Honda of Chantilly — Local services in Chantilly

Buyer/Service Beware: My Disappointing Experience with Honda of Chantilly

Before you consider buying or servicing here, please read. My post-purchase experience with Honda of Chantilly has been so frustrating that I will never buy or service a vehicle here again without dramatic changes. I want to lay out a clear timeline of events.

I bought a new 2024 Accord Hybrid Touring, the last one on their lot. Soon after, I noticed two major issues: the right side of the hood seemed misaligned, touching a plastic windshield piece, and as the weather warmed, my AC developed a loud whining noise from the compressor. I scheduled a service appointment, getting a loaner car for a Sunday drop-off.

Prior Assessment: Before my Honda appointment, I had a trusted body shop examine the hood. They confirmed the passenger fender was misaligned, causing the hood and other panels to touch , which they warned would eventually lead to paint peeling. Their advice: "Take it to Honda; they should make it right."

First Service Attempt (June 7th/8th): After Sunday drop-off, the shop foreman inspected the car on Monday but found "nothing wrong with any of my concerns." While I hadn't explicitly mentioned potential paint peeling yet, it was a growing worry. When I questioned the hood alignment, they vaguely claimed "other cars had this hood/panel aligned similarly," yet some showroom models were perfectly aligned, and others had different issues (e.g., driver's side lower). This inconsistency clearly points to factory alignment problems.

I left unhappy, a feeling that intensified when I later discovered paint peeling on the very panel I had identified. (I have pictures proving this.)

Second Service Attempt (June 16th) – Honda of Chantilly: I immediately raised the paint peeling concern with Honda of Chantilly. The Service Director promised to examine it with his shop foreman, compare it to another car, and said it "shouldn’t take long." I provided photos and videos clearly showing the peeling.

On June 16th, I met the Service Director. Despite my clear evidence, the day was cloudy and rainy (no comparison car as promised), and neither used a flashlight. They claimed they "don’t see what I’m talking about." The Service Director then folded paper, ran it along the seam, and declared, “Looks like it’s grime.” To my shock, I realized he had just removed the lifted paint. I'm certain the paper would have shown paint flecks.

I again showed them my daylight photos with silver specs and folded red paint debris. I asked, “Isn’t that paint and potential peeling?” The foreman replied, “I’m not a body expert so I can’t say.” This raises a serious question about his diagnostic capability. The Director remained adamant it was grime but agreed to "submit it to Honda to make a determination." (Predictably, it was denied.)

Seeking a Second Opinion – AutoNation Dulles: A Contrast in Competence I immediately went to AutoNation Dulles. Their Service Advisor thoroughly checked my concern, finding the proper angle and lighting. They ran their nail along the panel, feeling a clear difference. With good lighting, they took clear pictures. Even their Service Director quickly confirmed there "appears to be some peeling." While acknowledging it's up to Honda, they stated this documentation would serve as proof if the issue worsens and if Honda denies the claim. (I'm awaiting their follow-up.)

A Stark Contrast and Lack of Good Faith: This story highlights a significant difference in service. I even spoke to the Chantilly GM and various sales managers, hoping they'd resolve it in good faith. Their repeated response: “It’s up to Honda corporate” and “We did what we could.” (No, you didn't.)

My Predicament and a Warning: I'm stuck, waiting for it to worsen, hoping a case manager helps, or that Dulles pulls through.

However, you don’t have to be. Before doing business here, ask yourself: after seeing these reviews, would they truly act in good faith after your purchase? If they didn't for me, what makes you think they...

Review for Honda Chantilly – Service Department

I’ve debated writing this for a long time, but I think it’s time to share my experience in case it helps others. I’ve been bringing my car to Honda Chantilly for several years now—mainly because I wanted to keep things within the Honda family. But honestly, the service department has let me down over and over again.

There’s a pattern of inconsistent pricing, dismissive behavior, and unclear communication, especially when it comes to coupons or service quotes. Most recently, I received a coupon clearly stating 25% off any service or parts, with no exclusions. I called ahead to confirm and was told to bring it in. But when I arrived, the first thing I was told was that the coupon might not apply. Eventually, I was told the 25% only applied to their online base price—not the quoted amount—something that was never mentioned before. This isn’t the first time I’ve had something like this happen.

A few years ago, I had a much worse experience. I mistakenly used the wrong gas in my car and brought it in for a full fuel system clean-out, which cost over $670. I had already paid over $150 to get my car towed there. When I picked up my car, I noticed the fuel gauge hadn’t moved and asked about it. I was told, “Oh yes, we cleaned it and added gas.” On my drive home, I planned to stop at the gas station to top up—but my car suddenly dropped to empty and shut off in the middle of the road. It was terrifying. I called them right away, and instead of concern, I was met with blame and attitude. I was told I must have driven too far (I hadn’t—barely 10 minutes), and they offered no help. I ended up crying on the phone, stuck in traffic, and some fellow drivers helped me push the car off the road. I had to call a friend to come rescue me. They never acknowledged the mistake.

There’s also an issue with their lifetime safety inspection promise. When I brought my car in for an inspection, they tore part of my windshield tint while removing the decal. They showed me the damage and offered to replace it—but only if I gave up the right to have future inspections done there. So I’m punished for asking them to fix something they damaged.

I’ve tried to give them the benefit of the doubt more times than I can count. But at this point, I’ve had enough. It feels like those of us who are cost-conscious or ask questions are treated like a burden, not a customer. And because they’re a dealership, it sometimes feels like we don’t have any choice but to deal with it.

I’m sharing this with the hope that management takes these patterns seriously—and that others know what to expect when choosing where to service their car. The sales team may be great, but the service department needs a serious reset in how they treat and value customers.

Update: Thank you Jamal! I appreciate your response and the opportunity to be heard. I’ve been a customer since 2019, and you have my contact information on file. I welcome any follow-up directly. I shared my experience to encourage better care and clearer communication...

Update- I called the number you replied here. And about a week ago, spoke to a woman who took my info and said Jamal would be in touch but I never got contacted again. :-(

I had my 2024 Honda CRV towed to Honda of Chantilly for twice, for the same issue, both were warranty-covered repairs. Both times the issue occurred, I was advised to call Honda Roadside, I called them, and the roadside provider had extremely long ETAs, would not tell me the name of the provider coming or any contact information for them, and would not allow me to leave my keys with my vehicle. The second time it broke down, I was in a really dangerous part of the highway. I decided to pay out of pocket for both tows. My warranty states that I don't have to pay for any tows to the dealership related to a warranty-covered repair, and it says to contact Honda Dealership for reimbursement requests, so I called. The first person was not sure and transferred me to the Warranty Department. I left a voicemail there, then I called back again asking for the correct department number. That person wasn't sure, and they said they only had an extension and couldn't help, and then told me to come into the dealership and somebody would be able to help me. The same day, I drove from Lovettsville to Chantilly to speak to someone about the tow reimbursement. When I got there, the service advisor Doug H. told me there wasn't anything they could do to help me. He advised me to google "Honda Client Services" and call that number. I showed him my warranty, and he advises the dealership reimburses parts and labor only, and he showed me a number to call. I asked him for his card and he seemed pretty resistant and said again that there was nothing he could do for me. Then I called that number he showed me and they said they were closed since it was a Saturday.

Total waste of my Saturday. I wish somebody just told me the right place to go from the beginning. I still haven't been able to get reimbursed, and nobody I spoke to was very happy to see me. I wasn't thrilled to be there either - but I felt I was being really nice to everyone despite being pretty frustrated overall with my new car breaking down on the side of the road, after service told me it was totally fine to drive it with the dash errors. Now I have approximately $600 in tow expense for an issue that wasn't my fault, and totally have a bad taste in my mouth from the whole experience. I had an Acura before and the service experience was totally different. Acura Dealership/Service in Chantilly has always been good to me, my experience with Honda so far has been...