Cactus Auto — Local services in Tucson

2nd post - update:

Extremely Disappointed – Poor Communication and Unprofessionalism at Cactus Auto

Our experience with Cactus Auto’s service department has been nothing short of frustrating and disappointing. After our car sat in their care for over three months with virtually no updates, my daughter and I were forced to personally visit the dealership just to get answers. Every time we called for an update, no one could tell us the status of the repair.

When we arrived and explained the situation to Jake in the service department, he was visibly shocked—he thought the vehicle had already been picked up. This was a glaring quality control issue and a serious breakdown in communication on their part. Jake took the initiative to call the other repair shop and found out the car should be ready by Thursday, May 8th. He also offered us a loaner vehicle, something we had asked about previously but were told wasn't an option. That was the first helpful gesture we've received in months.

Additionally, we had hoped to speak directly with the owner, Zander, to express our concerns. We were told he was on-site, and a sales representative went to get him. However, instead of coming to speak with us, Zander chose to send the rep back and forth rather than address the issue directly. After waiting more than 15 minutes, we were completely ignored. The lack of accountability and professionalism from ownership is unacceptable.

This entire ordeal reflects a severe lack of customer service, transparency, and leadership. I would strongly caution anyone considering doing business with Cactus Auto, especially when it comes to their service department. Our experience has been exhausting, disrespectful, and completely avoidable had they taken proper care and communicated responsibly.

(I will be updating this review as time passes)

1st post: Disappointing Experience with Service and Warranty Department

I am writing to express my frustration with the service and warranty repair process at this dealership. My daughter's vehicle has been in their service department for over two months, and the lack of communication and urgency is extremely disappointing. Despite multiple attempts to get updates, we have received little to no concrete information regarding the status of the repair.

When I inquired about the delay, I was informed that because the repair was covered under a warranty insurance claim (which the dealership itself sold to us during the purchase), the process would take longer than expected. A service representative, Jake, even mentioned that if it were a cash-paying repair, the job would have been completed more promptly.

Additionally, when I asked about a loaner vehicle, I was told to contact the warranty insurance provider. However, upon doing so, I was informed that the dealership should have provided a loaner car, as the warranty only covers a two-day rental.

While we had a positive experience with the sales team, I cannot say the same for the service department. It is extremely frustrating to deal with a situation where there is little regard for customer concerns or timely resolutions. I hope that the dealership takes this feedback seriously and improves its customer service in the future. Upon posting this, we are still waiting for a return call. ...

After a year of owning our car I thinks it’s finally time to leave a review.

At first, the place was a really nice option for us do to credit issues. The salesman was awesome and didn’t pressure us. He showed us a really clean looking car. The dealership was over all a good experience... at the time.

For the first six months the car was great. We did the regular Maintenance. Oil changes, and rotated the tires once... and that’s when it all started. About a month after that the Differential went out. No big deal right? Well except for the extended warranty didn’t want to cover any portion of it. What ever we payed to get it fixed.

Fast forwarding to about 10 months in. The engine blew. Which we found out was no big deal because we bought a Hyundai.

Again, fast forwarding to today, our car is sitting at the garage again. Yesterday we got another oil change, and Alignment done because it’s been pulling really bad. ( we’ve had a rental/loaner for most of a six month period). We bought 2 new tires based off a picture I took of the of the front passenger tire.

We went to discount tire to get the size (again based on the picture I took of the tire) we needed. After about 10 minutes of talking with the guy. with him telling us that the tires were the wrong size he sold us these 2 based on what was on the car. (225/65 r17)

We had the 2 new tires but on the back cause those were the bad ones. We drove it home and noticed it was still doing the same thing. Pulling really bad to the right. I brought it back to the garage today. I rode around with the Mechanic trying to figure it out cause the alignment was spot on after he did it.

We went back to the shop and were talking about it. With us buying 2 new tires yesterday, and having the issue with the guy at discount tire, I thought to double check the tire sizes. Keep in mind the front 2 tires were still the ones it came with from the dealership. The passenger one which I took a picture of was 225/65 r17. (Which is the same as the other 3.. the driver front was 235/65 r17.

The guy at discount tire told us 235/65 r17 is what was suppose to be on the car. He also stated wrong size tires can blow the transmission and more. So when we Purchased the car it had 3 tires being 225/65 r17 which would have been the front 2 and one in the back along with the one 235/65 r17.

The car is all wheel drive. So when we had the tires rotated the front driver tire became the 235/65 r17 and the other was the 225/65 r17. And that’s when our problems started.

With all this being said, the sales people are great people, super nice. However if you purchase a vehicle make sure you check all the details like you know tire sizes. Seems like their to in a rush to sell cars and will throw anything on it.

Legally, I’ll be seeing if there’s anything I can do about this because all the money I’ve spent in the past year has be ran back to improper tire size from...

What I thought was going to be a smooth and easy purchase of a vehicle became a nightmare to deal with. Not only were they quick to take my down payment and send me off the lot WITHOUT plates, but I had to bring the vehicle back for repairs within 11 days of having it. Thankfully the 15 day/500 mile warranty covered this. I was relieved, until I kept calling for updates and could never get a hold of anyone. Finally after 3 days with no vehicle, I went in hoping that the repairs were done and I could pick up the car. Low and behold, the car hadn't even been touched. I was told that the car would be done by 4pm that day (Wednesday), but when 3:10pm rolled around, I got a call saying that they had ordered the wrong parts. This is what struck me as weird, seeing as the repairs I needed done were a 2-3 hour labor job. Yet they called me 50 minutes before the Services department closed. So now, on my fifth visit to this dealership within 14 days, my mother accompanied me with concerns that this dealership was purposely trying to hold the vehicle until my warranty was up so we couldn't report any further issues. That's when their "head mechanic" Francisco decided to take it upon himself to argue with her and blatantly admit that the vehicle had these problems BEFORE they sold it to me, and that no 5 point inspection had been done, which is not what I was told by the salesman when I signed for the car. He also stated that I "don't get special treatment" even though I had an appointment for these repairs. I was also badgered by an employee in the service department about why I did not purchase the extended warranty, which was completely beside the point. Please don't waste your time with this dealership, especially if you're a young female planning to go buy a vehicle alone. They will try to take advantage and say anything to get you to sign. I received poor communication throughout the entire process, other than the salesman calling me 2-3 times a day for 2 weeks to close on the vehicle. Afterwards I was lucky to get anyone to answer the phone. Funny how the website says "When you visit us, you won't be met with any of the sales gimmicks or dishonest business practices that have given the used car industry such a bad reputation". Some of the most deceitful and immoral "business practices" I've encountered. I'd give zero stars if it were possible. I'd consider reading some of the reviews on the Better Business Bureau website regarding...