I'm in one of those 'what was I thinking when I brought the car here?' situations. Back in March we were bringing our '88 240 DL in for service on the throttle body & IAC, when the overdrive stopped working en route. I asked them to check it over, especially the kickdown cable, relay (which I said I thought was ok) and wiring. Two days later were told that 'The overdrive unit has failed' and that we needed a rebuilt transmission installed for about $3100.00. Yeah, right. I took the car home, did some research, and it seemed clear that it was the O/D *solenoid*, not the actual O/D unit (thanks to those here who helped with that). I got the part for $80, and brought the car to an independent Volvo/Saab shop to have it installed. They did so, and that solved the problem (along with replacing a frayed length of wiring). Total cost: slightly under $300.00. That wasn't the end, however... The Indie shop found that the left hood hinge was broken, and the kickdown cable O-ring was leaking fluid. Since I hadn't opened the hood myself, I brought the car back to Nemith, explained the situation, noted the 10X inflated repair estimate, and asked them to replace the hinge, O-ring and pan gasket. I offered to pay for the parts. The service manager wrote down what was wrong, told me to leave the car, and gave every impression that they'd fix those two problems. We have had services performed there over the last six years, including a power flush last August (minor screwups, but nothing major) and I really thought that they were going to make this right. Wrong. First I got a message from the same service manager saying that they would NOT be performing any "free repairs" on the car, but would give an estimate if I liked. His boss offered to refund the $39.50 we had been charged for the estimate, but said that they wouldn't even have looked at the lower cable end, or the transmission at all. Apparently $39.50 gets you a quick look at the throttle cable connection, and they click the O/D button a few times, nothing more, but on this they said I needed a $3100 rebuilt transmission. Or they DID look at the cable, and managed to bend it enough to make the O-ring fail. HIS boss backed him up. He further said that when they gave a diagnosis, I could choose whether or not to have the repair made, and they had no responsibility for the accuracy. At one point in our increasingly heated conversation he stated that 'It might be more fun to let you sue us' to get the estimate refund. So, after nearly causing us to give the car to charity because of a misdiagnosed transmission 'failure', Nemith would rather have complaints filed against them with the state Attorney General and Better Business Bureau than do work that would cost them about $100 in actual labor. I got the impression that this won't be the first complaint filed against them, and they essentially don't care. Let my misfortune be a warning to other people in my area... -- http://www.albany.net/~mjc1/index.html
I found that they also launder lemons and resell them...Nemith Motors962 Loudon RoadLatham, NY 12110($2,248.50 in consumer restitution) Nemith Motors962 Loudon RoadLatham, NY 12110($2,248.50 in consumer restitution)http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:NZapfILXw5oJ:www.oag.state. ny.us/press/2003/mar/lemon_law_list.pdf+nemith+motors,+volvo&hl=en Nemith Motors962 Loudon RoadLatham, NY 12110($2,248.50 in consumer restitution)Nemith Motors962 Loudon RoadLatham, NY 12110($2,248.50 in consumer restitution)Nemith Motors962 Loudon RoadLatham, NY 12110($2,248.50 in consumer restitution)Nemith Motors962 Loudon RoadLatham, NY 12110($2,248.50 in consumer restitution)
I saw that, but didn't know what is was about, specifically. -- http://www.albany.net/~mjc1/index.html
They heard plenty from me over the phone, and in person. Next they'll hear from the Better Business Bureau (a joke, I know) and the state Attorney General's office. It won't matter much, but I will also be informing everyone I know... BTW, I sent them my original complain via their form for making service appointments. The Volvo service manager, "Larry", claimed that the email forms "aren't hooked up - I don't get any of that stuff". Makes you wonder how people make service appts, eh? http://www.albany.net/~mjc1/index.html
thanx for the warning...what a bunch of sh&% heads.... i will amke sure to stay away from them when ordering my new s60r
Park your car out front with a big sign "Ask me how htis place tried to roip me off. I have the details!" After the media gets in touch with you (after you call them anon) it should get interesting. A lot of folks make fun of California, but the Bureau of Automotive Repairs and the State Atty. gen'l office take this sort of thing pretty seriously out here on the left side. from Randy & Valerie __ __ \ \ / / \ \/ / \__/olvo 1993 960
I am not sure they would print it, but you could add a comment to the mechanic x area on click and clacks web site: http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/ BTW, Larry is not the service manager, just a writer, here is the who's who at nemith, I bet if you let them know whets going on they will take action, if not Volvo might if you let them know... http://volvo.retailerconnection.com/pages/present/core/notlocalized/staff/default.asp?NavID=5 let Volvo corporate know how happy you are too: http://www.volvocars.us/_Tier3/ContactUs/
I don't know where to begin with Nemith. Received a diagnosis that our V70 needed $3,900 in repairs, which included numerous oil leaks, need to replace the drive shaft, etc. Of course, when I had the car in twice within the last few months complaining about oil leaks they couldn't detect them. Finally decided it wasn't worth doing the repairs, after getting a second opinion which confirmed some of the work was necessary. Gave a $1,000 deposit plus the V70 and ordered a new V50. 37 days later, I was informed there would be no car because Volvo was switching to the '06 model year. My complaints went nowhere, and Nemith declined to try to keep me as a customer. Went to pick up my old car yesterday, only to find the winter rims and tires were gone. Nemith doesn't know what happened to them, and refused to take any responsibility for them, although the car was solely in their possession all that time. Buyer beware!
I worked for Nemith Motors for roughly 5 years and was friendly with all the Volvo Technicians and the Service Writer (Larry). They're very goal oriented and care about customer satisfaction. The master Volvo Tech John Jacon is an outstanding mechanic and cares about the reputation of his crew and the quality of work performed, this team honestly cares about the Volvo customers. I think your problems lie with the dishonest Service Manager (Jim Fullerton) who only cares about the money he can make for the shop. I have personally seen him on several occasions encourage overselling work and insist on performing BG services that Volvo does not recommend. This guy is bad news and he does not care about the customer or for that matter the reputation of the dealership. Alot of decent employees have quit Nemith Motors because of his compulsive lies and crooked politics. The last I knew there were four Volvo Techs, John, Dan, Aaron, and JB so I can't vouche for any other new Volvo hires but these guys are outstanding and knowledgeable Volvo mechanics with excellent credentials. This just sounds like Jim Fullersh*ts schemes as usual.
The good guys should go set up their own Volvo/European car independent repair shop. Many of the best shops I have seen over the years have been owned and operated by good senior techs who got fed up with stealership management. John
