update: its been 4 hours 20 minutes and I'm still waiting. I do have a good quote though. I was complaining about my floor mats wearing through. When the dealer tried to tell me that wear and tear is not covered, I said that I had my old car for 6 years and that didnt happen. He said welcome to 2007. Aside from admitting that honda is manufacturing poorer parts than they were years ago, its been 2008 for over 3 months.

 

"Welcome to 2007" was probably spoken like you were some kind of idiot that doesn't get things are more poorly made these days. It is sad. He was really talking about himself, and he doesn't care.

What kind of coffee did they serve you?

How can they keep you there for 4 hours without talk/telling you what's happening? That is beyond rude. It is imprisonment.
The dealership I did not buy from took an hour to decide how to talk to me about the "rear" noise. I got the "It is not a luxury car, sir. If you want a luxury care, we have those on the lot." and "You are too picky." I liked that one. The best line was: "It is all a matter of perception. Our tech says he doesn't hear any noise. So, no noise exists." This was after they admitted small cars make more noise. They talk long enough and they cannot keep their lies straight.

--Peterg

 

Off topic, but the local Cadillac dealer wins the award for best service hangout. Marble, leather and steel all around, a fountain drink machine and coffee bar, continental breakfast, lunch or dinner, HDTV with digital cable and 6 private cubicles with telephone, computer and a fax in case you need to do business.

Not a bad place to wait for your car at $125/hr...or if not...they will put you in a Cadillac rental for free under warranty or an extra $25/day out of warranty.

And make darn sure you are happy when you leave.

 

I have found a far better way of obtaning dealer co-operation than posting here while waiting.....that is to call American Honda and tell them what is going on, amazing how quickly they shut their smart mouths and get working to resolve the problem. I have had my mats replaced under warranty after calling American Honda. Give it a try, cause I am sure they found nothing.

 

Well after four and a half hours, I got my car back. To my (and I'm sure many of yours) they did replace the rear upper control arms!
After three hours I went to check on my car and they just started to remove the control arms. About 45min-1hour later, they had finished. It took the tech 30 minutes to write up the paperwork. The cashier had to go tell him to hurry up twice. They did an alignment and my car does run much quieter now.

I am glad that I was able to get this done, but I still wish they would have done it when I was getting my oil changed a few weeks ago. They claimed to have checked the tire tread and it was all okay. Apparently they didn't check it to well.

I'm not sure what type of coffee they had, but it came in little canisters of tea/coffee that you put in a machine that brews it into your cup. I don't like coffee, but I drank five bottles of Hoehn Honda water and one cup of tea from the cool coffee machine. Peter, did you ever find a dealer that was willing to fix your car?

I think that bringing in a copy of the service bulletin showed them that I knew what was up and so they didn't try too hard to play games. I am scanning my receipt, in case anyone wants to look at it. I will post it up shortly.

It's funny; they admitted (in writing!) that the tires were worn unevenly, which will cause more road noise, but that they will not replace them.

 

Congratulations: You survived. Yes, being armed with information should help. But, as happened in your case, time and again we hear the same story:
Dealers are not willing to move unless Honda gets on their case.

However, beware. In my exploration into the Black Hole of Bad Dealer Syndrome, my Dealer actually called Honda Customer Care and found someone who told them the opposite of what they told me. And, not only did the Dealer get the full names of the Customer Care Agents from Honda (no confidentiality), the Agent who said Yes I should get it done, and the Agent who said No to them-- that they did not have to fix it-- they also got a print out of notes from my conversation with Customer Care. Kind of scary, as the Dealer could get their hands on all information. It is easier to prepare a response when you know what the customer said. Part of their training is how to take care of customers, so to speak.

Another line: "We have to talk with our area supervisor. He's on vacation for a week."

I actually was shopping for a used Hybrid when I discovered the arm problem.

TIRES ARE UNDER TIRE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY. CHECK THE TSB 08-001 section on tire warranty. The Dealer (yes, the same one) was supposed to get your tires replaced by Tire Rack under the Dunlap or Bridgestone new tire Warranty. Unfortunately, you do have to pay the pro-ration. Some Dealers have a way of picking that up, however. Photo tires, save receipts and explanation of what was replaced and why. I would find a Discount Tire, or any tire retailer that sells Dunlap and Bridgestone, as their prices are better than Dealer options. Don't give up. There is a whole section on tires here.

--Peterg

 

When you post the receipt, can you make sure the Part Numbers are visible?
There is some debate over what the new arm part number(s) are.

Also, just for kicks, can you take a peek under the rear of the car, and facing forward, can you see a white capital "C" on the horizontal control arm. You peer right past the strut.

Thanks.

 

About the Cadillac Dealer--no massage?

 

No massage

You get what you pay for, I suppose

 

GQ,

Could you start a new thread like "How to get your control arms and/or tires replaced?"

I have read the two main threads here twice and it is painful. I have only seen one bulletin on the problem and it stated that Si's and Hybrids were excluded.

An up to date summary would be much appreciated.

Thanks, nf