ComplaintsforDCH Honda of Nanuet

• Initial Complaint

  02/09/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a **** Corvette, 6 speed manual V8 with ****** miles on the odometer from DCH Honda of Nanuet on 04/30/2021. The vehicle appeared to be in impeccable condition which was verified multiple times by the salesperson and sales manager. The total sale purchase price on was *********. Included in that purchase price was the purchase of a separate service contract costing *******. I dove the car several times during the spring and summer months mostly highway driving accounting for about 200 miles or less. The last time I drove the car which was in late October the clutch pedal stuck to the floor upon starting and rendered the vehicle undrivable. After having the car towed to a certified repair shop the diagnosis is an unrepairable clutch slave cylinder which will cost ******* to replace. I contacted the service contract company and they do not cover the clutch or brake hydraulic systems. I then called DCH Honda and spoke to the sales manager several times describing the broken system and their response is that they are not responsible. I disagree. My reasons are as follows: After the car was undrivable I investigated thru multiple internet sites what the possible causes were and found that this problem is a common issue with manual transmission corvettes and replacing the slave cylinder hydraulic fluid is a part of frequent regular maintenance. The fluid should appear to be clear however when I checked the fluid it was black. I leave the details of the cause and effects to the experts however I believe the corvette I purchased was not in proper working condition given the state of the hydraulic fluid and the known system maintenance requirements. I also feel that this clutch failure could have happened while I was driving and potentially could have cause serious bodily harm or worse. Given the color and condition of the hydraulic fluid this didnt happen within 200 miles or the car being parked.

  Business response

  02/16/2022

  We understand your concern, unfortunately the high performance Corvette your purchased 9 months ago is 16 years old. The part that has failed is a wearable item that more then likely has been engaged and disengaged thousands of times and if original it is 16 years old. We make sure every car we sell passes the ** safety inspection, which this car did, the car had numerous factory services done at authorized Chevrolet dealerships with its past owners. With that being said we are will to offer a one time goodwill offer of splitting the $2100 repair ****. Please send us a copy of the paid **** and we send you a check for $1100.00  please allow **** business days to get it processed.

   

  Thank You,

  Nanuet Honda

  Customer response

  02/17/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/18/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When I started my car, it wouldn't turn over right away but it would eventually start. On Aug 22nd I filled my gas tank at the same gas station I've been using for 11 years. On Aug 25th, my car stopped running on a busy highway. I called Honda Roadside Assistance and was towed to my local dealership, the one where I actually bought the car 3 years ago. The next day I was told by service advisor ********************************* that I had "bad gas" in the car and burnt spark plugs. Their plan was to drain the gas and put in their own gas. 24 hours later she said the car was running perfectly and ready for pick up. The total was a whopping $1,417.49! When picking up my car, I asked ******** about the recent fuel pump recall which states the fuel pump could prevent an engine from starting or stall an engine while driving. She said the issues were not connected and did not provide proof my gas was contaminated. The car was under warranty. Staff was rude. I want a refund in the amount of $1,417.49.

  Business response

  10/25/2021

  On 8/25/21 the customer ********* was towed in because the engine stopped running on a busy highway. The next day 8/26/21 the HR-V was looked at by our technician, the diagnostics showed multiple misfires in all the cylinders. The technician pulled out the plugs and noticed they were fouled out which indicates they are not firing properly;he then took a fuel sample with a test kit that measures how much water is in the gas. The results show excessive amount of water in the fuel. When water is present in fuel it is not combustible, and it will cause the car not to start or surging lack of power or can just shut down while driving. Which was the cause of this issue, the fuel tank needed to be removed and cleaned out and the fuel injectors need to be cleaned as water will cause rust through out the fuel system. The spark plugs were replaced for the same reason foul out by contaminated fuel. The service advisor explained everything to the customer including that it wasnt not under warranty, and it is not related to the recall performed on 8/12/21 at another dealership.The recall that was performed was the replacement of the fuel pump assembly which was not replaced or related to this issue. The customer authorized all repairs,and the HR-V was returned to the customer on 8/27/21 with new fuel and running perfect. The customer should be contacting the gas station where they purchased the gas and file a claim for reimbursement through their insurance company. All gas station must have commercial general liability insurance which would cover this type of incident.

  Thank you

  Customer response

  10/29/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  If this is true, why did ******** tell me for 45 minutes on the day that I picked up the car that no test was done. I want to see the documentation that proves this. All my conversations with a rep from the corporate office indicated that no test was done. The rep claimed to have spoken to the dealership. Did the dealership forget to tell her that they tested the gas from my car? Over the course of the 3 years I had the car, the Fuel Cap alert went off many times. Every time I called DCH Honda, they blamed the gas attendant for not tightening it enough so there is no documentation of my problem. They would not look at the fuel cap. A non-Honda employed mechanic found premature erosion on the cap and replaced it. If there really was water in the gas in my car in August, the faulty fuel cap on the car could have caused water to seep into the tank. Honda is at fault for the problems I have had with this HRV and I am due a refund for services from August.

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business response

  11/09/2021

  We have answered the original complaint, which was the customer states that recall fuel pump caused the problem.  We have provided proof on the repair order showing that we did not replace the fuel pump and the step- by- step process done by the technician that was working on the car. So now the customer is stating the gas cap caused the problem over the last 3 years allowing water to seep in. This is not possible as anyone with the proper knowledge of the emissions and fuel system of an automobile will tell that. The amount of water that would have to enter fuel that way would mean the fuel door would have to be opened and the cap off in a rainstorm. The system is pressurized and also has a one-way valve that opens when the gas pump nozzle is inserted, and the pressure comes out to allow gas into the tank. This would mean you would have numerous other component's that would have failed due to water getting into them which is not case here.

  Please understand this car was repaired 3 months ago any fuel sample that was tested that showed the amount of water in the fuel was discarded. As fuel is hazardous and flammable it is disposed of immediately after testing it.
  Contaminated gas is a fairly common occurrence especially when we have heavy rainstorms like we have been seeing. The Honda warranty does not cover contaminated gas as this is not a mechanical failure of the vehicle due to a manufacturing defect.

  We have nothing further to add, we have repaired car properly and returned it to the customer running perfect.

   

  Customer response

  11/10/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  DCH Honda is an unethical business with immoral and incompetent employees. They did not provide the documentation when I asked for it at the time that I picked up my car. It has conveniently materialized now after I file a complaint. I have been complaining about the fuel cap alert for years but they refused to check it out so it works in their favor once again that there is no proof that I ever had a problem. Whenever I called about the fuel cap, they always blamed gas attendants for not tightening the cap properly and would not let me bring the car in to be looked at.  I have photos of this issue that any competent computer technician hired by my lawyer will be able to show were taken over the course of the last year, at least. It is unfortunate for me that the BBB could not do the right thing and help me receive my refund. The car is a piece of garbage and DCH Honda has lost a family of customers. My complaint will only be resolved once I receive my refund.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When I purchased the new car at the dealership on 3/20/2021, I had asked for a 2021 Honda CRV vehicle brochure and was advised no brochure was available and was provided computer printouts for the 2021 Honda CRV "Features by Trim" which list cars detail. The features by trim for the EX model provided No information that the car came standard with a tailgate spoiler so I ordered a tailgate spoiler as an optional item along with other options to be installed. No one at the dealership advised me that the car 2021 Honda CRV EX Trim came standard with a tailgate spoiler. I only learned that the car came standard with a tailgate spoiler when I reviewed the car sticker. I ended up speaking by telephone with the sales manager Dimitri R*** on 5/3/2021 (11am) in which he agreed to refund me $ 376.21 to my address on file. I followup with a phone call on 5/11/21 and email on 5/12/21 to check on the status of my refund. To date, I have not recieved a check refund, call or email response back.

  Business response

  06/04/2021

  I'm sorry for the misunderstanding the CR-V comes with a standard spoiler which was on the car when you purchased the car. However Honda makes a different  spoiler as an accessory which is bigger then the one that comes from the factory. Which is the one that you requested for us to install. As I understand you have spoken to Dimitri he has agreed to refund the money for the spoiler and has sent a check request to our office. This process take about 10--14 business days as our office is located on the west coast. I have reach out myself this morning to office and the check will be in the mail today for you. The check should arrive at your house  in 2-3 days.

   

  Thank you,

  John

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