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Bernardi Honda
When I was car shopping several years ago (yes, my Honda is still purring along quite nicely), I went to Bernardi and test-drove a car. But when I asked them for their best price, they refused to give me one. They said since I was "still shopping", it would be a waste of [their] time (i.e., if I found a lower price elsewhere, I'd never come back, and price isn't everything). They told me to shop around and come back to them for a price when I was "ready to buy."
I walked out then and there, and never went back. They were right, price isn't everything, and bad attitudes are a deal-breaker for me.
I bought at a dealer north of Boston, but have recently started servicing the car at Herb Chambers in Westborough. They seem competent enough, but aren't good at returning phone calls.
Service everywhere has gone WAY downhill.
Patricia McQueen 10/4/07
As I have stated previously regarding Bernardi, my wife and I went to check out their used cars in 2004. We saw one we liked, and then watched in amazement as they required a set of jumper cables to get the car started. As far as I know, that car could still be on their lot.
Also, you asked if they are fair. With all due respect, give us a break. Like any other business, car dealers exist to make money. If anyone is naive enough not to ask for a discount or for a better loan rate, then you are giving them a green light to rape your finances. Their salespeople, much like those at any car dealer, are justifiably looking out for their finances and commissions. Your finances, once you qualify for a loan or a lease and drive off the lot in your new car, are your problem, not theirs. Finally, one person's definition of fair will differ from everyone elses. Welcome to the world.
Tony Siciliano 10/4/07
Went to Bernardi Toyota when I was going for this car (Aug/05), before I went to Boch. They took my keys to look at my old car, while I was talking with them about a used one they had. Guess what....they wouldn't give me back my keys!!! I had to REPEATEDLY threaten to call the POLICE before I got them back. Needless to say, I told them to hold their breath until I came back...
Can you BELIEVE that???
Dan Wiener 9/6/07
Bernardi Honda is a dishonest Honda dealer. They absolutely refused to honor my lifetime warantee on my muffler/ tailpipe on a Honda del Sol purchased at Balise Honda in West Springfield. I had the work receipt and I had my original dealer call the Bernardi representative to tell them that I had in fact purchased and installed new factory warrenteed parts from them. My previous dealership representative was told by Bernardi that they would honor the warantee; they called me and told me not to worry. But, when I returned to Bernardi to get the exhaust fixed I was again told that the warrantee would not be honored and they quoted me a repair fee of over a thousand dollars. I can't remember the exact amount but it included a new factory Honda muffler and tailpipe - which I already had life time warentees for. I drove from Framingham to West Springfield and had my Honda del Sol repaired - new exhaust for free (excluding the 70 miles of gas / tolls / and time).
btw, while I was at Bernardi I happened to notice an ederly woman crying because they installed the wrong stereo system and they were billing her for more than she wanted to pay.
I will never bring my Honda Civic to Bernardi for repair.
Robin Kolnicki 9/6/07
Bernardi Honda is a bad apple. They told me I needed a new steering column. I took my VW Passat to a local mechanic who tightened the steering column. A tall friend of mind had moved the wheel forward when she was driving it and hadn't tightened it down properly when she moved it back. This was four years ago now, and the car has never needed a new steering column. When I told the mechanics about their mistake (and by the way, a new steering column costs $900), they shrugged.
So I would say NEVER use Bernardi Honda/VW. They also had a habit of installing wiper blades which cost a fortune and generally lasted about eight months. . .
Sybil E Schlesinger 3 Sep 2007
I would like to second Enzo's experience with bernardi. Back when I was younger and stupid(er) I bought a Prelude and allowed Bernardi to do all of the service. Wotta huge mistake. They make half their income by constantly redoing brakes. They charge a huge hourly rate but they do it with a smile on their face. The brake game is that they want to replace the pads and rotors after 20-25% usage. It's a huge moneymaker. They also got me for lots of other things that are now obvious fraud maneuvers. About a year ago my friend Chuck brought his Toyota there because of a malfunctioning AC. Bernardi ran the diagnostics and told him that he needed to replace the entire bloody condenser for $1300 because of a pinhole leak that was visible (to them) when they pressure tested under UV light. Chuck said no thanks and noted that they did not try to collect on the $110 diagnostic fee that they told him would happen. Then he took the car to his favorite gas station mechanic, the kind of guy who fixes things but has grubby hands when he takes your money. There was no leak, he needed a recharge, and the AC worked fine after that. Total cost of the recharge was a fraction of what the B boys wanted.
As a general rule, my take is that by definition, dealers are service crooks and should only be used in the event that they have a tool needed that your regular mechanic can't justify owning. Pretty rare. And *never* use Bernardi. You may know a dealer who does honest service, but since their rates are always higher, why bother?
Steven W. Orr 6 Oct 2006
We have bought a new '93 VW Passat,then traded for a new '03 Honda Odyssey and both serviced exclusively by Bernardi. The VW had more problems with it then the 15 or so vehicles I've owned combined and we did experience disatisfaction from Bernardi. Most problems were repeat repairs for the same problems, although under warranty, we had to have it towed six times to them.
Maybe during our Passat years service was bad due to the constant frustration the service department had when dealing with all the VW reliabilty problems, which is probably why they just recently stopped selling VW's.
However since owning the Odyssey I noticed that the service seems a whole lot better at least since 2003. Other than routing maintenance, we did experience softness in the front end when cornering or over bumps. Bernardi found a leaking front shock and replaced under warranty, making the van steer and ride like new again.
Brad Richelson 6 Oct 2006
We recently had our 2001 Toyota Camry in to Bernardi's on Route 9 in Framingham for an oil change and a Massachusetts inspection sticker. The car passed inspection. When picking up the car the service writer said that there was a serious problem with the brakes. He asked his mechanic to accompany us and he told me that I would need an immediate brake job because of the danger present with the braking system and that the cost would be $800. After leaving the dealership I received two additional opinions about the condition of my brakes. Both other opinions were that I did not need new brakes. Lakeside Garage on Hollis Street told me that I had 15,000 to 20,000 additional miles remaining on my brakes. This car has only been driven 25,000 miles. I will never bring either of my two Toyots's back to Bernardi's for service.
Enzo Rotatori 6 Oct 2006
I have had a hugely bad experience with Bernardi when I used to drive my yellow Prelude. In retrospect, it was very clear that I was raped over and over by those crooks.
Most recently, a friend of mine brought his car in for what they said was a leaking condenser on his air-conditioner. They told him that they would charge the system and then view it using UV light to see if there really was a leak. They saw the leak and give him a bill to fix it for $850. He declined to go forward on the repair and ended up taking it to a local garage that he trusted. The local garage found no leak, recharged the system and it's been fine ever since. The icing on the cake was that Bernardi didn't charge him for the test ($150) like they promised they would.
Steven W. Orr 1 Jul 2005
I wonder if anyone legally knowledgeable could give me a bit of advice regarding whether or not I have a case against Bernardi? (This is also a recommendation against them. They failed to diagnose what turned out to be a serious problem, and claimed another problem was much harder and more expensive to fix than it turned out to be.)
I took my ailing Honda there a month ago to (among other things) diagnose a weird scraping noise. I was told verbally that it was not dangerous, nothing to worry about. So although I could have paid to have it investigated, I chose not to. I was basically ADVISED not to, actually!
Now I have learned that it was the emergency brake calipers, a problem that has been growing steadily worse (and more expensive to fix) and that actually made the car unsafe to drive, accoring to another Honda dealer.
I called Bernardi and was basically told they are unwilling to do anything for me because the invoice says "customer declined further diagnosis at this time." Also, the fellow who gave me the advice no longer works for Bernardi.
I suspect, sadly, that I do not have a case here. Any thoughts from anyone knowledgeable?
Thanks, Lisa Wolf 1 Jul 2005
My experience with Bernardi service has been negative over the years. It is similar to what some of the others have been saying---long wait times, doing some work and then at the end telling you there was additional work to be done, and so on. One time I needed my sticker, they did a bunch of work that I had asked them to do, but didn't give me the sticker because something additional needed doing---but they didn't ask me if I wanted it done, they just failed the inspection and I had to come back to get the other work done.
I won't use them again.
Eli Wylen 7/6/11
Bernardi Toyota
1626 Worcester Road, Framingham
508-879-1520 508-879-7800
Fax 508-872-6014
Two years ago, following an oil change, the service guy tried to tell me my '93 Corolla's radiator was rusting and needed replacing b/c, afterall, I had 150K on the car. When I told the guy that the radiator was actually a replacement and only two years old, quickly he went dead silent -- like a deer in the headlights. Clearly he hadn't actually inspected the radiator. I looked at it myself later and found no rust whatsoever. That outfit is good for oil changes and the free carwash, but don't trust them any further than you can toss them for anything else.
Matt Elliott 9/3/07
I am finding the same problem with Bernardi Toyota!!! The last few times I've gone there they have tried to tell me I need something I don't for well over hundreds of dollars. The last time I went there they tried to tell me I needed a new water pump. I took my Camry to another mechanic on Route 135 and he put it up on the lift and looked all around. Bernardi had told me it was leaking! There was no water to be found.
Judy Patterson 9/4/07
- My husband and I have just purchased a 2011 Sienna XLE AWD from Bernardi Toyota and had a great experience. JR, who is the inventory manager, spent a lot of time working with me (test drive + introducing me to folks in the Service Dept) and then a lot longer time working with my husband on all the details. We also had a pleasant experience working with Rob and Al, two of the Business folks there. When my car arrives (should be here by the end of the month, needed to be ordered), we will work with Rob on the remaining paperwork. However, both my husband or a good friend of mine had a BAD EXPERIENCE with their female Business Manager, whose name escapes me at the moment, so we both worked with other folks to close our deals. (To be completely honest, Bernadi Toyota almost lost our business because of her).
Gina Fishman 2/13/11
We've been taking our Rav4 to Bernardi for inspection and service for 6 years and have been very satisfied with the quality of the service and the courtesy of the staff. We had a minor problem one time in that they did not put the cover back on our spare tire (it was on our back seat) nor inflate it enough. When I went back and pointed this out, they were very apologetic and did this immediately while I waited. I asked to speak to the service manager, who also apologized, said this should not have happened and would immediately speak to the mechanic, and ended up giving me a coupon for a free oil change. I would recommend them.
Bob Feldman 2/13/11
I recently had service at Bernardi. Their service and accommodations were both excellent.
However, dealing with them when trying to buy a Prius was...well...trying. I called a bunch of dealerships asking for their best price. Bernardi (and a few other places) insisted that for the best price, I'd better come down to the dealership. My answer was that someone looking to buy a Prius is not inclined to waste gas driving all over the place just to get prices, and that the only way I'd go there was if they gave me the lowest price on the phone. They gave me a hard time about it all.
I ended up buying from Wellesley Toyota, whose phone offer was $500 lower than Bernardi's phone offer.
Alan Mandel 2/13/11
We bought a Camry from them and the sales experience was good. However, on the service side we were very dissatisfied. We had the car serviced and rented a car from them (not a loaner, we paid). On return, we forgot to remove an item from the trunk (I think it was a stroller or something like that). They called us to come get it, and they were angry at us and said that they would never rent a car to us again. Huh?! It's not like we trashed the car, we just forgot our personal item.
Years earlier, I had a very unhappy service experience at Bernardi Honda as well. Long story, suffice to say that even if I buy from Bernardi, I'm never going to use them for service. (Typically, Sales and Service are completely different shops, so one being good has no effect on the other.)
Eli Wylen 2/13/11
There's obviously different opinions being shared about Bernardi Toyota and all of them helpful and informative. We purchased from Bernardi Toyota years ago. Not the best sales experience but certainly not the worst. Every sales person I think can be different in their styles so you either like the person as a sales person or you don't. If you don't, by all means, ask for someone else! Nothing says you have to stick with the first person who comes up to you!
For the service department, I have one simple word .... AVOID!!!! We no longer use their service department. Every single time we took in our Sienna for an oil change, they would recommend other expensive and unnecessary service. Just to make sure the recommended service was unnecessary, we would take our Sienna to our local mechanic, whom we trust completely and has proven they can be trusted, and they would confirm yet again the recommended service was unnecessary. So we stopped going to Bernardi for any service, even oil changes.
Cheryl Mitcham 2/13/11
Herb Connolly Acura
500 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA
508-820-9213
http://herbconnolly.com (links to Acura, Chevrolet & Hyundai Framingham locations)
My husband and I just spent the day car shopping and went to Herb Connolly Acura on Rt 9 to test drive a car. The new salesman there, a young guy named Vinnie, who had only started working there a few weeks before was very helpful. He wasn't pushy or salesy. We had a great test drive. He took the time to answer all of our questions. He introduced us to his very friendly manager Brian, who was great and who stopped by two times to visit with us and they also told us about the service center there where you can get a free loaner car if you need to leave your car for more than an hour. This is great for our family, as I usually have to load the kids up at 7am in the morning to get to our current dealership to drop our car off and drive my husband home then and it affects the work day to be down to one family car.
We were completely won over by Vinnie & Brian when we went into Connolly Acura. The confidence we felt when we were there along with the quality of the car was a game changer and we signed right there. Overall, it was a great experience.
Tanya Lipp 02/19/11
Herb Connolly Hundai
500 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA
(508) 879-0300
http://herbconnolly.com (links to Acura, Chevrolet & Hyundai Framingham locations)
I thought I'd let you know about what a great experience we've had with Herb Connolly Hyundai. I've been going there to service my 2007 Entourage minivan for a few years now and always been happy. (Both at their old location in Natick and now on Rt. 9 East in Framingham.) They have free loaners and always wash my car.
About two weeks ago, we bought a used Hyundai Elantra from them for my husband. We came in knowing what we wanted and the online prices. They weren't pushy and made the whole sale quick and painless. So, if you decide a Toyota or Honda isn't for you after all, give Herb Connolly Hyundai a try.
Joy Greenwald 2/13/11
MetroWest Subaru
948 Worcester Road, Natick
508-651-2000 3 Sep 2007 http://www.subaru.com
I've had my 2001 Forrester serviced regularly at Natick Subaru, now Metrowest Subaru, and have found them to be fine for oil changes and routine maintenance, but expensive for big things like tires, brakes, etc. When I needed new tires, they quoted me a price that was more than double that quoted by Direct Tire, and after researching the two different tire options, I discovered that the quality was identical. Similarly, they've been telling me for at least a year that I'll need new brakes "soon," but an independent mechanic said that the brakes were just over 60% worn and that I could "watch and wait."
I was very happy with the service at Direct Tire, and they gives you loaners for big jobs like brakes or having all 4 tires replaced, which is a huge help.
Nomi Sofer 09/04/2007