Does Anyone Have Dealer or Service Center Recommendations?
The best way to find out which dealers do good work on NSXs is word-of-mouth from other NSX owners. If you can’t find a dealer listed here that is recommended by other owners, ask around. You can also discuss their experience with the service manager and technician at your local dealership to get a feel for how much they know about the car.
PLEASE let other NSX owners know about your experiences with various Acura service centers!
You might also want to see the list of Acura’s "Precision" dealers.
Dealer and Service Center Reviews
Please Note: It is not possible for the NSX FAQ administrator to verify any good or bad stories about dealers service centers. All reviews are presented unedited and with attribution to the author. The authors are soley responsible for the content of their reviews.
Acura Southwest
10455 Southwest Freeway
Houston, TX 77074
Phone: (713) 228-7279
Fax: (713) 774-0107
E-mail: buyagreatcar@acurasouthwest.com
Web: http://www.acurasouthwest.com/
[BP], Thu, 6 Aug 1998
Since Jackie wanted to drive our silver 1992 car to Atlanta this Sunday I took it over the Acura Southwest in Houston to have the oil changed. We have only had the car for about 8 weeks. Butch at Acura Southwest did a pre-inspection on the car before I bought it and he gave it a clean bill of health. It appeared that everything was fine, but for some reason I felt that the snap ring needed checked on the car. So, while getting the oil changed I asked Butch to pop the cover off so we could look at the ring. Guess what? Yeap… broken snap ring!
Since this car is no longer under warranty and the snap ring failure is a "service bulletin", not a "recall", Acura is not obligated to repair the transmission for free. But, the Service Department staff came though once again. They called Acura and got them to "Good Will" the repairs. Thanks to Dave, Butch, and Jason.
Take it easy! Thanks again for Acura Southwest’s excellent staff!
Norris Acura West
8559 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Phone: (410) 461-7000
Fax: (410) 461-7322
E-mail: acurawest@hotmail.com
Web: http://www.norrisacurawest.com
Review #1
Mon, 25 May 1998
[SFI] Acura West in Ellicott City Maryland is a great organization and has provided me with a loaner to drive while they work on the car.
AMG/PMG (Canada)
john@meier.com – Anyone wanting their NSX repaired in BC, Canada, needs to avoid AMG (also known as PMG – Performance Motor Group) on 4 th st. in Vancouver.
Burrard Autostrauese (sp?) and Mastercraft are supposedly the ONLY place one should take their NSX’s (even other body shops have told us that those shops would be 100% better at fixing NSX’s than even their own shops).
We have taken other cars to Burrard Autostrauses with excellent results, but AMG (PMG) is horrible! To make a very very long and detailed story short, the car was taken back three times (because they kept screwing up on the work, and didn’t even do some of what they where suppose too) and it still isn’t fixed properly! (and now they refuse to fix it, stating crazy claims such as the windshield blades must smack agains the hood of NSX’s chipping the paint on a daily basis?!) We actually had to go to the shop well over a dozen times (courtesy cars that where suppose to be ready weren’t, people who where suppose to fix the car weren’t there, etc., etc.).
Actually, other customers where even complaining about their cars while we where there!
If anyone needs to know more details you can contact us for more horrific stories of taking our car there, but needless to say, stay away from them. We’ll go back to Burrard Autrostrause next time (they also do all the ultra-high end cars in Vancouver).
Basch Acura Service
4202 E. McDowell Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85008
Phone: 602-244-8010
E-mail: baschacura@aol.com
[Editor’s Note: Mark and Jane Basch run an independent shop (not affiliated with Acura) specializing in Acuras and the NSX in particular. Mark himself works almost exclusively on NSXs and is generally regarded as one of the best NSX mechanics in the country. He regularly helps NSX owners (and their not-as-experienced mechanics) who call from all over the country.
Many owners have literally flown him from coast to coast (and even to other countries) to do major work on their cars, install superchargers, etc. One such on-site job is pictured at left. Mark has done more Comptech supercharger installs than anyone outside of Comptech themselves.]
[Sam Ahdoot – 2001/1/11] I would like to commend Mark Basch at Basch Acura Service for the exceptional service and support he provides to his customers. A while back I decided to install a supercharger on my nsx and Comptech recomended Mark for both his professional expertise and friendliness. The install went great and Mark finished what I beleive was his 20th or so supercharger install in about one day. He came out to me which was great and even helpd tidy up a few other things. I was amazed with how well he knew the nsx. It looked like he could have done it blindfolded. Weeks later a sqeek developed and when mark was in town (L.A.) he tried to find the problem. It was a minor problem with with a part and he fixed it no problem. This made me confidant in my investment to feel in good hands. I had asked him about the 9lb kit and he told me that he has one and would let me know about the reliability. Months later we installed that upgrade and it has been great. Mark also sudgested some other upgrades for issues I had brought up like exhaust, suspension exc. the upgrades did everything he said they would. He and his crew really know the products. An experiance at Basch Acura Service will leave with more hp, better service, and a new friend.
[BZA – 2000/8/9] There’s 4 places here in Phoenix that could service an NSX, 2 dealers and 2 independents. All the members of the Phoenix NSX Club have abandoned the other 3 and now go to Basch for their non-warranty work (I used to be one of those only-the-dealer-touches-my-NSX people). Thanks Mark!
[JCR – 2000/8/9]
An Unsolicited Mark Basch Story. Mark wouldn’t want me to tell you this story, but I’m going to do it anyway because it’s too good not to share with the rest of you. Here it is.
I do most of my own work, having been a mechanic in an earlier life. I removed the engine and transaxle from my 91 NSX to replace the timing belt, water pump, clutch, cooling system hoses, install headers, etc. and had the parts scattered around my garage for a few months while doing this in my spare time. I was thinking about putting in short gears and the 4.23 ring and pinion, and after consulting with Mark I decided it would be worthwhile to have him do it since he is quite familiar with these things and I am not. So I dragged my transaxle over to Mark’s shop where he installed the short gears and R&P. A few days later I stopped by and picked it up and took it home. Nothing remarkable so far, right?
M.B. Story Number 1: When I picked up the transaxle Mark offered to stop by my place and help me attach it to the engine. He was concerned that I might bend the input shaft if I got klutzy putting it on, as the transaxle can be a bit clumsy for one person to work with. So, the next weekend Mark and Jane stopped by my house for a few minutes and Mark helped attach the transaxle to the engine, gave it his blessing, and moved on to work other good deeds for the remainder of the day. I thought this was an especially nice thing for him to do. 99% of all repair shops wouldn’t do this, and might even resent a customer who does most of his own work and only uses them for special things. But not Mark. He wanted to make sure that everything turned out okay. If there was a chance that I might screw things up he wanted to make sure I didn’t do it. Is that nice, or what?
M.B. Story Number 2: I put the engine and transaxle in the car, hooked up everything, and cranked up the engine. Everything ran fine, but the transaxle started making this weird whirring noise. I got out my ancient mechanical stethoscope and it sounded to me like the main shaft bearing was noisy. I emailed Mark and told him about it and he responded with a message telling me to drive by his shop so he could listen to it. He’s done a bunch of these and never had any problems with parts or workmanship, so he’s very concerned about it. So a few days later I stopped by and Mark gets out his snazzy electrically amplified stethoscope and listens to the transaxle and says "Well, it’s the driver’s side mainshaft bearing. Never seen anything happen like this before. Leave the car and I’ll take it out and fix it." I was really surprised by this, as 99.99% of the repair shops would have told me to take the car home, remove the transaxle myself, and bring it back in for them to take apart. But not Mark. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to R&R the transaxle, and his response was "Instead of us talking about how nice the new gears are and how it makes your car more enjoyable to drive, we’re standing here talking about how this thing howls and makes noise. This isn’t the kind of result you or I wanted. I want you to be happy, and it isn’t your fault that the transaxle mainshaft is howling. I don’t know what could have caused this but I’ll take it apart, find out, and fix it."
Needless to say I was stunned by this. Mark knows I do most of my own work and would probably not be as good a customer as the other NSX club members might be. But he didn’t care. He felt there was only one way to handle something like this, and this was it. So I left my car there for a few days, Mark pulled the transaxle, found the noisy bearing and the defective gear that had a chunk come out of it that probably caused the whole thing, replaced ALL the gears and ALL the bearings, and put the transaxle back in the car. And he did it for no charge. Didn’t even charge me for transaxle oil. Not a dime. In fact, as long as the transaxle was out he replaced the stock flywheel with a Dali Lightweight Flywheel, and only charged me the same price for the flywheel I would have paid if I had ordered it from Mark Johnson. He didn’t charge me any labor for installing the flywheel. I was dazzled by this whole deal.
Mark Basch went so far above and beyond the call of duty that I am convinced he is an alien from another planet. I still think about this from time to time and smile about the whole experience. Since this happened I have become a friend of Marks and have found him to be an exceptionally skilled mechanic and honorable businessman. I encourage anyone to use him.
So, if anyone outside of Phoenix thinks you’re going to get Mark and Jane Basch to move somewhere else you’ll have to fight 20-30 members of the Phoenix NSX club to get to them. You’d be better off to quit your job, sell your house, pack your stuff, and move to Phoenix. We have a great NSX Club (in my opinion this is almost entirely due to the unselfish and outstanding efforts of Bill Zachar) and the best NSX repair shop in the western hemisphere.
End of unsolicited testimonial. Sorry if I embarrassed you, Mark.
[ACH – 2000/8/10] I must chime in here and say Mark Basch is an ultra-cool guy in my book as well. Like many NSX owners, I’m very picky about who does work on my NSX. Sure, many shops can get the job done, but no one I know is as honest and as caring about the satisfaction of his customers as Mark. I was so impressed by his work and attitude last year when he came up to Boston for my supercharger install, that I promised myself if I ever need any major work done I’d rather send my car out east to west for him to work on. Sure enough, I bought another NSX 2 months ago and the car is currently sitting at Basch Acura for all the performance goodies. Last I heard, he stayed at his shop past 9pm, way beyond his regular duties, trying to get my car finished up. Not to mention last Sunday, out of his own weekend break trying to prepare the parts for install before my car even arrives. Where do you find service like this in your area, unless you’re lucky to live around Phoenix?
[JH – 2000/8/10] I too have been the benefactor of Mark Basch’s superior service. After having some service completed on my car a few months ago, I was not pleased with the result. The work was done in Sacramento and Mark was more than willing to offer his advice and assistance. He didn’t do the work but took loads of time to correspond and troubleshoot. I am not sure how much better it can get: service from a person who has not even seen me or my car. Thanks Mark!
[PDA – 2000/8/11] I have enjoyed reading all of your comments about Mark and Jane. I have known Mark for 10 years, and Jane for nearly as long. I first learned about Mark when he was the service manager at Bell Acura. I had just purchased my first Acura, a 90 Legend Coupe, and I was standing in the customer lounge reading testimonial letters about the dealership, nearly all of which were about the service department and Mark Basch. People enjoyed coming to the service deparment of a car dealership. And had good things to say about getting their car serviced. Imagine that! When I got a postcard saying he had opened his own shop, I think I was probably one of the first people through the door. I have owned 5 Acura’s through the years, and I have come to the conclusion that if Mark can’t service my car, I won’t buy it. I guess that makes me an Acura devotee, but it is mainly due to Mark. He and Jane know how I feel about them because I have told them many times how much I appreciate the service they provide. I think Mark and Jane find this outpouring a bit embarrassing, but they deserve all the praise they are getting. For those of you from out of town who don’t know Mark and Jane personally, I hope you will forgive those of us who do know them for gushing a bit. Jane was giving me a ride from their shop to the hospital one day. I asked her how she met Mark. Guess what? She was one of his customers too! He bailed her out of a weekend jam,on his own time, without pay, if I remember correctly. I guess Jane recognized a good thing when she saw it too. I think everyone who has crossed Mark’s path has been touched in some way by his kindness, his expertise, his attention to detail, his desire to get the job done right the first time, and his genuine concern for his customers and their cars. Mark is the best. That is all there is to it.
Those of you who haven’t been to Basch Acura Service will surely not know about another important member of the team who hasn’t been mentioned yet — Dinah, Mark and Jane’s springer spaniel. Dinah greets everyone who comes to the shop with a tail wag and friendly paw to say hello. She adds just that special touch that I know lots of us appreciate very much. There is a very touching story about Dinah and her special qualities that I won’t go into here. Next time you are in the shop, look at the plaques on the wall, and maybe if Jane has time, she will tell you the story about Dinah and Esther. You will never forget it.
I hope Mark and Jane will not mind reading yet another story about how they have touched the lives of one of their old customers. I wanted to share this with the list.
From: "Javier Denison" <jtdenison@hotmail.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:11:18 -0600
Well it has been a couple months now and have not gotten around to posting anything. I had the dreaded snapring problem. It broke and Gillman Acura pretty much tried to rob me at their service department. After a few emails and a great deal of help from Mark Johnson and Mark Basch I shipped my car to Pheonix to have the tranny rebuilt with short gears. The level of service and hospitality we received there was unprecedented. I have not stopped talking about the experience we had there. Mark goes way beyond the call of duty. We left Phoenix early on a Saturday morning and headed back to Houston. We took the back roads and went through Big Bend park. What a drive, 1600 miles and arrived back in Houston @ 7pm Monday. We pushed the car pretty good, almost no night driving. I just can’t say enough about Mark and his group. I will drive back to Phoenix for any major service. I also just installed the Alpine MP3 changer last night with the NSXPRIME article, it’s great especially for the money. Thanks for everything Mark !!
Bay State Motorsports
616 Broadway (Rte. 99)
Malden, MA 02148
Phone: (781) 397-2595
Review #1
Ralph Brown
A month or so ago I posted about a wierd experience at US Auto Exchange. Well, I finally got a car, a 91 NSX at Bay State Motorsports and would like to comment that they were very good to deal with.
Acura of Brookfield
19180 Bluemound Road
Brookfield, WI 53045
Phone: (626) 785-1918
Fax: (626) 785-2764
E-mail: Brookfield@earthlink.net
Web: http://www.acurabrookfield.com/
Review #1
Sat, 11 Apr 1998
[PM] - Acura of Brookfield, has to be the finest NSX service facility in the Midwest. Other than TAD Motorsports, no one touches my NSX, period. The other Chicago dealers that I've tested are novices in comparison. Bottom line, it's worth the 2 hour drive for me.
Review #2
Sat, 11 April 1998
[KS] - Acura of Brookfield (the only Acura dealer in the Milwaukee area) has established an excellent reputation for knowledgeable personnel and the installation of aftermarket performance modifications. Their service manager was at our NSX/BMW event at Road America last October.
Review #3
Sat, 11 Apr 1998
[CMI] - I feel the same way Phil does, only I don't have to drive 2 hours. In addition to doing superb work, John Vassos, the Service Director, is a great guy. He understands how we feel about our cars and knows how to treat you. I believe they are probably the largest installer of Comptech parts in the Midwest . I think they have installed four superchargers already. John is also always on the lookout for other quality aftermarket parts for our cars.
Review #4
Thu, 23 Apr 1998
[NM] – I had a long talk to a one of the nicest, most knowledgeable, most sincere Acura NSX service persons I have ever met. His name is John Vassos (Acura of Brookfield in WI). Now I know better then to bother people who have little chance to receive my business, so I was going to ask him a very quick question. He went on about the service and the NSX for a good 35 minutes! John offered to help whenever he could (even if another dealer was doing the service) and described the INCREDIBLE lengths they go to, to satisfy the NSX customer. When needing major service, I plan on visiting my Chicago NSX friends and letting John do the work personally.
The reason I mention this is in the course of our discussions he mentioned a problem he has seen in after market clutches for the NSX. He personally has every after market clutch sent out to have the "springs welded in" because they have a tendency to pop out and disable the clutch. I may have the technical information wrong here but the point is he has experienced similar problems, has torn the car up and down several times, and has formulated a solution to this type of problem. The clutch he referred to was the new CompTech single disk clutch so again, don’t know if this is related – but I bet he would know what’s going on if he heard / saw it.
Perhaps you / Randy M. might want to give him call. Also, he is on his way to NSXpo (first day only) and then on his way to Europe to educate Honda dealerships abroad on proper NSX maintenance.
Review #5
Fri, 24 Apr 1998
[KM] - I agree with the opinions of Nick about John Vassos. He is a great guy and really, really, knows his stuff. I just bought some 96 wheels from him and he went out of his way to make a personal guarantee on the wheels (sight unseen because I live in Atlanta). He also gave me some advice on modification questions that I had and volunteered his services if my dealer ran into problems. If you folks in his area get a chance, you ought to make an appointment at his dealership. He's truly a great guy!
Review #6
Thu, 23 Apr 1998
[RBR] - Ditto here. John Vassos/AoB has always handled all of my NSX and GS-R service and I've always been satisified. It's also a pretty nice place to buy a car.
Review #7
Tue, 23 Jun 1998
[MH] -
Just got my car back from Brookfield Acura. I have to say that John Vassos, Brookfield (WI) Acura has to be one of the most professional, customer service minded individuals I have ever met. He spent half-hour plus on our first phone conversation, he returns calls when he says he will, he greeted me when I arrived and introduced me to others at the dealership, and from the minute I arrived untill the minute I left he was with me talking about NSXs, mods, track events, etc.. Then, yesterday he took the time to give me a call just to see how my ride home was and whether I like the minor mods I had done to my '91 NSX. I would highly recommend him to anyone, it's worth the trip to Brookfield just to meet him & talk NSXs.
Review #8
Sun, 26 Jul 1998
[CMI] - I recently sent a post to the Mid-West list describing the actions of the Service Director at Acura of Brookfield, in WI. I thought I would rebroadcast some of it so that you may want to see if you can get some of the same attention from your local dealer.
Seven NSX owners participated in a Porsche event this last Thursday and Friday. John Vassos, the Director of Service and Parts at A of B secured a Van. In addition to having professionally cut letters of his dealership name on the van, he had Official NSX Support Vehicle also spelled out. Then the ego grew when we all saw our names on the side of the Van, listed as drivers.
John not only brought various types of rotors ( Brembo, stock) but also had four types of Pads (stock, Porterfield, Performance friction, and Hawk). In addition, he brought several sets of rotors and pads that were used but serviceable in case someone wanted something just to make it home (these were of course n/c). He also had a wide range of tools (including various temperature measuring devices), floor jack, air tanks and fuel bottles. Even thought he wasn’t competing, he was the first to get his hands dirty if anyone needed help.
At the end of the first day, he brought out beer and cigars for everyone. One Class Act! BTW, I’m told John’s dealership sells and installs more Comptech parts than any other dealer in the Midwest. His people really know NSX’s and they price their work fairly. (Nick was quoted $600 for a header install, John gets about $350)
I mentioned in my first post, " If there was such a thing as a model Acura Service Director, John Vassos would set the pace". I don’t know how many of you can get this kind of help, but it sure makes going to the races…er I mean "drivers school" more fun.
Review #9
[MCA], Tue, 28 Jul
Also, they stock several Comptech parts (and have good experience installing, including IEM and supercharger), their cleaning guys are pretty good.
The only downside I noticed with them is when John gets into discussions about the car, then you’re hooked, and won’t let anyone else touch your car. Except maybe Mike at TAD.
Review #10
[PM] Sat, 25 Jul
- Just for the record, if it weren't for John and the fact that he personally replaced pads, got under cars to repair headers, repaired an electrical system that went south, checked to make sure our cars were track ready, monitored caliper, rotor and tire temps and had the necessary repair parts, 4 of us would have gone home the first day. This was a serious event on a very fast track as you all know. I intend to call the Director of Acura American operations to tell the story and compliment Acura of Brookfield for allowing this support. The dealers in our area could learn something from these people.
Review #11
[PM], Wed, 29 Jul 1998 –
My original dealer took the position that "our insurance does not allow you to be in the work area".... My position was "fine my insurance doesn't allow me to do business with you". Acura of Brookfield encourages your being involved while the mechanic does his thing. Surprising what you learn while the car is on the rack,
Review #12
[TH], 13 Jul 1998 – This weekend I drove 105 miles to get my tires changed at Acura of Brookfield in Wisconsin. John Vassos is the service manager and he is incredible. When I arrived, I saw 3 other NSXs in their bays. One had a modified exhaust by Comptech, another had a Comptech supercharger, and the third was a 91 with 5K miles. John was very enthusiastic, professional, and a totally cool guy. He showed me a number of mods that he performed on other NSXs. He also recommended that I lower the car as my next mod. BTW, the alignment was performed in less than 30 minutes, and was done right the first time.
IMO, John Vasos is the best in the Great Lakes area!!!
Review #13
[TCH], 9 Oct 1998 – A week ago I mentioned that Brookfield Acura charged me $600 for a new window regulator. I discussed this with John Vasos and he agreed to talk to Acura about sharing the cost. When I returned home this week there was a check for half of the cost.
David McDavid Acura
4051 West Plano Parkway
Plano, TX
Phone: (972) 964-6000
Fax: (972) 964-5274
E-mail: acuraplano@earthlink.net
Website: http://www.acuradealer.com/mcdavid/
Review #1 >
>
Wed, 01 Apr 1998
Bill Townsend, btownsend@dejanews.com
>
I have to brag about my local Acura dealer, David McDavid Acura in Austin, TX.
I was getting under 5,000 miles on the front Yokos on my 95 NSX-T. Meanwhile I got just over 15,000 miles out of the back pair. The guys at David McDavid checked the alignment and it was correct. There was no reason to get such low mileage out of the front tires.
I called Yokohama and was told, "The NSX wears the tires our improperly. Low mileage isn’t a defect with the tire, it’s a defect with the car’s set-up."
I sent a letter to Acura Customer Service and Richard Ash called me from Acura. He kindly explained that Acura was not responsible for the tires and suggested I call Yokohama, which I had previously done.
So now I’m thinking I’m resigned to buying new front tires every 5,000 miles, which, though I absolutely love my car, would make me pause before buying another one.
Well, the guys at David McDavid — on their own initiative — had a regional director come in, inspect the car, and agree to buy me a new set of front tires. They’re also getting a new setting for the front end that should dramatically fix the wear problem.
This is the 3rd time this dealership has come through for me. I highly recommend them as I haven’t run across many dealers with this level of outstanding service.
> Review #2 >
>
Thu, 13 May 1999, [MF] >- I was just down in Texas at David McDavid Acura yesterday and had some comments that I wanted to run by the list. Most of them are not favorable to the dealer though.
I flew down to Austin with a friend who had just bought a 1999 3.2 TL from them and we were picking the car up and driving it back home to Indidana (Yes, that is a lot of miles, about 1,300 in one day to be exact.). Upon arrival at the dealer, went inside the showroom in search of his car which was supposed to be there waiting for him. We didn’t see the car, so we figured that we would go look at the Zanardi NSX (#36) that they had in the showroom. YIPPPPEEEE!!
As I showed him all of the really neat features that the Zanardi had, we came to the window sticker. What do I see, but a sticker for an additional $30,000 under the heading of "Market Adjustment". DAMN!! $30,000 additional for a car that they cannot sell under normal circumstances!! The total asking price was now $114,750. I have heard of price gouging, but this took the cake. When I asked the sales manager about the increase, he said, "Well, when the NSX first came out we were getting $25-$30k above sticker." I politely told him that that was in ’91 when the NSX was not only brand new, but only stickered for about $55,000. It was only a taste of what was to come from David McDavid.
As we were sitting in the showroom we saw my friends car pull up and the salesman and a customer hop out. What was going on? He had taken my friends sold car (the check had been with the dealer for two weeks) out on a test drive with another customer! What happened to the once it’s sold, nobody else drives it philosophy? By now, my friend was pretty ticked off at what was unfolding.
We immediately go outside and the saleman walks right past us without saying anything. My friend says, "Taking my car out on a test drive, eh?" The salesman looks a little shocked and keeps walking as my friend then says, "Excuse me, can I have my car keys now?". The salesman hands him the keys and goes of with his customer, completely ignoring my friend.
Upon confronting the salesmanager and the salesman himself, they denied the incident had happened eventhough we had seen them pull up, the front wheels and brakes were hot from driving, and the odometer showed an additional 16 miles on top of what the odometer disclosure statement said. The salesman finally broke down and admitted taking the customer out, but said that it was only around the building to show him another TL. He refused to explain where the additional mileage and the hot wheels came from. What a snake.
To make a long story short, do not deal with David McDavid Acura. On top of letting another customer drive his car, they also sold him a car with the wrong VIN #, tried to make him pay for floor mats that were previously free of charge, and then tried to charge him to install a nose mask after the saleman had said that it would be done for free (I ended up installing it in the parking lot with borrowed tools). In addition, they did not go throughthe delivery procedure, but instead said, "Here is your TLC packet, you can go through it on your own time." What has happened to courteous sales people? I don’t know if it is because of our age (I’m 22, and my friend is 21), but the treatment we received was terrible. When we asked questions, they ignored us. I guess just being able to afford a car is not good enough these days in order to get respect and honesty.
Davis Acura
2051 East Lincoln Highway
Langhorne, PA 19047
Phone: (215) 943-7000
Fax: (215) 943-8407
E-mail: davisacura@aol.com
Website: http://www.davisacura.com/
Review #1
>
>
[DG] >- I nailed a 20+ pound raccoon at about 50MPH in my NSX, causing some damage to my front end and fender. Specifically, the upper nose was irreparably cracked, as was the lower fairing to which the spoiler lip attaches. Beneath the surface, most of the support brackets were bent, causing noticeable panel misalignment. Finally, the passenger-side fender was pulled up and away from the hood about 1/4 inch, and it had a stress bulge at the flare. Needless to say, I was discouraged at the prospect of having body work done to my car.
Fortunately, I recently met Glenn and Dave Davis, of Davis Acura fame. I showed the damage to Dave at our Bridgehampton track event, and he suggested bringing the car to his shop for his body man to have a look. Beforehand, I had my insurance company look at the car, and they basically said "we’ll pay whatever it needs to be properly fixed." This turned out to be not quite true (as I’ll explain below), but it convinced me to find the best possible person to fix the car.
Davis does not have their own body shop on-site, but they have a close business affiliation with Neshaminy Auto Body, which is run by Alan Cohen just down the road from Davis’s shop in Langhorne, PA. I dropped the car off with Glenn Davis, and over the course of the next few days, I received a number of "just want to keep you posted on our progress" calls from Alan, Glenn and Dave. Sheesh! This was a lot of attention for a simple fender-bender!
As both Dave and Alan pointed out, they wanted to make sure my car was returned to its gloriously pristine state before its little coon-killing stunt. I explained that I wanted to avoid painting the fender if it could be straightened, and Alan was initially pessimistic about this. However, it turns out that his crew took my goal as a challenge, and lo and behold, they managed to straighten the fender WITHOUT a repaint. This certainly contradicted what others had told me about the impossibility of straightening aluminum body panels.
They did have to replace all the components on the nose of the car, and these had to be painted. However, the result is superb — unless I knew the parts had been replaced, I never would have guessed that the paint was not put on at the factory. Keep in mind who’s saying this: the same guy who refuses to drive his car in the rain, who obsesses over swirls, and who labors over the hand-application of Zymol’s NSX wax.
I’m thrilled that my car looks as gorgeous as it did before this mishap. The total price tag for this work was about $2300, of which insurance covered ALMOST all: it turns out that they only cover a "standard" hourly rate for labor, which is sufficient for work on the average Honda. However, Neshaminy (and I expect other shops as well) charges somewhat higher rates to work at a higher level of attention to "special" cars like the NSX. So, I shelled out a couple hundred bucks extra, which IMO was well worth it.
I’m glad that after my early experiences with another Acura dealer who was, uh, a little less than customer focused ("no, we didn’t maul your wheels when we replaced your tires — you must have hit something that simultaneously gouged both the left and the right wheels under the tire lip!" and "no, we didn’t drive your car over a parking barrier — you must have done it!"), I can now offer an honest-to-goodness
recommendation for one.
Thank you Davis Acura, and thank you Neshaminy Auto Body!
> Review #2 >
>
[DNG] >- Bernie and Dave Davis are VERY nice guys. Got a nice lunch from the President. Talked about Dave’s love of racing. If anyone knows Dave, he can talk for hours about cars! It’s nice to know someone who’s as much into the NSX as you are. You know you’ll be treated right. Bernie knows his stuff. They let me stay in the garage (cleaning the underside and all) while chatting about mods. I learned a great deal about the NSX and general car repair that day.
> Review #3 >
>
Wed, 27 May 1998
Steve Pritchitt, Pritchitt@msn.com >- I recently had the misfortune to have my 94 Green/Black 5 spd stolen, and although it was recovered the next day and had not been in a major accident it was a mess. Nearly every panel was marked, one wheel was damaged, a seat badly scratched and so on.
I took the car to Davis Acura in Langhorne, PA for repair, and they sent it to Neshamniny Auto Body where it got restored.
The entire car was resprayed, and all the damage to the interior fixed. With the help of Allen Cohen at Neshaminy handling the insurance adjuster, it cost me my deductible plus a few hundred dollars. ( The insurance company would only pay for the damaged body panels to be fixed, leaving less than a third of the car as my responsibility.)
The good news is that the work is excellent and I now have a new car with 19,000 miles on it. Everything has been done to the highest standards, and it was all handled in a thoroughly pleasant manner. The body is literally flawless and the interior like new.
Davis had to install new locks and replace a wheel, and while the car was there I thought I would have the Comptech airbox, headers, and exhaust put on. Davis mechanic , Bernie, did a superb job and I spent a very enjoyable hour or so with him looking at the inside of a gear box, and discussing the various options for improving the cars performance. This guy loves these cars, and having spent seven years working on them, knows how to get the job done right. He has just started installing six-speed gear boxes on older cars and also adding the Comptech supercharger. This may actually be the easiest way to go for maximum performance – over 400 hp with suitable breathing! And so much torque, you don’t need six gears or short ratios.
In short, I can highly recommend both Neshaminy and Davis Acura. My experience has been a pleasure, and I am greatly relieved to have found somewhere to fix the car when it becomes necessary. Previously, I had tried several dealers in my area for minor repairs, and had, shall I say, some serious concerns about what I was going to do when the clutch needs replacing.
> Review #3
>
>
4 Jul 1998
[DNG] >- I have an Acura Dealer 5 min. from my house. I will always make the 3 HOUR drive to Davis Acura for all my major work. THEY KNOW NSX. It took Bernie 20 min to align my car. Took the one near my house 3 hours and still couldn't get it in spec.
> Review #4
>
>
Mon, 27 Jul 98
[DG] >
- I certainly won't speak for Dave's "policy," but my experience having them do a bunch of work on my NSX (short gears, brake pads, tires, alignments, oil changes, etc.) is that you actually get a TRIPLE BONUS by having them work on your car:
- Davis charges by the hour, NOT the book.
- Bernie (their highly-experienced NSX mechanic) does things very quickly because he's worked on so many NSXs (or is it that he's had Dave's car apart so many times?!)
- Because they KNOW NSXs, the work gets done correctly, so rework shouldn't be needed.
No, I don’t get a commission for saying all these nice things about Davis Acura. What I *DO* get is highly competent work at very fair prices by decent people who know NSXs and who don’t screw their customers. In 20 years of using dealers’ service dapartments, I’ve never come across anyone as straight as the guys at Davis. It’s for that reason that I enjoy "spreading the gospel" about this exceptional Acura dealer.
> Review #5
>
>
Tue, 28 Jul 1998
[DNG] >- You actually get to be in the service bay watching and learning about your car as Bernie works and tells you all he knows about NSXs. Try finding a competent mechanic that's not afraid of vulturing eyes watching you take apart your pride and joy.
> Review #6
>
>
Tue, 8 Dec 1998
[RLW] >- Dave Davis came through with two rear Michelin Pilots, 285/35 ZR 18's, that no one else had, and fed-x'd them to me. What a guy, a gentleman and a scholar! thanks again Dave.
Duncan Acura
2032 Peters Creek Road
Roanoke, VA 24017
Phone: (540) 562-0099
Fax: (540) 562-1955
Website: http://www.acuradealer.com/precision/
Note: Duncan Acura was known as Precision Acura (just a name change, same ownership). >
>
Review #1
>
>
Thu, 02 Apr, 1998 by Lud Eng >
Everybody at this dealership is exceptionally friendly and helpful. While I have (luckily) never had to have a major problem fixed, their NSX mechanic really seems to know what he’s doing.
Exotic Car Wholesale
Review #1
>
>
RHU – Sat, 6 Mar 1999 >- I checked them out when purchasing, a little over a year ago. They said they had the car I was looking for. When I stated I would be on a plane the next day, they said someone had put a deposit on the car and they could find me another. My gut told me they did not have the car that I had expressed serious interest in stock. This left a bad taste in my mouth, so
I shoped elsewhere.
> Review #2
>
>
BP – Sat, 6 Mar 1999 >- Does everyone remember the story I posted about a list member losing money to a dealer in FL? I never gave a name.
I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just saying BE CAREFUL. The same story came from a list member in New Orleans, LA. They said they had the car, then said it was sold, so "send a deposit and we’ll find another one" type of story.
> Review #3
>
>
CEW – Sat, 6 Mar 1999 >- Thanks for all of the input on ECW. I have decided not to use their service since I have heard about 10 horror stories from this list and a recent Ferrari club meeting.
My situation was as follows:
I knew exactly what car I wanted (year, model, colors, style, options, etc.).
I had called around the country a few days looking (but not finding). The last Autoweek listed the exact car I wanted. It was for sale at Exotic Car Wholesale.
I called and was told it was "ready to go". It is pristine; no nicks, scrapes, etc. In the sales guy’s opinion, it had never been mistreated in its 1300 mile life.
I immediately made an offer, and it was accepted. He then told me to go make a $5000 deposit at my local First Union into their "holding account". I instead offered a credit card deposit of $5000 to hold the car, and when I went down to get it they would get a cashier’s check for the entire amount. I indicated that the credit card charge could be refunded so they were not out the fee.
No dice. The wanted $5000 cash/cashier’s check deposited to their account right away to hold the car.
At this point I told him that I’d call back. In the meantime (10 minutes), I reserved a flight from Dulles to Miami that evening (Thursday).
I called the salesman back, and told him that I would be there the next morning with a cashier’s check for the car, I would inspect it myself, and if it looked good, I’d take delivery immediately.
All hell broke loose then. They are in an office with no showroom; they stock no cars; the car in question is "out west". He then tells me some guy just traded a Lamborghini Diablo VT on it, and I was out of luck. The only chance I had to get the car I wanted was to immediately deposit $5000 in their account. And pray the Lambo guy backed out, if he didn’t they would get another one if possible.
As it finally turned out, the guy admitted they don’t stock cars, and all they do is look for them once you give them a deposit. That deposit is used to look for the car, and the full amount is applied if you make the buy. My assumption based on others input is that when they don’t find one (or the deal isn’t sweet enough to them), you are out a "finding fee" (a portion or all of you $5000 deposit).
This is my experience only. Autoweek indicates they have been advertising for over 5 years.
Gillman Acura
501 Rankin Road
Houston, TX 77073
Phone: (281) 821-1100
Fax: (281) 821-7821
E-mail: http://www.acuradealer.com/gillman/
Review #1
Tue, 14 Apr 1998
Robert Bates, rbates@zeh.com - When my baby was due up for it's 45K service, I priced around - here's what I got:
John Eagle – $850
Southwest - $650
Gillman - $550
The other guys were charging for each individual line item, and Gillman was basically lumping items together under a single charge. Plus, the other dealerships were wanting to do Honda-proscribed 30K-interval services every 15K, which is overkill IMHO, and thus ran the service fees up. When all the dust settled, Gillman’s service was $525 and I just recently had my 52.5K service done for $125. They’ve treated me well, let me drop the car off at 7:00a, pick up a rental, and swap out the next morning *at no extra cost*.
Review #2
Tue, 14 Apr 98
S.L. Henry, slh_at_hmi-houston@mail.hmi.net - When I priced my 60,000 mile service, here's what I got:
John Eagle – $2,200
Gillman - $900
There seemed to be some discrepancy there so I called John Eagle back to find out what the deal was. The deal was this: The "normal" 60K service is priced @ $1,100 however, Eagle recommended also changing the timing belt and water pump bringing the price to $2,200. I was told that even though Acura recommended the belt at 90K, they had had some customers with timing belts go bad at 80-85K and that Acura would not cover any damage caused from a timing belt shredding before its time. Also they replaced the water pump ($425) just in case since they had to remove the timing belt to get to the water pump anyway.
This sounded bogus to me so I called Gillman and heard: "You must have talked to Eagle Acura…" . Gillman had never heard of any belts going bad before 90k and if they did Acura would certainly cover the repairs caused by a "bad" belt.
I called Eagle back (since I had recently joined the "NSX Owners Club" sponsored by Eagle entitling me to free pickup & delivery & free loaner car & ..) and told them Gillman’s price and they said they would match it! Eagle picked up the car, left me with an Integra for a loaner, delivered the NSX back the next day and kept their end of the deal. I would say that I was pleased with their service & courteousness (they also did a nice job detailing the car), but I will always compare prices with other dealers!
Grenwich Acura
343 West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
Phone: (203) 625-8200
Fax: (203) 625-0203
E-mail: greenwichacura@cyburban.com
Web: http://www.greenwichacura.com
Mon, 9 Nov 1998, Jeff R. Hayes – I just wanted to let everyone know about an Acura Dealership that tried to sell me a vehicle with a salvage title on it. Yes, yours truly (GREENWHICH ACURA OF GREENWHICH, CT). And they advertise boldly that they are Acura’s #1 NSX DEALER IN THE USA, according to the Dupont Registry. Can you believe that these folks tried to dump a vehicle on me with a salvaged title and for retail price at that!
Thanks to CARFAX, I was able to find out the title history. I hope everyone reads this and remember this dealership name for future reference.
Thanks,
Jeff Hayes
'92 Blk/Blk
Finally
Gunn Acura
12150 IH-10 West
San Antonio, Texas 78230
Phone: (800) 328-GUNN (4866) or (210) 696-2232
Fax: (210) 696-1701
E-mail: gacura@txdirect.net
Web: http://www.gunnacura.com
Review #1
Wed, 15 Sep 1999
Jeffrey Hiroshima, jeffrey_hiroshima@YAHOO.COM - Called Tracy today at Gunn Acura. (4 times total in about 20 minutes). Probably the **BEST** customer service I have **EVER** had from an Acura Dealer and or phone order. Tracy was great and the prices were absolutely great. Just wanted to say thanks to Tracy.
Review #2
[MS] Tue, 14 Sep 1999 – I just spoke with him today and agree with Chris, he’s a true gentleman and will do ANYTHING for you!!! I for one appreciate it, A LOT!!!
Review #3
[MF] 24 Sep 1999 – Just dropping a quick note to advise all of you who need NSX parts or accessories to call Tracy Townsend at Gunn Acura. The phone number is (800) 328-4866, and it will be worth your time. I just bought an inner fender well liner from him and saved big time over what the dealer here was going to charge me. If you’re out there Tracy, thanks a lot!
Review #4
[DNG] 12 Oct 1999 – I ordered some parts for my door from Tracy. Thought I got a great deal because their normal price was a lot lower than others I called around…well, when I got the bill…guess what? They knocked the price down even further! A lot further. Got a total of ~22% off. He was nice to follow up with a personal call to make sure the parts I ordered was the correct part. Pretty cool.
Review #5
[FG] 12 Feb 2001 – Some of you know that my NSX came from Dallas, and when I was down there picking it up, the local guys kept mentioning this guy in San Antonio that gave the best parts prices, and that I should really give him a call.
I didn’t think much of it until months later, when I needed a new clutch. Well, that was almost 2 years ago, and well, the rest, as they say, is history. I’ve gone to Tracy for all my parts needs, and he’s been a tremendous help, not only in prices, but his quality of service, is second to none. He’s a also a really great guy too! I’ve ordered or requested stuff that most people probably wouldn’t think of ordering. The stuff that makes most parts counter guys think you are a pain in the a$$ to deal with, but he’s been accomodating each and every time.
More recently, I really want to take the time to thank him the time he’s spent and the $$$ he’s saved me on a plethora of interior parts for my Legend, which should be fully back together within the week.
I highly encourage anyone that needs OEM parts to give him a call!
Hoehn Acura
5556 Paseo Del Norte
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Phone: (760) 438-9599, Parts: (800) 984-6346
Fax: (619) 558-7157
E-mail: hoehnmtrs@aol.com
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/hoehn
Review #1
Thu, 9 Sep 1999, [JCR] – I was very impressed and pleased with the service from Hoehn. Marv Thompson, the parts manager, called me several times about my order, gave me advice on what their mechanics usually replace when doing the service work I am doing, and was an all around pleasure to deal with. When my order arrived, it also included copies of the pages in the parts manual which listed my parts and where they went. I’m replacing all the cooling system hoses (including hoses to the heater core, oil cooler, etc.) and there are 14 different hoses to wrestle with. The copies from the parts manual will make it a lot easier to make sure I put each hose in the right place. Also, Marv included a set of microfiche of the parts for all NSX’s except the Zanardi (and offered to find one and ship it to me if I really wanted it). I don’t have a microfiche reader, but maybe I’ll have to dig one up somewhere.
After receiving a boxload of hoses, belts, and other assorted junk I checked the shipping invoice and discovered that they had neglected to send the replacement pedal pads I had tacked on the order in one of our later phone conversations. They were on the invoice, but not in the box. Hmmmmm… I planned to give Marv a call the next day and mention it, but I was busy at work all day and didn’t get the chance to call him. When I arrived home that evening there was an envelope in my mail box with the pedal pads in it, a note of apology from Marv, and a complimentary NSX key ring. I guess they discovered that they didn’t send the pedal pads in the original shipment without needing to be told about it. How can a person complain about service like this?
So, even though I don’t own stock in Hoehn Motors, have no expectation of a kickback from Marv, and sincerely doubt that the gorgeous secretary in Hoehn’s office (every dealership has one, right?) will feel compelled to drive from San Diego to Scottsdale to thank me personally (and maybe even intimately) for telling the NSX Universe that Hoehn is hip and cool and worth considering next time you feel the urge to buy an OEM part, I feel compelled to tell you about them anyway. It may be listed in the FAQ, but you can contact Marv at 1 800 984-6346, FAX 1 760 438-8094. I received great service, good prices, and avoided paying 7.25% Arizona sales tax. Does it get any better than this?
Review #2
Fri, 11 Feb 2000, [RR] – I’ve done several orders with Hoehn Acura, (800)984-6346. So far I’ve been very favorably impressed with the people on the phone, service, and pricing.
Joe Rizza Acura
8150 West 159th Street
Orland Park, IL 60462
Phone: (708) 403-0300
Fax: (708) 873-1303
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/rizza/
Review #1
Thu, 12 Mar 1998
Hans Rittinger, Hans92NSX@aol.com
Editor’s Note: It is important to note that this review was written BEFORE Orland Park Acura was bought by Rizza. See the note below from the GM of Rizza Acura for more information. I encouraged him to have some of his NSX customers e-mail me a review of the service provided under the new ownership.
Well, against my best judgment I took my NSX to Orland Park Acura for a simple alignment and tire remount. For starters, I called them three separate times to verify the price. And of course I got a phone call today saying that they had made an error. Well the only good thing out of this story is that they finally gave me the original quote ($79 vs $210.)
So tonight I go to pick up the car. Service is only down to one man and is very busy. So I can’t go over the car with him. The girl at the counter says if there are any problems, just come back. OK, how can you f*** up an alignment and a tire remount?? Well as I walk out to the car, I hear this hissing noise. No big deal, it’s the K&N filter pulling in the air. Expected and ignored. So I drive home. The alignment isn’t perfect, but I’ll live with it (for now). When I get home I pull into the garage and notice these ugly weights mounted on the outside of the rim! Yuck! Then after the engine has come to rest, I continue to hear the hissing noise! Yep, you got it, there’s a nice steady leak in the RR tire.
So I call Orland, they can’t do anything for me until I bring it in. So here we are. Not to mention the part that they were very rude and unhelpful on the phone! And failed to return my call before closing. Stay tuned for more…
Hans Rittinger
HANSX
From: RIZZACARS@aol.com
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 20:34:26 EST
Subject: Review #1 Thu, 12 Mar 1998 Hans Rittinger
To: nsx-faq@nsx.net
Dear Sirs:
A review in your NSX PRIME has me more than a little disturbed. An item put forth by Hans Rittinger ( Hans92NSX@aol.com ) tells of a bad experience with a service department. While it is a good springboard for an irate customer, your website makes it appear that the offending dealer was Rizza Acura. The actual offending dealer was Orland Park Acura. A small line stating "Joe Rizza Acura is formerly Orland Park Acura is also very misleading. Joe Rizza Imports bought Orland Park Acura in June of 1998, a full fourteen weeks after this incident occured. It is under new ownership. It is under NEW OWNERSHIP. I would expect you to set the record straight. As a fairly new addition to the Acura family we are striving to improve customer satisfaction in an area that has been ignored in the past. This is a hard enough job without the extra burden of mis-information. Thank you for your time.
Sincerly:
Jim Mac
General Manager
Nives Rizza Acura
John Eagle Acura
940 Highway 6 South
Houston, TX 77079
Phone: (281) 589-0600
Fax: (281) 589-9602
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/eagle/
Review #1
15 Apr 1998 – [TSM] – John Eagle Acura in Houston is also very involved and caters specifically to the NSX community. They have been installing aftermarket performance parts on brand new (as in ’98) NSX’s and selling them from the showroom floor. Many owners have been to John Eagle as they are building a strong customer base through an agressive service program designed around NSX owner’s needs. Their goal is to be the #1 NSX dealer in the U.S… They are well on their way to make this happen…
Los Gatos Acura
16151 Los Gatos Boulevard
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Phone: (408) 358-8000
Fax: (408) 358-3927
E-mail: losgatosacura@tsan.com
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/los-gatos/
Review #1
[VB], Wed, 3 Jun 1998 – I take my NSX to Los Gatos Acura. The service managers, Bill Kendrick, Gary Sheffield, and Dan DeHart are real nice and their NSX mechanic, Gary Vosters, is just too nice. I’ve never had a complaint on the work they performed. I’m 100% satisfied with this dealership. There’s an Acura dealership only five miles away but I drive over 50 for this one.
Review #2
[KJ], Wed, 03 Jun 1998 – I am happy with Los Gatos Acura, enough so to drive 60 miles each way from Lafayette for anything major.
Review #3
[BLI], Thu, 21 Oct 1999 –
Just got my car back from Los Gatos Acura on Tuesday. It was in for Snap Ring Repair, short gears, R-Spec R&P, and new clutch
Just wanted to say that the service I received was first rate. Bill Kendrick, the service manager is a pleasure to deal with, as was Pat and Roger.
Bill was able to get the Snap Ring covered by Acura, for both parts and labor, with absolutely no fuss, and without me seeming like I had to plead my case in front of a jury. From many of the other’s snap ring experiences, I consider myself very fortunate in that regard. I was given a loaner for 2 weeks, and for the 2 weeks I was out of town, they stored my car for me indoors. When it came back, it was like new, and drove nicer than it ever did before, thanks to the expert work of their NSX technician.
I’ve also been to Los Gatos Acura many times in the past with my Legend, and each time, the service I’ve received (mostly from Pat) has been excellent.
If anyone ever needs something done at a dealer in the Bay Area, Los Gatos is highly recommended.
McGrath Acura of Countryside
6420 South Joliet Road
Countryside, IL 60525
Phone: (708) 352-8500
Fax: (708) 352-8569
E-mail: acura1@ix.netcom.com
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/countryside
From: Jcbax@aol.com
Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2000 19:23:32 EDT
Subject: McGrath Acura
We have been having a terrible time with McGrath Acura. Last summer, our air conditioner went out. They fixed it but screwed up the drive shaft and tried to blame us and make us pay for their mistake. The air went out again this summer. They took the car apart, had it for over a week and it still didn’t work when we got it back, AND the headlights were stuck in the up position, making the car look nerdy! Back it goes, for over a week now (10/3/00), and still nothing but excuses from them as to how and why this is occurring. They are pleasant but inept. We will keep the site posted as to what happens with this. If anyone has had a similar experience, email us at Jcbax@aol.com. Thanks
Muller’s Woodfield Acura
1099 West Higgins Road
Hoffman Estates, IL 60195
Phone: (847) 519-9550
Fax: (847) 519-9574
E-mail: nwacura@earthlink.net
Web: http://www.mullerswoodfieldacura.com
Thu, 1 Jul 1999 – [KS] – Since we’re praising the folks who really take care of the NSX community, I’ve got to put in a good word for Muller’s Woodfield Acura in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, about ten miles west of O’Hare Airport. For one thing, they are just incredible in the level of customer service they provide. Everyone including the owner, Scott Muller, the Service Manager, Mark Dettlo, the Parts Manager, Tim Schneider, and all of their people will be happy to meet you and take care of your needs. You want your car worked on? They don’t tell you when THEY have an open appointment; they ask YOU when YOU want to come in. Right now? Sure, no problem. They really WANT you to leave there happy, and will do just about whatever that takes.
They will explain things patiently and in a friendly manner. They are superb mechanics, with two expert NSX-trained technicians. They KNOW these cars, and they have experience in diagnosing and fixing NSX maladies, as they have quite a few NSX customers. They have installed some performance upgrades such as the close-ratio (Japanese market) gear sets and ring-and-pinion gears.
They have also been very supportive of our NSX community, hosting the NSX Club of America’s Second Annual Midwest NSX JazzFest in 1998, serving food off the grill, providing a mechanic to answer our questions, etc.
I have been extremely satisfied in the almost nine years that I have been going to Muller’s Woodfield Acura. In fact, I cannot imagine any dealer providing better service than I have experienced there.
Precision Acura of Princeton
3001 Route 1
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Phone: (609) 895-0600
Fax: (609) 895-0332
E-mail: princeacura@earthlink.net
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/princeton/
Review #1
19 Jun 1998
[DG] - In my experience with them, they demonstrated an inability to work with either an NSX or its owner. Bad, bad, bad. Anyone considering using them should instead drive 20 minutes farther to Davis Acura in Langhorne, PA.
Review #2
12 Aug 1999
[DG] - No disclaimers apply here -- I HAVE done business with these people, and they are unethical, dishonest low-lifes. All they care about is extracting as much money as they can, by whatever means possible, from those unfortunate enough to do business there. To boot, their service department is (or was 2 years ago) incompetent, arrogant and deceitful. The only thing they know about NSXs is that they cost a lot of money, and that this is as good a reason as any to try to suck every dollar possible from the car's presumably rich owner.
Steer clear of these scumbags. Or, if you want to have the same experience as doing business with them, hit your car with a hammer and burn a $100 bill — at least the experience will be over more quickly, and for less money.
Premier Sportscars
Wed, 3 Jun 1998
[NM] – I contacted them when interested and they seemed as genuine as a used car place can be when answering my questions and selling at a competitive price. They offer very little on an exotic trade and that ruined the deal.
My neighbor’s dad bought a 91′ Red / Black (w/ about 9000 miles) and told me he was very satisfied with the sales process and the price. The car checked out by a mechanic to be exactly as they represented it and he has had no problems to date.
BTW – If anyone is going to Springfield to buy (via St. Louis) – let me know! May work it out that you can show up in style via a lift in my NSX!
Prestige Imports
14800 Biscayne Blvd
North Miami Beach, FL 33181
Phone: (305) 947-1000
Fax: (305) 949-0927
Web: http://www.prestigeimports.com
Review #1
Mon, Jun 7 1999 – [DNG] – I also recall a couple of posts regarding that company as well. Another individual from the DC area wanted an F355 from there, but it turned out that they did not even have the car. You basically put down $5K for them to find you a car. The $5K is non-refundable, but if you buy a car from them, it goes towards the down payment.
Review #2
Mon, Jun 7 1999 – [MN] –
The salesman told me it was a "perfect" car, so I flew all the way across the country just to find out the car was a piece of SHIT?? Well, *that* was Prestige Imports !!! Do not buy a car from those people.
Review #3
Mon, Jun 7, 1999 – [LD] – I agree with Mike……….. don’t walk……. Run away.
San Pedro Auto Body
[AV] – In the L.A. area, San Pedro Auto Body is by far, THE only NSX body shop I will bring my car to. They have the most knowledge and experience in repairing NSX bodywork, and is the "unofficial" body shop of Honda/Acura of America.
They know NSXs inside out. They know how to work with aluminum. They know the various nuances of the different colors the NSX comes in. These are all important factors in choosing a body shop.
They painted all factory NSX race cars, including the World Challenge car of Peter Cunningham. (310)831-8456 –
Frank or Dennis.
[DWG] Well I got my car back today. I went up to Long Beach for the GP practice sessions and the weather held so I ran over to San Pedro and picked up my baby.
But to be honest, it wasn’t my first attempt. Supposedly the car was ready on Monday, but when I went to pick it up I noticed a small (the size of a pencil eraser) flaw in the front nose down low towards the ground. I asked Frank if it was anything to worry about and he became very embarrassed that he hadn’t noticed it before I did. He asked me to leave the car so he could make it right. I asked how he was going to touch it up and he said, "no touch up, we’ll take the nose off and repaint the whole thing". Which they did.
So today when I went to pick it up it was perfect. I mean, if you never knew what it looked like after the canyon run you’d never know. The paint matches perfectly, the gaps are all aligned and the seals are crisp and clean. And I’m pretty picky about this stuff.
Make no bones about it – it wasn’t cheap. Those of you who saw my car after the canyon run will be surprised to know that you were looking at $7,000 in damage. I may have been able to get it done cheaper, but I don’t think I could have gotten it done better.
If you car gets whacked, there’s only one place to go – San Pedro Auto Body.
I’m probably going to be taken off AAA’s Christmas card list. Is anyone out there an insurance agent?
Superior Acura
7727 Frontage Road
Overland Park, KS 6620
Administrator’s Note:
As of 1999 Mr. Patrick Steiner, mentioned below, is not employed with Superior Acura of Overland Park, KS.
Review #1 Jim Vollmer,
Wed, 3 Jun 1998 – I bought my 93 nsx from Pat Steiner at Superior Acura recently and was absolutely delighted with ever aspect of the transaction and would highly recomme d doing business with Patrick.
Review #2
[TH] Mon, 27 Jul 1998 – I would like to say that Patrick Steiner is by far the best Acura sales rep. I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. In fact, I consider him a friend before a sales rep. He’s been totally upfront with me when I was searching for my NSX. I usually don’t buy a car sight unseen, but he’s proven himself to be very honest. When my flight arrived late due to bad weather, he was kind enough to pick me up from the airport. We signed the papers late and grilled steaks that evening. I strongly recommend Patrick to anyone in search for any Acura product. If Patrick and Superior Acura can become the no. 1 NSX dealer in America without a large expensive inventory (and pass those savings to the buyer), I’m all for it. Thanks Mac Daddy Patrick. 🙂
Review #3
[NM] Tue, 28 Jul 1998 –
Part of me really hates to do this - I would much rather tell funny stories or debate which other supercars look better in our rear view mirrors - but I feel that I have one personal experience with Superior Acura that is contradictory to what others have posted. Not to say that Patrick or Superior Acura are any better or worse then any other car dealership - just think that if a dealer representative is going to promote themselves and try to sell on this list & ask for opinions - then all points of reference should be heard.
Here’s what happened to me…
When the time came for me to sell my Porsche 930 and buy an NSX in the fall of 97′ – I started using the net to catalog all the available NSXs. I found a 93′ low mile NSX on Yahoo’s classified site for $38k for sale by Private owner. It was advertised as perfect in the add. I called the number while watching the Blues playoff game to see if the owner was available. Patrick Steiner answered the phone and we talked for over an hour about St. Louis, Kansas City and NSXs. He seemed like a great guy and we really hit it off (I later told my wife these guys are a lot different then other car sales people and are going to take care of us).
I told him I was "lurking" on the list – and he said he is good friends with many of the members. He then told me that the car is really for sale by dealer and not by owner and there must be some mistake in the listing. I double checked the listing and looked at Yahoo’s rules. It is free to list as an individual – it costs money to list as a dealer.
Strike 1
Next I told him that the $38k was a very competitive price for a very low mile 93′ and I was interested in pursuing this further. He then said that the $38k was a mistake and it was really supposed to be $39k. We had talked for over an hour and only now this comes up that the price should be higher?
Strike 2
He went on and on about the car in general and this one in particular. He even told me that the car qualified for the very selective Acura used car warrantee (no charge). I was disappointed with the price change – but figured it was still worth pursuing – depending on what I could get for my mint condition 76′ Porsche 930 Turbo. I bought the car the year before for $23,500 and watched the prices closely and they were very stable. We agreed I would go to Frank Leta Acura in St. Louis and have the Porsche inspected – then they would make me an offer and I would drive to KC with my wife to look over the NSX.
The next day I went to the Frank Leta Acura dealership and they kept us sitting around waiting nervously forever. They finally came back almost 3 hours after we first arrived and told me that they would only offer me $16,000 for my 930 on trade and that deal was only good for 1 hour!!! I was nervous and they told me that I had "shopped around" my 930 so much that the dealers didn’t want to touch it for fear it was bad – and every time I shopped it around the offer got less!!!!!
Strike 3
(BTW – Later that month I sold the car myself to the first person who test drove it for $24,500. He had looked for over a year and felt he got a steal.)
Well I still wanted the NSX and felt it was an awesome deal so I was thinking about buying it and trying to sell the Porsche – or saying the hell with it and give them the Porsche for $16k. My wife begged me not to and assured me this was a screw job and to walk away. Not ready to give up, I got a page from Patrick’s sales manager about the NSX. He started apologizing that the car was misrepresented to me. I was told that a woman brought it in on a trade – which was negotiated sight unseen by the Superior Acura Dealership. The car had a HUGE scratch that was painted over but still visible. There were also signs of overspray (body damage) and the tires were bald. I was told the dealer gave her so little money on the trade that they could sell it cheap – and yes the price was $38k (not $39k) and negotiable (not firm). He told me it had new tires and ran great but in no way did it qualify for the quality used car warrantee because of it’s age.
Strike 4, 5, & 6
I asked him why I was lied to about the condition, why the car was listed for sale by owner on Yahoo, why I wasn’t informed of all of this, why we were kept waiting so long to find out info that ruined the deal from the start, and why Patrick didn’t call me back himself. He told me he was busy with another customer and because of the circumstances – he felt it was necessary to personally call me back to explain the situation.
I went home feeling like a total idiot and was very embarrassed in front of my wife who felt so sorry for me that she never complained once for ruining her entire Saturday. Not the sales experience Acura would condone.
Those of you that know me know I am a very forgiving, positive, and upbeat person and would never make a personal attack on anyone. Those of you that don’t can make up your own minds. I am sure that this will start a flurry of posts saying what great guys they are, etc. Again – I can tell you my experience only and I would have probably kept my mouth shut if it wasn’t for the advertisements I have seen on the lists. I would hate for someone to buy a car that was misrepresented or to suffer the indignity in front of their wife that I almost did.
I have met Dave Davis and he seems like a first class guy – he doesn’t sell cars on this venue. Nor does A of B, or St. Louis Acura, or any other dealer for that matter. If you do advertise and ask for opinions – you may get what you ask for.
Response from Patrick J. Steiner of Superior Acura:
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 10:37:44 -0500
From: "Patrick J. Steiner" <superiorac@microlink.net>
Organization: Superior Acura Internet Manager
To: "NSXchange - International" <nsx@lyris.nsx.net>
Subject: [nsx] Nick is right...Sort of. Long
NM> He then told me that the car is really for sale by dealer and not by owner and there must be some mistake in the listing. I double checked the listing and looked at Yahoo’s rules. It is free to list as an individual – it costs money to list as a dealer
Nick, Yahoo gave it too us free for 3 months so it didn't matter if I listed the car as a dealer or individual.
NM> The next day I went to the Frank Leta Acura dealership and they kept us sitting around waiting nervously forever. They finally came back almost 3 hours after we first arrived and told me that they would only offer me $16,000 for my 930 on trade and that deal was only good for 1 hour!!!
You can’t really blame me for something Frank Leta did. If you recall the reason you went there to have the car bid was to save a trip to Kansas City. I told you we would take whatever another Acura dealer would give you for it. We both know the car was worth more but it is only worth what someone will pay for it. You found a good buyer. Congrat’s!
Everything else Nick proclaims is 100% true. The car was misrepresented. It was the FIRST time and LAST time that will ever happen. Being relatively green in the business (5 years) I would pass on the information that was passed on to me. I wasn’t told everything about the car nor did I tell Nick that I knew everything about the car. I WAS A PATSY!!! Nick, I still feel shitty about all of that and I still consider you a friend if you ever need anything. Your experience changed the way I sell on the internet…..changed the way I go about discussing and researching vehicles before representing them…Changed relationships I have with Manager’s and Dealer Principle’s. Sorry you had to be the one to open my eyes. Your comments give me pains in my chest but I applaud you for them. Free speech! Take care.
Review #4
[BP], Thu, 20 Aug 1998 –
Hi Gang, I know Nick Matteucci in St. Louis posted a bad experience about Superior Acura a few weeks ago, so I thought I should pass this info on to everyone. Patrick from Superior Acura wrote an e-mail this morning saying, "I have a 96 Red/Tan NSX for sale." This was a false statement. He also said, "I haven't personally checked over the car because it is in transit as I speak." This was a lie! The car was not in transit to his business!
I called Patrick this morning after reading the post (see below) and agreed to purchase the car so long as it was in the condition he was describing. I even gave him a credit card number to make a deposit on the car so that he could hold it for me until I drove up to get it. We both agreed that the car was "sold" to me for the agreed price. He said that he would call me back because he was waiting to see when he would have it on the lot. He said that he thought he would have it Saturday. He even went as far as to say that he was "talking" to Acura to see if the warranty would still be valid even though the car was being sold as "miles unknown". He told me that he didn’t think that the warranty was going to be a problem and if the warranty was valid that he could even get the car "Certified by Acura". Now, I’m a smart car buyer and this didn’t sound right, but for the price I was willing to "go for it"! Plus, Patrick sounds like a great guy on the phone. He sounds trusting, but read on.
Anyway, he called me back and told me he didn’t get the car. He told me it was in Houston and his buyer was unable to buy it. I then asked him specifically if the car was at an auction. He replied, "Yeah." He said that he was sorry and that he was still a buyer for any used cars I may hear about or get from time to time. Yeah, right?
This pissed me off! I had already called Rob, Ara, and Andy (fellow NSXers) to brag about my newest NSX purchase. I even arranged for an NSX road trip with Rob to pickup the car. The next time Patrick posts something to the list and claims to have a car for-sale he should be sure he really has the car first! BAD BUSINESS! He could have easily said in his post that he "may" have a car for-sale and told me that on the phone when I called. He should have told me that he was TRYING to buy the car at an auction today. At no time did he disclose that the car was going through an auction today and that he was trying to buy it until I asked the question. He lead me to believe that he was getting the car for sure, but he didn’t know what day. I was really excited about getting a targa model! This is like your wife saying she’s pregnant before taking a pregnancy test!
I know that the last time Patrick and Superior got blasted on the List for Nick’s post that Patrick assured everyone that they are a top notch dealer and could be trusted. He said that he would take care of us and make sure that nothing like Nick’s experience would happen again. I think Superior needs to rethink making posts to this List and maybe they should be removed as a subscriber. I for one, would vote "yes" to remove Superior Acura as a List subscriber! That’s how mad I am!
Thanks for letting me vent guys!
Bill "Hammer" Peirce
1991 Red/Blk
1992 Silver/Blk
Patrick, Internet/Fleet Manager for Superior Acura wrote:
<<Hi All,
For whoever is interested. I have a 96 Red/Tan NSX for sale.Here's the scoop. Nitrous oxide, after market wheels, and only 2,000miles. It also has a white dash/odemeter kinda like the Maxima SE.However, installing the white dash/odometer made the miles "unknown" ANDvoided the manufacture's warranty. It is a theft recovery vehicle aswell. I can sell it for $47,000 but there is some uncertainty aboutit's past. No wrecks or paint work though. I haven't personallychecked over the car because it is in transit as I speak. Any inquiriesplease call my 800 number listed below. Oh, and I am still a buyer onany preowned NSX's for the next 45 days. Thanks!PatrickInternet/Fleet Manager-Superior Acura>>
Response from Patrick J. Steiner of Superior Acura:
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 11:41:09 -0500
From: "Patrick J. Steiner" <superiorac@microlink.net>
Organization: Superior Acura Internet Manager
Subject: Here we go again (Long) LSMTP - see www.lsoft.com
To: NSXCA-MIDWEST@LISTSERV.NSX.NET
Bill Pierce,
Fact: The NSX was in transit but my seller stopped off at the auction before making the trip up to me to see if he could sell it for more than I had offered. And he DID screwing both of us. Common practice in the car business. I had made a verbal offer to buy the car and was told I had a deal. Clearing the way to discuss the car deal w/you.
Fact: The last time I spoke with you on the phone there was no animosity targeted at me for how things went down. Then you get on the list and try to demolish 2 years of relationships by attacking my business practices.
Fact: If the NSX after arriving at my dealership didn’t check out then by no means would I hand the seller a check for it. Which would then negate any deal I had with you to buy it. You knew I hadn’t seen the car but you were very anxious to come up here as soon as possible to pick it up. Because the price was right.
Now, I have no doubt you are probably one hell of a guy, but who do you think is more upset about this? The guy trying to make money or the guy trying to spend money? I think we share the same pain. But after yet another sleepless night worrying about how all of you feel about me, I have decided to get out of the used NSX business. From now on it is only new NSX’s. It is pretty hard to piss people off selling them new cars.
Bill Pierce, I am sure you are a very influential person on the list(s). Which probably explains why I got physically ill when reading your post. But to recommend kicking me off the list is ludicrous. I am #1 an NSX enthusiast and #2 an Acura dealer. I would be more than happy to stop posting used NSX’s for sale. But don’t condemn me for not coming through on a car deal. It’s not the end of the world Bill.
Here it is in a nutshell, used NSX sales are 10% of my income per year. They are also 90% of my daily stress. You do the math. It isn’t worth feeling obligated to defend myself because I couldn’t please every person absolutely 100% perfectly. I didn’t join this list to sell cars. I joined because we share the same love. Selling cars was just icing on the cake. There is still no other dealer in the country willing to sell NEW NSX’s for less than me. I don’t let arrogance get in the way of putting food on the table.
And Mr. Vecsey, thanks for your post. It was enlightening to hear the story behind the car. As dealers, we don’t put to much stock in stories because that is what they are…Stories. We look at the car more than anything. Besides, if we pass the history of a car to prospective clients they rarely believe us anyway. So there is no use for us to try and find the whole story behind the car. BTW, the VIN report I ran on the car only stated that the car had been registered once with 126 miles on it. I had not yet ran it through Acura’s service computer but I will take your word on it.
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Patrick J. Steiner
Review #5
Jim Roberts jimr@valu-line.net, Wed, 02 Jun 1999
I have made a few purchases from Superior Acura. Ever since my wife purchased her Acura Legend over the internet we have bought 5 other cars from Pat Steiner the same way. Upon my first trip to the store I fell in love with a 1993 NSX. After my wife signed the papers on her Legend, I was treated to a test drive. Mr. Steiner covered every detail of the car with me and the next day I was back to bring it home.
I have since owned 2 more NSX’s as well as my wife’s new RL. We have been treated like royalty each visit, not once have we been disappointed with anything. My wife and I expect only the best and that is what we get every time we visit Superior and Mr. Steiner. We recommend all of our friends and family to purchase their acuras through e-mail with Mr. Steiner and they have all had similar experiences.
We live an hour and a half from Kansas City; I would still drive to Superior if they opened an Acura store here. My latest, the 1998 NSX, is due for oil and a rotation which I also schedule by e-mail. Convenience and luxury are two words I can use to describe business with Mr. Steiner and Superior Acura.
US Auto Exchange
Phone: (402) 944-2121 9:00am to 5:00pm CST (M-F only)
Web: http://www.Usautoexchange.com/
Review #1
Ralph Brown – A month or so ago I posted about a wierd experience at US Auto Exchange. Well, I finally got a car, a 91 NSX at Bay State Motorsports and would like to comment that they were very good to deal with.
Review #2
Thu, 2 Apr 1998
Pedro Pendukom, Pedropenduko@hotmail.com - I agree with the poster about US Auto exchange. Avoid it all costs. I made a mistake in buying acar from them and I can nevr forgive myself again. Avoid them like the plague at all costs. After sales service is none existent and a lot of bull stories from salesman.
Stevens Creek Acura
4747 Stevens Creek Boulevard
Santa Clara, CA 95051
Phone: (408) 247-7422
E-mail: scacura@pacbell.net
Web: http://www.stevenscreekacura.com/
Review #1
Ricardo Lagos, Tue, 21 Jul 1998 – I used to take my acura to Stevens Creek Acura .. but i really dont like their sales dept.. (their service was ok.. but sometimes did not meet my expectations) ..
Golden Gate Acura
711 Serramonte Boulevard
Colma, CA 94014
Phone: (650) 985-1000
Fax: (650) 755-1119
E-mail: mspano@goldengateacura.com
Web: http://www.acuradealer.com/golden-gate/
Review #1
[HS], Tue, 21 Jul 1998 – Golden Gate Acura near Serramonte (Daly City) has been taking care of my car since 1993 — including building a 4.55 Japanese 5-speed. Couldn’t be happier.
TAD Motorsports
511 Telser Road
Lake Zurich IL 60047
Phone: (847) 550-8116
Fax: (847) 550-8018
Review #1
[KS] They’ve established an excellent reputation among our NSX community for quality work that’s usually underpriced.
Here’s one example of the level of support we get from this independent mechanic. One of our group had a catastrophic engine failure on the track a few weeks ago. Because his car is still under warranty, he had it towed to his dealership, which has a very good reputation, with a knowledgeable, experienced NSX tech who works on our cars.
Even without the car owner asking and without any charge, Mike went to the dealership to look at the car and talk with the tech. Even though the tech is the one working on it, Mike was the one who correctly diagnosed the extent of the problem and the solution. (The valve stems were broken and the cylinders were scored and needed to be bored out. Did you know that there are oversize cylinders available for these situations on most cars, including the NSX?)
I suspect the dealership folks appreciated the help but wish they had the same level of expertise! This is the kind of support we get from TAD. In the Chicago/Milwaukee area, we are very fortunate to have TWO places for such high quality service.
NSX Modified
17222 Gothard #E
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Phone: 714-841-0331
E-mail: nsxlarry@msn.com
Web: http://www.trisoftco.com/nsxmodified/
Review #1
From: Spencer, Dave [mailto:dave@lumos.com]
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2001 6:37 PM
Subject: My NSX-modified experiences
I have a 91 with 65k miles and the car is just a "normal" commuter car i.e.
I don't race (yet...).
Have been to NSX/Modified for general maint plus some minor perf
improvements (exhaust, air box) and have been happy with the
quality of work, their knowledge, and the prices (very reasonable).
They also farm out things like body work to nearby shops and keep
an eye on what's done, which is useful for all-in-one shopping.
I try to go to these guys for everything.
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