My review of Genesis after 1.5 yr ownership

[iqjumpuw]

I've had my Genesis for almost 1.5 years with a little over 15,000 miles now. I switched from a fully loaded Lexus IS250 to a fully loaded Genesis.

First, the car itself. I could not be happier with my car. The way it drives, the way it looks, all the features and best of all, the price I paid. This is my very first Hyundai and I was highly skeptical at first, but they have proven me wrong. I test drove Audi A4, BMW 328xi, Cadillac CTS, used BMW 528i, and Infiniti G37 without even thinking about Genesis until one of my friends recommended it to me. I went and test drove one and 2 month later, I bought one. Many of you may argue that Genesis actually compares to Audi A6, BMW 5 series, Mercedez E class, etc but I compared them by price. Heck, Audi A4 and BMW 3 series cost more when you add all the features that Genesis has. I was getting a much bigger and stronger car for cheaper. To me, it was a no brainer. Everytime I wake up and open the garage, I smile. The car just looks so darn good. I love the sporty ride feeling on a luxury sedan. I haven't had any problem so far, which is very different than the previous cars I've owned. No rattles, squeaks, or malfunctions whatsoever.

Here comes the bad part. Even though you get the best luxury sedan for your money, you don't get the service with it. Sure, you get the best warranty out there but that doesn't mean much to luxury car shoppers. They want the dealership experience to be perfect. Going into the dealership for routine maintenance and just about any service you get are mediocre at best. It doesn't matter what kind of problem I had with my IS250 or how bad my attitude was when I walked into the Lexus dealership. I was always treated like a king. Even when I walked into a different Lexus dealership without any kind of appointment, they really treated me like they valued me as their customer. 3 different Hyundai dealerships I've been to had outdated building/offices not to mention their employees did not seem to care too much about me. Like I said, they weren't terrible or anything but it always left a lot to be desired.

I think Hyundai has been making all the right decisions lately and I'm happy to see them become more popular. I hope they keep improving.

 

[TimC]

Well said.
I have seen the same issues with the dealers and it really does sour the experiance of ownership.

I always look forward to dropping off my Infiniti M45 (personal car) for routine maintenance as no matter what it is in for (oil change, new tires etc) they always give me a new year model M car with all options to drive.
They know how to treat (and keep) a customer.

When my R-Spec (company car) needs maintenance, I first have to arrange Hertz to drop something off at the dealership....or get ready to catch a bus.

The worst of it was when I made the mistake of not plastering big signs all over the inside/outside of my R-Spec telling them not to wash it.
They have no idea how to wash a car like this.
It took me the better part of a weekend with my Flex orbital polisher to remove all the paint swirls and replace the several hundred dollar poly-seal/wax job I had on it.

One other thing amazes me...a year and a half and 15K?
I've had mine a little over one month and it's at 5,550!

 

[PMCErnie]

Poly-seal wax job?

 

[Gambler]

There is a wide variance of Hyundai dealers. Some are nice, some are crappy, most are just mediocre. I think this review reflects most (not all) Genesis owners' perspective.

 

[dronthelake]

We purchased our 2011 Sedan from Bob Mayberry in Monroe, NC. A small dealer but so far they are very pleasant. We get a new Genesis loaner when we drop ours off for service.

 

[Mark_888]

A customer is not going to have the same dealer experience at Hyundai as with a dedicated luxury car dealer. Hyundai is used to dealing with customers that purchase based primarily on price (Hyundai is usually amoung the lowest price car in their class). Both the average customer and employee are a different class of people than at a dedicated luxury car dealer.

Hyundai dealers typically pay less to their employees than at a luxury car dealer. This does translate into customers being able to purchase a Genesis at higher discount from list compared to almost all other luxury cars. You get what you pay for, and if you don't pay then you don't get it.

 

[Glashub]

Glendale Hyundai in LA is a very small mom and pop garage type shop but the service people are extremely nice and professional. I haven't had to drop the car off but my wife has a Hyundai Elamtra. Have been impressed with them.

Dig this Tim. 6 months and only 2600 miles. I moved to LA expecting long commutes and found an office near my house. I have more miles on my 10 speed.

 

[homeofstone]

I have said it before, employees at a dealership reflect how, and how well they are trained. To many owners and managers do not train their employees in customer satisfaction and how to give the customer the best buying and service experience possible.

 

[pusaterkm]

Preston Hyundai in Boardman Ohio has treated me well in the service department and I didn't even buy the car there. I bought it at Rick Case near Cleveland. Because of the good service I am likely to buy from Preston next time.

 

[TimC]

Poly-seal wax job?

As in:
Pinnacle PolyClay and Clay Lubricant (poly)
Klasse All In One acrylic-based car polish (seal)
Pinnacle Souverän™ Carnauba Paste Wax (wax)

Using a kit like this:
Poly-Seal-Wax

With a polishing setup like this:
Flex 3401 VRG

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[CARguyJ]

Service at my Mercedes dealer is great. A really cute babe greets you, a spiffy waiting room, free croissants and rolls, free shoe shine, free loaner if you want, and (service A & B) oil changes are $340..... Personally, I'd rather have fair service and $30 oil changes.

 

[dg_moore]

Service at my Mercedes dealer is great. A really cute babe greets you, a spiffy waiting room, free croissants and rolls, free shoe shine, free loaner if you want, and (service A & B) oil changes are $340..... Personally, I'd rather have fair service and $30 oil changes.

In 6 years of ownership my wife has never escaped from her scheduled Infiniti G35 service appointments for less than $600. 3 or 4 of those per year generates considerable revenue for the dealer, especially when multiplied by hundreds of customers.

 

[TimC]

Service at my Mercedes dealer is great. A really cute babe greets you, a spiffy waiting room, free croissants and rolls, free shoe shine, free loaner if you want, and (service A & B) oil changes are $340..... Personally, I'd rather have fair service and $30 oil changes.

Service at my Infiniti dealer is the same, less the cost for oil changes...those are free.

I really have no problem with the Hyundai Dealership, so long as I remember that it is a Hyundai Dealership
.
Don't get me wrong, I like my R-Spec, it's a great car for the price.
I'll keep it until the lease is up, then maybe look at the Equus next.

 

[Glashub]

Tim, I'm confused. You're coming from a Chrysler. Are the dealerships that much nicer when you buy a Chrysler?

 

[TimC]

Tim, I'm confused. You're coming from a Chrysler. Are the dealerships that much nicer when you buy a Chrysler?

The Chrysler was a company car, same as the Hyundai.
I get those on three year leases.

The company I worked for that used Chrysler cars had a leasing service that would pick the car up from my home or office whenever it need servicing and leave behind a like car. (Well, maybe not exactly like, but close)
This is much like what I hear Hyundai does with the Equus.

My personal car is an Infiniti M45 which I own.

The R-Spec is very much like my M, almost too much like it.
Sometimes I have to remind myself which one I'm driving.
One look at the gas gauge usually tells me right away as the M gets no where near the mileage as the Hyundai, inspite of having almost 100HP less power.

 

[martyk]

Re: My review of Genesis after 3 months ownership

Thousand Oaks Hyundai has extremely nice and has professional people. I haven't had to drop the car off but I bought my 2012 Genesis 4.6 from them. I have been impressed with them giving me answers to questions and helping me when I has a problem.

Marty

 

[iqjumpuw]

I wouldn't have created this thread if I didn't visit all 3 Hyundai dealerships around me. I was treated the same way from all 3 of them. Not terrible by any means, but just mediocre.

They really need to make their dealership experience much better in my opinion. Even when I had the Honda, it was always a pleasure going to their service department. They had two separate waiting room with free cold and hot drinks. Free internet and free TV.

Now, am I going to spend the extra $15,000 to $20,000 buying a luxury brand in the future to get that better dealership experience? Probably not, but it'd be nice if Hyundai tried a little harder.

 

[dg_moore]

My dealer, Ourisman in Laurel, MD, recently remodeled their waiting area. It's better than it was, but still is lacking. I don't know if it's fixed yet, but their WiFi was "not working" for the past year or so (didn't affect me, but other customers complained). It's probably a matter of budget and spending priorities - their service people are excellent, and that's what counts.

 

[Mark_888]

I wouldn't have created this thread if I didn't visit all 3 Hyundai dealerships around me. I was treated the same way from all 3 of them. Not terrible by any means, but just mediocre.

They really need to make their dealership experience much better in my opinion. Even when I had the Honda, it was always a pleasure going to their service department. They had two separate waiting room with free cold and hot drinks. Free internet and free TV.

Now, am I going to spend the extra $15,000 to $20,000 buying a luxury brand in the future to get that better dealership experience? Probably not, but it'd be nice if Hyundai tried a little harder.

The problem is that customer service experience is not really up to Hyundai, but up to the independent dealers to address. Any such spending on these things usually comes out of dealer pockets.

From what I read recently, as Japanese production gears back up after the nuclear accident, Hyundai dealer pricing (and HMA promotions) are going to have to be more price aggressive, so money available for improving the customer experience may be even tighter in the future.

But bottom line is that dealers are probably not going to completely change their personalities and change what has worked in the past for the majority of their customers (who typically buy cars at the low end of the market). Dealers probably will try to treat Genesis, and especially Equus, customers differently, but don't expect any miracles.

 

[bmnc124@aol.com]

Re: LOVE THE CAR, HATE THE SERVICE

The dealership experience does vary from dealer to dealer, but with that said, is mediocre at best in comparison to other luxury models imo (e.g. BMW, Jaguar, Lincoln, Cadillac but not Mercedes which imo is the worst). Hyundai has a definite problem on their hands; competing and selling a luxury car model(s) at an economy car dealership (treating everyone except Equus owners like a 10k Accent owner). They give no loaners, limit their warranty for stereo/gps,etc, argue that the problems customers experience are "normal" and have no follow through or accountability. Hyundai is like every other corporation - interested in numbers, not people. This is true with the Genesis, but they roll out the red carpet for their Equus owners (they pickup the car for service, give loaner cars, give ipads to owners to schedule service). To be sure, the Genesis is a remarkable car and Hyundai has come light years in its products in the past 10 years, but unfortunately Hyundai is still in the dark ages when it comes to providing competitive customer service in the luxury car marketplace. LOVE THE CAR, HATE THE SERVICE.