Mohawk Honda

I contacted this dealership 3 days prior to my visit, as my local Honda dealership didn’t have the vehicle I wanted to see, and this one listed two. Scott, the internet manager made me an appointment, which I hoped meant they were serious about showing me the car. I arrived on a weekday, early afternoon, and asked for Scott. Every person I met was polite, but everybody who happened by while I was waiting for Scott had to introduce themselves. Scott appeared about ten minutes after our arrival, introduced himself, then immediately handed me off to Travis. Travis introduced me to 3 more sales people before mentioning that the car I requested wasn’t actually on their lot, but in their storage facility (the airport across the street). Did I want cookies or coffee? I could look at a similar vehicle in the showroom while I waited. And waited. And waited.
About 35 minutes after arriving, the car finally showed up, and it was nice enough. Ready to leave for a test drive? Nope, because Travis wants to ride along too. I politely declined, which seemed to bother him, and as I started to walk off the lot, he scrambled to explain that their dealership has a policy that a salesperson must be in the car for all test drives. I thanked him, and shared my suspicion that another of the 5 Honda dealerships in the area might have a different policy. Mind you, he already had my contact information, my car sat in front of the showroom, and he had a photocopy of my valid drivers license on his desk. I thanked him again, started walking, and he hurried to ask his manager to make an exception. At the 45 minute mark, they decided that if I gave them a copy of my insurance card, I could test drive without a salesman in the car. As I wanted to drive that car, I relented.
Almost 50 minutes after our arrival, we’re headed for our first test drive. I pull to the road, prepare to turn right, and realize that the drivers window is so filthy I can’t see to drive. A quick stop at a gas station down the road, I’ve washed their window and completed the test drive. The car was okay, not like others we drove, I’m sure some of the magic was lost for us after the very long wait.
On our return, the second car we’d requested wasn’t ready, so we waited a few more minutes, then drove it briefly. On our return, Travis wanted us to meet the guy that estimates trade ins. They gave our car a two minute, exterior inspection and said they’d be in touch.
The dealership website said the car was msrp about $ 25k, but that was crossed off with a «ask us about our sale price», which I did. I asked before and after the test drive, as well as by email the following week. I continually was asked to make an offer — which is different than the asking price. After four emails, I finally got an asking price (just a bit under sticker) and a dismal offer on our trade. When I questioned the trade and lack reduction on the sticker price, I was told that Travis would help me to get a refund on my remaining registration with the state to help save some money. I’m sorry, I mistook this for a place that likes to sell cars.
TL/​DR —
— asks for an appointment for test drive, car not on-​site or ready to be test driven (dirty) at appointment time.
— nearly one hour delay in getting started with a scheduled test drive.
— antiquated test drive policy requiring salesman in the car.
— much more concerned about staff introductions, cookies/​coffee than looking at or test driving cars.
— unwilling to negotiate a purchase price.
— very low offer on a good condition trade (that I traded a week later across town for twice what this dealer offered).

I want to love this car dealership but my last experience with them is making it hard to even rate a two star. Fairly unprofessional sales staff. At least the kid I dealt with and I believe his uncle was the financial manager and he wasn’t helpful at all. Incredibly rushed. You couldn’t get either one of them to actually sit and answer some questions and the questions you did ask the financial manager Joseph Vita couldn’t or wouldn’t answer anyways. I have since called back 4 time in my first month of ownership to ask other people at their dealership question regarding my loan, payment deadlines, service packages ect. If these two hadn’t been so rushed in the first place perhaps my questions would have been answered then and there. The icing on the cake though is that these knuckle heads used the wrong address to file all of my paperwork. From the info sent to my insurance company to dmv and even the bank handling the loan. Now I have reams of paper work for this new vehicle all miss labeled with some place I don’t live. My Loan payment book and everything else pertaining to it have been mailed to a place I don’t live. My insurance cards and policy all have the wrong address and my registration is listed wrong on dmv’s computer system now. I’m just now beginning to unravel this fiasco.

So my parents bought their Pilot at Mohawk and have gone back there for service over the years. I’ve also occasionally brought at least one of the two Civics I’ve owned there while visiting, as well as ogling one of the CR-​Zs when they came out.
That my family lives much closer to a couple other Honda dealerships in the area and continues to go to Mohawk by itself says something; at this point, they’re both retired (as they say, on a «broken income»), have major medical issues to contend with, and really only drive that one car, the Pilot — so they both have minimal time and money to deal with hassle and greatly rely upon the car they got and keep in shape at Mohawk Honda. We have some mind-​boggling horror stories about Keeler in particular from learning along the way that Mohawk is the place to go in the area.
At any rate, the double-​edged situation of woohoo-​no-​more-​payments/​oh-​crap-​no-​more-​warranty has only recently arisen for the family’s intrepid Pilot, and of course, when it came time to renew its inspection, there were leaks here there and everywhere, damage to one wheel, and a need for new tires and realignment.
My folks are expecting their first grandchild soon, and were planning to drive down to Baltimore for the baby shower next month with a glider in the back for us — how the heck were they going to afford all of this and get here? How were they going to PAY for all this stuff? It caused a great deal of stress to hear all about this, for all of us. The Pilot is also a big part of how they enjoy their retirement, with the occasional day trip to Bolton Landing or Thatcher Park, or even to go and look at Christmas decorations around Old Niskayuna at that time of the year. It’s their independence. It’s *important.*
Fortunately, especially one service department employee, Lisa, really went above and beyond the call of duty in making this as painless for my folks as possible. She helped them figure out discounts they were eligible for, hunted for good prices on necessary parts, and managed ultimately to help them get everything they needed to get done, done, for a price they could deal with. The car’s in great shape now, and any fears about a long trip have been dispelled.
My parents have been talking to Lisa and going into that service department for years; they’ve always had a friendly relationship, and were treated like people and respected good customers rather than anonymous consumers when this all happened. They’ve met her two year old daughter and talked to her about their incoming grandchild. They relate to each other as people, and that’s a good and a rare thing. I’ve lived in several states around several different dealerships and service departments, some good and some really dreadful, without ever having that.
You don’t often get personal care from car dealerships, or even mom & pop garages, in this day and age. It says something about the character of the people who work at Mohawk Honda. My folks will keep going back, and our family will go on singing Mohawk Honda’s praises to whoever needs a Honda or Honda service in the Capital District area.
Thanks, Lisa, and thanks, Mohawk Honda.

We’ve been going to Mohawk Honda since we moved here 2 ½ years ago. I really feel «taken care of» by their staff. Nick — who works the service area is always pleasant and makes the check in and check out process quick — which I love. I would highly recommend it!

I purchased a used vehicle back in February. Overall, the sales experience wasn’t terrible but they also refused to budge on the purchase price of the car. Even $ 100 to give peace of mind would have gone a long way.
My biggest problem came two weeks after purchase when my service engine light came on. They told me it was due to a loose gas cap, cleared the light, told me to fill up, and come back if there was an issue. When I brought the vehicle back (45 minute ride) I was told there were no loaners available and they could not look at it that night despite me making an appointment. Once I filled up again the light would go away and come back at ¹⁄₃ of a tank.
By this point the lemon-​law had passed and they had the nerve to run the repair through my extended warranty company and as a courtesy ‘waived’ my $ 100 deductible, even though it was the same problem experienced 2 weeks after purchase. They also never turned off the light before giving me the car back so I had to turn around and wait again for a mechanic to become available.
In my opinion the worst part is the fact I needed an oil change, new front brake pads, and rotors less than 2k miles after purchasing the car. I attempted calling their service department twice but was put on hold forever both times and decided I was better off buying the parts myself and bringing it elsewhere.
I will not go back to Mohawk Honda for another vehicle purchase again.

Love that place! Everyone seems so nice and caring but also very professional. I’m getting my new Pilot from them, can’t wait!

Two things — service and appointments!
I bought my Honda Fit at this dealer and have been very happy with it. I bought it new and at that time was sold an add on package (Mohawk Honda Advantage). You pay a certain amount a month and it covers some basic maintenance. Sounded good — this way I pay a bit each month and then my oil, inspections, etc are covered. This went fine until the last time I was in there. I was charged for an oil change but I didn’t notice. It came to my attention during a Honda follow up and I thought, fine, I’ll get the credit next time I’m in. Well, the same service man waited on me today. When I asked, he said «Oh you’re a Mohawk Honda Advantage member?» Mind you, there is a star placed on my windshield and geez, in this day and age isn’t your account flagged somehow! I mentioned the charge from last time and he just nodded and continued talking about today’s services. Needless to say, I just cancelled this add-​on.
Appointments! You used to be able to go on the website, schedule your appointment and be done with it. Now, if you go online you have very limited appointments to choose from — you cannot schedule very far in advance. I scheduled a waiting appointment online and then was informed via e-​mail that it was not available and I should call them to let them know what I wanted to do. Lousy customer service.
That aside, their sales people have always be wonderful. Whoever is in charge of service maintenance and customer service needs to get their act together — it turns this very nice experience into a very unhappy one.

Service department is horrible. Made an appointment for oil change. Hour and half later, still waiting…

I just had a fantastic experience at Mohawk for our first time buying from a dealer. I was a little skeptical coming in but from start to finish they made it clear and easy for us and I actually left excited. We got a 2012 certified car at a good interest rate and with bumper to bumper warranty. Our sales consultant Kurt was very experienced (10 years or so at the same place) and personable and went over every detail of the car and pricing with professionalism. I felt like I mattered and was a priority even though I am sure I am not the biggest spending customer. Financing was also clear and answered all my questions without hesitation. When all was agreed, Kurt went way out of his way to even pick us up from our house to give us a ride when we picked up the car! He also made sure the additional features we added to the car were installed quickly and gave us accurate estimates on when to pick up. All in all I stopped in on a Weds night and by Saturday morning drove away in a car we look forward to enjoying for a long time to come.
In reading all the paperwork later I did notice a small discount I had was not applied and contacted him, and he immediately apologized and rectified it and is sending a check. I am pretty thorough and scrutinize situations– but I can say in all honesty his whole experience was one I am at peace with and feel like it was actually an example of a fair sale and great customer service. I have not tried the service department yet but I sure hope it will be as pleasant as the sales.

We’ve had two memorable experiences with Mohawk Honda; the first was during the purchase of a new 2012 Pilot and the second was during a recent service visit.
The purchase process was «meh» overall. The salesperson, Lindsay, was all smiles until we got to the price negotiations. We were left with the impression she expected us to accept their initial offer, and she then changed her tone with us when we pressed for a better deal. After agreeing, she indicated that the sales manager would come to us to discuss the purchase, etc. She then left us unattended at her sales cubical to go back on the main sales floor. We could see that she got herself a cup of coffee and possibly waiting for another customer. She looked in our direction a few times, but didn’t return for a full 30 minutes, and the sales manager never did come over to us. This left us with the impression we weren’t important customers and decided that after this purchase, we probably wouldn’t come back to buy another car.
The second experience with service happened recently. We had taken the Pilot back to Mohawk Honda for annual NY State inspections and also a couple of service recalls that were issued. Overall, these were fine except for the most recent. With a relatively «young» 44,000 miles on the vehicle, we took it in for an inspection. The car’s 3-​year bumper-​to-​bumper warranty expired for us in October 2014, so we were just a couple months out of warranty. The mechanic indicated that the tie-​rod end failed inspection and would require a $ 321 repair. When asked to demonstrate the problem, he said there was a little movement but could not definitively demonstrate an issue, which he then said was «just starting». He then said he traced it back to the rubber boot covering the tie rod end. My wife was there, and I was skeptical that a car that showed no signs of front end vibration, no uneven tire wear and no «play» in the steering. As this was a claimed safety issue, we had little recourse than to proceed with the repair or the Pilot would not have been inspected, which we felt was «convenient».
I asked my wife to request that the part be retained, which we kept. There was no apparently damage to the part, no «play», no galling of the ball-​and-​socket, and the grease around the joint was clean (no grit) suggesting that there had been no appreciable wear. Video:
We were disappointed for three reasons:
1) If a tie-​rod end is failing at 44,000 miles, something is wrong with the design, which Honda should have considered.
2) We felt that the mechanic and service manager may have been misleading in their assessment of the need for a repair, possibly trying to «pad» their service work.
3) If the part was legitimately bad, there was no consideration to make the repair on «good will» for a vehicle that had just gone out of the bumper-​to-​bumper warranty (turns out the tie-​rod end is not part of the drive train, so not part of the 5 year warranty that was still in effect).
So, we won’t be returning for service there either.

I recently purchased a certified pre owned 2012 Honda accord with low mileage. I am happy with the car itself but very disappointed in Mohawk Hondas detailing system. Also, they did not have the car ready when i went to pick it up. I made an appointment to pick up my car at 3 and it was not ready until 430.
When I finally got the car the inside smelled horrible. There was dog fur all over the seat and it was apparent that the dog had urinated on the back seat. For a car that I was already paying more for because it was certified I would have expected the inside to have been cleaned and detailed.
Aside from that, when I picked up the car there was a dent above the wheel that I did not notice the day before because the cars were parked so close together. The dent was also not brought to my attention by the sales person.
I am taking the car back on Tuesday and my sales person explained that they would fix the dent free of charge. I feel that if you are paying more for a certified car, pre owned or not, you should get the car in the best condition possible. Hopefully they are able to do right by me.
Perhaps Mohawk Honda should spend less on cookies, refreshments, and entertainment and more on making sure that their certified cars have a «like new» appearance.

Paid top dollar for a used honda accord. Over blue book like a moron because I was so sick of haggling and just wanted a car. The car itself was great and I had it for a little over a year with no major issues. So I got a quality car at a non quality price which was my own fault. My sister then went there and purchased an Acura and told them I referred her yet I never received my 100 dollars as they promised. They also tried talking me into a costly warranty. Which for the amount I spent they should have gave me. Once again that’s also my fault.
The worst part is. I was told my information would never be sold to any third party. Well that was a huge lie. I am constantly getting phone calls and mail for warranty programs regarding my car. No matter how many times I tell them to stop another company will just call. This is a very dirty move on their part. If you want to negotiate a price for weeks you might make out but I will not be returning to them. They get two stars because the vehicle itself was to satisfaction. But it’s a honda accord so typically they are very good cars.

The service dept. are a bunch of crooks. Avoid!

So here is my dealer experience
Sales– great staff and they try hard to get you into an car
Service– worst experience
So my sister in law purchase an use jeep for this dealer and ever thing was good when one and a half to two weeks later at her job the jeep wouldn’t start so she had it tow to mohawlk Honda for repair where she revive a courtesy car until the repair was done. It end up being a bad starter they say. 8 – 9 months later same same thing happen again so she had it tow there again and they told here the starter is bad but she has warranty and she would have to pay $ 100 deductible so she did. 9 – 10 months later same issue and she might have to pay another deductible because they said it might not be the starter now it probably the ignition switch so she is angry because why pay $ 100 if they still haven’t fix the issue the first time and who to say couple months down the line she not gonna have the same issue again. So we confront the service rep & manager but they were rude and no help.

I bought my current Honda CR-​V at Mohawk Honda a couple of years ago and my purchase was worked very efficiently by their sales and finance staff. While I would buy another Honda from Mohawk Honda, my review is more about their equally efficient parts and service staff and system. I can set up my service appointments online, get a shuttle ride to where I want to go while my car is being worked on or wait in their waiting area, which is very comfortable, offers snacks, a newspaper to read or a TV to watch.
The service staff is quick to point out what is right or what is wrong with the car, there is a card program where a percentage of the dollar amount of your service calls can be used to provide a discount towards a future service (so maybe that brake job may not cost quite as much). The parts staff is also nice to work with, and has pointed out things that they’ve noticed can go wrong with a Honda based on what parts customers have ordered. I’m definitely a repeat customer here.

So the plus side is all about the eye candy and the amenities. Large, airy showroom. IPad consoles everywhere, a plug-​in power bar for your USB devices, some tables, and a pretty darn nice waiting area for service, real coffee and danishes. I haven’t had the beast in for service here but I talked with the service manager for a while and had a pretty reasonable discussion about the pros and cons of various maintenance approaches, although I was getting the sell for dealer service the whole time.
On the down side, despite multiple attempts I was unable to get the attention of a sales person, despite having an appointment with one on one of the two visits I made, and I did not get good competitive bids in a timely manner when I asked for them by email (although they were by no means alone among the five area Honda dealers in this regard). And when I ask someone on staff a basic question about a car, I mean basic, I expect they should know the answer, whether or not they’re a sales person. This bespeaks a traditional car dealership at the heart of it.
I’ll update this if I try the service department in earnest but for now it gets four stars for the showroom and convenience, three stars for the quality of answers I got from the service department, and two stars for inattention from the sales staff.

I bought my car from Mohawk Honda, and the process with quick and painless. I would even say it was enjoyable. However, when I bring my car in for repairs I am often unimpressed. I took my car in for an oil change and tire rotation awhile back and when I was driving to work the next morning my front tire started moving around; It could have been awful. Turns out they didn’t tighten the lug nuts back on and I could have lost my entire front tire, and done a great deal of damage to my car, and myself. Called them and they didn’t seem too concerned and offered no reciprocation. If you are buying a car in upstate NY, this is the place, but seek out another garage for repairs.

(This is ONLY for the Service Department — I have never bought a car here)
I’ve been coming here since 1986 with my Dad, and have been a customer since 1992. I’ve never had a bad experience.
Yeah, I hate paying for car maintenance, but Mike Guntert (Service Manager) and Thomas Bland (Service Writer) really go out of their way to ensure you’re satisfied. Tiffany in scheduling is awesome, I was in a jam last week and she shuffled people around to get me in.
Quick Tip: If you just need an oil change for your Honda, they do not require an appointment — although I wouldn’t go around lunch time and expect to be out in 15 minutes.