Rant - Sherwood Kia
Took my car to Sherwood Kia last - Pgmarie
Rant - Sherwood Kia
Took my car to Sherwood Kia last week as it had stalled while I was out getting groceries. I've taken my car there many times with no issue and used to be pretty pleased with the service, however I will not be returning and urge anyone else to avoid them as well.
Took my car in Monday, it wouldn't start and needed to pump the gas to get it to start and even when it did, it was running really roughly. Kia called me the next day to inform me it just needed a new battery and since it was a Costco battery, they couldn't replace it. I was under the impression this was NOT an immediate need, and also didn't believe it was the battery because why would I need to pump the gas to get the car to start if the battery is dead.
Car stalled again Wednesday, had it towed and was told they could do a test on the alternator, but I needed to replace the battery first; they would take the battery out and I could pick it up and swap at Costco and they would install a new one. Went in Wednesday night only to be told they didn't have time to remove my battery, and that they would test the alternator with a spare battery from the shop anyway.
Thursday rolls around and sure enough they say my alternator is fine, but I need to bring them a new battery. I complied and also asked that the alternator be tested with my new battery. The alternator was "running low but under normal parameters". However, upon driving home from the dealership on Friday my car stalled again.
I immediately contacted Kia who essentially told me they weren't able to recreate the stalling, and that they could "work with me to find a solution" . I told them I was not interested in taking my car back as they had it all week and couldn't find the problem (despite running an "Engine Diagnostic"). I was not willing to go without a car for another week while they suggested repairs that weren't remotely related to the issue.
Took the car to another mechanic and less than 24 hours and 400 bucks later had a fix - faulty Crank Shaft sensor. The mechanic had successfully recreated the stall and driven my car for 20+ mins after repairing to ensure it was fixed.
Kia is now refusing to refund me for the diagnostic because their techs couldn't recreate the issue. I was never once contacted for more detail about the issue when the techs couldn't recreate it. I was also told by the Service Manager that he didn't believe the crank shift was the actual issue - it's actually a catastrophic engine issue that isn't under warranty (go figure, $$$)
TL;DR don't take your car to Sherwood Kia unless you want to be gaslight and charged for them to not do their jobs
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