So what makes upscale brand service so good?

[trespinosranch]

I will never buy another Hyundai/Genesis. I just recently brought my 2016 Genesis to a dealer (when it was raining) to verify my auto sensing wipers did not work. The gal at the service desk (only one there) said she was too busy to step outside and to return the next day. I started to leave and remembered it would not be raining the next day so I went back inside and told her that and she said there were six cars ahead of me and she did not have time.

I was going to buy a 2018 G70, but not any more. I'll go with an Audi A4 or Mercedes C300.

Previously at a different dealer they demonstrated the wipers work when they sprayed the windshield with a hose, but for some reason they do not work when driving.

 

[Midnightsun]

Unfortunately your experience is all dealer related however Hyundai should realize their service must be up to some minimal standards across the board. The biggest gripe we get about the Genesis on these forums is the poor service/treatment. Sure some places are better than others but is does look like the majority could use an ass wippin by head office. That being said, I did change dealers recently and must say the service is much better but still below common standards never mind coming close to even anything that resembles a luxury experience.

 

[Comp1]

Interesting comments...

I leased my 15 Ultimate in March of 15 after driving many years with Volvos. My Volvo service experience was mostly good but underwhelming. So I thought I'd try something new. I had zero expectations with Hyundai as it relates to service. But boy was I in for a ride--

First Service, tire recall at 1100 miles. Tech ripped up wheel and didn't bother to tell me. Noticed it that night when washing and called service mgr. Next day took it in given a loaner and they resprayed wheel. Second service went in for oil change and tire rotation. Tech reported on paperwork that both were completed. I noticed before I left that he hadn't rotate tires (knew from over-spray on painted wheel). Waited and he rotated tires. Third visit was oil change and tire rotation. This time tech actually rotated tires but failed to replace oil filler cap. Noticed it that night at home. Went in the next morning on way to work. Mgr looked in engine bay then went inside. Came out five minutes later with my oil filler cap in hand. So for 3 service visits i'm 0-3 in satisfaction. Worst part about this is the techs dishonesty. Accidents happen but don't pretend like it didn't happen. I will never return to this Hyundai dealer again for service or to buy/lease another car. The saddest part about this is that this same Hyundai dealer is now selling the "new" Genesis lines right alongside Accents, Tucsons etc, so I know it will be same service. I'm going back to Volvo when my lease is up next spring. The Hyundai/Genesis cars are nice but the service is anything but.....I know its hit or miss with dealers and service but somewhere along the way Hyundai needs to establish some guidelines. "If you want to sell and service my products you have to do it my way".

 

[Mark_888]

I wouldn't have a problem buying another Hyundai or Genesis, even though I had a bad experience with my dealer service department.

I normally change my own oil, but one time I took the car in for a minor warranty repair (which they did a good job on), so I asked for an oil change also. I purchased some Mobil 1 oil and put in my trunk, and asked the service advisor if they would do an oil change using the oil I supplied. The service advisor said fine, and they would only charge $20 for the oil filter and labor.

I asked the service advisor how the tech would know to use my oil (in my trunk), and he showed me that he wrote than in the text instructions printed by the computer on the service ticket. I had also previously put a label on the oil filler cap that said "use oil in trunk." It was a white address label with black writing on it. I actually used two labels, on each side of the filler cap.

When my car was ready, I looked at the invoice and the charged my for 6 quarts of oil. I mentioned to the cashier that they were supposed to use the oil in my trunk and not charge for the oil. She went into the shop and about 15 minututes later came out and said she would remove the oil from my invoice since they used the oil in my trunk. I looked in my trunk, and the only used the 5-quart jug, not the 1 quart bottle that was needed for the last 1/2 quart (my 3.8 calls for 5.5 quarts).

When I got home, I checked the oil level and it was 1/2 quart over-filled. At that point, I wasn't sure what they actually did, or what oil they used, so I did my oil change using Mobil 1 that I had in my garage.

The other two times I took my car into the dealer for recalls, it went OK as far as I can tell.

Moral of the story is that avoid dealer service, and especially Hyundai dealer service whenever possible. I would never have a dealer do a tire rotation. I am a Costco member and purchased my current tires there, so I get free rotations and balance (and free nitrogen) every 7500 miles. If I wasn't a Costco member, I would take it to Discount Tire or some other good tire shop, where the workers do tires, and nothing but tires, all day long, every single day.

If one feels they must use a dealer for routine service, then probably Hyundai is not a good idea. Whether or not separate Genesis dealers turn out to be better remains to be seen, but obviously that was probably a big factor in them deciding to create separate dealerships.

 

[StarPower]

Things I've seen at a Hyundai dealer that I can't imagine happening at the Mercedes dealer I used to use:

• More than once, my interior was filthy when I picked up the car.
• Being told that repeated misfires/CEL are normal (I've heard them give a similar line to other customers with CELs/driveability issues). "America's best warranty" means nothing if they won't diagnose the problem.
• Service advisors who try to charge someone for a repair without knowing whether it's covered under warranty or not. When the customer (not me) complained about the price, the advisor when back and discovered that it might be covered under warranty, but wasn't sure because she didn't know the in-service date and didn't know how to look it up. After asking the customer if he knew, she eventually asked another SA. If the customer hadn't argued, he would have paid full price for something that was covered under warranty.
• SAs who try to up-sell you on "dealership recommended" maintenance serviced before they're actually due, then tell you that you have uneven tire wear but can save money by skipping the alignment.

That's just a sample of my experiences off the top of my head. What impressed me most about my Mercedes dealer was the meticulous attention-to-detail of the service team. Their commitment to quality was evident in both the interactions with the SAs (always knowledgeable and professional, never tried to up-sell me) and in the condition of the vehicle (work was completed correctly, actual problems were identified, car was clean and undamaged).

I know these are two independent dealerships that aren't representative of all dealerships, but I believe that the corporate culture plays a role in how the dealerships behave.

 

[Mark_888]

I know these are two independent dealerships that aren't representative of all dealerships, but I believe that the corporate culture plays a role in how the dealerships behave.

I agree that Hyundai dealers are pretty bad (the worst I have encountered), but not sure it is the fault of Hyundai Motor America (HMA). HMA does not own the dealerships, and doesn't have that much control over them. Most dealers have their own "corporate culture" since most are owned by corporations (AutoNation, etc) or smaller dealership groups that own a number of regional dealerships with different brands.

Given that before the Genesis and Equus, Hyundai sold cars mostly to people who could not afford the equivalent Honda or Toyota, and that they tended to cater more to first time car buyers (compared to other brands), it is not surprising that the quality of service is inferior. I am pretty sure that on average, the employees who work at a Hyundai dealership make less money than equivalent jobs at other brands, so that doesn't help either in terms of recruiting quality staff.

Obviously, all of this is the reason why they decided to make Genesis a separate brand with its own dealerships, but that will take awhile to fully implement.

 

[linmk2]

I just had my Genesis' oil, filter, and tires rotated at the Hyundai dealership where I purchased the car. Having worked in auto dealerships for many years in the past, I always take my cars to the dealership for routine service during the warranty period. Why? If the motor or transmission fail within the warranty period the factory rep always asks to see the service history of the car. Dealership service departments keep records that are quickly available. If everything is in order, the warranty work will be approved. The oil, filter, tire rotation were done quickly, correctly, and reasonably priced. So what's the problem? Over the years, I've owned a number of luxury cars, the last ones were Acuras. My Acuras were always returned to me washed and vacuumed. In addition I was always given a loaner. My Hyundai dealership does not offer loaners, but will drive you to work or home in a minivan and pick you up when your car is complete. I was informed when asked if the dealership was going to be a Genesis dealer, the answer was a resounding NO. My guess, the powers that be, do not want to invest the time or money necessary to be a luxury dealership.

 

[Mark_888]

I just had my Genesis' oil, filter, and tires rotated at the Hyundai dealership where I purchased the car. Having worked in auto dealerships for many years in the past, I always take my cars to the dealership for routine service during the warranty period. Why? If the motor or transmission fail within the warranty period the factory rep always asks to see the service history of the car. Dealership service departments keep records that are quickly available. If everything is in order, the warranty work will be approved. The oil, filter, tire rotation were done quickly, correctly, and reasonably priced. So what's the problem? Over the years, I've owned a number of luxury cars, the last ones were Acuras. My Acuras were always returned to me washed and vacuumed. In addition I was always given a loaner. My Hyundai dealership does not offer loaners, but will drive you to work or home in a minivan and pick you up when your car is complete. I was informed when asked if the dealership was going to be a Genesis dealer, the answer was a resounding NO. My guess, the powers that be, do not want to invest the time or money necessary to be a luxury dealership.

Having worked in a dealership before, you obviously know that they are not owned by the manufacturer. So obviously, it is not surprising that "the powers that be" at a Hyundai dealership (where the most popular vehicles sold are in the $20K range) may not want to be a luxury dealership. Of course, many dealerships are owned by corporations or regional dealer groups that own multiple different brands of dealerships, some of which may be economy brands and some luxury brands.

Either way, whatever level of service received, the customer pays. The profit margins on luxury cars are much higher than economy cars. Regardless of who owns the dealership, I would not expect the perks to be the same at an economy dealership and a luxury dealership (although that is no excuse for incompetent service techs).

As far as keeping records of service performed by the customer (such as oil changes, air filter changes, etc), it is not that hard to keep records and receipts and make sure everything is well documented. In addition, one can also document their service performed at www.myhyundai.com (but receipts should be kept separately).

 

[linmk2]

Mark, I'm of course aware that dealerships are not owned by the manufacturer. My point was to compare the level service I received owning my Acura vs my Genesis. The OP's question was regarding up scale service. As far as cost to the dealership, my function for over 22 years was that of Comptroller. I was the one who prepared the monthly financial statements. In addition, I would make recommendations to top management regarding capital investments, personnel, advertising, vehicle inventory levels, insurance, and legal issues. Really anything having to do with the "bottom line". During my time in the business, I worked for dealerships selling mainstream products, but also vehicles such as Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Acura, and Lincoln/Mercury. You are correct regarding the cost of providing additional services, such as washes and loaner vehicles. Loaner vehicles in particular incur higher costs due to increased insurance premiums. Some of which are off set by the manufacturer. You are also correct regarding the profit margins on luxury vehicles. However the luxury facilities, at least the ones in which I worked, cost more to operate. A big profit producer for both types of dealerships is the used car operation. Yes, it's not hard to keep service records, but to many people, it is. In my experience dealing with customers and factory reps, most people can't produce the necessary documents if their cars were not serviced at the dealership. This was especially true of customers of mainstream brands that did their own oil changes. There is usually no way to prove the mileage when the change was done. Of course customers who used places such as Jiffy Lube, etc those documents were accepted. The problem, many times the customers could not find the receipts. Some national lube franchises could reproduce the needed receipts. Your suggestion of posting information at myhundai.com is a good one. In short, I just prefer to have all my service work performed at the dealership. There was never an instance in which I was involved where the dealerships service records were questioned.

 

[Mark_888]

Linmk2,

1. Paragraphs are your friend.

2. I don't disagree with anything you said about the cost of running a dealership. Not sure that has anything to do with what I said. I wasn't sure what you meant by "My guess, the powers that be, do not want to invest the time or money necessary to be a luxury dealership." Are you talking about dealer management (including corporate management who owns the dealership), or are you talking about Hyundai Motor America. There is probably not a lot that HMA can do about the problem (they can do some things, but not as much as people think).

3. Regarding receipts for service performed, I have all my receipts, including UPC barcodes of the OEM oil filters. The problem with dealer oil changes (at least at Hyundai dealers) is that many dealer oil changes are not done properly (all kinds of horror stories and mistakes documented in the 8 years of this forum). My only dealer oil change was botched, as the tech did not use the synthetic oil I provided, even though the work order instructed him to, and I put a sticker on the oil filler cap that said "use oil in trunk." I guess my mistake was that it was not written in Spanish.

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[linmk2]

Item #2, I was referring to the dealer group that owns the facility, not HMA.

Item #3, I have been fortunate that my dealership oil changes over the years have gone smoothly. I have however seen the aftermath of what you speak from some other service providers. Like yourself, I keep my receipts on every car and home repair. Unfortunately, a sizable group does not.

Item #1, I can only offer an apology for the structure of my post.

I also want to apologize to the OP for getting off topic, that was not my intent. I provided too much detail that was not useful.

 

[Mark_888]

Item #2, I was referring to the dealer group that owns the facility, not HMA.

Item #3, I have been fortunate that my dealership oil changes over the years have gone smoothly. I have however seen the aftermath of what you speak from some other service providers. Like yourself, I keep my receipts on every car and home repair. Unfortunately, a sizable group does not.

Item #1, I can only offer an apology for the structure of my post.

I also want to apologize to the OP for getting off topic, that was not my intent. I provided too much detail that was not useful.

I agree completely it is the dealer who does not want to upgrade their customer service. That would start with paying higher wages (to match other dealers) and I don't think most Hyundai dealers want to do that.

No big problem on your original post, and my advice about paragraphs was meant to help you get more people to read you comments. You don't have to apologize, since no one is forced to read it.

 

[tuckerdog1]

Item #2, I was referring to the dealer group that owns the facility, not HMA.

Item #3, I have been fortunate that my dealership oil changes over the years have gone smoothly. I have however seen the aftermath of what you speak from some other service providers. Like yourself, I keep my receipts on every car and home repair. Unfortunately, a sizable group does not.

Item #1, I can only offer an apology for the structure of my post.

I also want to apologize to the OP for getting off topic, that was not my intent. I provided too much detail that was not useful.

linmk2,

I'm the OP, and no issues with drifting off topic. There have been enough responses to the question, that I have a pretty good idea what perks one might get.

While a free massage sounds pretty sweet, most of the other mentioned pluses, while nice, don't seem all that great. I personally wouldn't like having my car picked up. I don't like strangers driving my car ( although I understand for
short periods during service ). The Hyundai dealership I deal with has always been very good. They have never detailed the interior, but always offer a wash ( which I always decline ). The waiting area is nicely furnished. Giant TV with shows I could care less about. Plenty of mags to thumb through. Free soda, bottled water, coffee & tea ( no donuts though ). Service guys are always popping into the waiting area updating customers on vehicle progress. I like to wander the lot looking at the cars. Last time I was in, I was doing that, and the service guy came out and found me to give an update. So no complaints from me about my less than upscale service. I will however drop a hint about donuts & massages on my next visit.

Tuckerdog1

 

[Genesis_2016]

Depending on brand, they will also clean out and detail your wallet.

Seriously, for Genesis it depends completely on the dealer right now. There have been complaints here, but for my first service my dealer (Hyundai in Hackettstown, NJ) did the whole loaner drop off/pick up thing for me as advertised - nice! Hopefully this will continue in the future.

^^^^^
This.

I too have had a great experience with my dealer. They have picked up my Hyundai Genesis 2016 for ever oil change, a few little problems here and there and always dropped me off another genesis. I enjoy seeing the staff at my local dealer so I normally dropped off the loaner genesis myself and every time my genesis is cleaned and ready to roll. Inside and out. That's probably because they got the first Genesis dealership in Quebec and are already getting it not the roll, training the staff ect.

To the Op.

I can tell you from experience as I've owned a Mercedes, Lexus and Caddilacs before that the service I've been getting is fantastic and on par with all the big luxury brands. Sure it sucks going in to talk genesis and seeing accents and elentras around but sooner or later that will be a thing of the past and I'll be immersed in genesis cars and tech once the new dealerships open.

 

[tuckerdog1]

Went to the Dodge/Ram dealer yesterday to get my truck serviced. DONUTS in the waiting area! Guess I really will have to put the Hyundai dealer on notice

Tuckerdog1

 

[PMCErnie]

For Christmas, a few years ago, I took a huge box of Whitman chocolates to my dealer's service desk. It was as big as a small suitcase. It was much appreciated and I've reaped some good-will rewards. In other words, courtesy works both ways.

 

[tuckerdog1]

For Christmas, a few years ago, I took a huge box of Whitman chocolates to my dealer's service desk. It was as big as a small suitcase. It was much appreciated and I've reaped some good-will rewards. In other words, courtesy works both ways.

Very much agree. An unexpected kindness is often rewarded many times over.

Tuckerdog1