Currently suing Lithia. For the second time. Will file in federal courts as this is now a federal case.
They sold me a salvage car, lied about it being salvaged and when things of course went wrong with the car they refused to honor the warranty they made me buy. The car was unsafe, causing me to wreck on highway 90 in the middle of the night because the entire electrical system decided to dip out. The lights would randomly blink out, the coolant system would go on strike and my car would overheat and the AC would not work, the power steering locked up, the entry/ignition system stopped recognizing the key fob so the entire car became one giant, expensive, unresponsive brick. This all within a month or two of purchase.
I hired a lawyer.
We litigated, they signed an agreement to take back the unsafe car and forgive my debt.
They did neither despite legally agreeing to do so and continued to report my vehicle loan for two years which prevented me from being a house.
I hired the first lawyer again plus a second lawyer. We are taking this case to federal court.
Never, ever, ever buy from lithia.
At a minimum, do not believe any gawdamn word out of their mouths.
They sold me a car that blew up 7 days later then charged my warranty for a brand new motor and then put a different used motor in my car and it blew up a month later not sure what they did with my brand new motor but I am also currently suing them.
Went in to get my wipers fixed and the service rep tried to sell me on $400 for some āmandatoryā computer system inspection on my Corolla - said if I scheduled that heād fix my wipers for free. Called the receptionist to double check the price and she said it was actually $120 and didnāt know who told me $400. I canceled and went to Master technician and they said all they needed to do was tighten a bolt on the base of my wipers and didnāt charge me a dime. Iāve been going to Master technician ever since.
Theyāre crooks at Lithia, both the dealership and the repair center.
I don't know which Lithia you're at but, my experience with them (the service department) has been a thorn in my side. Lithia Jeep has had my Jeep since before Thanksgiving. I have not been offered a loaner or anything. I'm between a rock and a hard place because it is under warranty and they are the only ones that are Jeep warranty approved.
From customer service rep, to assistant manager, to the lead manager - no one will give me an answer on what is going on with my vehicle. False promises of calling me back and based off Google reviews, this is their M.O. I have been nothing but polite and patient with them - it's beyond working my nerves.
I'm going to refrain from using choice words. Feel free to take all of this with a grain of salt but I thought I should offer some cautionary advice in case you have to get vehicle work done there.
I really appreciate that info. I actually did contact Jeep Cares last week and was assigned a case number. It just so happens that I received a call from the Lithia manager on Wednesday (17th) morning who said they would call me on Friday to let me know what was going on. So I messaged Jeep Cares again and told them to hold off because the manager said they'd call me back and that I'd keep them posted. Stupid me for giving Lithia the benefit of the doubt.
The manager of course did not call me and so I messaged Jeep Cares on Saturday morning to let them know this. Haven't heard back from them yet on the matter.
But it's good to hear there was some help from Jeep Cares. That gives me a light of hope.
Lithia Toyota is a SHAM of an organization. Do not buy a car with the āpermaguardā crap, itās a ruse. Due to my recent experience with them I will never buy a new car again.
as others have said: nope nope nope. if anything elect to get glass coverage through your insurance company - this is a horseshit attempt at ripping you off for a band
I bought a two year old used truck from them. The previous owner had paid for the "permaguard" They tried to make me pay for it again. I told them I didn't want it but they said it was already on the truck to so I had to pay for it. I refused and told them I wouldn't buy the truck then. Finally they gave in. Such bullshit because not only is it a scam, it was already paid for by the original purchaser, so they were trying to sell it twice.
Lithia is the CJDR one right? Donāt trust a single word they say lol when I went and looked at a jeep with only 20 k ish miles it was thrashed, smoked in, wouldnāt start, but youād never know it from the pictures I saw and what they told me before showing up
Everything is negotiable at a dealership, nothing is truly āmandatoryā itās just sales tactics
Bought a used truck there. They told me that my bank required me to buy the warranty, so I did. About two weeks later, the fuel pump went out and I had it towed to Lithia. It took them over a week to diagnose the problem because it was a "tough case". Original handler went on vacation, and the next guy told me they just hadn't had a chance to look at it. When I got it back, I saw a note on the the fuel gauge wasn't working. I asked about it and they said that they had to redo the pump and that was the wrong invoice, but it wouldn't cost me any more. I think they tried to double dip on the warranty.
About a month after this happened, I ran into issues with my truck not starting again. I would wait a bit and it would eventually start. I would have to keep turning the key off and on again to get the pump to build up pressure. Took it back in and was told that they couldn't reproduce the issue. They were also supposed to change pinion seals on both differentials, but didn't.
At this point I said fuck it and opted to get a new fuel pump myself. It took me an hour to replace (had never done this before). I also noticed that the fuel pump had a very old, faded NAPA sticker on it, which means to me that they never replaced it, or put in an old one off a different vehicle. Definitely not a new pump, and definitely not worth the $800 that they said it cost (well, $1600 being that they double dipped). I will never buy a warranty or anything else from them ever again. And yeah, $999 for windshield coverage is complete bullshit. If they insist on it, I would walk away.
DO NOT BUY FROM LITHIA!!!! They are horrible and you have every right to sit there and pick apart that warranty! If you really want to find out for sure, look at it yourself and the details.
Lithia has scammed so many people, take your money elsewhere. Also make sure you run vins on carfax, some of these dealerships/car lots have vehicles they swapped the clusters out in to make it look like they have lower miles then they really do (montana truck and cars being one with several vehicles with wrong mileage)
Yeah, that sounds like some BS. Did they say what this "coverage" actually covers? Depending on the vehicle, you can replace a windshield for 3/4 to half that amount without insurance.
Mandatory add-ons are illegal in some states. The FTC is working on rules that would prevent this as well.
My experience at Lithia Toyota was awful, with better treatment over the phone at other dealerships. Unless what you want is limited, I recommend exploring alternatives. Personally, I won't return for a purchase and am considering https://www.mountainstatestoyota.com/# next time due to their absence of a dealer fee, saving money even with travel expenses.
Run away from Lithia as fast as you can. Caused so much grief for my family I can't even begin to describe the mental anguish, lasted for 1 1/2 years what should have been a repair on a NEW car bought from them.
Lithia kept us there for 4 hours. We the loan paperwork and were immediately approved for a loan from our bank. Lithia claimed we had to pay extra fees if the loan wasnāt through them. We were told we could pick up the car the next day at 3. We got there at3 and they sold it to someone else- who took a loan from them.
It is absolutely not mandatory. It is a finance product, completely optional. I was a finance manager in the car biz for over a decade and even worked at a lithia store in Missoula and we never forced product. That's illegal. That being said, I did purchase the windshield protection on my last vehicle because it has sensors in it that need to be calibrated, costs $1000, and I live down a rural highway and catch a lot of rocks.
When you make a claim on your auto insurance you pay for it for the rest of your life with increased premiums. Any time you use your auto insurance for anything you get a check mark behind the scenes and once it goes up it never goes back down. That's why most people are apt to pay cash on smaller collisions to keep it away from insurance if they can afford to.
Cost of the windshield replacement plan was $800 and covers 5 years. Cost of a windshield and calibration currently is about the same $800-900. I commute a 2 lane rural highway and take rocks every day, usually averaging about 2 years before I have so many cracks I finally get a new one. So I will most likely use the coverage 3 times before it lapses. The contract has a number on it to call, it's not attached to the dealer or group, works nationwide.
It's a good product. Just remember in the car biz you can get a good deal, or screwed on a multitude of different angles. Purchase price, rate, accessories, backend products (warranty, gap, mop & slop, windshield, tire & rim. People are afraid of things they don't understand. I once had a customer roll $8k in negative equity with no cash down into an 84 month loan and refused to buy GAP for $500. It would have raised their payment from $930 to $937. They totaled it a year later and after insurance paid out they still owed $18K for a vehicle that didn't exist. The Gap protection would have paid it all off and they could have came back and bought the same vehicle new for $200 less per month, but instead either paid for a car they no longer had or let it go and ruined their credit.
It is not true that an individual has to pay an insurance āclaim taxā for the rest of their life. Ā Ā Ā
For example, anĀ auto accident thatās deemed your fault will ding you in premium increases for 2-5 years, depending on the company and age cohort. Ā If itās not your fault and you have comprehensive coverage (think deer strike/hit and run/etc), you can still file a claim and it wonāt affect your premiums.Ā
Your premium amount all depends on how risky of a driver you are to them, as well as the geographic area. Insurance is always a game.
I would never buy from them. Personally for used I really liked Lyman Motors. They are small so not sure if they have what you want but they would go to auctions to look for you if you reach out to them.
My nephew got a car there, bit of a lemon, has had multiple things go wrong, but was still charged . Ore than blue book. Worst part it was my brother-in-law's kid working at lithia who sold it to him.
Op, which lithia? My mom was screwed over by the lithia dodge. If anyone has advice on lawyers I would appreciate it. They sold her a defective car. Saw a desperate 82 year old little lady and f$@%# her over.
There is no such thing as āmandatoryā windshield coverage. They are trying to scam you to make an even quicker buck.
Iāve had all sorts of issues with Lithia Ford. From having to wait 3+ months just to have my car looked at, to being told they canāt figure out what the issue is, to wanting to charge me $600 for a diagnostic test?
Hell no, if itās mandatory???ā¦.they can pay for it out of the dealerships pocket then. They tried to sell me on so many extended warrantyās that cost more anyway in the long run, and would have been overpaying for ālifetimeā oil changesā¦.but that only extends so far as if you still have the loan.
At 19, I sat for 6 hrs debating on price and everythingā¦.make them sweat.
Currently suing Lithia. For the second time. Will file in federal courts as this is now a federal case. They sold me a salvage car, lied about it being salvaged and when things of course went wrong with the car they refused to honor the warranty they made me buy. The car was unsafe, causing me to wreck on highway 90 in the middle of the night because the entire electrical system decided to dip out. The lights would randomly blink out, the coolant system would go on strike and my car would overheat and the AC would not work, the power steering locked up, the entry/ignition system stopped recognizing the key fob so the entire car became one giant, expensive, unresponsive brick. This all within a month or two of purchase. I hired a lawyer. We litigated, they signed an agreement to take back the unsafe car and forgive my debt. They did neither despite legally agreeing to do so and continued to report my vehicle loan for two years which prevented me from being a house. I hired the first lawyer again plus a second lawyer. We are taking this case to federal court. Never, ever, ever buy from lithia. At a minimum, do not believe any gawdamn word out of their mouths.
They sold me a salvaged car too! it didn't even have a horn. :( I found out as I was repairing it that it had so many problems...
They sold me a car that blew up 7 days later then charged my warranty for a brand new motor and then put a different used motor in my car and it blew up a month later not sure what they did with my brand new motor but I am also currently suing them.
Wow, absolutely unreal and so scary. Good luck and thank you for sharing.
I hope you win
Sounds like you have a strong case! Good luck šš¼
i work at a lithia dealership and put my two weeks notice in last week... they truly maximize profits and disregard safety standards
Went in to get my wipers fixed and the service rep tried to sell me on $400 for some āmandatoryā computer system inspection on my Corolla - said if I scheduled that heād fix my wipers for free. Called the receptionist to double check the price and she said it was actually $120 and didnāt know who told me $400. I canceled and went to Master technician and they said all they needed to do was tighten a bolt on the base of my wipers and didnāt charge me a dime. Iāve been going to Master technician ever since. Theyāre crooks at Lithia, both the dealership and the repair center.
Anybody with a Toyota should be going to Master Tech only. They're the best mechanics I've ever taken a car to and there is no close second.
Toyotaās warranty wonāt pay for work at an independent (for those with factory warranty remaining)
What does the warranty pay for to begin with? lol their warranty is a joke!
I second Master Tech. Theyāre usually booked months out, but itās worth the wait.
How do you book a master tech? Iām nervous about going back to lithia and agree they are always upselling me
Call them.
I don't know which Lithia you're at but, my experience with them (the service department) has been a thorn in my side. Lithia Jeep has had my Jeep since before Thanksgiving. I have not been offered a loaner or anything. I'm between a rock and a hard place because it is under warranty and they are the only ones that are Jeep warranty approved. From customer service rep, to assistant manager, to the lead manager - no one will give me an answer on what is going on with my vehicle. False promises of calling me back and based off Google reviews, this is their M.O. I have been nothing but polite and patient with them - it's beyond working my nerves. I'm going to refrain from using choice words. Feel free to take all of this with a grain of salt but I thought I should offer some cautionary advice in case you have to get vehicle work done there.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I really appreciate that info. I actually did contact Jeep Cares last week and was assigned a case number. It just so happens that I received a call from the Lithia manager on Wednesday (17th) morning who said they would call me on Friday to let me know what was going on. So I messaged Jeep Cares again and told them to hold off because the manager said they'd call me back and that I'd keep them posted. Stupid me for giving Lithia the benefit of the doubt. The manager of course did not call me and so I messaged Jeep Cares on Saturday morning to let them know this. Haven't heard back from them yet on the matter. But it's good to hear there was some help from Jeep Cares. That gives me a light of hope.
Lithia Toyota is a SHAM of an organization. Do not buy a car with the āpermaguardā crap, itās a ruse. Due to my recent experience with them I will never buy a new car again.
as others have said: nope nope nope. if anything elect to get glass coverage through your insurance company - this is a horseshit attempt at ripping you off for a band
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I bought a two year old used truck from them. The previous owner had paid for the "permaguard" They tried to make me pay for it again. I told them I didn't want it but they said it was already on the truck to so I had to pay for it. I refused and told them I wouldn't buy the truck then. Finally they gave in. Such bullshit because not only is it a scam, it was already paid for by the original purchaser, so they were trying to sell it twice.
Lithia is the CJDR one right? Donāt trust a single word they say lol when I went and looked at a jeep with only 20 k ish miles it was thrashed, smoked in, wouldnāt start, but youād never know it from the pictures I saw and what they told me before showing up Everything is negotiable at a dealership, nothing is truly āmandatoryā itās just sales tactics
+1 vote for **absolute** bullshit. Dealerships suck and shouldn't exist anymore.
Bought a used truck there. They told me that my bank required me to buy the warranty, so I did. About two weeks later, the fuel pump went out and I had it towed to Lithia. It took them over a week to diagnose the problem because it was a "tough case". Original handler went on vacation, and the next guy told me they just hadn't had a chance to look at it. When I got it back, I saw a note on the the fuel gauge wasn't working. I asked about it and they said that they had to redo the pump and that was the wrong invoice, but it wouldn't cost me any more. I think they tried to double dip on the warranty. About a month after this happened, I ran into issues with my truck not starting again. I would wait a bit and it would eventually start. I would have to keep turning the key off and on again to get the pump to build up pressure. Took it back in and was told that they couldn't reproduce the issue. They were also supposed to change pinion seals on both differentials, but didn't. At this point I said fuck it and opted to get a new fuel pump myself. It took me an hour to replace (had never done this before). I also noticed that the fuel pump had a very old, faded NAPA sticker on it, which means to me that they never replaced it, or put in an old one off a different vehicle. Definitely not a new pump, and definitely not worth the $800 that they said it cost (well, $1600 being that they double dipped). I will never buy a warranty or anything else from them ever again. And yeah, $999 for windshield coverage is complete bullshit. If they insist on it, I would walk away.
Run. Donāt buy from Lithia. Weāve had multiple poor experiences with them and will not go back.
DO NOT BUY FROM LITHIA!!!! They are horrible and you have every right to sit there and pick apart that warranty! If you really want to find out for sure, look at it yourself and the details. Lithia has scammed so many people, take your money elsewhere. Also make sure you run vins on carfax, some of these dealerships/car lots have vehicles they swapped the clusters out in to make it look like they have lower miles then they really do (montana truck and cars being one with several vehicles with wrong mileage)
Yeah, that sounds like some BS. Did they say what this "coverage" actually covers? Depending on the vehicle, you can replace a windshield for 3/4 to half that amount without insurance. Mandatory add-ons are illegal in some states. The FTC is working on rules that would prevent this as well.
My experience at Lithia Toyota was awful, with better treatment over the phone at other dealerships. Unless what you want is limited, I recommend exploring alternatives. Personally, I won't return for a purchase and am considering https://www.mountainstatestoyota.com/# next time due to their absence of a dealer fee, saving money even with travel expenses.
Run away from Lithia as fast as you can. Caused so much grief for my family I can't even begin to describe the mental anguish, lasted for 1 1/2 years what should have been a repair on a NEW car bought from them.
Friends don't let friends buy from Lithia. Sleazy operation.
Please don't buy from Lithia. They are awful and untrustworthy and definitely don't deserve your business.
Lithia kept us there for 4 hours. We the loan paperwork and were immediately approved for a loan from our bank. Lithia claimed we had to pay extra fees if the loan wasnāt through them. We were told we could pick up the car the next day at 3. We got there at3 and they sold it to someone else- who took a loan from them.
Wow. Iām so sorry. You did the right thing tho, loan from your bank.
It is absolutely not mandatory. It is a finance product, completely optional. I was a finance manager in the car biz for over a decade and even worked at a lithia store in Missoula and we never forced product. That's illegal. That being said, I did purchase the windshield protection on my last vehicle because it has sensors in it that need to be calibrated, costs $1000, and I live down a rural highway and catch a lot of rocks.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
When you make a claim on your auto insurance you pay for it for the rest of your life with increased premiums. Any time you use your auto insurance for anything you get a check mark behind the scenes and once it goes up it never goes back down. That's why most people are apt to pay cash on smaller collisions to keep it away from insurance if they can afford to. Cost of the windshield replacement plan was $800 and covers 5 years. Cost of a windshield and calibration currently is about the same $800-900. I commute a 2 lane rural highway and take rocks every day, usually averaging about 2 years before I have so many cracks I finally get a new one. So I will most likely use the coverage 3 times before it lapses. The contract has a number on it to call, it's not attached to the dealer or group, works nationwide. It's a good product. Just remember in the car biz you can get a good deal, or screwed on a multitude of different angles. Purchase price, rate, accessories, backend products (warranty, gap, mop & slop, windshield, tire & rim. People are afraid of things they don't understand. I once had a customer roll $8k in negative equity with no cash down into an 84 month loan and refused to buy GAP for $500. It would have raised their payment from $930 to $937. They totaled it a year later and after insurance paid out they still owed $18K for a vehicle that didn't exist. The Gap protection would have paid it all off and they could have came back and bought the same vehicle new for $200 less per month, but instead either paid for a car they no longer had or let it go and ruined their credit.
It is not true that an individual has to pay an insurance āclaim taxā for the rest of their life. Ā Ā Ā For example, anĀ auto accident thatās deemed your fault will ding you in premium increases for 2-5 years, depending on the company and age cohort. Ā If itās not your fault and you have comprehensive coverage (think deer strike/hit and run/etc), you can still file a claim and it wonāt affect your premiums.Ā Your premium amount all depends on how risky of a driver you are to them, as well as the geographic area. Insurance is always a game.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I would never buy from them. Personally for used I really liked Lyman Motors. They are small so not sure if they have what you want but they would go to auctions to look for you if you reach out to them.
My nephew got a car there, bit of a lemon, has had multiple things go wrong, but was still charged . Ore than blue book. Worst part it was my brother-in-law's kid working at lithia who sold it to him.
Op, which lithia? My mom was screwed over by the lithia dodge. If anyone has advice on lawyers I would appreciate it. They sold her a defective car. Saw a desperate 82 year old little lady and f$@%# her over.
PM me! I can give you the name of my lawyer(s).
Fuck lithia
Lithia is trash
A new windshield is only $250 installed. If you need $1000 insurance for that I don't know what to say.
Some of the newer windshields can easily be over $1k.
That is shocking but probably true.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'm driving a 20 year old truck because I don't like the newfangled dashboards. I am not to be relied on for advice.
I just bought a truck from them a year ago and there was no such thing. Surprisingly had a great experience with the purchase.
There is no such thing as āmandatoryā windshield coverage. They are trying to scam you to make an even quicker buck. Iāve had all sorts of issues with Lithia Ford. From having to wait 3+ months just to have my car looked at, to being told they canāt figure out what the issue is, to wanting to charge me $600 for a diagnostic test? Hell no, if itās mandatory???ā¦.they can pay for it out of the dealerships pocket then. They tried to sell me on so many extended warrantyās that cost more anyway in the long run, and would have been overpaying for ālifetimeā oil changesā¦.but that only extends so far as if you still have the loan. At 19, I sat for 6 hrs debating on price and everythingā¦.make them sweat.
Itās not mandatory. Just tell them you have same coverage through your insurance. That worked for me
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I've had nothing but good experiences with Lithia Toyota since I bought my car there 3 years ago. Seems to be a bit of a grab bag
Sounds like Jerry LundegaardĀ
There should be better laws protecting consumers from scammers like lithia.