Sands Brothers Dodge - Quakertown, PA

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The most recent reports are at the top of the list; the oldest are at the bottom.

Sales=Good, Service=Poor, Parts=Poor, bought there=Yes, scv_there=Yes, Buy_DaimlerChrysler_again=Maybe,
Where do I begin? We bought our 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 from Sands Bros. Within a little more than 6 months, we had our first problem. The throttle was not controllable and engine was racing. This was taken in May 2003. Around 18 months went by and then the real trouble came out.
Our truck was in for service SEVEN times for the malfunction indicator light between the dates: 6-23-05, and 10-05-05. Hoses were checked, and small things were done, and the computer was reset. I understand that there is some experimenting done in fixing things, but this was not the end. We could not just go without a vehicle all this time. Occasionally we got a loaner, but mostly we bummed rides off others, which got annoying. We were finally told to "ignore" the light. We were also told that the repairs would be honored when we took it in for visit number eight just before the bumper to bumper warranty was going to expire. We were more than patient up to this point. The light has recently come on, and stayed on, and we are experiencing throttle control problems and fuel tank reading problems as our needle will spontaneously drop to empty. As of this final trip to Sands, I was treated with total disrespect as Michael at the service counter called me a liar when I told him that we have had this truck in so many times that we are sick of it. I didn't have my papers with me so I asked for a copy of Sands' report on the truck. Would you know that they only have a "record" of one report of our claim. Luckily, I have the original copies of the service order.
I tried to call the owner. Somehow when I was on hold for Harold Sands, I got "disconnected". I called back and stopped short from yelling at the woman who was probably laughing at my expense, and left a message. I don't think Harold exists, because he never called me. No attempt was made to help us or fix this problem. I can see one or two times, but our truck has been in on 18 occasions, some of which were routine maintenance, and others were other service problems. This is ridiculous. What recourse do we have? If I was rich enough to afford a lawyer, I would sue, but then again, what good does this do? Dodge has not tried to help either, as "Tara" will not call me. I do believe that there is a bit of a cover up here and I urge anyone who likes to be treated with any ounce of respect to look elsewhere if you are buying a Dodge vehicle. By the way, I know others who have had similar experiences.
After all of this, we stopped by a local mechanic. He read three distinct codes. We took the truck to Sands immediately. They were rude and we told them not to touch the truck. We denied them permission to touch the computer. We didn't trust them. I set up an appointment with Jarrett Dodge in Hatboro. When they plugged it in, they mysteriously only got one code. I have been informed that codes just don't disappear, they must be erased. The truck was only in one place between our mechanic and Jarrett Dodge..... Does anyone know if there is a log that will identify a date when a code has been erased?
(Note: if the fault that set a code is not repeated - certain codes reset after two engine starts, some codes automatically reset after 50 engine starts, some must be manually reset. There is no log maintained in the ECM to tell when or how a code was cleared. Dave F)
Submitted by: Nicole G.
Number of dealership visits=10 for one problem, 18 total, Last visit date=5-21-07, Date report submitted: Jun 8 21:22:23 EDT 2007

Sales=Excellent, Service=Fair, Parts=Don't Know, bought there=Yes, scv_there=Yes, Buy_DaimlerChrysler_again=Yes,
This is in reference to my 2005 Dodge Dakota that I purchased at Sands Brothers in Quakertown pa in May 2005. I have purchased many vehicles over the years, but this is the first time I have dealt with Sands Brothers. My family and I always bought all our vehicles from Faulkner Ford in Quakertown. When I first entered your sales room I met with the salesman Mark and the sales manager Bill. I was not sure of what vehicle I was interested in purchasing but with the help of Mark I decided on the Dodge Dakota. Mark advised me of what my approximate lease payments would be per month. Mark then met with the sales manager, Bill and here the payment was less. That is the first time I have every dealt with a dealership and had the monthly payments less than what they first told me. I will refer everyone including my family to Sands Brothers because I feel they are very fair and they do not try and get you into a vehicle you cannot afford, unlike other dealerships. Keep up the good work.
As for the service department, well that is a different story. I took my new 2005 Dakota in for two issues, right after I purchased it. The first was the window control panel on the driver's door kept popping out and the second was a small paint bubble on the driver?s door. I left my vehicle there only to find they had to order a whole new inside door panel and as for the bubble, they touched it up with paint and it was still a bubble. I advised them that I was not satisfied with the way the fix the bubble so I had to make another appointment for my new vehicle, when the door panel arrived. I again dropped my vehicle off at Sands Brothers service department and the door panel was fixed, but for the bubble, they stated I need to make an appointment with the body shop. So now I have an appointment with the body shop on July 11th and they said it will be there at least two days. This is the only vehicle my wife and I own. It is hard for me to keep dropping off a brand new truck for service and leaving it there for a day, let alone two days. I feel when a customer spends the money that I have spent on a brand new truck; the dealership should at least offer a loaner vehicle. Dropping a new vehicle off for warrant work once is understandable, but 2 or 3 times, for the same problem, that becomes a hardship for people like me that only own one vehicle. My friend bought a brand new Toyota truck and every time he takes it in for warranty work, he is provided with a loaner vehicle; I cannot understand why Dodge does not have the same type of offer. Again for your sales department, they are the best, but your service department policy needs to be worked on, so they can become as good as the sales department.
Submitted by: Foster Seville      bseville[a]hotmail.com
Number of dealership visits=2, Last visit date=June 21, 2005, Date report submitted: Jun 22 01:48:40 EDT 2005

Sales=Don't Know, Service=Poor, bought there=No, scv_there=Yes,
During inspection, the dealer noted that the ball joints needed to be replaced on the right side. After they were replaced, the axle seal leaked on the left side. When I looked under my truck, I also found a rubber cover on my steering had a screw driver hole. When I returned to the dealer to discuss with service manager, he indicated they did no work on that side of the truck and could not understand why the items I pointed out just started leaking. In the end after two weeks of discussions, they fixed the rubber boot and offered to replace my axle seal at 50% of the cost. I have never been back since and formally complained to Chrysler with no avail.
Number of dealership visits=5, Last visit date=4th Qtr 2002, Date report submitted: 07 Jun 2003 09:07

Sales=Good, Service=Good, no comments offered
Date report submitted: NA

Dealership Rating:
	Good sales department, good service
	Fair sales, fair service
	Conflicting or not enough information
	Poor Service or Poor Sales Department
	Avoid like the plague!!
	Don't Know / No Experience

This page was edited on: August 17, 2007