My saga ends well after 9 dealer visits

[vertrkr]

To recap for those interested I got my truck Feb. 28, first day they hit the bay area. Since then I've had a variety of minor problems which required 9 visits to the dealer to fix them all. I finally got my truck back yesterday and I think they finally fixed my radio issue where it would crackle with static only on AM when driving over rough surfaces. In the mean time I was bitching up a storm to American Honda and they finally cut me a check for $1075 to shut me up, actually refunded the price I paid for the extended warranty, still have the warranty Probably helped I also bought an '05 Ody recently which has its share of problems too. I made it clear it was the truck I was unhappy with not the service, I found the dealer and corporate were very understanding and truely bent over backwards to try and fix everything the best they could. They treated me very well and I'm most happy with Honda and the dealer. I was just unfortunate to get a truck with alot of problems. Note, this is not to scare anyone off, I think my situation was very rare and don't know of anyone else who had all my trouble. I'm finally a happy camper now. Here's a list of the items I went thru:

1. Gouged wheel from factory, replaced.
2. Rear window stopped working, replaced faulty bracket.
3. Ding & paint damage in one door jam.
4. Wind Noise, couple visits to diagnose finally replacing windshield.
5. Creaky steering wheel, added felt to something or other inside of it.
6. Windshield cowling not flush with windshield, replaced.
7. Rattle in passenger door and dash, fixed with felt and new clips.
8. Radio static crackle on AM: checked connections, replaced head unit, replaced antenna and lead none of which worked. On the 4th try and 9th visit they replaced a sub-wire harness to the radio and that seems to have worked, fingers crossed it stays that way.

[jeffiam]

WELL HOORAY TO YOU..........MAN, I KNOW YOU HAD TO HAVE HAD "FAILED SMILE" ON YOUR FACE FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS. and the cash!!! oh man, how in the world did you..........................unreal. way to go v.

[Blue]

Vertrkr,

Are all of your items really valid? Are you extra sensitive to quality control? I know that I probably would not notice the paint, ding, rattle and static

I would notice if something did not work like the window.

My radio is on so loud that I do not notice the wind noise.

Anyway, good for you to keep Honda honest and on their toes.

[shovelhd]

From the pics he posted, anyone would notice the paint and the ding. It's not right.

[methodtim]

When I purchased my RL, the sales person was good (awesome?) enough to notice that the paint on the front fender had peeled away, revealing the black underneath. I was suprised that I hadn't noticed it before she pointed it out (I guess I was too enamored with the overall design). The funny thing is that after she noticed the peeled paint (this was during final inspection before sending the car to detailing), she came in and asked me if that was a show-stopper. Hell yes, it's a show stopper. I had them go find me another truck and this time I inspected it head to toe (or roof to tires, as it were) before giving the OK to send it to detailing.

I guess my point is that I think all of vertrkr's concerns are totally valid. We're buying a brand new vehicle. There should be nothing mechanically wrong with it (aesthetics is a whole other discussion). Anything mechanically wrong, no matter how "minor" should be rectified immediately by the dealership that sold you the vehicle (or ideally pointed out to you beforehand so you can have the choice of another vehicle).

Just my 1.5 cents

[jeffiam]

absolutely!!!!!!! anyone remember what we paid for this truck..............there should be no problems that aren't taken care of to the fullest.

[RidgeOwner3]

Congrats Vertrkr! Now you can sleep better at night! Go out and celebrate! (Just don't drive afterward...with your luck!)

[rogerstruck]

Good job man, you did a hell of alot better than I did with my nissan. Could'nt get the dealer or Nissan to fix the brakes & afew other thing on that piece of crap.

[alexmish]

Wow, vertrk, that was quite a list... Makes me wonder if I dont bitch enough about my Ody problems. Fixing the stuff with felt pads... I wonder where this came from...