Ron Tonkin Kia Service

"Jennifer did an amazing job for us! We had a couple of items that needed repair before our warranty ran out. She had the vehicle inspected and added a couple of additional related items items to the warranty claim, saving us thousands down the road! With one repair part on back order, she keep us regularly informed on the status until the vehicle was ready for pick-up. This is the third time we’ve had Jennifer as our service advisor and she’s always been awesome!"

"DO NOT BRING YOUR VEHICLE HERE FOR DIAGNOSTIC WORK. TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. IF I COULD GIVE NEGATIVE STARS I WOULD! We brought our 2013 Sportage in for diagnostics. We were told the front wheel bearings were the cause, but we had just had the front wheel bearings, the brakes (rotors, calipers, pads) looked & were told they're fine. We shared this is Kristin, the service advisor, who arranged for us to come in the next morning for a test drive with a technician to see if we can recreate the sound for the tech. The next morning upon arrival, we were denied a test drive with a tech & the service manager, Geoff Walker, refused to come out of his office to speak us let alone go for a test drive with us himself. Rather, I overheard him tell Kristin "No, I will not go for a test drive with them. This is what our tech has diagnosed, if they have a problem with it, they can go somewhere else. But we are not re-diagnosing something that we've already stated as the problem." When pressed about the sound of a failing bearing being a consistent noise with the rotation of the tire, Kristin agreed. When pressed about whether or not the tech actually took the wheel off the vehicle and inspected the hub, she couldn't provide an answer. Rather, she stated: "So specifically, let's go over what the notes say: 'Test drove vehicle. No abnormal noise from within cabin with windows rolled up. With windows down in parking lot areas, can hear rhythmic scraping type noise from outside vehicle. Noise appears to be coming from front wheel area. Raised vehicle & operated off ground. No abnormal noise heard. Probed front wheel hubs with stethoscope while operating on lift. Some minor bearing noise heard from both front wheel bearings. Removed wheels & inspected brakes. Found rotors slightly rusty, but brakes otherwise in good condition. Attached chassis ear probes to front steering knuckles & redrove vehicle around parking lot. Some similar scraping noise could be heard through chassis ear. Noise *MAY* be coming from front wheel bearings. Recommend replacing bearings & rechecking.' The estimate to replace both front wheel bearings is about $1,095." Upon hearing that the technician couldn't provide a definitive diagnostic, we asked whether we will get our money back if replacing the bearings doesn't fix the problem: No. When asked, again, if we could speak with Geoff, we were told: "He will not come out to speak with you. This is what we've diagnosed, if you do not think this is the problem, you're welcome to go get a second opinion." (Kristin) "So you expect us to drop $1,100 on a what "*MAY* be wheel bearing", w/o even a guarantee that the wheel bearings are the issue & if the issue is still present, we will not be getting our money back, correct?" (Me) "That is correct. We've given you our diagnosis." (Kristin) _______________________________________________________________ I want to make it VERY VERY clear, in NO WAY is Kristin the bad guy in this situation. She was just the middle-woman having to be the messenger. She handled herself & the situation calmly & professionally. GEOFF WALKER, THE SERVICE MANAGER, SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF FOR NOT SUPPORTING HIS STAFF & FAILING TO PROVIDE BASIC CUSTOMER SERVICE. The fact he was TOO ARROGANT & TOO LAZY to even leave his office to come talk to my husband & myself tells me how poorly he manages his service department, & how low his standards are for providing quality work. I will NEVER be bringing my vehicle back to Ron Tonkin Kia, nor will I ever purchase a vehicle from any Ron Tonkin dealership, or Kia, ever again. We did get a second opinion, from Parker Johnstone Honda, who took the time to listen to us, & went for not one, but two test drives. The first was with the service technician, Mark, the second with the service manager, Jose. We were able to recreate the sound with Jose present, after which his technicians were able to successfully identify the cause of the sound we were hearing; which was NOT the wheel bearings."

"I would like to thank Jennifer Lopez for the excellent work she does. She is always on top of things and if there are any updates needed, she will inform me in advance. She keeps me up to date on what I need to have done now and on my next service appointment. Jennifer is a true asset to this company. I can't say enough good things about her and her hard work. (a personal thank you Jennifer) A loyal customer, R.W. Armstrong"

"Jennifer Lopez assisted me and was so kind and helpful. She went out of her way to make sure I was given the highest level of customer service. We chatted for awhile and she is a very knowledgeable person. While I don’t enjoy dealing with car issues, Jennifer made my experience memorable and I highly recommend Ron Tonkin Kia."

"Jennifer Lopez was so helpful when I came in with brake issues on my GMC. I would highly recommend her to anyone having car trouble as she did a great job making me feel comfortable right from the start. She got my car right in the shop immediately and found that I needed new brakes. They got them done much sooner than expected and made me feel my vehicle was safe again. You can tell Jennifer loves what she does because she really went the extra mile in getting me taken care of. Go see Jennifer Lopez, she will take great care of you!"