All Star Mitsubishi

To make a long story short, I had a bit of trouble with this dealership when it came to servicing. At one point, I didn't even want to continue business with them. However, I must admit that I didn't give them the credit they deserved because they went above and beyond to extend their apologies to me and made sure they would do anything they could to make things right with me and they have.

All they have done for me doesn't go unappreciated. They are by far the most kindhearted people I have ever met & I want to thank them for all they have been doing for me. I really appreciate it. Things happen, & while some people turn the blind eye, they made sure they did everything in their power to make things right with me!

I had went to All Star to look at a 2008 Lexus IS250. I had no intentions of leaving there with it but as soon as I test drove it, I was immediately in love with it. While doing the initial paperwork, I let them know that the car I was driving still had payments to be made on it. They assured me that it would be taken care of. After the finalization of all the paperwork, I took the Lexus to a Lexus dealership and they told me that the car had no front brakes and the water pump was leaking. I contacted All Star that same day and brought it in. They told me due to the holiday, it wouldn't be looked at until Monday. I was fine with that because they were giving me a loaner car.

When I got the car, it was completely filthy. For a second, I thought it was owned by someone else considering I found a temporary plate in the armrest. I didn't feel safe with the car so I brought it back and told them I would bring my car back first thing Monday morning. When I dropped my car off Monday morning, the service department called me around 4 telling me that the brakes were redone and the water pump was not leaking. I thought this was rather odd considering there is no way a certified technician at Lexus would make a mistake like that so I brought it back to Lexus and asked them to check the water pump again and if they could, please take photos of it so I could show All Star. They checked the car and showed me that the water pump was bad and leaking, I had no coolant in the car and they advised me that this could overheat my car.

So I once again contacted All Star. They told me to bring the pictures in and I did. We asked to speak to the manager several times but got everyone else but him. They told me they were going to talk it over with him and call me to come in to have it fixed. I also began to get water damage inside the headlight of my car. I asked them to take a look at it and they told me to bring it in, drop it off and they would fix it. When I brought the car in and dropped it off, they called me at 4:30 telling me the headlight wasn't covered and I would have to pay for it. So basically, I dropped off my car for it to sit there all day (which is very aggravating to me considering I had no transportation to work).

I also raised concern when the credit union for my trade-in contacted me letting me know that I had missed my payment and that if it wasn't paid, it would affect my credit. I contacted the dealership and they told me it would be paid by the end of the week and if it took longer, they would take the fault (doesn't help considering my credit is in jeopardy at this point). I also asked them what was going on with my plates and why it was taking so long for them to transfer the information. It turns out they don't have the title to the car they sold me because they haven't paid it off yet. So I was told I have to come back in on Saturday for a new template since the one that's currently on the car expires on Sunday.

Now back to my water pump and headlight. After going back and fourth with them, they told me that they would replace the headlight and water pump at no charge to me and to drop it off whenever I can. Tuesday, we called to make sure they knew we were dropping off the car and they started saying they weren't going to fix the car because they had no paperwork for it (makes no sense considering we saw the paperwork with them on Monday). So I contacted the manager and told him what was going on. He tried to tell me that they only cover what's within the engine. So the headlight and water pump weren't going to be covered. I then proceeded to tell him that I have a Buyer's Guide Limited warranty good for 30 days or 1000 miles, whichever is first, and it clearly states under engine that the water pump is covered.

Then he tried to tell me that if it was sold as is, then the warranty was void. I told him that it was sold cosmetically as is. The engine is not cosmetic, then he said if there was a price reduction, then the warranty was void. I told him there was no price reduction. He transferred me to service to make an appointment to fix the car. I made it for today (Wednesday), didn't hear from them all day so we called to check the status. It turns out they haven't even touched my car. So again, another day wasted. They have made my experience in buying a car an absolute nightmare. I've grown tired of constantly going back and fourth with people there trying to have my water pump fixed. I would like it taken care of before it becomes a bigger issue (overheating the engine).

It motivated me to tell my tale of my horror experience at All Star Mitsubishi of Sayerville NJ 08879 at 6056 Route 35 North.

I'd also like to state the fact that there is no reason for me to lie about any of this information or any of the details that I will be stating. I just want to share my experience. I'd also like to note that I'm sure there are people out there that have had great experiences with them. Maybe those people didn't buy Evo's from the dealership, maybe they did.

I bought my 2006 Evo IX MR with the SE package in Apex Silver in 2007 from a showroom floor. It had 127 miles on the dash. When I saw the mileage on the dash, I thought the same as probably some of you are thinking (hmm, evo, test drives? 127 miles of it? oh boy, got to cross my fingers here). I took it for a test drive (which already turned me off by knowing that they'd allow that. At the time my friends were telling me that STI's at certain dealerships weren't even allowed to be test driven. If you wanted one, you buy one with 0 miles, or however delivery miles were put on it). I took it out and I instantly noticed crunches in third gear. Any moderate car enthusiast knows that this is a synchro issue. So a mechanic should be well aware that that is the case as well.

I mentioned the synchro issue to the salesman that I was test driving the car with and he was acting very positive and said that he'd have the mechanics look at it. (He didn't say when he would) I then began to talk to the salesman about purchasing the car (since it was very hard for me to find this exact package anywhere else, I was kind of stuck in trying to work something out for this one, otherwise I was pretty certain that it would be gone if I came back a week later)

I also noticed swirly scuffs by the driver side mirror on the door as if someone with keys were leaning on the car having a long conversation, not noticing they were scratching the clear coat. I pointed that out as well (after all, the car should be "new" for the asked sticker price) the salesman said that they could buff it out and make it "like new". And given my knowledge of paint, and seeing that it was very possible, I said, "Ok cool". So I made it clear to the salesman that I'd purchase the car if they'd take care of the paint at some point (within a week or two after I drive it off of the lot) and also, since the mechanic said to "give the transmission a chance to break-in" I gave them the benefit of the doubt and drove off with the car as it was. Home, with the agreement that if the 3rd gear keeps grinding, that they'd repair it at no cost. Also with the agreement of 6 free oil changes that they gave everyone that bought a new car.

First negative:

I came in for my 2nd free oil change, and after they changed it, I was notified by the customer service representative at the parts department that I was no longer eligible for free oil changes because they made the mistake of not knowing that the oil in the Evo was synthetic and it was a lot more expensive than regular oil. (Note that there was no fine print anywhere stating something like: "Only free for the first 6 changes if: it is not synthetic oil) I was robbed of 4 oil changes.

Second negative:

After 3 months of "giving the transmission a chance" and it getting no better or worse. I came in to hopefully have them change the 3rd gear synchro. They said that they never agreed to anything, and never heard anything about the problem. I then stormed into the showroom floor, dragged the salesman to the tech and said, "Ok salesman, what did we agree on when we bought the car" and since he was a nice guy, he said the truth while the tech was staring at the ground. The tech/mechanic then came with me for a test drive to "monitor" how I was driving, only to tell me that I was shifting wrong, and too close to first gear instead of into third. I immediately pulled over and said "hop in buddy, you drive" he drove like an 80 year old woman, and waited for the rpm's to reach 1000 before entering 3rd every time. So I asked him "is this how a sports rally AWD turbo 6 speed car should be driven at all times? Or should I get a refund and go buy a Lexus? please pull the car over" so he pulled it over and I asked him to do the following: "press the clutch down, place it in first, take it out of first, and pick the clutch back up" he did, and no crunch. "Do the same in second" he did, no crunch, "Do the same in third" crunch. "ehem, is it my driving? " he was silent. Drove it back to the dealership and the horror began.

To all the mechanics, and people that understand drive trains, in order to change a synchro, the transmission has to come down, in order to take down the transmission, the ACD transfer case has to come down, in order to do both of those, you have to drain the fluid from both units. With that said. They changed my third gear synchro at no cost. I was a happy customer, (even though I was treated as a liar, a stranger, and was robbed 4 free oil changes). They also said that the scratches were not repairable and that they got worse because of me somehow.

I then bought a Greddy Titanium (light weight) cat-back exhaust for some sound. (Which I must say, was very light, relieved the car of 30-40 lbs, and sounded great) and a K&N air filter with mass air flow adapter so that I can have the sound of the blow-off valve. It sounded sweet. I had a smile on my face for a good 1000 miles, until:

Third negative:

Transfer case whine. The car had less than 10k miles on it. More like 5-6k and I noticed a whining sound. At the time, I was very uneducated on the Evo's drive train and how/why it would be happening. I took it in for inspection, and they said the car was fine, and AWD's make noise from time-to-time, and to wait it out to see if it gets worse.

It got worse after a gas tank. I took it back immediately (I'm no idiot, I know when something is wrong) and they said to leave it with them and they'd service it under warranty. They replaced my drive shaft saying that it was unbalanced and it could make a whining noise at a certain rotational speed. All sounded like it made sense to me, so I took the car back, and there was no difference. Now, I understand that you can give someone an explanation of why something should fix something, but if you fix it, shouldn't you take it for a test drive before returning it to the owner to make sure you fixed the problem? I'm convinced they didn't do anything at all, but either way, kept the service slip. That was strike one. Strike two began when I took it back after a few gas tanks of "giving it more of a chance" and said, "The problem is still there, please fix it" they said it's the transfer case and that I'm launching the car.

Now let me deviate from this area and state a few things. The first time I ever launched my car was 2008 November 14th, a day before my birthday, at the track with a couple of my buddies from turbo Trix racing. I hadn't even shifted the car hard until about 20k-25k miles (guess estimate) for a proper break in since it was never working properly from day one to begin with. I obviously had plans to race the car, but why in my right mind would I buy a car new with warranty if I was to do something stupid like launching the car? I wanted it to get to at least 15-25k before doing any serious moods that would void my warranty which I was well aware of, and was willing to do to begin with. I then firmly told the tech that I did not launch the car, and have never touched the drive train fluids, and have never shifted hard. He then said that he fears my warranty will be void because of my cat-back exhaust and air filter. I said nonsense; those have nothing to do with drive line. If anything, without a re-flash, those modifications will only increase HP by a few, and with the reduction of 30-40lbs of weight, if anything, there is less strain on the drive train. On top of that, have you ever heard of the Magnuson moss act? So in good faith (since they 'seemed' to be on my side) I went to replace the factory air filter since they told me that was more an issue than the exhaust in case the warranty rep comes to see the car and caps my warranty cause of it. They then proceeded to replace my transfer case. Problem solved, no more whine. I was once again a happy customer. I then replaced my air filter again because I missed the blow-off valve sound and turbo-breathing sound. Then, not even 600 miles later.

Fourth negative:

Strike three begins here. I took it back immediately when I started hearing a faint whine sound. I took videos of me driving on a regular basis. I began to see a potentially serious issue here that I wanted documented just in case I get bit in the ass later. I told them that I have a feeling that the problem is repeating itself. They said they didn't hear anything coming from the car and to drive it and see if it gets worse. I took videos of it getting worse (unknown to them) and returned it to them and said fix it. They fixed it. Problem solved for 100-300 miles, I religiously videotaped my driving during this period. Upon closer inspection, my car was leaking some sort of fluid that wasn't oil. I jacked up the car in my garage to find that 2 blots on the transfer case were loose. I wish I had taken a photo of which ones, because now that I know more about the transfer case and do my own fluid changes on the motor, transfer case, transmission and rear end. I would've known which bolts they were. I immediately drove the car back to the stealer ship and said look, there are 2 bolts loose and fluid is leaking everywhere. They told me that I bottomed out (a stock height evo) my car and backed out whatever I was seeing, however to them everything was tight, and nothing was leaking. I drove the car back home to find that the bolts were tightened and my undercarriage was cleaned up after the mechanic had it in the back for about an hour.

I then began to go on evo and research this issue. I learned about someone that builds transfer cases and transmissions to beyond factory spec strength and decided to give him a call since he was well educated in this area. He immediately stated that this happens all the time and that the mechanics don't use proper fluid in the transfer case during the refill and that's why it whined. He then told me that he is baffled as to why it started whining in the first place since I didn't do any service to the transfer case. Then I told him about my third gear synchro issue from day one, and bingo, upon draining the transfer case to get to the transmission when they serviced that synchro, they had to re-fill it. He said that they must have refilled it with ATF which they all do to save money instead of buying the diaqueen differential fluid.

This all started to make ALL-Star-Mitsubishi sense, I now saw what was going on. My transfer case yet again started taking a nose dive. I took it back and told them, "I'm going to buy fluid for the swap, replace my transfer case again, and I will give you the fluid" they then said because of my exhaust, warranty was void, and they refuse to do any more freebies for me. I then said I have reason to believe they have been using the wrong fluid. They said "prove it" and told me that they use diaqueen. I asked them to show me a canister; they said they didn't have any. I also happen to know that the canisters don't come in "exact" amounts for the transfer cases. You'd definitely have to have some spare sitting around, unless of course you just grabbed some ATF off of the shelf.

I told one of my friends about this issue, and he mentioned the lemon law. This made a lot of sense since lemon law states 3-strikes and you're out. They in fact, attempted to correct the issue 3 times and failed. First time, they changed the drive shaft, fail. The second time transfer case, fail and on the third time, another transfer case, fail. I went to All Star Mitsubishi again and mentioned to them the lemon law. They said I got nothing because they didn't service the problem 3 times. I said, "Actually you did" and showed them all of the service slips. They remained silent. I said, "See you in court".

The lemon law and Magnuson moss act worked to my favor after providing all service slips, and video's on CD to the lawyers. All Star Mitsubishi and MMA settled out of court and I won enough money to buy a Shepard build transfer case that I religiously use redline heavy duty shock proof fluid in that I've had now since (at 45k miles) with zero whine or issues. And now that my car is heavily modified and my warranty is void. I launch the car at the track, and take it road racing and have zero issues.

There were ways to prove that they were using the wrong fluid, but why bother? It would have cost me money. The 1800lemonlaw (free) cost nothing. It took some time, but I was a happy camper in the end.

So there you have it. My experience with All Star Mitsubishi a couple years back. I'd probably have said nothing if I hadn't seen that Jalopnik article, but you know what, sometimes people ought to know what they are dealing with at stealer ships.

Four oil changes robbed. Many days of unpaid work, many gallons of wasted gas and tolls (I live in Staten Island, $8 toll every visit to them) Many days of not being able to rightfully drive the car I own and am paying full insurance for. I did not get any of the above back, All Star Mitsubishi should (in my eyes) bend over backwards for me considering I didn't get more than $ for a new transfer case.

This has forever hindered my views of buying new. All you are doing is paying extra for a warranty that is rarely ever used. And when needed, they look for any and every reason to not warrant the repair, and to void your warranty.

This reminds me a lot about insurance but that's a whole other thread/topic. Hope this was entertaining and helpful. And I pray that this never happens to anyone else and that no-one has to endure what I did for my car.

My car at the moment is in immaculate condition, and the love that I provide for it is far more than All Star Mitsubishi will probably ever provide for all of their cars coming in and out of their dealership. I think service has taken the biggest nose dive in this economy. I've never seen so many people not wanting to work, but want to make $. So many lazy, short-cut, corner-cutting, selfish, overlooking, mean, spiteful people working these days. Maybe it's the bosses fault? Whatever it may be, please do not spread your negativity to innocent consumers.

Last, I didn't know if it was right to mention names, so I only mentioned what I thought was legally acceptable in this post. Which were the dealerships name, and the man that eventually sold me a bullet proof transfer case after I received the check from the lemon law lawyers.

My wife and I bought a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica, when we purchase the vehicle were told several time that it was a certified Chrysler used car, and because of that we had 1 year, 12000 miles bumper to bumper warranty from Chrysler and that we could take it anywhere for repairs and maintenance,

I had 3 service calls because the engine had no oil in it, and the perform service soon indicator kept coming on, the service kept telling us that the oil need to be changed. The car had approx 61000 when it was purchase; right now it has approx 71000 miles. About 1 week after the 3rd and final oil change the engine started making a knocking noise,

I took the car to the dealer, and first they claim that they never told us that the car was a Chrysler used certified car, then he told us the we signed a waiver, because frank stated to me that each customer get a 1 year 12,000 mile standard and that we gave it away, frank gave me a copy of this waiver and it is very clear that my wife's signature was forged.

I tried to get the dealer to honor the warranty, but they won't. The engine will cost me somewhere 6 to 8 thousand dollars, Plus I am still making car and car insurance payments on a car that I can't drive.

I waited in the waiting area until 2:30pm without a word on the progress of the work. At this time I approached the desk and asked what the hold up was. The response I was given was that "the car is hooked up to a computer and diagnosis is being performed. This is not magic. We're checking your car out". I then went outside and saw my car still had not been pulled into the service bay - let alone hooked up and being diagnosed!

I approached the desk again and informed them of which car they were diagnosing when my car was still outside untouched. They finally brought in the car - close to two hours after my scheduled appointment time.

As it was going to take another hour or more I asked them to call me once the report was generated and an estimate prepared. At 5:15pm I received the call stating there was considerable repair needed on the car and that "I was better off trading in my car and getting a used Mitsubishi from us". I was concerned and skeptical at this time and left straight for All-Star to pick up my diagnosis report and estimate to assess the statement.

When I arrived at 5:30pm the repairman went into a sales pitch stating that the estimate for the repairs to my car would be $5000 - and instead I should trade-in my car and get a used Mitsubishi which would end up costing me $4500 after the trade-in. This was beyond belief! A sales pitch instead of providing me the diagnostic report and explaining what repairs were needed.

I declined the pitch and asked for my diagnosis report and detailed estimate. I was not provided either - instead I was handed a bill for $104 of parts and labor.

Totally disgusted with this establishment and its repair and selling practices.

Purchased a 2007 Outlander in October, 2007; had a lock out earlier this year; sent a letter to roadside assistance to be reimbursed and they don't have me in their system for roadside assistance; sent proof of purchase to Mitsubishi directly and requested the dealer to rectify the problem. Dealer said they would, still no reimbursement from Mitsubishi.