Honda Of Ames

I came in for an oil change and they installed an oil drain plug thread kit part 114816 on Oct 21-2019, Invoice 913832, $120 repair, customer 1052294. The next spring I started to notice a slow oil drip. This is when the initial pandemic surge hit Iowa. My wife was not comfortable with bringing the car in, so I eventually changed the oil myself on 5/12/21 [the car mostly sits in the garage].

I brought the car back to them in October 19, 2021 and requested oil change and look at the leak. They said "somebody else changed oil, non-OEM filter, not to proper torque, didn't use a washer, not us" and then told me it would be $1500 to fix because the whole chassis needs to be dropped to replace the oil pan. I said it was dripping before I touched it, but yes I changed my own oil (I did torque it and filter was compatible for Honda CR-V).

But they can't be sure I didn't cause the problem. I get it. Fine, but then they said "if you're going to keep it, it's $1500 to fix, and it's dripping pretty steady right now." Invoice 943552, customer 1052294. I came and got my car and just put a tray under it in the garage. Today I had another mechanic examine the drain plug area and Honda's initial part install on 10/21/19 was the problem.

It's not in there straight so the bolt head won't be flush when tightened. So my mechanic tried some type of thin washer and the dripping has stopped. It would've been nice if Honda had taken some customer care effort rather than just being focused on who was the last to change the oil, offering an expensive repair "if I'm going to keep it". Looking for a cheap trade-in? This is our "good car", no scratches, 124k, 2011 CR-V. Why are you asking me if I'm going to keep it? More customer empathy please.

My wife and I bought a Honda Pilot at Honda of Ames back in 2003 the first model year. Our kids practically grew up in the car driving around the country on vacations and work trips; we have simply loved that car. While we lived in the Ames Iowa area we got all our service done at Honda of Ames and they were marvelous. Work and life took us far from Ames 17 years ago, but I still remember them fondly.

Recently I had reason to contact them again. Our youngest son has learned to drive and we're giving him the Honda Pilot which still runs very well and has about 150,000 miles on it. When I finally had to take off the Ohio license plates that had been on for 17 years, I got the plates off all right but the Honda of Ames license plate frame broke. I was devastated as I knew that my youngest son who was born in Ames would love to have had that plate holder, so I called up Honda of Ames, explaining what had happened, and they sent two of them absolutely free; they were so nice and I can't recommend these people more. Thank you, Honda of Ames!

Had a great experience with Honda of Ames was able to get my vehicle sooner then anticipated and am very happy with the vehicle and the staff was great to work with!

We had a really great salesman. He was very courteous and respectful and knowledgeable regarding the vehicle we were looking at and ended up purchasing. His name is Tristan snd we would recommend him to anyone looking at Hondas. The whole process was pretty good, had a little glitch during closing the deal but Honda resolved it and everything worked out fine.

I thought it was a good car but first week I have had had to put 700.00 in with front struts and an alignment door switch and new key fob. Should have looked at car better just assumed they inspected it. Other than that still waiting on a mirror they are going to replace. They did offer a free oil change and filled my gas tank up. Told me when the mirror comes I. They will fill it up again for having to come back. I would by from them again just make sure to really go over car.

Not the best car buying experience. Honda of Ames did have cars available to buy without ordering but because of the car market they are not very honorable. I asked if I could put a down payment to hold a car coming in. I was told yes and they took my credit card info and said it would be $500 to hold it until I could drive there in a couple of hours.

Then as I was driving there from out of town I called the dealer to let them know I was on the way and would be 30 mins late. Then was told they could not hold the car for me without a purchase agreement and someone was there thinking about signing a purchase agreement. I never got a call to tell me they told me the wrong info about holding the car and would have sold it out from under me.

So I was pretty mad about that when I was told they could hold it for me if I put $500 down. Was also told the required paint protection was $1,400 and then when I got there it was $1,800 and that I had to buy car mats which I was never told on the phone. So lots of bait and switch happening. With this car market they will sell to anyone who is there at the time so if ordering over the phone I would be careful you could be driving several hours to find out they sold it to someone else.

The sales manager there tried to rip us off by making us buy their pre-applied protective coating for $1,500 and also the four floor mats for $500. They said this package was mandatory and cannot be taken off. I said no thanks and broke off the deal. They were trying to make some extra money. Unbelievably poor customer service. Horrible sales approach.

They knew that they were in demand so they tried to put us in a difficult situation. I would never come back here. If there was a 0 star I would have given them a big fat ZERO for their customer service.

I liked the casual atmosphere of the dealership. Not pushy. My sales consultant Francisco Reyes was great! He made the car buying experience a true pleasure, considering that I usually associate the experience with that of having an impacted wisdom tooth pulled. He was patient, informative, and a courteous professional. I thank him for his time and help.

I've had a good experience with the service department. One instance I can think of: My power steering hose got misplaced loosely when they did my power steering fluid service but when I took my car back, they were very adept at resolving the issue free of charge. Mel is very reassuring and helpful and I am definitely going to Honda any time I need car help!

Highly recommend! All the guys were so friendly and efficient. Not pushy, but ensured a nice smooth sell. Huge thank you to Tristan. If you want a Honda this is the place to go.