnostics. short while after, a little something failed in the car. could've been coincidental, but i still wonder about it....

[mypp]

I've walked in with shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. They get an earful when they try to BS me

i've actually done this on a bet with a friend. his car needed fixin', we played a little game. he took it in. jeans/snickers/t-shirt, chewing gum... you know the type :) dropped the car off, hung out, got a tonn crap on what else was broken and in a very rude manner at that. he told them to fix this one thing and said he'll pick it up later. well, i came to pick it up. nice suit, laptop bag, businesslike galore :) i don't think i've ever been treated that nicely at a dealer.... go figure...

[BenjiBoy650]

Dealers around here know better than that. One time a Chinese guy walked into the local Acura dealer to buy one for his daughter, and the white salesman plainly said he would not deal with Chinese because they like to bargain. So happens that this guy was one of the big shots at Cisco and the dealership went out of business shortly thereafter.

If you go up into Woodside where homes cost anywhere from 2 mil to 20 mil, you'll see a lot of the cars are older Accords and Camry's, old Volvo wagons, etc. If the dealer wants to play games, I wish them the best of luck :yes:

[mypp]

If the dealer wants to play games, I wish them the best of luck :yes:

oh, i'm with you on that one. but it's just so freaking hard to find someone decent. and, as i've replied to princess in another thread, i feel like my mechanic has been slacking (not in actual repairs--the quality is good there, but in paying attention to my concerns about the car and being proactive in taking care of it), and i have no patience to do trial&error in looking for another one.

so i get it, the dealer business is a slimeball market. but why does repair have to be too? :(

[stiller fan]

tell me about it....

wish that it wasn't, you know.....

[mypp]

tell me about it.... wish that it wasn't, you know.....

no kidding. makes me think i chose the wrong profession in life :)

[stiller fan]

whatever makes you happy..... AND, as long as it's a legit job.... :naughty:

[mypp]

whatever makes you happy..... AND, as long as it's a legit job....

*evil grin* oh, it's making me happy all right, but being able to take the car apart with my bare hands wouldn't hurt either :P