Greenbrier Motor Company

Avoid These Crooks! Having purchased a vehicle from this dealership, and having entrusted their service department to service four different vehicles I have owned, I thou Having purchased a vehicle from this dealership, and having entrusted their service department to service four different vehicles I have owned, I thought I had a feel for who the people of this dealership are and what they are about. I recently learned, however, that my assumptions were wrong, and that this a dealership one should avoid at all costs, whether to purchase a vehicle or have one serviced. I have had my work car inspected for the state inspection sticker at Greenbrier Motors the three last years. The two previous years the car passed inspection with no issues other than a rear bulb needing replaced, despite the fact that a slight electronic issue existed on the interior. For five years now my 2007 Jeep Patriot has had a dashboard malfunction that is the result of a grounding problem. It's not a major issue in that it causes any crucial electronics like the lights or other parts to fail. The grounding problem causes the dashboard lights to randomly flash and for the annoying "ding, ding, ding" sound to go off, usually when accelerating around a sharp curve. It isn't a constant problem, but as a result of this problem the check engine light has remained on constantly for more than five years. I have had the vehicle to four different service departments for that problem alone. Shelor Motors of Christiansburg, VA actually had the vehicle for three days but was never able to locate the source of the problem. Nonetheless, the car passed VA state inspection at Shelor even with the electronic hiccup, and it passed inspection at Greenbrier Motors two previous years, despite their knowledge of the "problem" as well, which isn't really a problem but more of an annoyance that I have learned to deal with. Mind you as well that this dealership worked on the car several other times too, like when it corrected a transmission issue covered by the powertrain warranty, and when it recently replaced the back brakes, rotors, and calipers. During such visits, the electronic gaffe wasn't a problem ever mentioned. However, this year the electronic issue suddenly became a giant problem for this dealership, and it was cited, along with tire-depth issues, as a reason to fail the car for inspection. They suddenly wanted to "fix" this problem, which would likely justify several hours of labor charges, and they wanted to sell me new tires, the estimate calling for tires that cost $156 each, which would make them top of the line for the 205 70r 16 size. When I demanded they show me why the tires needed to be replaced, the service associate took me out to the car and pointed to a worn patch on the front tire. I recognized that the tire was close to meeting the minimum tread depth, but I needed actual proof by way of a depth gauge. Of course, he didn't have one on him. I was supposed to simply take his word for it. So finally a mechanic came out and tried to feed me a line of bull about the state requirements, which he was incorrect about. Conceding the front tires could be a loss, I then mentioned that the back tires were still within passing depth range, and that I could simply replace the two front tires to pass inspection, at which the associate snickered and said that isn't how tire replacement works for an AWD vehicle. Well, the Jeep Patriot isn't an AWD vehicle, it is a 4WD vehicle, and all four tires aren't working simultaneously. I then reminded him that I wasn't a naïve little old lady who was going to agree with anything I was told and pull out a credit card for their dealership to pillage. In the end, they wouldn't budge, and neither would I as I clearly saw through their guise to stick it to me, a person who has been a VERY loyal customer. The problem for this dealership is the fact that West Virginia is hurting economically due to the death of coal. They aren't selling their highly overpriced cars (they are always four to five grand over on any vehicle according to carguru.com) like they once did, and now they are resorting to the type of techniques that larger, scummy dealerships pull on a regular basis. How disappointing. It was like getting punched by a family member, receiving this news. No gratitude on their end for the business I have provided them the last two years. They are relying too heavily on business from the elderly population that is the bulk of people in this region, hoping they are too uneducated to research them. The fact that there are no other reviews for this dealership on this site speaks volumes for the point I am making. However, these older people are quickly fading away, and the younger generation is more in tune with their tricks and shenanigans. Owning three different dealerships in a small town doesn't make you king of the car hill. Beckley and Princeton are short drives away. I have no problem driving out of town to avoid these crooks. Greenbrier Motors will NEVER see another dollar from me! More