I have never had any experience in any industry that was bad enough to compel me to write a bad review online. I am running a business which keeps me extremely busy, have a wife and three kids who also need my time and attention. However, I strongly feel that this dealership treated me in a very bad and unfair way, therefore I decided to spend some time and share my experience with everyone considering purchasing a car from these people.
I was specifically looking to buy a Lexus GX 470 and a month ago ended up getting it from Ultimate Motor Cars in St. Augustine. I found this car on cargurus.com and same day came with my wife in the afternoon to test-drive the vehicle. Everything seemed fine at that time, both of us liked the car, so we came back in the evening to pay and sign the paperwork. Final price came out ok, even a bit higher than NADA or KBB suggested for the same vehicle in an excellent condition. Plus, on the top of that, they charged me an extra fee of $695 (dealership fee). While getting the documents finalized, Brad (GM) sent our sales rep Shayne to put some gas in the car as the fuel tank was empty.
When Shayne returned and we were getting ready to leave, I realized that the check engine light (CEL) was on. I asked Brad about it and his answer was that Shayne probably did not close the fuel cap all the way. Since I've already had experience using the OBD ll Car Diagnostic Scanner, I trusted Brad and when came home went ahead and deleted the codes.
Next morning the lights came back. Since then I went back to the dealership five times to see Greg (lead mechanic, who claims to have over 30 years of experience). When picking up the car each time I was assured that the car is fixed and the problem is now gone but next morning the CEL was coming back. Last time Greg started blaming me for it and wanted me to pay $350 to do the repairs.
I could not believe him! After having to bring the car back to him from Jacksonville several times plus being without the vehicle for several days, I was back to square one - the check engine light was still on for the exact same codes. No documentation or paperwork in reference to any repairs that were done on the vehicle was ever given to me, so I have no idea what these people were doing with my car for so many days...
After having an unpleasant conversation with Greg, I asked him to have Eric (the owner) call me and he said he'll text him my number. I have also called the dealership multiple times and asked for Eric or Brad to call me back, but all of my requests kept being ignored. I know that Brad got my request for a call back at least a couple of times, however he seems not to care at all about his customers.
To be honest, spending an extra $350 will not change my lifestyle. The question here is - why do I have to pay this money to a dealership that sold a car to me with a problem and now wants me to pay more money to fix it? Well, if you don't want to go through the same problems, stay away from this dealership! They'll be glad to take your money but should a problem come up, be prepared to pay more. read more