Northstar Kia — Local services in New York

On March 14, 2024 I brought a 2016 Chrysler Town & Country from their used car dealership which is a few blocks away on Northern Blvd. The day i got it right before i drove off the main dealership lot i noticed the windshield had a crack which they did fix a few days later. When i brought the car in to fix the windshield i told them that the passenger side sliding door doesn't lock automatically. I got the part is on back order and we will call you when we have it. Two months later still not fixed.Two weeks later my transmission blew. I had the car towed to their service dept on 37th Ave. They had my car from April 1st- April 22nd. For 22 days I got the run around from Management & the Service Dept. Oh the NEW TRANSMISSION & NEW TORQUE CONVERTER is on order. This caused me major financial hardship and anguish as I really needed the car leaving me to have to rent a car every weekend for 3 weekends. Everytime I called Anthony (the manager) or spoke to Jose James or Martin i got the we are ordering the NEW TRANSMISSION for you. I get the car back on April 23, 2024. So i start to notice that the 2nd and 3rd gear is not giving the power it needs to as i am driving it just two weeks later. So I take the car to my mechanic whom I trust. I tell him the situation since I brought the car. So he puts it on the lift and tells me this isn't a NEW TRANSMISSION NOT EVEN A REBUILT TRANSMISSION THEY JUST PUT A TRANSMISSION IN THE CAR. My mechanic is 15 minutes from the dealership. So I drove to them and told Anthony & Jose why did you guys Lie To Me telling me y'all put a NEW TRANSMISSION in the car that you had for 22 days. And they tell me oh we don't put NEW PARTS IN A USED CAR just bring it back to the service dept so they can look at it. I bring the car there on Monday May 13, 2024 to get the car tomorrow on May 16, 2024. So I called a friend who sells car and tell him the situation and he tells me what they are really doing is buying time for the warranty to kicks in so they don't have to pay for the NEW TRANSMISSION AND FIX THE SLIDING DOOR LOCK. So the past few days I have been calling the service dept and they tell me the check engine light code is cleared (yes it is a TRANSMISSION CODE) but the light isn't coming back on. So I say I basically have to drive it for the light to come back on or the TRANSMISSION BLOWS AGAIN to put in a claim with US warranty (who I also called and told the the situation and they said that they can call and put in a claim). North Star Kia/Mitsubishi refuses to take any financial responsibility not even for the tow if it breaks down on me. The sad part is I got the car because I just moved upstate from the bronx and need transportation back and forth to the city for work and school for my daughter's. So if the car breaks down while I'm driving from upstate I'm screwed. And mind you them 22 days they had the car they wouldn't even provide me with a loaner car causing me to spend $1,000 on car rentals until I got the car back. I had the car 2 months March 14, 2024 - May 14, 2024 mind you the car was in their service dept almost the whole mothe of April 2024. Meanwhile I'm still making car and insurance payments of $500 a month. THIS HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE WITH NORTH STAR KIA MITSUBISHI FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS. WISH I NEVER LOOKED THEIR WAY...

(7/12/2024) Kia America Inc. is supposed to take back my car due to a Lemon Law case I won, and this transaction is supposed to take place at Northstar Kia. Unfortunately, the responsible parties at Northstar have not responded to voicemails and messages about setting up a time to do the surrender, and so I've been waiting for over a month to finally surrender the car; all the while still paying Kia my payments and paying my insurance, for a car that's been at Northstar Kia since February! Apparently, they are too busy to return important calls. I'm hoping a call from corporate will make them take this more seriously, but I have little hope in Kia as a company at this point, since my car broke down last year on July 22nd and it's taken this long to get to this point. I can't wait to get out of this contract with this inept corporation!

Be warned: I did not purchase the car from Northstar, but the supervisors' inability to return a call and set up an appointment would make me wary about doing any business with them. Also, just avoid buying a Kia or Hyundai altogether, the cars are unreliable (I broke down on a highway in 70mph traffic; I'm lucky to be alive and this is how they treat me), and the business is lax at best.

Northstar, please call Morley back to set up the surrender. I've left three messages, as well. This is taking much longer than it should because of this dealership. Thank you.

Update: (7/20/2024) So, I was called in less than 30 minutes after the original post. They called Morley, and I was able to get an appointment for the next week. When I arrived they were very nice, but had no idea where my car was. Three stops-- for a panel of keys, to look at one lot and then find the correct lot-- we found my car! It was in the back of the lot with the exterior in a mess because it was under a tree that produces berries, with a vine growing on the back door, and the keys inside the car (so we didn't need to go get the panel of keys, but they apparently had no idea the keys were with the car) but otherwise the car was in working condition. The transfer agent did their inspection, and we headed back to the original location, two blocks away from the location of the car (so the 20-minute tour of Queens was unnecessary).

I was going to delete this post once everything was settled, but I've decided to leave it and just increase my rating from 1 star to 3 stars because of the debacle that occurred when I arrived for a scheduled meeting needing to be noted but with the kindness of the staff making up for the mess. One manager allowed the agent and I to make copies and print out forms; another employee was very nice as he drove us around to find the car, the ladies in accounting were welcoming when I was mistakenly directed to their location to start the whole meeting. So, points for in-person customer service, but no points for the lack of organization and the many missing systems that are needed for a business to run smoothly. A neutral 3 is fair.

So, take your chances. It may work out for you, and it may not. Guess it depends on what you need from...

Kudos to Northstar Kia at Long Island City-With a special thanks to RAY VALENVIA and the management staff there!

I know I've already said it while there but I want everyone and anyone else that's looking for a vehicle to know to just come straight to you guys!!! Based on my personal experience, OUT OF ALL THE OTHER dealerships I've researched and visited throughout the tri-state area and even as far as the outskirts of Pennsylvania, NOT ONE compared to the quality and passion in delivering optimum service AAAND products, customer care AAAND satisfaction as Northstar KIA LIC! I visited Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Buick, GMC, etc...you name it; I went there. At these dealerships, their sales reps discussed with me and negotiated finance and leasing plans. But I tell you NONE came even close to "complete customer satisfaction" than Northstar at LIC, PERIOD!!!

The selection and quality of cars combined with my packaged deal wasn't what just sealed the deal. I genuinely felt that when I voiced my needs and expectations, Northstar Kia's LIC branch listened and clearly delivered! They didn't try and push on me a car that was out my means nor did they try to use that as a strategy to make me feel I was cornered and only qualified for a lower quality vehicle. They paid particular attention to my concerns, needs and wants, paying particular attention to my past experiences and challenges in securing THE BEST vehicle for me and my family. LIC's Northstar KIA discussed leasing versus financing and ultimately gave me an amazing slew of HIGH QUALITY performance vehicles with THE BEST payment options FOR BOTH plans that at other dealerships across the tri-state area couldn't and did NOT produce, (aside from them also trying to sell me options that I didn't need, want or clearly didn't qualify for but were addiment in pushing the sale anyway). As a female consumer, this is very annoying, frustrating, and insulting since it always seems that many salesmen try to take advantage and try forcing their sales thinking that woman are weak, impulsive, emotionally vulnerable and none the wiser of their schemes and antics. The team at Northstar LIC were tremendously respectful,considerate, thoughtful, and exhibited true professionalism. Ray Valenvia I commend you and your supervisors for meeting with me and negotiating a deal that I felt both parties walked away as winners!

The Northstar KIA LIC advertisement is truer than any other when it comes to delivering on promises: "if Northstar can't, even NOBODY CAN...!"

Ray, you've earned my trust and loyalty as a client of Northstar Kia and I can't wait for the opportunity to doing business with you at LIC's Northstar...