Jones Junction - Bel Air Nissan/Subaru/Hyundai A horror story. Bel Air Maryland

The first mistake I made was letting the completely incompetent mechanics at Jones Nissan fumble around with the electrical system on my Quest after I clearly explained that the battery was discharging, sometimes within a matter of a couple of hours. I even told them to check the wiring harnesses as my thought was a short direct to chassis. Their finding... a loose battery cable. Apparently they don't teach their mechanics that open circuits don't discharge batteries. I told them to keep looking and they then eventually decided it was the break switch ($275). Two weeks later, car catches fire due to the short actually being in the cable assembly for the fan. I managed to get the fire out and the temperature of the engine back down long enough to limp the car back to Jones. Fan, fan housing and electrical harness ($900), not to mention that when I go to get the car back they announce that their "loaner" was actually a rental ($205, partially discounted after complaining). I also notice when I pick up the car that the rear power window ($295) no longer works (though it worked fine when I was venting the smoke from inside the car on my way there)!

But wait, it gets worse! Two days after I get the car back it was especially cold morning when I notice that LOTS of fluid is now leaking from the bottom of my car. Seems one prerequisite for being a Jones mechanic is not to have passed 5th grade science. Fire=heat, metal expands when heated, contracts when cooled, doh. Limp car back to Jones where they swear that God has miracled the car to spontaneously leak oil, gas, break and transmission fluid from every joint! (estimated $2500)

Now it's time to add insult to injury, bring on the Wilford Brimley and John Travolta look-alikes! After doing some research on what the best replacement car would be, and being "assured" by these shysters that they would "take my plight into consideration when pricing a new vehicle", I decide to give them a shot despite my misgivings that I was rewarding failure and looked at a 2007 Murano with 6200 miles on it. Not only did they come out in the end $7,000 dollars higher than either Sheehe or Carmax did for the same car with the same features and lower mileage (after they added a crapload of fees and lowered the value my now "ruined by their hands" car at $800), but the finance price would be over $770 per month.

The last I heard from these con men they were trying to sell me a stripped down Santa Fe (a BIG step down from the car they were responsible for destroying in the first place!!!) As one local mechanic told me when I asked if he could check the car out and verify whether the fire had caused the leakage, Sure youre right, but youll never get a mechanic to state that in open court because they might have to get a job there someday. Meanwhile, I did some research on the web and discovered several complaints, non-membership in the BBB, legal proceedings, etc. I decided it would be best to get my car off their lot as soon as possible before they got the idea to take it hostage too late!

"Things are always darkest just before they go pitch black."
Kelly Robinson

I now found out just how underhanded and dishonest some of their employees can be, as well as the few that could be trusted. Since my car was parked behind the Hyundai dealership, I went there first to get my key. There I had an employee state that I owed him $146 dollars for 4 days of a rental car (Remember that loaner I mentioned before?). Despite having a bill stating that I had paid in full, this moron still refused to give me my car and told me to "Go ahead and get the police, I don't care!".

Seeing that dealing with a slime-ball like this wasn't going to get me anywhere, I stopped by the Nissan dealership next door where I dropped the car off originally to get a copy of the bill so I could go across the street to the State Police barracks and come back to have the moron arrested for grand theft auto. When I asked to have a copy printed out, the service attendant didn't understand as the bill CLEARLY stated it was paid in full. That's when things got interesting. The service person called the Nissan service manager at home. While she was on the phone, the moron from the Hyundai dealership I was just at, took control over the bill and we both watched in disbelief he began altering the bill right before our eyes!!! When the service person called him to see what the heck was going on, he yelled into the phone there was "No way in hell I was going to get my car!" (And Im thinking, Inferiority Complex? Power Play? Whats this guys major malfunction?) At this time the service manager from the Nissan dealership (still on the phone from home) said "I don't care what says, give him his keys. Send over there to get the keys and dont come back without them." Luckily, honest heads prevailed and I got my car off their lot as quickly as I could!

So help me God, I will never, ever patronize any Jones establishment as long as I live. Would you want to deal with an outfit like this? Life is way too short for this nonsense.

Abused customer
Abingdon, Maryland
U.S.A.