Boy, has this place changed since my original review back in 2017. The service department really went downhill with the pandemic and never recovered. I quit going after they botched a repair on my wife's Cruze, then charged me another $500+ without so much as an apology. I think that was back in 2021. I found a different mechanic after that.
Fast forward to recent events, I was in the market to replace that Cruze with a Bolt EV. Autonation is one of the few dealers that did not have a needless markup on the vehicle, so I ordered it through them. The process from ordering to buying was super simple. It was probably the easiest car buying experience I've had. When the car came in, the dealer requested some documentation via email so that they could take care of some paperwork up front.
They quoted me more than what I expected to get for the Cruze. Always a plus! It was otherwise pretty standard stuff - sign a bunch of papers, get the keys and go. I do seem to be missing an IRS document related to the sale of the EV, which I did reach out to the dealer about. He said he would look into it, but I haven't heard anything since.
The dealership side is overall pretty good, minus that issue with the document. It certainly won't be a problem if you're going there looking for something gas powered.
While I was there, multiple people were encouraging me to give the service center another try. They told me they had gone through several managers and that it's different now. Seemed like marketing speech to me, but I decided to give them another try at some point out of curiosity.
I should have listened to my instincts and not bothered, but sometimes I'd like to be proven wrong. The entire experience was a waste of time. I dropped my Volt off Thursday afternoon. The appointment is for Friday. Friday comes and goes. No call, no update.
Saturday, I try to call the service center using their automated system to check on the status of the vehicle. It rings....and rings, then eventually kicks me back to the main menu because nobody picks up. This cycle continued three or four more times before I get on the line with someone on the dealership end and they forward me directly to a service advisor. That time, someone picked up.
The woman on the line told me that there was a delay getting the car diagnosed. I think she said that it should be looked at either later that day or on Monday. Nobody deigned it necessary to inform me of this. I'm irritated at this point because the appointment was for the prior day, not Saturday or Monday. By the end of Saturday, again, nobody called with an update.
Monday rolls around with the same radio silence from the service center. Only it's somehow even harder to get ahold of anyone. I spammed their automated system for a while, then called the main desk on the dealership end. The receptionist forwarded me to the service center manager's phone this time. The phone rang and went to voicemail. At this point, I keep spamming the automated system, hoping that someone will get annoyed enough with the constantly ringing phone and pick up. That eventually worked. Someone on the line said that my car was out being tested and that I would be called with an update when the tech returned. As is the theme here, I received no call as the hours went by.
It's 6pm on Monday. My appointment was supposed to be Friday and I'm tired of all the crap. My wife drives me down to the service center to pick up the car. Much to my surprise, it's closed! Even though the schedule on the door and online says that they're open until 7pm, they're not. They're open until 6pm. The only reason I know this is because of a newly recorded voicemail message I got when I called in that stated their new hours.
Tuesday morning, I went down there and got my car back right when they opened. I told them that I just wanted to get my car and leave. I didn't care what was going on in the back, the only thing I wanted to do was get my vehicle and leave. I was brought back into the garage, the mechanic quickly went over a little report that he had, gave me my key, and I was on my way. The service advisor there didn't charge me, which was the correct thing to do.
Is it better than it was in 2021? Not really. The god-awful service advisors don't seem to be there anymore, but this place has got issues that make that point irrelevant. I canceled my Bolt's free service appointment. Frankly, the service here isn't even worth free.
It isn't worth being free because there is no respect for the customer's time. People need their vehicles. People should be kept up to date on the status of their vehicles. There is no point to an appointment system if the customer's vehicle won't get in on that day. Even worse if there is a delay and the customer isn't notified. At the very least, the service center should be capable of picking up the phone; something that they literally struggle to do.
Please go to a different mechanic, even if it costs more. read more