Renton Jeep Ram Dodge Chrysler — Attraction in Renton

You know that expression "You can have it fast, cheap, or good; pick two"? Well, Renton JRDC accomplishes the stunning feat of providing NONE of the three. They've had our 99 Jeep Wrangler, which to be fair needed a fair amount of work, for nine weeks. We have driven down to pick it up FIVE TIMES after being notified it was ready, and have been unable to actually retrieve the vehicle due to ongoing issues, the major issue being that the vehicle wouldn't START, which was one of the reasons it was in the shop anyway. On pickup number three of a vehicle that wouldn't turn over, they identified that the new alternator which they had supposedly replaced, was faulty. This was after pickup number one where the fuel pump, which they had replaced, was leaking, and the jeep wouldn't start AND pickup number two where they replaced the defective fuel pump and blamed the jeep not turning over on having the door open all night. Dude, it's a 99 Jeep Wrangler. The last time we picked it up, they managed to disconnect the turn signal and brake lights, so we dropped it back and they fixed the turn signals but NOT the brake lights, which we discovered when we drove down ONCE AGAIN to pick it up.

Everyone who works there is very nice, and clearly this is an organizational problem probably exacerbated by lack of staff or whatever. So to whomever is running this hot mess: customer service reps are very nice but they're not mechanics and clearly there are things getting lost in translation. It is also annoying to have to chase down your customer service reps. The mechanics are not providing anything close to halfway decent quality control, which I assume is because they're overworked and understaffed.

It is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE to be notified to pick up your vehicle five times and still have issues. I would also like to say that we were actually very flexible on timing, because my husband, whose vehicle this is, is working in eastern WA right now and flying back on weekends. So between each attempted pickup, Renton JRDC had a full week to resolve issues and ensure that things were fixed and running as they should be. We are fortunate in that we can share my vehicle (as inconvenient as that can be) and are not relying on the Jeep as a sole vehicle--but I also feel we have been put at the back of the queue and not made a priority after multiple screwups. And you're not cheap, which would have been fine if you provided GOOD service. But you haven't.

So if you can't wade through all this, the TLDR is that if you have a Jeep that needs servicing, don't decide to pay the higher price of dealership service at Renton JRDC because you think the quality will be worth...

We went in to look at a 2019 Nissan Rogue hybrid as I had been looking for one for a while. I originally was supposed to work with Andrea but when I got there, we ended up with Brittany. She was very nice and not pushy which I greatly appreciate in a car salesperson. She did not seem very knowledgeable about this car in particular, which I was understanding about since she wasn't who we were originally working with. Nonetheless, I decided to trade in my car and purchase this one after a wonderful test drive. The lot manager was incredibly friendly and also not pushy. He offered up a lot of advice that I appreciated and they were forthcoming about any add on costs up front. I worked with Joe in the finance department and he was also wonderful and answered all of my questions. My problems began the next day when I noticed a bubble in a tire. I called the dealership and left a message, no one called me back. I called again and got hung up on. I called a third time and was snapped at and told to just bring the car in. I mentioned I lived 2 hours away and asked if I could go to a neighboring dealership. Apparently that wasn't possible. But I finally got back in touch with Brittany and she said I could just bring the tire up on the rim and they would mount a new tire so I didn't have to risk driving the car up there and the tire blowing. She said it would be 1-2 days for the tire to come in, this was on Tuesday. By Friday I hadn't heard anything and she messaged me again that night to ask me what size my tires are so that they could order one...3 days later! I was very fortunate because I had access to one of my parents cars or else I would have had to miss half a week of work due to this. Needless to say, I was frustrated. Saturday afternoon she let's me know the tire is in and I tell her I will be there in a few hours to get it fixed. Arranged for a babysitter and drove up there. The service center told me they wouldn't be able to help me because they were almost closed and didn't have any time to mount the tire. I told them I had just driven 2 hours because i was told it could be done today. Thank goodness the service counter worker pulled a tech to mount the tire really quick, it took maybe 20 minutes. In summary if you're going to buy a car here, make sure you do a thorough test drive and check everything before you leave the lot to make sure you've coordinated any work needing done. The people I worked with were very friendly but my experience was just ok....

• $3800 Fraud/Service Issue *

The check engine light went on on my Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the vehicle was also intermittently rough idling. I took it to my local mechanic, who looked up the error code and said based on their mechanic’s forum it most likely needed the Variable Valve Timing (VVT) Solenoid replaced - however they could not make an appointment for me for several weeks. My wife was going to be out of town the next week, so I contacted the Renton CDJR dealership service department. They were able to make an appointment while my wife was out of town, so I could leave the vehicle for a few days and have my wife’s car to drive in the meantime. I dropped the vehicle off and told my service advisor that my local shop thought the issue was that the VVT Solenoid needed to be replaced. The Renton CDJR service advisor called me a couple days later and said that the issue was that the vehicle needed new spark plugs and a new engine oil cooler for a total cost of $3,848. I was disappointed/dismayed by the high cost, however I assumed that the CDJR service department knew what they were doing, and that these repairs must be necessary - and that the issue was not the VVT Solenoid. So they went ahead and did the work. After I picked the vehicle up, it was still rough idling and the check engine light came back on within 24 hours - so no change/improvement at all from when I had dropped it off. I took the vehicle to my local repair shop (I had kept the appointment for a few weeks out that I had initially requested, “just in case…”). The local repair shop checked the VVT Solenoid, confirmed that it was indeed failing, and replaced the VVT Solenoid for $323 all inclusive (parts/labor/tax). The check engine light has not come back on, and the rough idling issue has been resolved. So the Renton CDJR service department clearly failed to correctly diagnose the issue (even though I told them what I thought it was when I dropped it off), and performed/charged me for $3,848 of work that did not fix the issue. I cannot get a hold of a service manager to speak with to resolve this issue - I keep getting put on hold interminably, or sent to voicemail. I advise not taking your car here for service! I am out $3,848 and super p1ssed off - I feel like I have been defrauded and then...