[Cush]

As my car is coming up to 3 yrs old it required a service and its first MOT. Not wanting to use Hepworth Honda at Huddersfield, as I have found through experience their servicing department are useless, I contacted Stratstone, Leeds. I booked it in and was quoted £229 for its 3rd year service and £35 for the MOT. This would include a years free Honda roadside assistance, air con top up and a wash and vac (Which I asked them not to do) As my warranty is due to expire I also asked them to look at the clutch pedal which has developed an intermittent squeak over the past couple of months.

So when I dropped the car off the sales person was more concerned with trying to sell me a 2 year service/MOT package for £399 than anything else. She then told me the service would cost £261 instead of the £229 I had been quoted.

Later that day I received a phone call from her stating my car had failed its MOT ! However things were not as bad as I thought as it had failed on the following items:

• Incorrectly spaced number plate (My own fault for not putting the originals back on)
• Both sidelights incorrect colour (Again I had replaced the OEM ones to match the blue tint of the HID's
• Split windscreen wipers

So they put new plates on £11, replaced the sidelights £2.76 and fitted new wiper blades £16 which I considered to be a good price.

When I returned to collect the car I noticed that servicing costs were prominently advertised and a 3rd year service for the Type R was shown as £261. I asked how I had been quoted £229 on the phone and to my surprise the guy took out his calculator, added up the cost of parts, added VAT and charged me £210 !.. Result !

I asked them about the squeaking clutch pedal not expecting any joy as it has been as quiet as a mouse for the last few days and I knew from the mileage on the car they had not driven it. Surprisingly I was told they had ordered me a master clutch cylinder under warranty. They had seen my comments re this forum where I had mentioned it was a common problem and a master clutch cylinder seemed to be the common cause.

So I left a happy man !

 

[coste1l]

result!

 

[ninjanik]

@Cush - What was wrong with huddersfield hepworth?
Only asking as mine goes there and so far I've not had a major issue apart from a scratched instrument screen after warranty work which they fixed immediately.

 

[Cush]

@Cush - What was wrong with huddersfield hepworth?
Only asking as mine goes there and so far I've not had a major issue apart from a scratched instrument screen after warranty work which they fixed immediately.

Firstly when I bought the car brand new I noticed what looked like rust on one of the tailgate hinges. Also the sound proofing in the bonnet wasnt fastened on and there were a few plastic clips missing in the engine bay.

When I took it back they had the car 2 whole days and attempted to charge me for a courtesy car.

When I collected it they had fitted the missing plastic clips ( a 30 second job), but failed to fasten the sound proofing to the inside of the bonnet. How they missed this is beyond me as it was hanging off and would have got in their way when they fitted the clips !! When I examined the new hinge it was just the same as before and what I had thought was rust was in fact just a brown lubricant they had used so they had fitted the new hinge for no reason. When I checked the mileage I noticed the car had done 37 miles since I dropped it off and the mpg was showing 16 mpg (I had reset it when I dropped the car off). When I queried this they first denied it but then changed their story to having test drove it ! I asked why they would need to under the circumstances but they couldnt explain it. I told them I was not happy that they had been joy riding in my car, using my petrol especially as I was told I had to replace any petrol I had used on the courtesy car !

I wont repeat on here what I called them but needless to say I will never go back there !

 

[ninjanik]

Fair play mate, thanks for letting me know. [smilie=thumbup.gif]

I've had a few minor run-ins with them over warranty issues but i find they are pretty compliant once you get on the phone to HUK (shouldn't need to i know).

Was worried they'd messed up an engine service as this always bothers me (too many mates in the trade working for prestige main dealers... the short cut / horror stories I get told are unbelievable!)

 

[jplant1981]

never had any probs with them - always dealt with a guy called phil

 

[Forbidden8701]

Sorry to hear about your problems with Hepworth. I've used them about 4-5 times now and have always found the service to be excellent. They even had a look at some niggles with my car out of warranty without cost. At least one of the technicians their is a massive Honda enthusiast which is a plus.

 

[Cush]

Well to be fair my dealings were 3 years ago so the staff may have changed or I might have just been unlucky.

 

[robbo51]

I wont use their Bradford branch ever again!!

 

[Cush]

I wont use their Bradford branch ever again!!

I spoke to a guy at the Leeds branch who spent 6 months there and hated it. On his first day he noticed all the staff had used customers cars to go out for lunch ! Each one was disciplined on their return.

Ive only been there once when I was looking for the Type R and the sales staff were over bearing ans didnt have a clue about the cars they were selling. They were more interested in telling me about their finance packages and deals despite me telling them I wanted to pay cash. Needless to say I never went back.

 

[Trevor7979]

Have used Stratstone Honda in Leeds for 7 years now. Have looked after me well,
especially Phil on service reception.

 

[Andy_K]

SB Honda in Wakefield eventually had their license revoked by Honda as they were getting too many complaints... even I had to get Trading Standards to deal with them in the finish.
I then moved onto Stratstone Honda in Leeds who were willing to undertake the works which SB Honda weren't. However, they did wash my car and return it with strong detergent marks streaked all over the bodywork which after a wash at home still remained. I returned it the next day for them to apologise and do a correct full valet and leave it looking perfect, which they did, sort of... apart from they had left a huge deep scratch in the paintwork accross my front bumper. They once again apologised and offered to refurbish my alloy wheels as a gesture fo good will.

My final resting place has now been Hepworth Honda for quite some time. Paul on the service counter has sold me most of my accessories at an exceptional price... GP Pack for £225... Sport Grill £95 etc. I have taken my car there a few times for servicing and MOT and have never had one single issue with them. Infact would recommend them to anyone!!

 

[owls121]

SB Honda in Wakefield eventually had their license revoked by Honda as they were getting too many complaints... even I had to get Trading Standards to deal with them in the finish.
I then moved onto Stratstone Honda in Leeds who were willing to undertake the works which SB Honda weren't. However, they did wash my car and return it with strong detergent marks streaked all over the bodywork which after a wash at home still remained. I returned it the next day for them to apologise and do a correct full valet and leave it looking perfect, which they did, sort of... apart from they had left a huge deep scratch in the paintwork accross my front bumper. They once again apologised and offered to refurbish my alloy wheels as a gesture fo good will.

My final resting place has now been Hepworth Honda for quite some time. Paul on the service counter has sold me most of my accessories at an exceptional price... GP Pack for £225... Sport Grill £95 etc. I have taken my car there a few times for servicing and MOT and have never had one single issue with them. Infact would recommend them to anyone!!

Mate in from hemsworth , I'm sure I've web to this one too, when did they loose it??

A woman on the left I walked in said she was not willing to take on the work?? Even with 1 year warranty left!

Was disgusted


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Andy_K]

Mate in from hemsworth , I'm sure I've web to this one too, when did they loose it??

A woman on the left I walked in said she was not willing to take on the work?? Even with 1 year warranty left!

Was disgusted


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They lost it just under 2 years ago now...

Here's what I got told the month after spending £19,980 with them when my shock absorbers started to fail and were already knocking and banging...

"One of the shock absorbers is broken, but it's not broken enough to be able to write it off under warranty. Come back in 6 months time when it's got alot worse and is eligible for replacement".

... Needless to say I went home and reported it to Trading Standards.

 

[olie]

So far have been happy with them until this morning.

I've brought in my car to have my brake pads and discs replaced as they were worn out. I have spoken to someone over the phone who said they would do it. My mistake perhaps was that I didn't get the name of the person I spoke to.

Then I brought it to reception this morning and this woman told me that they wouldn't do it. They said they would only replace my pads and discs with 'genuine' Honda parts, meaning parts they can make money out of! I've told her that this part is in fact a better quality than the ones they have, but she won't budge. She consulted the servicing manager who she said also said no.

This woman then said that it's not her fault since I was speaking to someone who's based somewhere else. What really irritates me is that they're providing numbers that gives you the impression that you're speaking from someone on that garage! And this woman sounding sarcastic and not willing to help does not help either!

Very unhappy with their customer service.

So naturally I've brought it to another Honda dealer who would actually do it.

 

[robbo51]

Stratstone ....Never again!!!
The worst dealers Ive ever used in 40 years of motoring
Another reason why I dont drive a Honda anymore.

 

[bobber]

how can i put this without upsetting certain people on this forum? ummm! in all our walks of life nothing runs 100% smoothly. as much as you might try, someone will endeavour to spoil your day. when a modern dealership is not only dealing with retail sales customers they are having to cope with a plethora of trade, lease companies,body repair shops,taxi companies (jeez! they're the hardest).the list goes on. there's much more to what goes on in the engine room just below the top deck than a customer sometimes realises. anyone on here that can honestly say their job never goes 'tits up' now and again is a liar. i have a fax, two phones, a retail counter and a workshop counter to run by myself. so anybody expecting Utopia when they enter a dealership nowadays is living in a tiny world of their own. although, i must admit by the amount of customers that come 'overt'hill' from Bradford to me, makes me think they must try harder!

 

[Trevor7979]

See a few posts on here about bad experiences, but Leeds Stratstone Honda deserve a pat on the back.

A few days ago I went back to have 2 front tyres fitted. I bought 4 (priced matched) last November, but the fronts still had some tread left so they stored them for me. I thought at the time they would be fitted within 6 weeks.
A couple of weeks later I was rushed to hospital and underwent open heart surgery......It took till now to have them done!

No hassle, no chasing (we have your tyres kicking around here), when I booked in and told Phil he just said 'I wondered what happened to you'.

Fitted whilst I waited, car came back cleaned inside and out. 10 out of 10.

I have always been friendly, not sure if that makes any difference, but it adds up to a pleasant experience for me.

 

[Andy_K]

Booked mine in last year over the phone for a service. When I arrived they refused to do it as they said I hadn't been booked in... obviously the lady over the phone hadn't entered me into the bookings on the system.

They also scratched my front bumper which they had to repair.

They then washed my car with soapy water, didn't rinse it and left it in the sun to dry. After 2 washes at home I had to return it to Stratstone as I just couldn't get rid of the water marks it had left on the paintwork.

They also refused countless times to fix my faulty shock absorbers which eventually after my warranty expiring I ended up having to pay Hepworth Honda to repair them.

I have more horror stories but feel that they just aren't worth any more of my time.

 

[robbo51]

Booked mine in last year over the phone for a service. When I arrived they refused to do it as they said I hadn't been booked in... obviously the lady over the phone hadn't entered me into the bookings on the system.

They also scratched my front bumper which they had to repair.

They then washed my car with soapy water, didn't rinse it and left it in the sun to dry. After 2 washes at home I had to return it to Stratstone as I just couldn't get rid of the water marks it had left on the paintwork.

They also refused countless times to fix my faulty shock absorbers which eventually after my warranty expiring I ended up having to pay Hepworth Honda to repair them.

I have more horror stories but feel that they just aren't worth any more of my time.

http://www.civinfo.com/forum/buying-dealers-servicing/68773-stratstone-honda-leeds.html#post1167225