GROSSINGER TOYOTA NORTH

TL;DR - I had my left front caliper replaced from Grossinger's recommendations in October 2016. In Feb 2018 I had the original symptoms return and brought it into a different Toyota dealership. Three different mechanics confirmed to me the left front caliper appeared to be original to the vehicle and was severely corroded, so corroded that it could not have been replaced so recently. Grossinger Toyota's Operations Manager Sean Moore absolutely refused to even hear my complaint, told me to get a lawyer and I shouldn't be their customer. Mr. Moore simply kept arguing that I could never prove the current caliper was original or a replacement. Long Version: In October 2016 I began experiencing heavy vibrating and shaking in my steering wheel when driving on the highway. I took my 2007 FJ Cruiser to my local Toyota Dealership, Grossinger Toyota North. After their inspection they informed me my front left caliper had seized due to rust and corrosion and would need to be replaced. I agreed and had the work done. In Feb 2018 we were driving my FJ with our children in the car when the vehicle suddenly and violently pull to the left, then back to the right, nearly causing us to crash on the expressway. We brought it to a closer Toyota Dealership, not Grossinger. We were informed by three separate employees of the maintenance crew that the front left caliper was severely corroded and had seized. All three employees were in agreement that this caliper was so heavily rusted and corroded that it appeared to be original to the 2007 FJ cruiser, not one that would have been installed 16 months prior. We paid this Toyota dealership to replace both front calipers and they gave us both the front left and right calipers that they replaced so we could bring them to Grossinger Toyota as evidence the front left caliper was never changed. We then called Grossinger Toyota to make a complaint that they charged us for replacing my front left caliper when it was clear it was never actually replaced. We were connected to Grossinger Toyota's Operations Manager Sean Moore. Mr. Moore was completely uninterested in hearing our complaint and instead insinuated we were some how to blame and he couldn't help us because we took the vehicle to a different dealership. After several minuters of debating and being told things such as "Maybe you shouldn't be a customer here anymore" or "Get a lawyer", Mr. Moore agreed to meet with us, likely because we filed a complaint with Toyota Corporate. On the day of our meeting we brought our old calipers with and showed them to Mr. Moore. Mr. Moore replied to us that brand new factory calipers are identical to after market replacement calipers and we would not be able to prove his shop didn't replace the caliper. Even after telling Mr. Moore that three Toyota mechanics stated the level of rust and corrosion on the front left caliper showed it was several years older than if it had been replaced 16 months prior. Mr. Moore continued with his excuse that we aren't metallurgists and cant PROVE how much rust could be present. Sadly our meeting ended with Mr. Moore telling us our only option would be to retain a lawyer. Simply put Grossinger Toyota's Operations Manager Sean Moore was shown our old beat up caliper which three other Toyota mechanics agreed was years older than 16 months, likely the original caliper, and Mr. Moore did not care. Mr. Moore had our money from back in October of 2016 and did not care that his maintenance shop had failed to replace a part I paid for. Do NOT shop here, do NOT get your vehicle repaired here. They will taker your money and won't do the repairs. If you catch them they will make you fight them in court for restitution.

They explain everything. They are very thorough and reliable. We feel the price is worth it for the peace of mind.

It is part of the services they provide for the lease, not free but discounted. The work is good but it is more the waiting.

unknown

They gave me good service. They were quick and did a car wash for free. That was really nice. There's nothing I didn't like about them. They had coffee and tea and a comfortable place to sit, with nice TVs to watch and activities to do while you wait for your vehicle.

I am a middle aged lady with little auto mechanical expertise but a healthy regard for not being ripped off.
I phoned for an appointment. I was given one the next day. The diagnosis fee was stated up front. I spoke with a service writer who asked me to talk to him personally. When I came in for my appointment Jon the service writer was there to meet me and had looked at the notes from our conversation the day before.
I am aware that some car dealerships pay their service writers a bonus based on how much work they can sell the customer. I asked this specifically and was told that Grossinger Toyota does not use that system.
Once the tech (fka the mechanic) had done the check over and made recommendations, I was brought back to the service bay while the car was on the hydraulic lift and shown the things that needed to be repaired. My water pump needed to be replaced. My transmission fluid needed to be replaced- I was shown the stick and a sample of new fluid for comparison. I was shown the parts
of the suspension that will need to be replaced. I could actually see where the wear and tear is occurring even without expertise. I knew from talking to my off site expert aka, kid brother , that 10 year old Toyota's often have water pump failure and the service recommendation was consistent with that.
I asked Jon the service writer to prioritize what had to be done now and tell me how much time or how many miles until the suspension worked became critical and he readily broke it down and gave me the information requested in a manner
I could understand. No baffling with B.S. as far as I could tell.
I knew from other Angie's List reviews that their prices were not cheap but they have a sign that they accept all competitors coupons. A quick check on the smartphone found a 20% off coupon from another dealership which was honored smoothly,
The work was done in less time than estimated, but long enough to allow me to check out the nifty Lebanese
bakery around the corner.
They washed and vacuumed the car as part of the service call.

The people were courteous, straightforward, the car stopped making the noise and runs well and with the competitors coupon was probably a good deal. I did not get the sense that I was being panic-sold into the additional repairs, just that they were firmly recommended soon

Best experience I ever had buying a new car and I bought many new cars in my 81 years. The sales personnel were very helpful in meeting my needs, negotiated fairly, and beat all of the other quotes that I had from other dealerships.

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THE SALESMAN SAID ALL THEIR CARS ARE CHECKED OUT BEFORE THEY ARE SOLD. AFTER IT WAS PURCHASED WE TOOK IT TO OUR MECHANIC FOR A and quot; SAFETY CHECK and quot;; FLUIDS, BELTS, LIGHTS,BRAKES,
SUSPENSION, ETC. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT HE SPENT ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO GET THE REAR WHEELS OFF THE CAR BECAUSELEVELS OF ' RUST '. IT THEN TOOK HIM OVER AN HOUR TO GET THE DRUMS OFF THE CAR. AGAIN MANY LAYERS OF RUST EVERY WHERE. HE MENTIONED THAT THESE WHEELS HAVE NOT BEEN OFF THIS CAR IN and quot; A VERY LONG TIME and quot;. THE REAR BRAKES AND DRUMS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND ALSO MOST OF THE PARTS IN THE FRONT SO $1430.00 LATER. I CALLED THE SALESMAN ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HE SAID HE WOULD SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE.
THEN AFTER 3 CALLS TO HIM, HE SAID

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HE HAS TO TALK TO THE and quot; MANAGER and quot;. I SPOKE TO THE MANAGER MYSELF WITH NO RESOLUTION. HE SAID HE WOULD GET BACK TO ME AND NEVER DID. I CALLED HIM BACK 2 OR 3 TIMES AND HE STILL
IGNORED MY PHONE CALLS. WE WERE WILLING TO JUST SPLIT THE $1400.00 BILL WITHOUT ANYTHING ELSE.
THE BOTTOM LINE TO ALL THIS IS THAT AFTER OVER 4 WEEKS, 12 TELEPHONE CALLS AND A FAX, THIS STILL HASN'T BEEN RESOLVED.

IF THIS SITUATION CANNOT BE FIXED I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND ANYONE TO BUY FROM GROSSINGER.

Overall, it was terrible and I would never use this company again.

I've done business with Grossinger Toyota North before, so I knew what to expect. They use the usual sales tactics that most car dealerships use:

1. There was a car that I wanted from their local ad. It said it was a new Sienna LE. I went there to find out that it was actually a demo with 1,300 miles on it. I asked them how they can say it was new, but they said everybody does it -- which is unfortunately true, but still dishonest IMHO.
2. In the same ad, they advertised 0% financing for 72 months. When I asked about that they clarified it to be up to $10k. Plus if they give you any discount from the MSRP, you cannot get zero percent financing. (Who pays MSRP?) Instead, with approved credit, you get 1.9% --- which is still good, but it's not 0%. Nowhere in the ad do they mention these things.
3. They give you little, if anything, for your trade-in.
4. They try to sell you AllState insurance under the guise of and quot;verifying that you have enough coverage to buy the carand quot;.
5. The AC in the dealership was broken and it was 98 degrees outside! Nearly as hot inside.
6. The finance guy was very straightforward and honest though he did give me the up-sell pitch for extended coverage.

However, in the end I haggled for about an hour and got what I think, is a fair price for the Sienna LE I bought.... nothing to write home about, but fair.

One other thought. This is my second car from this dealership and each time, it took about 4 hours of haggling and waiting to close the deal. Even after I agreed to the terms, it took an hour for the finance guy to get to me.

If you intend on buying a car from Grossinger North, be prepared to work for it. Don't believe the ads -- ask questions. In the end, you can get a decent deal if you are good at haggling and willing to put in the effort.

I needed my oil and oil filter changed. They completed that service and recommended the next time I come in to have a brake job. I always come here for my auto repairs. Work is guaranteed. Good value.

My husband has not been very happy with them because he feels that they over charge. The price is very high and the quality of service is just okay.

Dean came right out and had me test drive a Camry. I asked how much it was but he wouldn't tell me. As he entered my drivers license info into the system, I saw on the computer that it was $21,000, which was about $7,000 more than Blue Book. When I asked why, he lied and said that "some people trade a car in that they still owe money on, and they have to roll the unpaid balance into this price." This was stupid - my car was paid off years ago, so this would not apply. How would they get that figure for my situation? After the quick drive around the block, during which he laughed at another customer having requested a cassette player in the car (why mock a customer? again, very stupid) we went inside and I again asked why so high and he tried to brush me off with "Don't worry about that number. That's where we start, not where we end." Now I knew that this was a scam, but wanted to see how far they would go and what the final numbers would be. I wanted a sunroof and cassette/CD player installed. Dean asked about my monthly payment (I told him $400) credit score (excellent), down payment ($5,000) and so on, and then had to "see his manager". The manager came back and quoted me $435 for 72 months or $485 for 60 months. When I calculated this, it came to some $29,000. With the $5,000 down payment, it would be about 34 Grand for a car worth only $14,000 - $15,000. I told them this was crazy - it was over twice what it was worth! I got up and left.

The experience was fine.

The are on time for the scheduled appointment. They are done on time. They have weekend service appointments and that is really important to us.

They did a 90 thousand mile checkup. We have been going there for 4 yrs. The are very accomadating and get us a loaner or get a taxi for me. This shop does all of our car repairs. It did turn out that it was higher than what we expected because extra work had to be done.

They are really good about getting the work done. They are very accurate on how long it is going to be. They also offer a car wash upon completion.

I was excited to find Grossinger at first, because they had service hours on a Sunday. Well, if you have a Prius, don't bring it to them on a Sunday when only one technician is working. The technician that was there was surly and obnoxious. I told them that the car needed more than just an oil change because I had the last oil change done outside the Toyota network. Well, they didn't listen, and they only did the oil change because the technician had insisted it was all that was needed. I got the feeling he resented being there on a Sunday, and was just looking to get out of work early, since the 25,000 mile service I was requesting would take all day. When I came to pick up the car, the technician had already left. I will NEVER bring my car back there!

The saleswoman, Khem, was nice and helpful. But when it came time for price, her manager (Jason, I think) came over and told me that if I walked out the door, he wouldn't give me that price again. I will not deal with someone who does such a hard sell.

Pounced on by salesman outside. Took us out in a used vehicle which had no price listed, had garbage in the back seat and burn holes in the back seat upholstery. Rep gave extremely vague answers to questions. When we returned to the dealership, didn't seem to want to be bothered moving another car so I could test the V6 right after. Instead, herded us inside and thought I was going to purchase immediately! Completely wasted my time with the hard sell on a vehicle I told him I would never buy. Got his manager involved too. We couldn't wait to get away from there. Shades of the old Polk Brothers stores, if anyone remembers their methods. Called me incessantly for the next 10 days, multiple times a day, leaving messages at my home and on my cell phone. I would NEVER RETURN HERE FOR ANYTHING!

We won't use them again. I will give them an overall average score, but my husband took his car in there for auto service after we bought my car and he was not happy. We had a whole issue with the fleet rental car they use and they overcharged us so I have to say our overall opinion of them is fairly negative. My husband would probably give them a more accurate grade than I would, but overall I will be nice and give them an average mark.

I have been there several times before for filters and oil changes, and I trust them with factory authorized recall work. The safety check offer meant they were busy all day, but the heavy workload didn't seem to encourage corner-cutting on hospitality. In addition to the usual vending machines, they have an assortment of complimentary bagels and donuts for customers, plus coffee and tea service and cable TV in the waiting room. They had a friendly reception by the service manager, who also reviewed the 3 page report with me, item by item and asked if I had any questions or concerns about what the inspection found. It is a pleasant way to deal with a routine chore!

Great experience all around. Took good care of our car and even gave us a loaner free of charge--if your work is over a certain amount they provide a free loaner. Def. a great place to take a Toyota. John spoke with me on the phone and set up the appointment, estimating and delivering a much lower price than another Grossinger dealer.