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Just a Waitin'

5K views 16 replies 6 participants last post by  xm41907 
#1 ·
I called Carmax today to get my Cali in to have a number of things checked out ("Check TMP" message, leaking back left tire, squeaking in rear suspension, clacking sound under hood, and upper glove box not staying open). Sure enough, they can't get it in until Monday (warranty is up on Tuesday). I'm basically going to have them check everything since the warranty is up. Since it will be a week before I can get in and I'm off this Friday, I'm going to run it by Pep Boys or another shop and get their opinion on the issues. Going in armed to fight!

Just thought I'd vent a bit. Now back to my regularly scheduled happy self.
 
#4 ·
Verify if the spring arm is in the track on the left side. It only stays open about 2" so that the airbag isn't blocked.
 
#5 ·
Going on ten days in the shop and she's still not ready. Carmax had to send it out to the Dodge dealer to fix the tire pressure monitoring system. They have to replace "the entire wireless system" and are waiting on the parts right now. The other problems are supposed to have been corrected already, we'll see when I get it.

Keep in mind, this is supposed to be covered entirely under the Carmax 30 day warranty which covers both parts and labor for 30 days. I'm going to raise hell if they try and charge me one single cent!

At this point they've had the car nearly as long as I have since purchasing it.
 
#6 ·
I wouldn't buy a skate board from Carmax. They have half assed "techs" at best. If it's got oil in it and registers on the stick, they check it off. If it has transmission fluid on the stick, they check it off. If they remove the radiator cap and see anti-freeze, they check it off. You can see where I'm going with this, right?
 
#7 ·
I have first hand experience with that from when my daughter bought from them. When I had my mechanic look at it after she drove it from California right after buying it, it required the following service:

Plugs
Tranny fluid change
Air filter
Radiator flush
Hoses
Rear drum brakes cleaned and adjusted
Engine oil and filter change
New serpentine belt
Leaky shocks replaced

They'll never get my money. And here's the kicker. The car she traded had some issues and some were accident related. Carmax licensed it for 6 months as a "dealer owned vehicle". Then they sold it at auction and it wound up in British Columbia. Carfax (interesting how the 2 have similar names:doh:) had scrubbed it's history so it showed to always have been a dealer owned car from new, and never having been in an accident.
 
#8 ·
RE: Carfax

I've read several articles about Carfax, and from what I have seen, it is a total sham.
The information on the report is volunteered by participating dealers and shops, and in no way reflects the actual situation.

Most shops do not report information to carfax nor would DIYer's report, so carfax cannot give an accurate report of maintenance or repairs, as many of us DIY or use independent shops.

Another thing I saw mentioned was if you wanted a "full report" you would have to pay for it.

And as Brad mentioned, there were way to many reports of "no accidents" on carfax even though state DMV's had records of the researched cars being involved in collisions.

All in all, carfax is a profit making venture, designed to give a "warm and fuzzy" feeling to people that have no automotive knowledge whatsoever.

For all practical purposes, it is a worthless sham.
 
#10 ·
Good info to know about Carfax. As for Carmax, I'll never buy from them again, and will always tell people they can't be trusted. On the flip side, I will still take a car in to get it appraised and either sell it and buy elsewhere, or use the appraisal as bargaining power elsewhere. . When I got my caliber, I traded in a 2003 Chevy S10 that needed the tranny replaced. They didn't catch it, and offered me $1000 over Kelly Bluebook trade-in value, stating that I "kept it well cleaned". I estimate I made out about $2500 more than taking it somewhere else.
 
#11 ·
Good info to know about Carfax. As for Carmax, I'll never buy from them again, and will always tell people they can't be trusted.

I estimate I made out about $2500 more than taking it somewhere else.
That's what they make on each flip

CarMax Inc (KMX.N), the largest U.S. retailer of used cars, posted third-quarter results above estimates, but its shares fell 10 percent as gross profit per vehicle fell short of expectations.

"Retail used gross profit per car of $2,103 compares to our estimate of $2,193 and $2,100 in Q3 2009, and represents a decline vs. near-record profits of $2,205 in Q2 2010," Goldman Sachs analyst Ryan Brinkman wrote in a note to clients.
 
#12 ·
I've never based my used car purchase on a Carfax. When I test drive a used car, I drive it to break it. I actually caused a sales person to get sick during one test drive. If you do a pussy test drive, you'll never stress the vehicle enough to determine if something is wrong before you buy it.
 
#13 ·
Finally got the car back. They replaced struts and mounts, fixed the leaking back tire, and replaced the wireless control module. Everything seems to be fine, however they did not fix the loose wheel well protectors. The tech couldn't find anything loose. You barely touch them and they rattle like crazy. I am NOT dealing with carmax to fix it. I'll just do it myself and be done with them. No cost to me, but the repair bill was almost $800, and that doesn't include the WCM and dealer charges.

I'm glad she's back. I still need to get some good pics to post. I'm off tomorrow so I'll try and get some.
 
#14 ·
Everything seems to be fine, however they did not fix the loose wheel well protectors. The tech couldn't find anything loose. You barely touch them and they rattle like crazy. I am NOT dealing with carmax to fix it. I'll just do it myself and be done with them.
The fixing plugs are a buck each from Dodge, take out any loose ones to see if they can be reused. They may have heads that look ok but be broken inside.
 
#15 ·
So we left Christmas morning for a trip to Oklahoma to see family. Wouldn't you know it, when we left to go to the airport, the "Check TPM System" popped up again. We just got back today, and it's still doing it. On Monday it's going to be a call to Carmax for a bitching session. To their credit, the Dodge dealer was supposed to have fixed it not them, but of the four things it was in the shop for (leaking tire, tire pressure monitoring system, loose plugs on the wheel wells, and squeaking rear struts), only the leaking tire was corrected. Grrrr!
 
#16 ·
A quick thing you can do - pump all four tires up to 35 psig and drive for about 1/2 an hour at over 25 MPH. This will cause the system to register all 4 sensors and read normal pressure.
If you still get the message, then there is something still wrong.
 
#17 ·
The pressures are normal. It only gives the message when you first start the car, then it displays the tire pressure screen without any warnings. Just a quick "Check TPM System" for a few seconds. The dealer had it for 5 days and they determined it needed a new wireless control module. It worked fine for 2 days, then the message reappeared.
 
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