My experience with the Basil "Family" of Dealerships

NYSpeed Automotive NYSpeed Off Topic
41

^ This right here is what it comes down to. You feel a proper repair was filler, paint, blend and clear. Basil thought a proper repair was using some touch up paint. Based on a lot of the comments I think most of nyspeed agrees with Basil’s idea of a proper repair. I’m not saying you couldn’t have negotiated on having it repaired to your liking but I think it’s fair to say that needed to be brought up at the time the price was negotiated.

PS… I’m only going back and forth on this hoping to convince you that you weren’t wronged by the dealer. Nothing ruins the fun of having a new vehicle like thinking you got screwed every time you look at it.

42

this same situation happened to me when I bought my last car. there was only one key, an A pillar dent from a grage door that was creased a bit and a long scratch near the gas door. car was 3 years old, certified used.

Salesman claimed dent was no big deal, would get it out with pdr. I figured not because of the crease. He said the scratch would buff out. So i got all this and 2 keys in writing and came back in a couple days to take delivery.

they bought a new key but the dent was still clearly visable even after pdr. and the scratch was filled with the worst application of what looked like generic black non matching touch up paint. Could have done a way better job myself… I was pissed and refused to take delivery. They knocked $200 more off the price. which I would honestly rather have than the damage fixed anyway.

I used to be a lot man at a dealership in college. The big thing to remember is everyone at a dealer, salespeople especially but finance managers, service managers and sales managers turn over OFTEN. Then they end up working at some other dealer across town. By the time you need your next car god only knows who’s going to be working at that dealer. There are some lifers but they’re the exception, not the rule. its really a crapshoot.

43

Hey man, it’s a used car. You gotta expect some dents and such. If you wanted perfect you should a bought new. Maybe you should’ve communicated how you wanted it fixed. You could’ve walked away from the deal.

44

QFT :stuck_out_tongue:

45

Had to look that one up.

46

Meh, the good guys stay. Good dealers don’t let good people go and the good guys realize when they have a good dealer. You’ve just worked at the wrong dealers.

47

I just assumed. Employees on here as members, site sponsor, etc., etc. Curious why no one responded when they know this is on here.

48

Probably to avoid being dragged into a pissing match with someone who isn’t going to be happy unless they 100% get their way.

49

Instead of taking shots at me, maybe you should read more and type less.

50

I’m always so curious if some members on this forum have as poor attitudes and personal skills as it comes across in posts.

51

I understand where you are coming from…

I bought my truck from Basil Chevy Commercial on Transit.

Pros-
OK price on truck
2500 trade in on a vehicle I paid 3100 for and drove for 14 months
overall very helpful during sales process

Cons-
after reviewing paperwork…price on truck magically increased $500 and refused to lower. Stickers on truck had already been removed and I didn’t have any pics. Stated I was getting a ridiculous deal on my trade. Well, not such a ridiculous deal after you raised the price of your truck.

I only had a few issues with the truck as it was sitting on the lot…

  1. The drivers seat was torn…salesman solution- purchase some aftermarket seat covers - ok no big deal

  2. the previous owner had a light bar installed on the roof, had removed it, but there were still holes drilled in the roof. Salesman promised body shop would take care of it.

  3. The ad for the truck stated that the frame had been under coated, while the frame clearly was not. Salesman promised to have frame under coated before new body was installed.

So I paid ~ $7,000 for a brand new custom spec Unicell box with some options, which took 5 weeks or so to manufacture and install.

Upon picking up the truck, I was very pleased. However, the first time I hooked up my trailer, I realized I had no brakes. Despite having a brake controller and 7 pin connector, the brakes would not engage. Upon inspection, Unicell had only wired 4 wires to the 7 pin connector. I called the dealership and said they could send it back to Unicell and they would take care of it but it would be 2-3 day turn around. Business vehicle, can’t afford to be without my truck for 3 days. Wired it up myself in 3 hours in my driveway including picking up material.

During my tinkering with wiring, I noticed a switch under the dash. Traced the wire up through the headliner, assuming it was for the light bar that had been removed. I dropped the headliner to make sure that there wasn’t an exposed live wire connected to the switch, and found that the “body shop’s” “solution” to the 4 holes drilled in my roof was 4 body panel push pins with a dab of caulk. They were already loose and not weather proof after a couple weeks. I sealed the crap out of them, as the attic of the box covers them from view.

Overall, I was not satisfied how the dealership addressed the issues I had. They did undercoat the frame.

Then 2 months after purchasing, the DPF clogged on an out of town trip to pick up some equipment. After a 4 hour ride home from the PA line in limp mode, and some research… I opted to delete it and pay for a new computer rather than spend $2500 on a new DPF.

Basically, I spent close to $30k on a truck that I thought was a good purchase because I was buying from a dealer, but ended up with an auction quality vehicle that was about $8k overpriced.

I feel your pain.

(I blame any grammar mistakes on the iPad)

52

While I’m on board with you on most of your issues I don’t necessarily know the DPF was their issue or could’ve been prevented, not that I know much about them. With the driver’s seat, I guess I would not expect a new seat, no more than I would’ve expected a new tailgate. I would expect some wear on a used vehicle and I guess it depends on how / who was using it and where that wear becomes visible. The holes in the roof seem to fall into the same category I had with my paint issue. The actual method by which it was to be addressed was not discussed and I feel they took the “barn job” approach to the repair. In the future I will not assume people will fix and issue the same way I would.

As far as the $ 500.00 price increase, I had a “temporary” contract spelling out the terms of my purchase and value of trade in so there would be no discussion come swap out time. I don’t know if they gave you that or not. If they did, I would expect there would’ve been no discussion and the price would’ve been corrected.

While most of my mechanical issues were not “catastrophic”, the fact they put new pads on spent rotors lessened my confidence in the integrity of their people. From their website: “What makes Basil Transit different? Each one of our used cars goes through a meticulous 101-point inspection by our certified service professionals.” After some post delivery inspection, I noticed they did in fact replace the rear rotors. I don’t remember if anyone on here verified if that’s part of NYS inspection requirements or not. I’m glad they did that but I did not ask them to and not sure why they did. I guess my point was that it was stickered up and on a lot for sale with this issue, along with the leaking tranny cooler lines.

I’m more than likely going to be back there next week as I now have a “shudder” in the tranny when it tries to drop out of overdrive. Not something I noticed on test drives. I’m curious to see how this works out.

53

You purchased a used truck that had a plow on it at one point and you’re surprised about a tranny issue?

I thought most normal people understood you don’t buy used plow trucks

54

I plowed large commercial lots with my truck for no less than 4 years with zero transmission issues. Just because a truck has been plowed with does not mean it’s guaranteed to have issues. It’s more about how you use the equipment when you plow. This is also not a truck people would use for heavy plowing. More than likely used for personal use and I can’t speak to how long the plow was on there.

Without being a “transmission professional” this has to do with the overdrive and my guess has nothing to do with the fact it was plowed. In fact, there was some recent “undercoating” on the truck and they removed the plow mount after it that done. Had they done it prior to coating, I would not have seen the ghost shadow of the mount and more than likely would not have know it had a plow at all.

55

Did you call who I told you to call?

56

We’re getting slammed with Home Show leads. It was my intention to speak to him when I come back in this week instead of doing this over the phone. Thanks for your help though.

57

reminds me of when I bought my 09 2500hd from another dealership, not basil. it had 15k miles on it at the time. had dents in the door, chipped paint around the rear taillight (which was also pushed in a bit), and the plastic under the front bumper was hacked from having a western plow. Dents were promised to be pulled and that it would look perfect, they would repair the chips, fix the taillight, and replace the lower plastic under front bumper with a new piece. What I got instead was basically the same thing I saw before I took delivery but some touchup paint around the rear tail where it was chipped. I was told he got most of all the dents out, but a few he couldn’t. looked exactly the same to me. At that point I really needed a truck as the trans in my 03 was just about cooked so I took the truck. I was pretty much done in my vehicle search and just wanted it over. It was a nightmare trying to buy a used truck from dealerships and I was only looking at 1 or 2 year old trucks. Working with different trade in values just added to the headache. I probably looked at 10 trucks before getting my 09. Fast forward to today, my truck is covered in scuffs, dings, and scratches. I work the hell out of it and it never breaks. I almost paid to repair the dings in the door at a body shop when I brought it home. Glad I didnt, cause like I said ive added dozens more since then and at this point im just happy when its washed.

That said Ive been at several dealerships this month and I realized Ill never be happy with my purchase buying a used truck from a dealer. I went to emerling chevy, emerling jeep dodge blah blah whatever its called and all their used trucks are fucking garbage they are trying to pass off as gold. I got the inside scoop from someone and they told me to avoid said vehicles I was looking at since they had been in for repair so many times and constantly have issues. I went to basil last week and met with a salesman in the commercial dept. First salesman I ever met who really didn’t give off that shady ass vibe I get from most. Since Im buying a second truck and not trading mine in Im actually able to take my time for once on a new purchase. I also recently decided Im buying brand new so I don’t have to deal with little bullshit mechanical or cosmetic issues when I take delivery. So now my 09 will be my beater and I can get my rocks off with a new 14 or 15 model truck and maybe, just maybe, be happy with a new vehicle purchase for once.

As others have said there can be a lack of communication and I think its even more true when buying a used vehicle.

58

listen to beck im sure he gave you a number to call and help you out. I work at basil ford myself as a main technician. Ill share this message with my management and see what we can do to help you to make the situation better. I unfortunately cant promise a 100% from me but I will do my best.
I used to be the used car tech and what you have listed should have been address the day you brought it back. unfortunately for the scratches and dents. its a used car it is what it is. what i see when used cars are purchased the price is adjusted to either fix or deal with the dents/scratches.

59

Thanks for the help. I hope to be in touch with them this week. While I really appreciate your offer, I’m starting to get the feeling that some of these locations are more like independent owners than true branches of the Basil organization. I’m not sure exactly how they’re set up but that’s the feeling I’m getting. I’m having some “shuddering” issues with the truck and based on my research, I don’t think it’s the transmission like I originally suspected. Problem is I now lack the confidence in the service department where I bought it. I would feel much better if another Basil location looked into it but I don’t think it works that way. My mechanic is going to take a a look this week. Will update as I can. Again, my thanks.

60

From the transmissions i’ve dealt with a shuttering OD is usually a sign the pump or stall is starting to fail.