Miami Lakes Automall — Local services in Miami Lakes

Had a horrible experience with the Service department on the Chevrolet side. I originally contacted the service center about a blocked parking sensor error message. I made an appointment to bring it in for a service and to figure out the problem and come back a different day to fix whatever the issue was. When I got to the center everything was fine enough but the service advisor (Evelio) sweet talked me into a premium service I was not expecting ($1300). I was fine with it because the milage was appropriate for that level of service so I went ahead and agreed to it. He was also clear that the only thing they would do that day was the service and we would come up with a plan for the sensor (which is what I was expecting). When I picked up my truck at the end of the day I asked about the sensor and they told me everything was fine. But it wasn't. Turns out they checked the tire pressure sensors but neglected the parking sensor. When confronted about it they tried to put the blame on me that I mentioned the wrong sensor which is total BS, I even showed them a photo of the error message i was seeing on the dash. To make matters worse, the guy that did the actual service on my truck was present and said he noticed the error code on the dash but didn't think anything of it. That was the ONLY reason I brought my truck in to the service center in the first place. Trying to make good on a bad situation they assured my they would order the part and it would be a "quick job" that I could come back and I could wait for it do be done. So they sent me home and when I got to where I was going I realized they sent my home without my key. They must have started the truck for me but never handed me the key. I just assumed it was in the center console. Thank God I had a spare. So after a week I reached out via text and phone. Nothing. Reached out every few days and the communication was nonexistent. Over the course of the next month I reached out 6-7 times via text and 4 voice messages and I got one phone call back and a couple responses via text that were short and of no substance. After a month I informed the agent I was coming in to get my key and hopefully fix that part and at first agent said that day worked but when I asked what time the last communication I got was "stand by". If I didn't show up to the dealer I'd still be standing by as he never got back to me. When I got to the dealer in the morning I was there for an hour before he showed up. It was nothing but excuses for the lack of communication but they assured me they would fix the problem that day. He asked me for all my info all over again and had to start the process all over. He even told me that the part was not covered because the truck was out of warranty and I had to remind him that I gave him all my extended warranty information a month ago when I was in for the initial visit, another sign he wasn't paying attention. Long story short I was at the dealer for 5 hours that day for a "30 minute no big deal job" when they realized the sensor had to be painted. When I showed my disappointment for not being able to finish the job that day, and the color of the sensor was wrong I went ahead and reminded them that they've had literally over a month to plan out all these details. I ended coming back the following day for another 2 hrs to get the part installed and issue resolved. The only positive I have to admit is my case was transferred to another service advisor Ethan and he was actually helpful and communicative. Overall was a miserable experience. My truck was there all day the first day, and 7 hrs between 2 days for a "30 minute job". Should be embarrassed to call it a "service" department. If I ran my business that way I'd be out of...

STOP !!!! PLEASE READ!!!! Please make sure you do your research before purchasing a vehicle from Miami Lakes Auto Mall. This review is a fair, honest, and accurate description of my purchasing experience at the Miami Lakes Auto Mall. Management at this Jeep dealership needs to be aware of their substandard business practices. (even though nothing will come of it). I went to the Miami Lakes Auto Mall even though everything in my gut told me not to go there for a multitude of reasons, and I purchased what I thought was a certified pre-owned vehicle and since the day of purchase I have had nothing but problems. While at first everything seemed great, we negotiated the deal, got to finance and while I was telling the finance individual about my nightmare at another Chevy dealership in Homestead, FL, he proceeded to tell me that what they sold me in reference to GAP INSURANCE was illegal, but later in the conversation he recommended me to get the GAP INSURANCE he says “it’s only another $10 a month) so while I tried to wrap my head around all of that. The deal was signed and done and that’s when the problems started. Before I even drove off the lot, the battery in the key fab was dead. That was just the beginning of one of the worst car buying experiences I have ever had with the exception of one other Chevy dealership in Homestead FL. 4 weeks later I am still having mechanical issues with the vehicle (glow plugs). I received an email notification a week after I bought the vehicle from LOJACK saying thank you for the recent purchase. Now I’m saying to myself what purchase??? I was never informed by anyone on the finance or management team at this dealership that I was paying for something I did not have knowledge of or approve. I can’t even get anyone on the phone from LOJACK to provide me with any information. Now listing all the issues that this vehicle has had wrong with it is not the answer here, but I have had to make the one way 47-mile drive down to this dealership 4 different times. The fact that I was sold basically a lemon, of which should have never been put on the website or on the lot to be sold in the condition it was in says a lot about this dealership. Along with the fact that they sold a vehicle to me with a safety recall on it that GM has no answer on how to fix it. We are only a dollar sign to the dealerships; they only have to give you a brief false sense of comradery and customer service so that you will make the purchase with them. Do yourselves a favor if the deal isn’t good or something is off…get up and walk out don’t be afraid to walk out, the same vehicle you want is at another dealership and make sure you get your keys from your car back after they have done their inspection on your vehicle. Don’t be afraid to walk out. BUT on a small but positive note, one good thing I will say is that after the 4 times of having to go to this dealership the Chevy side of the auto mall who worked on my vehicle did what they could to make things right! Andy in Service helped navigate a couple of the issues with this vehicle but the problems still persist and have not been resolved as of yet, and Al one of the service managers from the Jeep dealership was helpful in getting some of issues resolved. But regardless of them trying to help my check engine light is still on and I am still having issues with this vehicle. I don’t think I should have had to go through all of that just to buy a vehicle. I have had to deal with missing work and using my time off to go and have these issues resolved instead of these problems being addressed before it even hit the website...

Update as of 5/20: The Finance Director was able to reach out and work through some of my previous issues. Since then, LoJack has reached out to create my account with them, but once I did that, I couldn't move forward because even though the dealership charges $699 for LoJack that they "can't remove the charge of because it's already installed on the vehicle" wasn't actually installed on the vehicle. Now they say the only option would be for me to schedule an appt for me to waste likely half or more of my day, for them to install a product they said was already on the vehicle.

I recently purchased a vehicle from Miami Auto Lakes 4/22/2025 and while my experience with the salesperson was positive—he was friendly and helpful, despite being relatively new—the process quickly deteriorated once I entered the finance stage.

The finance process was disorganized from the start, due to apparent system issues that led to delays. When I was finally presented with the paperwork, I wasn’t shown the itemized breakdown upfront, and was simply asked to sign. After signing, I noticed discrepancies in the emailed contract—specifically, the vehicle price was higher than advertised, despite financing through the dealership.

When I asked for clarification, I was told there was a charge to "activate" the manufacturer warranty, which didn’t sound right. Upon reviewing the finance manager’s screen myself, I noticed additional fees—gap insurance, inspection fees, and the so-called warranty activation—that were never discussed with me. I expressed that I did not want gap coverage, and pointed out the redundancy in the inspection fee. I was then told removing gap would raise my interest rate, which I later found out is not true.

After escalating my concerns to the GSM, some adjustments were made and the numbers were corrected. I specifically confirmed that I could follow up if I found that the warranty activation charge was not legitimate, and the finance manager agreed. However, once I agreed to move forward, the finance manager reverted the figures back to the original, higher amounts without telling me. When I questioned it again, he made further changes and said everything would need to be resubmitted. At that point, it was close to midnight, and I went to remove my belongings from my trade in. The Finance Manager let me know he was ready and that I would be emailed a new contract.

I followed up via email on 4/25/2025 because I had not received the updated contract and also raised two issues: (1) Hyundai confirmed there is no such thing as a warranty activation fee for second owners, and (2) I was incorrectly charged a registration fee, even though I had just renewed my tag and it was transferable. I asked for these issues to be corrected. The finance manager said I’d receive a corrected contract by the end of the day, and one was eventually sent, but it still contained errors—most notably, the vehicle price was still inflated, and he continued to factor my trade-in incorrectly into the total price.

I sent a detailed breakdown of the remaining issues and asked for a resolution or the appropriate contact who could assist. I received no reply. I also responded to several automated follow-ups from the dealership offering help if I was unsatisfied, but no one has responded to those either. As of 5/1/2025, I’ve heard nothing back, except a request from my salesperson for proof of insurance.

While I appreciate the salesperson’s professionalism, my experience with the finance department and the lack of follow-up from management have left me deeply...