Kunes Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Belvidere — Local services in Belvidere Township

After much consideration I ordered a truck from Kunes RAM of Belvidere.

When I was placing my order I was told, verbally, I would receive $4k for my trade in and that I could make changes to the order for a few days after the order was in. The salesman I had was NOT pushy, that was nice, so despite being on the fence about a couple items I placed the order. After a couple days I contacted the salesman and let him know of a couple minor changes I wished to make. I received confirmation of the changes both verbally and through email.

When my truck arrived the minor changes I had requested had not been made. Lesson one, purchase when you know 100% what you want.

When we sat down to review the paperwork I was now offered $1k for my trade in rather than the $4k originally agreed. I didn’t expect them to uphold the $4k verbal offer, but I did expect it to be close. Lesson two, trade in (sell) your vehicle while the salesman is trying to make the sale.

After spending two hours waiting and negotiating the value of my trade in, I eventually conceded to $2500. This was largely because after that amount of time my wife and kids who were bored out of their minds. Lesson three, leave the kids at home. Lesson four, be prepared to set aside a large chunk of your time, or purchase from someone who respects your time. Despite the charade put on by the dealership, purchasing a vehicle does not actually take very long.

After agreeing to the price we were taken into another room where some manager tried to sell us an extended warranty. Now if you buy new from Kunes you get a lifetime engine and transmission warranty, the original salesman told me how great it was, but now that the purchase was complete the manager’s job was to tell me how terrible that warranty was and how I should buy this better one… I think that is the definition of shiesty. Lesson five, don’t trust… any of them?

Finally! I made it out! I love my truck and the stars in this review are for the RAM 2500 which has met every expectation and the low pressure sales team.

Now, three months go by and I get a phone call asking if I want to come in for an oil change…. Uuh, no, it does not need one yet… And that was the start of the continual barrage of phone calls, texts, and emails asking if I want to come in for an oil change or look at new vehicles which continue to this day. Lesson six, get ahead of this one early and ask them to stop.

Review of Kunes maintenance dept:

I have not had any issues with the actual maintenance work done, but the administration is rough.

I’ve called, explained the issue, made an appointment, then when I arrived they told me they don’t fix that and to take it somewhere else??? You don’t need an appointment for an oil change, but when I arrive there are six cars ahead of me so they recommend I setup an appointment. Okay. I came back for my appointment and ended up waiting...

My initial car buying experience was great, but my follow-up has been less than pleasant.

I have had the car less than 2 years. When I began to experience my check engine light continuously coming on. During an oil change thet reset it. That visit was horrible, the staff allowed me to stand at the desk for approximately 3 minutes without 1 person greeting me, or to question if I had been helped. When it was time to pay the women inside at the payment desk ignored my presence to complete a non-work related and completely unprofessional conversation before looking up to still not offer me service. I had to bring to their attention my need. I since have stopped taking my car for oil change services.

Unfortunately, I have recently had to return due to the check engine light consistently being lit and a terrible shaking in my front end. Again, this process to merely get this problem assessed has been HORRBLE! They rushed to diagnose my car at 4pm after having it all day (drop off time around 8am) in 2023. At that time the Associate did not notate my account. I called them back, after being promised a follow-up in about 3-4 days. Due to the fact I needed a loaner they mentioned I would hear from them later about getting my car in for service.

Fast forward 3 months later in 2024. I reached out to the same Associate about the same problem with my check-engine light. The shaking has worsened due to driving without fixing it. It was at this time I learned they did not notate my car's diagnosis, contact the warranty or order parts. Because they asked me to bring my vehicle back in for an assessment without a promised pick-up time. I dropped my vehicle off at 9am with a promise to hear from them in a couple hours. The associate at drop off did not at least greet me with a hello, he simply began to type in the computer and again asked questions that should have been noted on the account because we had spoken 3-4 days prior. By noon, I had to call, and check on my vehicle for him to state that he wanted to wait to hear from the warranty company. I would be ok with that, but I received a text message when dropping the car off, so I know they have the ability to give that update much sooner rather than leave me wondering. I am not pleased with the service because I believe there are better ways to communicate the wait, and set an expectation and follow through on how this process will work. I understand short staff, no loaner issues. I do not understand rude, short answers, and no follow up. I am still waiting to find out what the warranty company has reported and what to expect (cost, length without a vehicle, will I receive a loaner, what are my options) as far as repairs are concerned.

After voicing my...

I brought in my 2018 Jeep Cherokee with an extended Chrysler factory warranty in to get it inspected and repaired for a front end clunking/rattling noise. Drop-off for service was uneventful; however, towards the end of the day, I still had not heard from the service manager, Joe Whalen. I reached out to him about the status on my vehicle. He said he would check with the tech who was working on it, but never got back to me. An hour or so later, I reached out to him, because I needed to know whether my vehicle would get fixed, or if I needed to make other arrangements for transportation. He told me the tech could not reproduce the sound, and that a different tech would drive the car to try and make the sound happen. Some time later, he still hadn’t gotten back to me with the disposition of what was happening with my vehicle. I reached out to him yet again to figure out what was going to happen. Joe said the noise still couldn’t be reproduced and said I could come get my vehicle, after further texting. When I arrived to pick up my vehicle, I asked if the techs had checked the suspension to see if everything was tight and within spec. Joe said they had; he said to bring the car back if the issue continued. While I understand that noises can’t always be reproduced, I would expect that an inspection be conducted and the vehicle at least be test-driven. When I got the vehicle back, I found the mileage was exactly the same as when I dropped it off! They had not driven the vehicle, like they claimed. Furthermore, the suspension noise continued after I picked up the car. A week later, with the noise still happening, I went to Bryden CDJR up in Beloit. The staff there actually inspected my vehicle and found the sway bar links were going bad and needed to be replaced. They also actually contacted me about the status of my vehicle, rather than me having to continually reach out to figure out what was happening. Dropping off a car for service, you expect to have your vehicle issues actually diagnosed, and for communication with the service manager to not be like pulling teeth to figure out what’s going on. My wife and I have had a prior bad experience with this dealership trying to buy her current vehicle; coupled with this experience, I will never return to Kunes CDJR for future vehicle purchases or service, and I do not recommend anyone...