Cherokee Hyundai Kennesaw GA

[ahearn]

My recent buying experience with Cherokee Hyundai in Kennesaw, Georgia was very good overall. 2015 Genesis Ultimate with $7000 of manufacturer and dealer incentives. I love the car.

The process was made easier by my contacting their Internet Sales Consultant by phone first and working out pricing and details before I visited the store. The salesman was unusually knowledgeable about his cars and made the process go smoothly.

They tried to sell me the usual crapola (extended warranties, insurance, various kinds of "protection") but were easy to refuse. Fortunately, I got the car before they installed a high-priced ($1295) high-profit "Appearance Package" that included window etching, door edge guards, all weather floor mats, etc.), which allowed me to avoid a nasty negotiation to either remove the crap or charge me a fair price for it. I thought dealers had stopped doing this stuff since most people hate it.

I also don't care for dealers recommending more frequent maintenance and oil changes than recommended by the company who designs and makes the cars. This dealer recommends 3750 mile oil changes, twice the Hyundai-recommended frequency. I realize the dealer is profit oriented but they must think most customers are idiots (which might be true). I feel like when buying a car, you must be on your toes at all times and be on the defensive for every little trick they try to pull on you.

In summary, Cherokee Hyundai is no worse than any other dealer out there, possibly a little better. If you are in the area, I would recommend them.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

Thank you for the review! I didn't realize dealerships were recommending oil changes different from the manufacturer's suggested time. Interesting...

 

[Man of Mystery]

Thank you for the review! I didn't realize dealerships were recommending oil changes different from the manufacturer's suggested time. Interesting...

The dealership where I bought and have my Genesis serviced recommends 3000-3750 mile oil & filter changes, but I also get free oil & filter changes for life since I bought the car there.

Since this is a high-density traffic area (Northern Virginia/DC-Area) they figure all cars are subjected to "severe" operating conditions. Not true in my case, but as long as the oil & filter changes are free I'll take advantage of getting them a little more often than the UM recommendation of 7500 miles.

 

[amartz]

I've never seen *anywhere* say bring it back in 7500 miles. :-(

 

[Man of Mystery]

I've never seen *anywhere* say bring it back in 7500 miles. :-(

Page 7-10 of the Owners Manual shows

"Normal maintenance"
7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 6 months
❑ Rotate tires
❑ Inspect air cleaner filter
❑ Inspect vacuum hose
❑ Replace engine oil and filter
(7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 12 months)
❑ Add fuel additives *1
(7,500 miles (12,000 km) or 12 months)

The Add fuel additives is explained on page 7-9 and is only needed if Top Tier gasoline isn't used.

From page 7-10 the manual goes on to show a service schedule for 7,500 mile intervals.

 

[amartz]

Page 7-10 of the Owners Manual shows

"Normal maintenance"

I wasn't talking about the owners manual. I was talking about anywhere you might take your vehicle to get the oil changed. I know what the owners manual says....

 

[Man of Mystery]

I wasn't talking about the owners manual. I was talking about anywhere you might take your vehicle to get the oil changed. I know what the owners manual says....

Aha...OK. I'd have to agree with you that the dealers I've seen say 3,000 to 3,750 miles. It was the same thing the Infiniti dealer said when I had a 2007 Infiniti M35X, the Lincoln dealer for the 2011 MKZ I had, and the Chevy dealer for my 2007 Avalanche.

 

[Mark_888]

Aha...OK. I'd have to agree with you that the dealers I've seen say 3,000 to 3,750 miles. It was the same thing the Infiniti dealer said when I had a 2007 Infiniti M35X, the Lincoln dealer for the 2011 MKZ I had, and the Chevy dealer for my 2007 Avalanche.

Why do you think dealers and oil change shops suggest that you change the oil twice as often as required by the Owner's Manual?

 

[Man of Mystery]

Why do you think dealers and oil change shops suggest that you change the oil twice as often as required by the Owner's Manual?

In the cases of my Infiniti, Lincoln, and Genesis (since oil & filter changes were free):

To get you into the dealership as often as possible so they can perform their "courtesy inspections" that may find something that one would need to pay for.

In cases where oil & filter changes are not free:

To make money. Unless you believe that the dealers are really concerned about the life or your motor/car and that more frequent oil & filter changes will prevent motor problems.

 

[Mark_888]

In the cases of my Infiniti, Lincoln, and Genesis (since oil & filter changes were free):

To get you into the dealership as often as possible so they can perform their "courtesy inspections" that may find something that one would need to pay for.

In cases where oil & filter changes are not free:

To make money. Unless you believe that the dealers are really concerned about the life or your motor/car and that more frequent oil & filter changes will prevent motor problems.

It's all about making money. Every breath they take, every thing they do, is about making money. If something they say actually happens to be good advice for the customer, it is purely a coincidence.

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[ahearn]

It's truly about making money. Most dealers "recommend" additional services during regular scheduled maintenance. In the past, I've always had to instruct them to ONLY do what is in the Owner's Maintenance Manual.

Dealer's actually have very small potential profit margins on new cars -- the difference between invoice and MSRP -- and have to make their money in other ways. It's a fact that they make more profit on used car sales, maintenance, and "add-on" sales, than on new car sales.

 

[bgillson]

A dealer that treats their customers fair and honestly has a far better opportunity to make additional money on service, accessories and future vehicle purchases as well as customer referrals and loyalty. Hyundai has a very high quality product, there's no reason dealers should have to use gimmicks and questionable sales techniques.

 

[Mark_888]

Dealer's actually have very small potential profit margins on new cars -- the difference between invoice and MSRP -- and have to make their money in other ways. It's a fact that they make more profit on used car sales, maintenance, and "add-on" sales, than on new car sales.

I agree that dealers make more money on service and add-on sales, but your math on new car profit is not quite right.

After a dealer sells a car, they get an additional 3% of the MSRP from Hyundai which is known as the "hold-back." The amount varies by manufacturer, and some it is only 2%, and a few is zero.

 

[Mark_888]

Hyundai has a very high quality product, there's no reason dealers should have to use gimmicks and questionable sales techniques.

There may not be any obvious reason to you why they use shady sales techniques, but car salesman (new and used) have used them for billions of years. They use what works on the majority of their customers, and that's why they do those things.

To some degree, they do things differently based on their customer base. You can't treat a Mercedes customer the same way you would a Hyundai customer, because they are typically from different socio-economic backgrounds, which includes things other than money, like education, etc.

This has created a problem for Hyundai as they try and enter the luxury car market with an existing dealer infrastructure geared toward a group of customers who in the past would often buy an Elantra because they couldn't afford a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic (with the same features).