Stories from the Sales Frontlines

driver100

With the Sequestration (allegedly) the flights are being delayed because there aren't enough air traffic controllers.

Yeh GG, like the country is trying to recover from a recession and business people are delayed because of political gamesmanship. Even vacationers, who are spending dollars and putting money into the economy are penalized.

Just plain stupid! (mad)

graphicguy

robr, houdini, driver....preaching to the choir.

When this kind of stuff happens, I feel like we need a special election immediately to show how much we don't like the people in office, nor the leaders of industry (ummmm....like the CEO's of the airlines).

Maybe, just maybe, they'd think twice about saying and doing the things they say and do.

In any event, in my small way, I've cancelled any flights I had scheduled over the next 60 days and am using WEBx instead.

js06gv

A little apprehensive after reading jmonroe's stories and wasn't sure what to expect....At last oil change my local Firestone noted that both valve cover gaskets were leaking on my 07 Santa Fe with 63K miles, nothing drastic but would eventually need to be addressed. Repair was going to run me in the $700-800 ballpark so I figured I'd first take a run at the power train warranty. Currently serving as my daily beater and extra car, this is going to be my daughter's car in 6 months when she gets her license so looking to keep it in good shape. I dropped it off at the dealer this am, and got a call within 2 hours confirming the diagnosis, that it is covered under warranty and should be ready this afternoon, Monday at the latest. Obviously I was satisfied with that.

The advisor did ask me to bring proof of current registration when I come in to pick it up so that he can provide to Hyundai with the repair paperwork, which I found interesting. Then I remembered that portion of the warranty isn't transferable (I've owned car since new) so I guess they have to dot their i's and cross their t's.

mako1a

valve cover gaskets were leaking (I'm thinking $10/gasket). Repair was going to run me in the $700-800 ballpark

Did NASA make these gaskets? I'm not a mechanic and I can change them in under an hour. Are they fancy $800/hour Dr Mechanics?
Can't wait to hear jmonroe's take on this.

js06gv

Yes probably that cheap. Lots of engine labor, particularly to get to the one in the back, jacks the repair cost way up.

tjc78

Yeah I'm sure the front one is easy, but the rear probably involves taking the intake off to gain access.

roadburner

The X3's valve cover gasket is pretty easy- like most all BMW inline fours/sixes(pre-turbo, anyway). I just had the dealer fix it as the truck was already in the shop for the blown expansion tank.

stickguy

my wife finally made your cake recipe today for my B'day cake. Very tasty. Send more recipes please.

stickguy

In line engines are nice. transverse V6, especially in snub nose vehicles (minivans being particularly bad) are just nasty to work on the back bank.

bwia

Greetings all:

Activity in this forum has slowed to a crawl. Where is everybody? On spring break or out test driving the new models?

Speaking of new models, I looked at the Ford Fusion last week and I was genuinely surprised with the interior and exterior styling as well as the unlimited selection of tech and safety features. With softer leather the Fusion could move upscale in the entry luxury market category.

I was look warm to hybrids before but the Fusion's 47 MPG is impressive and compelling. With the price of gas at $3.50 and higher the hybrid or some sustainable variant is the way to the future. If Ford can keep the Fusion at the $25K transaction price point it would dominate the midsize category. But the domestics can't build a car cheap enough to compete on price. Oh well, nice car anyway.

abacomike

"wife finally made your cake recipe today for my B'day cake. Very tasty. Send more recipes please"

*stickguy, happy belated birthday wishes. Many healthy and happy more!

tjc78

Happy Bday. That cake is good eatin!

jmonroe

It's really important for us to hear from our regulars to get direction going forward.

I stepped away for a little bit but I'll try to get back in here more often. I have some catching up to do but I just put in my 2 cents worth.

jmonroe

abacomike

"I see I was left off your acknowledgement list. Was this an oversight or what? If it was intentional, forget the advice I gave above."

*jmonroe, honestly, it was merely an oversight and an unintentional omission. You know I think the world of you and miss your wry sense of humor.

I just don't post as much because of the aggravation I get from one or two posters - not worth the stress - I have enough of that in my life, especially with my shoulder surgery coming up in 2 weeks from Tuesday. Had to go through tons of tests, X-rays, MRI's, cardiologists for surgical clearances, to name a few.

Couple that with taking delivery of my new car Friday, I'm up to my neck in my much busier life.

I saw your latest post about giving Edmunds feedback and input, and I gave mine already as have most of our regulars here.

Please accept my sincerest apology for that omission as I hope all of my dear friends here on SSFTSF will for omitting their names. Unintentionally!

driver100

"my wife finally made your cake recipe today for my B'day cake. Very tasty."

What a way to get the word out that it is your birthday! You are probably expecting a "free' Edmonds T-shirt too!

Some people.....................

Anyway, all the best and many more (smiley face)

jmonroe

"We've had a few manufacturer reps drop in and start participating - Toyota, Ford, Chrysler and Hyundai are ones I remember - but they didn't stick around long. No idea why".

Boy would I have liked to have been on the Hyundai forum. I’m curious as to how a rep would have answered why Hyundai screwed me out of 3 grand by denying engine warranty work when the XG350 blew up with around 43K miles. All because of a technicality with my oil log sheet. Even though they admitted, several times, that the engine was VERY clean.

Maybe they didn’t stick around because some people were asking embarrassing questions that they couldn’t answer.

jmonroe

mako1a

You are probably expecting a "free' Edmonds T-shirt too!

This, coming from a guy using the Canadian spelling of EDMUNDS.

fezo

That's all right. You forgot me, too.....

In truth I haven't been around so much. I've been kind of out of things - feel fine but not keeping up with even really routine things.

jmonroe

"A little apprehensive after reading jmonroe's stories and wasn't sure what to expect....

I dropped it off at the dealer this am, and got a call within 2 hours confirming the diagnosis, that it is covered under warranty and should be ready this afternoon, Monday at the latest. Obviously I was satisfied with that".

Glad you had a dealer that was on your side. I didn’t have that and I’ve said all along that the dealer has a lot to do with how warranty work is handled. Frankly, I’m surprised that valve cover gaskets are covered on an ’07 unless you bought it in ‘08. I would have thought it would be covered via the 5 year/60K mile bumper to bumper warranty but not after that. You have the kind of dealer I should have had.

Again, good for you.

jmonroe

abacomike

"That's all right. You forgot me, too.....In truth I haven't been around so much. I've been kind of out of things - feel fine but not keeping up with even really routine things."

Sorry about that, fezo. Unintentional, as I stated before! Feel good.

jmonroe

"Of course the "professional" in question couldn't resist taking one last shot at me..."

His shots should have better aim.

I did get a kick out of that guy when he wanted you to incriminate yourself by asking you to prove yourself wrong. I’d hate for this guy to be my defense attorney. I thought our system says the burden of proof lies with the one who is doing the accusing. In this case he is challenging your ability of knowing how to put on an oil filler cap by insinuating your oil cap popped off from hitting a pot hole. I don’t think hitting a crater would do that. I’ve said it before…some of those guys have answers to questions that haven’t even been ask yet. It has to come from years of trying to prove you’re always right and if the customer knew so much, why did they bring their car to me for service? That’s why I do my own work when I can and not just with cars.

I too, and I’ve said it here before, think mechanics who do sloppy work are idiots. If I was allowed to do it here I’d put an adjective before IDIOT just to emphasize my displeasure with that type of work.

jmonroe

driver100

"This, coming from a guy using the Canadian spelling of EDMUNDS."

Well, I used the French spelling.

graphicguy

j....rb.....I think the more mechanics try to prove to me they're knowledgeable, the less I tend to believe them. I'm not ASE certified, but I've turned more than a few wrenches and busted a lot of knuckles in the past. Plus, I'm pretty good at sifting through BS fairly quickly.

I'd much prefer a guy tell me...."hey GG, not sure what the issue is but let me try a few things to see if they take care of the problem." Rather than, "I know exactly what's wrong." and in turn, giving me back my car that's not repaired, and charging me for the priviledge.

Kirstie_H

Maybe they didn’t stick around because some people were asking embarrassing questions that they couldn’t answer.

This would be my guess, though that's all it is. Of course, they may have just been participating as an experiment, or just employees doing it with authorization, but on their own time. GM has a team dedicated just to social media, aka, "cannon fodder."

tjc78

Yeah, there are GM reps on a Buick forum I visit occasionally. They try and act as a liason between GM corp customer service and the servicing dealer. They have helped some members through a few tough situations.

michaellno

Yeah, there are GM reps on a Buick forum I visit occasionally. They try and act as a liason between GM corp customer service and the servicing dealer.

There is a GM rep on one of the Saturn ION threads here at Edmunds.

robr2

There is a GM rep on one of the Saturn ION threads here at Edmunds.

Is he like that Japanese soldier that was found in the 70's thinking WWII was still going on?

abacomike

Since we really haven't had many "sales stories" lately, I thought it might be worth some time for me to relate what took place last Friday at the dealership.

On April 18th, I received a call from my dealer that the car that was ordered for me from Germany had arrived at the Port of Brunswick, Georgia. By that time, April 18th, I was 90% sold on getting the newly refreshed E350 Sport Sedan because it was a total redesign of the front end, rear end, and an inclusion of some safety and convenience technology I had been waiting for. I had originally intended on keeping my 2013, but after reviewing the modifications and upgrades, I slowly started convincing my self that getting the new one was appropriate.

From Brunswick, Georgia, the car was transported to the Port of Jacksonville, Florida. That is where Mercedes has their large facility for preparing imported vehicles for delivery to the dealerships. The Port of Jacksonville just isn't "deep" enough to handle the larger ships Mercedes uses for the Atlantic Crossing. From Jacksonville, the car was shipped down here.

I received a call on Thursday, April 25th from the salesman assigned to me that the car had arrived. I told him I would be in the following morning. When I arrived Friday morning at 9:00 AM, the car had already been prepared for delivery and was sitting out in front of the dealership. It is Iridium Silver with light gray leather interior. We took it for a drive because I wanted to make sure that it had everything I had ordered on it - and that it handled and drove as I would want it to, which it did. I was not disappointed in the new electronic steering technology nor in the ECO start/stop which was added for improved fuel economy.

I went inside with the salesman and sat down, ready to negotiate a price. My 2013 was appraised by the used car manager and the first price differential they brought out was for dealer invoice, less $1500 for the USAA pricing protocol. I had also turned in my $1000 certificate for the Mercedes Benz Club of America discount, but they said I could not combine the incentives, which I knew to be wrong. They offered me $46,000 for my trade, which also was unacceptable.

I then walked into the manager's office, spoke with the General Manager, who assured me he would be on top of this, and the next price brought out was for the full $2500 under invoice plus $48,500 for my trade (which was $1000 over the highest Manheim auction price of the month), which was about where I expected it to be. The MSRP on the car was $64,750 and I ended up paying $57,900 + tax (6.0%) + dealer fee ($699) + tag/title of $187. I was extremely satisfied with the pricing and the manner in which they arrived at the final pricing. It took less than 15 minutes before I was ready to sign on the dotted line. Since there was no incentive from Mercedes Benz Financial once again, I decided against taking out a loan at 2.49% for 60 months and just paid for the car in cash.

The car is equipped with Blind Spot Monitors, Lane Tracking Monitors, Keyless Go (keyless entry and start), Electronic Trunk open/close, rear spoiler, wheel locks, sport package (no charge), wheel package, wood and leather steering wheel, Premium Package which included Harman Karman 14 speaker Logic 7 Surround Sound, Lighting Package (which includes full LED lighting for all front, rear and side lights), heated/cooled ventilated front seats, comfort box (rear collapsible storage box for groceries so they won't slide around in the trunk) etc. Additionally, they provided me with a maintenance package for 3 years, for all A and B services. I think they offer me this because they know I will never use all of it.

I've put on 102 miles so far, and the major differences I've noticed so far is that the car seems more stable at higher speeds, the seats are a bit wider than the 2013, the cooling function for the seats is great for the high humidity we had today. Backing up is much better in the rear view camera since they finally added movable grids to show where the car is heading with the front steering wheel turned. They also added something called Collision Avoidance as a standard feature - it uses radar beams in the front of the car to warn of an imminent collision and prepares the belts, the airbags, etc. It also has something to do with the brakes and steering, but I haven't read up enough yet to know all of its capabilities.

I had the tint done Saturday in 3M Crystalline. It's a light tint, but I prefer that because of night driving and the fact that my eyes are not as good as they used to be. It still reflects 68% of the sun's heat and 99% of ultra violet light.

Now that I have driven the car with the ECO start/stop, it really isn't as bad as I though it would be. When the engine shuts down at the light with your foot on the brake, the ventilation continues as does the power steering. As soon as you remove your foot from the brake, the car starts right up.

I guess that's the story.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am going in for shoulder surgery two weeks from tomorrow all due to the bad fall I took several months ago. There are several bone chips, three tears in rotator cuff muscles, and a serious tear in the tendon connecting the rotator cuff muscles to the front shoulder bone. Not looking forward to this, but at least the pain will eventually subside with a few months of therapy.

tjc78

Sounds like a great deal on a hell of a car. Best of luck with it.

Let be me the first to say also, good luck with your surgery. Hopefully the pain/discomfort won't be too bad and you will be back to your old self ASAP.

robr2

Congrats on the new car - sincerely.

nyccarguy

Thanks for providing us with the dirty details! Congrats once again on a beautiful car. I haven't seen the new 2014 E350 in the sheet metal yet, but am sure it is every bit as sexy looking as in the pictures & commercials.

Styling is one thing Mercedes-Benz does so well. I also love how they modernize and redesign without making the previous model look "old." Take a look at an '09 E350 Sport with the AMG Wheels (Round Headlights) or the '12 or '13 E350 with the squared headlights (squared headlights) that's all shined up and sitting on a dealer's lot. To the auto enthusiast, you know it is the older body style, but to the general public they still look great.

Compare that to what BMW does. I'm a big fan of the E60 5 series (2004 - 2010), but the new F10 5 series just makes it look dated.

jmonroe

"Rather than, "I know exactly what's wrong." and in turn, giving me back my car that's not repaired, and charging me for the priviledge".

Being honest with the customer is the way I want a shop to be.

Somewhat related to this is when I had to get tires for the Genny again last week. These tires were replacements for the replacements that replaced the OEM Dunlop’s that came with the car. Yes, this is the third set of tires for the Genny. The first set of replacements were Bridgestone Serenity’s and at least they gave me way more than the Dunlop’s that lasted only 17K miles. I got around 30,800 miles from tires that had a tread wear warranty of 40K miles. The same manager was at this Firestone store that was there when I got the Bridgestone’s in April 2010. When I got the tires in 2010 I also got the lifetime balancing and lifetime alignment. When this manager saw the tires he said, “I know you have babied these tires, and for that matter it looks like you have babied the car itself, by taking advantage of the lifetime balancing and lifetime alignment a couple times each year but to be honest with you, these tire warranties just don’t give the mileage that they claim. I’m going to give you the adjustment now even though you’re only close to the wear bars because there is no sense in you having to come back here in about 3K miles for replacements when you are at the wear bars. I don’t want to waste your time or mine. You’re here now so I’ll take care of it now. I’ll probably be questioned about this by the local rep because I gave you an early adjustment but that’s my problem not yours. I’ll battle with him about that. You did your part so now I’ll do mine”.

That is the way to run a store. Take care of your customers and they will come back. I plan to pass the word around because this guy is a straight shooter. Why would I chance going to another tire store when I know what I have with this one?

BTW, even with the adjustment my bill was still around a grand for the 4 tires, lifetime balancing again, road hazard warranty again, PA state inspection and tax. Damn, buying tires is not my favorite purchase in life.

‘driver’ would have justified a new car purchase for an outlay like this, and believe, I thought of it too. (insert "sick" emotorcon here)

jmonroe

tjc78

What is it about the V8 Genesis that it chews up the tires? My 09 V6 had 27K on the CRAP/JUNK/DISGRACE of a tire Dunlop SP Sport and still had a little life left. I wasn't that easy on them either. There must be something just different enough in the V8's suspension that causes more rapid tire wear. I know it has a limited slip rear, but that can't be the only reason. 30K out of a set of Serenitys is not usual. Your experience is quite common based on reports of other V8 owners (when I kept up on the Genesis Owners forum).

jmonroe

"What is it about the V8 Genesis that it chews up the tires"?

I wish I knew. I don’t routinely try to see how well it corners at higher speeds although I do it a few times just to see how it performs at different times of the year. The last time I did it, a few weeks ago when I took off the snow tires, is when I knew it needed new tires.

"Your experience is quite common based on reports of other V8 owners (when I kept up on the Genesis Owners forum)".

I take no solace in Misery Loves Company.

jmonroe

abacomike

"sounds like a grat deal on a hell of a car. Best of Luck"
"...congratulations, sincerely"

Thanks, tjc, nyccarguy, rob, and everyone else. As for the surgery, at this point, it can't be any more painful than what I have been going through these past 3 months.

bwia

"As I mentioned yesterday, I am going in for shoulder surgery two weeks from tomorrow all due to the bad fall I took several months ago."

Congrats on the new purchase. And as usual, a well written and descriptive piece of expository writing. I had a question for you but you answered it...and it is with respect to the start/stop feature. I thought when stopped everything was shut down but apparently not.

Since you'll be unable to drive while recuperating from shoulder surgery I would like to help you out a bit. If you don't mind, I'd like to take care of the E350 for you and break it in just like you would. I'll put premium gas in the tank, drive it around the neighborhood at a gentlemanly pace, and occasionally stretch the engine on Route 95--never to exceed 110 mph. Honest!

You can rest assured I will wash the car every week and I will take you to the hospital for your follow up visits. No need rush back too soon to driving for I plan to be at your beck and call for at least 30 days. Oh, and by way, I am a vampire sort of guy, I only drink at night. Again, no need to worry because the E350 is equipped with LED headlights.

abacomike

" I'll put premium gas in the tank, drive it around the neighborhood at a gentlemanly pace, and occasionally stretch the engine on Route 95--never to exceed 110 mph. Honest!"

I have such loyal and helpful friends here on Edmunds - always stretching to help fellow posters. I have tears in my eyes just from reading your post.

As for ECO stop/go, the compressor for the A/C shuts down with the engine, but the ventilation system continues to operate along with the ventilated seats. The steering wheel turns with one finger so the electronic power steering is obviously functioning as well as is the audio system. I will turn that ECO start/stop off on very heavy traffic because starting and stopping an engine continuously in a short period of time can't possibly be good for it. It will not shut down if battery power is below a certain level or if the internal temperature of the car is too warm. There are lots of variables, and the engine does not shut down at every light or stop sign.

jmonroe

"Since we really haven't had many "sales stories" lately, I thought it might be worth some time for me to relate what took place last Friday at the dealership".

Congrats on the new car. While not shocking that you got this car, I enjoyed your write-up.

"I've put on 102 miles so far,"

That’s not nearly enough to get tired of it but in another month or two I’m sure we will have another sales tale from you. That’s the one I can’t wait to hear about.

Best of luck with the surgery. I plan to visit my SIL in Delray Beach next month so I could mile it up so you’re ready for the next one by the time you’re healed enough to drive. I know ‘bwia’ offered to take it out for gentle spins but if I get my hands on it, with my track record for eating up tires, we’ll be assured of another sales tale from you sooner. Who wants to put new tires on a new car?

Think it over.

jmonroe

abacomike

"Best of luck with the surgery. I plan to visit my SIL in Delray Beach next month so I could mile it up so you’re ready for ..."

I would consider it an honor to meet for lunch - I'll schedule a car wash that day. We could meet at the dealership on Linton Blvd., just east of I-95. Then have a nice leisurely lunch - bring your SIL.

My surgery is scheduled for may 14th, and I should be home the next day. I drive with my left hand anyway, so the sling won't limit my driving. Just let me know a few days in advance so we can make arrangements.

As for the next sales story, since I will have title to this one in a week or two, it will be much harder to trade in - haven't had physical title to a car in 7 years.

jayrider

You had me at "wider seats". Sounds like a great car. Congrats.

abacomike

"You had me at "wider seats". Sounds like a great car. Congrats."

Thanks, jayrider. Yes, wider seats to be sure!

roadburner

"I too, and I’ve said it here before, think mechanics who do sloppy work are idiots. If I was allowed to do it here I’d put an adjective before IDIOT just to emphasize my displeasure with that type of work."

I think that it is interesting that the person in question professes to be interested in improving the quality of mechanics and repair shops- yet he twists himself into a pretzel defending the most inept and/or shoddy work. He accuses me of calling anyone who works on my car an "idiot" when in fact I have heaped praise on my BMW and Mazda dealers- as well as the indie shops I use.
Life is too short to waste time arguing with individuals with a God Complex...

explorerx4

If I some post sale observations?
I've had my Fusion for just over 2 months and just hit 1500 miles.
Over the weekend, I did take a 400 mile trip.
Slowly, have been trying out some of the features that are new to me.
Remote start has several options. I set it to 'Auto' which sets the climate control to 72.
The other day, I tried out the paddle shifters and they work great for what I would use them for. I drive a hill that has a 45 mph limit and I don't like to go over 50, but the car is still reluctant to downshift. It will probably get better as it breaks in.
Used the NAV to get me home from Wilkes-Barre and it took the route I drive, so that's good.
Fuel miles for the trip was 30+, so it's close to the 33 MPG highway rating.

nyccarguy

Hey Mike. I think you should just leave the ECO stop/start on all the time to just see how it works. I seriously doubt MB would put this type of technology in the car would hurt the car's engine, battery, starter... in any way. Besides, you aren't going to have the car that long anyway to notice long term damage:)

abacomike

"Hey Mike. I think you should just leave the ECO stop/start on all the time to just see how it works. I seriously doubt MB would put this type of technology in the car would hurt the car's engine, battery, starter... in any way. Besides, you aren't going to have the car that long anyway to notice long term damage:)"

I leave it on all the time, however in very heavy, stop and go traffic, I will probably turn it off.

As for not keeping it long enough to do much damage, we all know you are right!!!

abacomike

"Used the NAV to get me home from Wilkes-Barre and it took the route I drive, so that's good.
Fuel miles for the trip was 30+, so it's close to the 33 MPG highway rating."

Sounds like the new car is performing at or above expectations, explorer.

You mentioned Wilkes Barre - I spent a year in Hazelton back in 1999-2000 as Vice President of a private school in the Poconos. I always flew out of Scranton/Wilkes Barre airport on US Airways frequently. Wilkes Barre is a quaint city tucked away in the north branch of the Poconos. Bought a Pontiac in Wilkes Barre in 2000. Cozy city with great people.

Hazelton has significantly changed, from what I've heard.

driver100

"paying $57,900 + tax (6.0%) + dealer fee ($699) + tag/title of $187."

So you got a much better car with more equipment for less than $10K.

Not bad, guess your really glad you didn't keep the Lexus.

You did great, congratulations and keep us posted on what else you find out. I turn off the stop/start as soon as I start up, but I try to put it on if I come up to a long light, or a train....which you don't have too many of in Florida.

Happy driving!

graphicguy

Explorer....I really think Ford has a huge hit with the new Fusion. It's a great looking car, with all the tech, is fuel efficient and a real value. That's a sure recipe for success. Thanks for the update.

Mike...take care of that shoulder before the surgery. And again, congrats on the new E. Sounds sweet!

Sandman6472

Yes, I've driven a few new Fusions and they really did an outstanding job over the older model which our rental company's still have a lot of. We moved 196 vehicles on Sunday and finally got to drive a few Sonata's and was quite impressed with them. Since I haven't driven a new Accord yet I can't say how well they drive but right now from what I have driven, the Sonata is the best vehicle in this segment bar none...it was super comfortable with brisk acceleration and actually felt smaller than it was. Since I haven't tried the Accord, and I really want to as my friend who just bought a Sport model last month said they are outstanding, my recommendation here is based on the information I have available to me. But Hyundai, ya done good and I like the Sonata a bit better than the Optima which is also an excellent driver.

The Sandman

abacomike

"Mike...take care of that shoulder before the surgery. And again, congrats on the new E. Sounds sweet!"

Thanks graphic guy. Toughest part of living with the pain from the shoulder is not being able to sleep at night from the discomfort. That's the only reason I'm going through with the surgery - no choice at this point.