12,039 mile service

time for another oil change. i'm going to try a different dealer -- from a service perspective it'd take a lot to be worse than stevens creek.

i have a coupon for boardwalk chrysler and even though they're 20 miles from my house and they aren't one of the legendary 5-star dealers (i have no idea what this means -- some goofy chrysler rating), they've gotta be worth a try.

i go up there and immediately the difference is painfully obvious. they feel fast and well-rehearsed. they're expecting me and pretty quickly take me in an talk to me.

i give them the coupon and show them the trim problem i have. even though i've talked to stevens creek about it twice now (and they've ordered the part for me, or at least claim they have), they've done nothing. this will be a good litmus test for boardwalk.

i get the car back in a day (and a call beforehand, something that stevens creek was missing) and i'm told that the trim part is on order. they'll call me when it's in.

i've heard this story before, but i won't persecute a company for another branch's crime.

$24.90 with, that's right, another air filter. and they even threw in a free tire rotation. so nice.

buy your next chrysler from autowest

when i bought my PT cruiser convertible, i was very disappointed in what should have been a turn-key sale from antioch chrysler.

instead i would recommend using the fleet manager of autowest dodge chrysler jeep, roger thurman. he was very quick to respond to me and always exceedingly reasonable in all transactions. but for an odd twist of fate i would have bought a car from him and now i wish i would have.

if you use him, you won't regret it.

don't buy a car from antioch chrysler

i bought my car through a third party using antioch chrysler. on every turn they tried to charge me more than even a reasonable market average for:

* extra components for the car
* a service agreement for the car
* a warranty extension on the car

they failed to remove an sheet below my back seats during prepping that said something akin to, "to be removed by the dealer only before delivery to the buyer."

they even went so far as to be "worried" whether or not i was going to complete my car deal when i had written them a $1000 deposit check WITH NO PROOF FROM THEM THAT I HAD WRITTEN IT. seems like *i* should have been the one who was worried.

if you're going to buy a chrysler, dodge or jeep, i recommend talking to the fleet manager, roger thurman, at autowest dodge chrysler jeep. of the dealers i spoke to (and i talked to nearly 20), he was easily the most reasonable, efficient and level-headed.

use boardwalk chrysler (redwood city, CA) for your service issues -- they're great

i've been using boardwalk chevrolet volkswagen jeep chrysler plymouth lotus nissan on 1 bair island road in redwood city for service on my PT cruiser convertible and they have been spectacular. they treat me like a real human being, everything is super-efficient and the work has always been spot-on.

they even have great people working the enterprise counter if you need a rental car. highly recommended.

don't use stevens creek chrysler jeep dodge service

this is just for the google search engines of the world (hence the title that ups the ranking).

stevens creek chrysler jeep dodge has provided me with nothing but weak service. read through this 'blog to this point and see that they've been slow/slack with warranty work and bad at treating me like a customer.

if you're in the san francisco bay area, use boardwalk chevrolet volkswagen jeep chrysler plymouth lotus nissan on 1 bair island road in redwood city for your service instead. they've been great for me, including fixing a remarkably difficult problem.

11,851 don't show me the light

last night the yellow engine light came on when i was driving. i look through the owner's manual and it's almost impossible to tell what the hell is wrong. the only thing i can make out is loose gas cap -- so i take it off and tighten it all the way back until it's all clicky. nothing changes, i'm still in amberland.

fine.

although i plan on changing dealers, i drive it to stevens creek chrysler, since they're the closest and i don't mind dropping a flaming problem on their laps without notice.

i give 'em the car, get my rental, and mention, once again that both the sport bar and the metal rattle in the back need fixing.

a day passes, again i don't hear anything from the dealer, so i drive over before a full 24 hours has passed.

they hand me the vehicle with this explanation on my paperwork:

CUSTOMER STATES: CHECK ENG LIGHT ON. PER DIAG CODE FOUND P0456 STORED EVFAP SYSTEM SMALL LEAK. CHECKED EVAP SYSTEM VACUUM FOR LEAKS. FOUND POSISIBLE (sic) CAUSE LOOSE FUEL CAP. NO OTHER LEAKS FOUND. TECH CLEARED LIGHT AND RST RELEASED VEHICLE BACK TO CUSTOMER.


nice sleuthing sherlock. it can't be the gas cap, i already tightened it (even though it was already tight).

they've done nothing with the sport bar or the rattle. in fact, they didn't even record it.

what's interesting is they claim my oil is dirty and needs immediate attention. strange since the the change was 1700 miles ago -- only about half of how far i need to drive it before it's changed (and with a new air filter). i can look at the oil and see it's just a tad brownish.

nevertheless, stevens creek chrysler, your service department is (weak)^(weak) [read: weak to the weak power].

{future note: if the engine light comes on and solid, it's not necessary to take the car in immediately -- it can be checked at an oil change. since i have free rentals for the first 7 years, 100,000 miles, i'll probably take it in immediately. if it comes on and flashes, the car really does need service immediately.}