Shakeup at local dealerships

The Miller family started selling Buicks in Fairfield in 1964, brought in Fords in 1986, then added Nissans in 1994.

[mike]

this is too bad because miller ford is the most honest and likable ford dealer around.their service and sales dept are great.their selections of vehicles are far better.i had issues with park city fords service dept many times and switched to miller ford.years ago i had sent my car to stevens ford in milford for a recall repair only to get my car and find my 10 disc cd player stolen from my trunk.it was permantly mounted and it was hidden and would have taken time to find and remove, of course they denied any liability.keating ford folded a few years back.ford has made a mistake chosing miller to be the 1 to have to be bought out.guess its all about the money ,not serive or quality anymore.thats what is wrong with american companies.

[bill phoenix]

mike wrote:

this is too bad because miller ford is the most honest and likable ford dealer around.their service and sales dept are great.their selections of vehicles are far better.i had issues with park city fords service dept many times and switched to miller ford.years ago i had sent my car to stevens ford in milford for a recall repair only to get my car and find my 10 disc cd player stolen from my trunk.it was permantly mounted and it was hidden and would have taken time to find and remove, of course they denied any liability.keating ford folded a few years back.ford has made a mistake chosing miller to be the 1 to have to be bought out.guess its all about the money ,not serive or quality anymore.thats what is wrong with american companies.

stevens went to hell in a handbasket 20 yrs ago when i used to deal with them.. MONEY MONEY thats it ..

[april]

more like stealerships

[april]

april wrote:

more like stealerships

yes agreed

[hogan]

april wrote:

<quoted text>
yes agreed

Absolutely, they charged me double what I would have paid anywhere else

[yeup]

yea hogan but where is that exactly??

[ford sucks]

ford sucks IMO

[Chris in Bpt]

They are total con artists. I took my truck there once for a sticky parking brake. They give me an estimate for over $2,000.00 to fix. Said my rear brakes were all rusted out, needed everything replaced. Total BS lies. Went to a regular mechanic and he just changed the cable for less than $100.

And the Chevy dealership on the Post Rd. in Fairfield is a total rip off place also.

[notpictured]

Chris in Bpt wrote:

They are total con artists. I took my truck there once for a sticky parking brake. They give me an estimate for over $2,000.00 to fix. Said my rear brakes were all rusted out, needed everything replaced. Total BS lies. Went to a regular mechanic and he just changed the cable for less than $100.
And the Chevy dealership on the Post Rd. in Fairfield is a total rip off place also.

Similar thing happened to my brother. They are a total rip off.

[notpictured]

mike wrote:

this is too bad because miller ford is the most honest and likable ford dealer around.their service and sales dept are great.their selections of vehicles are far better.i had issues with park city fords service dept many times and switched to miller ford.years ago i had sent my car to stevens ford in milford for a recall repair only to get my car and find my 10 disc cd player stolen from my trunk.it was permantly mounted and it was hidden and would have taken time to find and remove, of course they denied any liability.keating ford folded a few years back.ford has made a mistake chosing miller to be the 1 to have to be bought out.guess its all about the money ,not serive or quality anymore.thats what is wrong with american companies.

miller ford is a good dealership but who knows....quality over quuantity...

[Chris in Bpt]

The Miller service dept. is a rip off, plain and simple.
Even if you go there just to buy a part, they'll try to rip you off by doubling the normal price. They should be avoided at all cost.

The Chevy dealer on the Post Rd. is now called Maritime motors, forget what it was called before. They must have to keep changing names due to all the lawsuits.
I took my truck there for a heater core replacement.
I go to pick it up 3 days later and the hazard knob is cracked off the steering column. When I point this out to the service manager, he says they never touched the steering column and it must have been broken off when it came in. He then tells me they can fix it for $450.
I then inform him that I know the whole procedure of changing the heater core which is removing the entire dashboard, which can't be done unless the steering column is dropped.
This of course leaves the guy speechless for a moment, then he just shrugs and says "I don't know anything about that, can't help you".
Anyway, this sad tale was resolved after a detailed complaint with the Better Business Bureau and a letter of intent to sue for damages.

I could go on with other tales of crooked mechanics, they're all over this area like a plague.

[Chris in Bpt]

I know the place you're talking about, don't know if it's still there. If you went to an Aamco, you would've had at least a $2,000 bill guaranteed.

[pwilson]

Chris in Bpt wrote:

The Miller service dept. is a rip off, plain and simple.
Even if you go there just to buy a part, they'll try to rip you off by doubling the normal price. They should be avoided at all cost.
The Chevy dealer on the Post Rd. is now called Maritime motors, forget what it was called before. They must have to keep changing names due to all the lawsuits.
I took my truck there for a heater core replacement.
I go to pick it up 3 days later and the hazard knob is cracked off the steering column. When I point this out to the service manager, he says they never touched the steering column and it must have been broken off when it came in. He then tells me they can fix it for $450.
I then inform him that I know the whole procedure of changing the heater core which is removing the entire dashboard, which can't be done unless the steering column is dropped.
This of course leaves the guy speechless for a moment, then he just shrugs and says "I don't know anything about that, can't help you".
Anyway, this sad tale was resolved after a detailed complaint with the Better Business Bureau and a letter of intent to sue for damages.
I could go on with other tales of crooked mechanics, they're all over this area like a plague.

This dealership was Russel Chevy before for many years and our friend Mr. Russel ran an honest business. He retired and the business was sold to another dealer from Long Island who is the current owner.

[Chris in Bpt]

pwilson wrote:

<quoted text>This dealership was Russel Chevy before for many years and our friend Mr. Russel ran an honest business. He retired and the business was sold to another dealer from Long Island who is the current owner.

Ahh, yes Russell was still the name when I went.
If you call that honest business practice, then I really have to wonder about you. From my experience, they were as dishonest as they come. They had changed the name less than a year after my horrid experience there, maybe Russell was already gone, don't know but his name was still on the building.

[Jay Tee]

I went to Hammonasset Ford in Madison for a factory jack, lug wrench, and extension handle,(I discovered the truck I bought was missing that stuff) and what do you think they wanted to charge me?$ 220 !!!! Not making it up- this is what they actually told me !

[pwilson]

Chris in Bpt wrote:

<quoted text>
Ahh, yes Russell was still the name when I went.
If you call that honest business practice, then I really have to wonder about you. From my experience, they were as dishonest as they come. They had changed the name less than a year after my horrid experience there, maybe Russell was already gone, don't know but his name was still on the building.

Russel was gone for at least 10-15 years before the name change. They kept the name for awhile so as not to loose business. Then had a grand opening sale in the 90's with a new name.
Wonder about me?

[Chris in Bpt]

pwilson wrote:

<quoted text>Russel was gone for at least 10-15 years before the name change. They kept the name for awhile so as not to loose business. Then had a grand opening sale in the 90's with a new name.
Wonder about me?

Well, too bad Russell ruined his name that way because the new owners were crooks, I still have the evidence.

[Jay Tee]

Chris in Bpt wrote:

The Miller service dept. is a rip off, plain and simple.
Even if you go there just to buy a part, they'll try to rip you off by doubling the normal price. They should be avoided at all cost.
The Chevy dealer on the Post Rd. is now called Maritime motors, forget what it was called before. They must have to keep changing names due to all the lawsuits.
I took my truck there for a heater core replacement.
I go to pick it up 3 days later and the hazard knob is cracked off the steering column. When I point this out to the service manager, he says they never touched the steering column and it must have been broken off when it came in. He then tells me they can fix it for $450.
I then inform him that I know the whole procedure of changing the heater core which is removing the entire dashboard, which can't be done unless the steering column is dropped.
This of course leaves the guy speechless for a moment, then he just shrugs and says "I don't know anything about that, can't help you".
Anyway, this sad tale was resolved after a detailed complaint with the Better Business Bureau and a letter of intent to sue for damages.
I could go on with other tales of crooked mechanics, they're all over this area like a plague.

Devon Acura in norwalk returned my car to me with a great big bolt sticking out of the tire. They flat-out refused to acknowledge that they had anything to do with it- the experiences I had there were so bad it was comical.

[Chris in Bpt]

Jay Tee wrote:

I went to Hammonasset Ford in Madison for a factory jack, lug wrench, and extension handle,(I discovered the truck I bought was missing that stuff) and what do you think they wanted to charge me?$ 220 !!!! Not making it up- this is what they actually told me !

That's actually probably a normal price you would pay at any dealer for a factory jack. All 'Dealer Only' parts are always expensive. You might have been able to get a used one on eBay for $20 or so. I always spend time looking on eBay first now for dealer only parts.

I had to replace the spare tire winch on my truck. It was only available from the dealer for $150. I bought a used one on eBay for $12.

[Chris in Bpt]

Jay Tee wrote:

<quoted text>
Devon Acura in norwalk returned my car to me with a great big bolt sticking out of the tire. They flat-out refused to acknowledge that they had anything to do with it- the experiences I had there were so bad it was comical.

Dealerships are best avoided for car repairs, except maybe for warranty items, I've learned this the hard way. You're better off going to an independent garage with a good reputation.....if you ever find one around here, let me know.

I've saved myself lots of money and tons of grief by learning how to do most repairs and maintenance myself now. Get a decent tool set and a Chilton's manual, it'll be the best investment you ever made.