Honda Service Center is a complete joke. They ripped me off of $800+ and my car is still not fixed.
I recently took my 2007 Odyssey into their service center because the battery (less than 1 year old) was dead. I was also having a problem with one of my electric sliding doors. My car was beeping alllll the time like the door was open, even though it was closed (so annoying). The door was the main reason I chose the dealer over any other mechanic.
The first time I took my car in to them, I paid $65 for them to test for a drain on the battery, as well as $45 for them to look at the door. They told me my alternator had a faulty diode pattern and needed replacement. I let them replace it, for $600 on top of those diagnosis fees. They apparently could not find any issue with my sliding door (wasn't beeping when I took it in), but charged me that $45 for looking at it anyways. Whatever. At least the main problem is fixed, right?
WRONG. The very next day, my car would not start. Dead battery, again! The door was beeping again as well.
So I called them and made a second appointment. I confirmed with them multiple times that they would not be charging me ANOTHER diagnosis fee, as they already did once and obviously didn't diagnose my car properly/in its entirety. I brought my car into the shop, and they printed out some paperwork for me to sign. There were 3 sheets; the "receipt" I got--which states exactly what work they were doing on the car (no $ on it, though), a bright yellow paper that I only got a glimpse at--which had $195 written on it, and the paper I signed.
The guy helping me printed these out and showed me them. When I saw that one of them had $195 written on it, I asked, "I'm NOT paying another fee for you guys to look for the problem again, correct?" before I signed. The man said, "Oh, no, let me just get this out of the way," and promptly snatched that paper out of my hands and shoved the one I needed to sign at me. I felt rushed and on the spot and, stupidly, I signed it.
Later I received a call from them, letting me know that they thought they had pinned down the problem: the sliding door, the one I was having troubles with, was apparently drawing on the battery and causing it to die.
I was informed that if they were going to continue diagnosis (NOT even repairing yet), I would have to START paying for it, because it was now technically a "new problem." I declined, because if I had to pay--not that I should have had to pay for MORE diagnosing--I'd rather have a different mechanic look at it and fix it for cheaper (dealerships always overcharge).
Upon picking up my car, I was charged $156 (the guy nicely told me he had negotiated the price with his manager down from the original $195). It was ar that moment that I realized I had been played. I allowed myself to be pressured into signing something I didn't fully read, and now I was on the hook for something I didn't agree to. The yellow paper the man had snatched from me was the estimate, which was probably also stated on the paper I signed, however I felt pushed to sign it and didn't read it well enough. I was livid. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do. I tied my own hands on that one.
I am here now, having paid OVER $800, and my car is still not fixed. They tricked me into paying way more money than I ever should have.
I am partially responsible for what happened. I did not read clearly what I was signing. However, I never got any kind of receipt with money numbers on it until AFTER I had paid. And after I had signed the estimate agreement the second time I brought in my car, they continued to reassure me that they were not charging me anything. I think that those two things were very sleazy and inappropriate.
Never, EVER, take your car here. Especially if you are a young female like me. They will milk you for as much as they can, and they are not honest businessmen. And always ALWAYS read everything on a paper you are signing, I learned this the hard way.
P.S. When I got my car home from the second trip to the dealer, I noticed my hood will not close all the way. They messed it up somehow, and now I will have get that fixed as well. read more