Val Strough Honda

Waited about 2 hours while the car was located and someone from one of the dealers was cruising in it. They didn’t bother negotiating or trying to work something out. Finance manager is a jerk. Doesn’t bother negotiating. Sales were polite but they don’t wanna bother negotiating.

They take advantage of people. I told them what I wanted and they did the opposite. Rude, unprofessional and wasted three hours of my life.

Absolutely horrible buying experience, no follow through and commitments made not kept. Be forewarned. Miguel did not follow through either. Will post more later. Be forewarned.

WOW, Where do I start… I’m so pissed off I cannot see straight… Over the years I have bought 2 cars from VS and had another repaired. So when my Jeep was side swiped (while parked) I took it to VS for repair. It took a while to get it back, which I was ok with since I have other vehicles to drive. I was a little taken back when I picked up my car because:
(1) It was very dirty from sitting outside. Even the «repaired» side was very dirty with spider webs
(2) The Jeep logo (trail rated) on the driver side front panel is missing. I told the guy when I picked it up and have not heard anything yet. (I picked it up 1 week ago as of ⁵⁄₁₆)
(3) The front grill was loose… It was not that way when I took it in. It had to be remove for repair but it was not put back correctly. I noticed the tabs are not in place as they should be.
(4) The last issue took me over the edge… Keep in mind my front quarter panel was repaired so something had to be removed to repair it. On my way home it noticed that my front drivers side lights were not working (flashers, high beam, low beam), nothing. I took it back and told the guy it was not working and I was told it may have been because of damage (i call BS on that) it was hit on the side, not front.). Having an engineering background and the more I thought about it, it did not make sense to me. I left it parked for almost a week and decided to check all of the fuses, all good. I removed the battery and found the plug for the headlight assembly. Guess what, it was unplugged (Bingo!). I plugged it in and everything worked! I was told a lie, the quality of work was very bad, I am upset and will never go back again. I will also tell my insurance rep not to use the place again. I took pictures of everything. Beware!!! I plan on calling the site manager tomorrow. Not sure why such bad work was done!!!
Thanks,
Unhappy Customer

Kudos to Isreal Rodrigues and his team of ‘perfectionist’ Took our beat up Mercury in for collision repair. The car came back show room ready. Spotless inside and out. Looked like a new car. Isreal not available, see Manny.

This service department has earned 1star or less (if available) for their lack of service and anger inspiring practices over the last 20 years. I have owned more than my share of Hondas, and through experiences with regular service calls, recalls, engine lights issues, and tire and brake issues, I have always received service that I wish could have been better and more satisfying. Honda, itself, used to be a reliable company and thus, I have owned many Honda vehicles over the years. Thus, I have numerous examples over the years, including Odyssey tire wear issues resulting in the tire change costs being outrageous, a Honda Hybrid computer reset recall that made the Hybrid gas mileage savings useless, warranty v non warranty issues a few times and the list and negative stories is unfortunately long. Don’t get me totally wrong, I have received 3 – 4 star service a few times, but less is more there. One time, I received an estimate of $ 300+ dollars to change rear door hydraulic struts and I decided to try and change them myself. I ordered original Honda parts from another dealer and had my 8 yo help me. Changed them in 10 minutes and saved over $ 300…it’s not just the cost, it’s also how they have responded to real questions and how they treat clients in a condescending fashion.
I wonder if they have any idea what customer service really is. My services will not be returning in the near future as my wife and I believe that they recommend repairs that can be considered unnecessary and surely would be costly. The repairs that are necessary make sense if convenience is your primary concern, but the cost is generally outrageous. I will now hesitate to even go back for recall or warranty related work.
I wish I could write a favorable review, but this one is for prospective clients and fellow peninsula Honda owners. Be careful and look for other Honda repair options.
I have received very high level service from one car sales member at Honda, whom I have the highest respect for, and that may be why I delayed this review for so long.

If you value your hard-​earned money and don’t like being taken advantage of, then DO NOT go to Val Strough Honda, specifically the service department.
I made an appointment to get my oil changed on myHonda CR-​V about 5 years ago. I thought this might cost $ 50-​$ 60, but the «service advisor» quoted me at $ 150. Not only that, but the way he talked to me was as if he were trying to railroad me and bully me into paying for a bunch of services I did not request nor need. I looked him straight in the eyes, told him to give me an oil change, and ONLY an oil change, because that’s what I made the appointment for and that’s what I was going to pay for. He reluctantly did this (while fumbling over his words, obviously not expecting me to stand up to him) and charged me the amount I thought I would be charged: around $ 50-​$ 60.
Fast forward to a week ago, I had an appointment for another oil change. (Yes I remembered my experience the first time, but since I was leasing my car through Val Strough this time around, I figured it would be easier to just get it serviced there). When I got there, the «service advisor» spoke quickly about what he was going to do to my car and quoted me at $ 72 and some change. So I agreed. The VERY NEXT DAY, I received an email with a coupon for a $ 40 oil change. Curious if Val Strough adjusted prices with coupons (like many retailers do), I inquired. I did not receive a reply for a week and forwarded my original inquiring email with a note remarking on their lack of response. I finally received a response and found out that he charged me for the A1 package because «that’s what the dash indicated was needed.» This was her response to when I questioned why these services were added and not fully explained.
Recap: (1) service department tries to charge you for things you did not ask for and does not explain things your car «needs» before making you sign the papers and (2) their ability to return customer emails/​inquiries is abysmal.
If you want excellent service and don’t want to feel like you’re being bullied into extra charges, make the trip out to Salinas to Sam Linder Honda. They take MUCH better care of you and their prices are reasonable. Also, their waiting area is much more comfortable and you don’t have to hear the bickering of Honda employees and get the DL on all of the office drama.
The drive is worth the hassle.

Manny is the best EVER! Thank you to the guys behind the scenes too. These folks are a hidden gem. They understand what customer service is about.

I chose this body shop for insurance work on my 2012 Explorer that was rear ended. As other reviewers state, Manny was great to work with. He touched base through out the entire process. Both customer service and work performed were on point. Highly recommend this shop for vehicle repairs.

Well, once again service was TERRIBLE. The trunk won’t stay open, so the dealership ordered the parts and set up 10:30 on 3÷10÷16 to do the repair work. He brought it in, but the person doing the servicing was stuck in Salinas! No work got done and it was a wasted trip to the dealership. They will call when he can bring the car in for real!

Whatever you do, don’t go to this dealership. Go to Salinas instead. Ampablo Garcia, their lead service advisor, lied to my face regarding a price estimate. After getting a $ 485 estimate from him, I called Sam Linder Honda in Salinas who quoted me $ 355. I went back in and asked if they wanted to meet or beat the quote. Ampablo then made a phone call, presumably to Sam Linder, asked for a quote, hung up and told me they had quoted him $ 389, which he would be happy to meet. Confused, I called Sam Linder back, this time while in front of Ampablo, only to be told, with some exasperation, that as he had quoted twice in the last ten minutes, it was $ 355! I confronted Ampablo about this and, unsurprisingly, he went red in the face and began to stutter. As I began to get angry, I was quickly ushered in to see the service manager, Rudy Ortega, who assured me that lying was not company policy, and offered to meet the original $ 355 quote. This should have been the original reaction, since obviously it can be done, but in an attempt to make $ 34 extra dollars, the service advisor settled on deception. Bottom line: don’t trust Val Strough Honda, even to only price match a competitor.

Thanks to Manny Navarro for helping me with my car. Excellent customer service and work.

This was not my first time talking to a dealership about a new car, but it was definitely the first time I’ve ever gone all the way. My sales rep, Juan, was polite, helpful, and was a storehouse of knowledge on cars in general and Hondas in particular. He walked me through several models, let me try them out, and helped me weigh options. I was also assisted by sales manager Radu, who walked me through the finer points of financing and options. Ultimately, I got what I was hoping for-​a very low-​pressure, high impact sales experience. I would gladly return to Val Strough for any future new cars-​especially if guys like Juan and Radu are still working there!

Last time I had a safety recall, they did not want to do it. Gave me the run around for 3 – 4 months for an air bag safety recall. The service dept either didn’t have the parts, or would transfer the call to a voicemail which would never be called back.

I have been taking my car here for off and on for about two years just because this is the only honda dealership in this area. Every time I have taken my car in to get serviced I’ve been disappointed by the atrocious customer service. Their «courtesy» shuttle really needs to get drivers that are «courteous» and not rude to their customers. I am now going out of my way and taking my business to the honda dealership in Salinas because I am not wasting one more trip just to be talked down to and mickey moused around by a bunch of pompous arrogant serviceman.

They’re okay at the basic maintenance tasks, but when you get beyond that, it becomes an expensive and time-​consuming proposition. Apparently Honda parts and/​or workmanship aren’t all that great, based on the fact that a problem that I should have never had in the entire lifetime of the car has now happened twice.
I used to have a Toyota, and the dealership would wash my car and top off any needed fluids whenever I took it in for service. Honda does a «visual inspection» of the fluids (whatever that means) and doesn’t wash the car. Oh, well. Next time I’ll go somewhere else when I want a car and reliable service.

Not sure what all the whining is about. I had a pretty good experience with them. Aside from the standard exorbitant pricing one should expect from a dealer service department, I felt they were professional and courteous. Addressed my concerns and came in under their initial estimates.

I regret doing business with these guys. I regret it hard, and am disgusted with both them for their lousy business practices and with myself for not running in the other direction from the get go. I will not be returning. Neither will any of my friends, family, or acquaintance if I have anything to say about it.
Firstly, they are the very embodiment of the stereotypical shady high pressure car salesman. The salesman who ‘helped’ me was Marc. We’re talking everything from pretending everything I was interested in was rare and only he could get it for me, to pretending to pitch my thoroughly reasonable negotiations to a manager as if he were fighting for me and getting shot down, to all out lying about a couple of things. I brought in a lower price on the extended warranty, and he assured me that the deal he was offering was the exact same thing. Sure it was, if you don’t count the extra 900 $ they tacked on. We eventually reached a negotiation that I thought was fair, or at least reasonable. Then he said the car I wanted wasn’t on their lot, but he would find one for me and have it brought there. The next day, he found one in Fresno, but said I had to sign the paperwork first before they brought it in. I was reluctant to do that without the car in hand, so to speak, but when he assured me the car would be there the next day and that I could keep driving my trade in until it arrived, I went against my better judgement and agreed. It has been 2 days, and my car has not yet arrived. Every time I call, they come up with excuses about why it isn’t here yet, or else they duck my call. At this point, I deeply regret having signed their sales contract and written them the down payment check– if I could, I would wholeheartedly take my business elsewhere. I recommend looking for your next car somewhere other than Val Strough Honda.

*I don’t understand the bad rep these guys are getting for trying to sell you something… That’s their job. Some people get rubbed the wrong way just because they come in so overly defensive. Understand that yes, they’re going to do what they can to make as much profit for the company as possible, that’s how they succeed, and that doesn’t make them swindlers, it makes them good salesmen. Be an informed buyer and know you need to make a case for yourselves as well, duh!
Anyways, Mark Pamo was who I worked with, and I can’t say enough good things. As a young female, especially one who has never bought a car from a dealership, and also came in alone, I’m sure it’s easy to think I didn’t get a good deal because I don’t know any better. I did my research beforehand, and knew that payments in an affordable range we’re possible but might take some work. I also ended up with less than half of my target APR for a first time buyer which was amazing (good credit and a good salesperson goes a long way here) and I even got custom leather seats tacked on and STILL kept it in my target range for the vehicle I wanted at a baseline price.
People who expect the price to just magically drop because they demand it need some social skills. These guys are people too; be a smart buyer and know all of the ways things can add up quickly, so that you can make an informed decision. Rather than blaming the dealership that they are swindlers because they didn’t just drop the price as soon as you asked, know everything you can beforehand.
Mark got me into the car I wanted, which mind you I couldn’t find the exact model anywhere besides having to drive damn near to San Diego (there was a mass shortage of the car I wanted, especially the model. I’ve called handfuls of dealerships within a 300 mile range.) I honestly enjoyed the whole experience, and if I had to do it over I would go back to them!
Thank you Val Strough Honda!

My husband and I went to look at cars we had no intention of buying a car. We were greeted right away. The salesman told us he had an appointment coming in so he had one is his associates help us. Miguel was fantastic we told him we were just looking. He asked us what we were looking for and what we were willing to pay. Even though we had no intention of buying a car we walked out with a new 2015 Honda. Miguel was very professional and not pushy at all which is why we ended up with the car. I have now bought 3 cars from Val Stough and I would definitely buy from them again! Thanks Miguel for being such a wonderful young man. Thanks to everyone from Val Strough. I am forever faithful to Val Strough!

SHADY-​CHICAGO STYLE MAFIA.
If I could give zero stars, I would. I knew more about the car I was interested in than the car salesman (Mark), I felt pressured (extremely pressured, to where Every time I wanted to leave the room, he would tell me to sit down and he would «go talk to his boss»). I told him over ten times that I was not interested in any of the warranties that they had available, yet he was persistent on trying to force them down my throat. They would not budge on the over-​priced vehicle, wouldn’t give me time to think about my big investment, and just overall dishonest. Every 15 minutes the guys phone would start ringing with some stupid rap song (not professional @ all). And when I thought it COULDNT GET ANY WORSE!!! He says, «hold on let me go get my manager and see what he can do for you». He brings in the «Mob Boss”-Joe, complete with the gold jewelry, button down shirt with chest hair coming out, and had him try to force this «deal» down my throat from a different angle. All in all save your time and just do not enter this building unless you want to have your leg pulled so hard that you won’t be able to walk for weeks (like what happened to me).
… Almost forgot to mention-​the amount of times the guy said «so do we have a deal???» Was in the high 20’s I’m sure. NO WE DONT HAVE A DEAL!!!

DO NOT GO HERE! really bad ! I’ve been to this place many times and couple times I found out that they always break something else. Not suprisingly enough they will say «oh we didn’t touch that part of the car» and all the other bullshit they say. They always underestimate woman, they appreciate my dad more even though he doesnt know shit about cars. If you have to go here, tell them that you demand to check every part of your car before you pay. Always check everything before your car get home, and if something else broke, dont be scared but tell them to fix it. If you can go somewhere else, don’t go here.

I recently purchased a 2015 Honda Sport from Val Strough. They matched a quote I received from a large out of town dealership.
The buying process was smooth and fast, as I told my salesman Felipe I wanted no add-​ons or extras. Rocio, the Finance Manager, obliged and had me out of there in no time.
I have nothing but praise for Val Strough. Ask for the Internet Sales Manager Felipe Hernandez, he will take care of you.

Save your time and money and just head to another Honda Dealership. I have looked at Val Strough Honda when shopping for my Honda and felt nothing but pressure. And the sales guy was persistent in getting me to buy a honda that I did not want.
I ended up buying the Honda that I did wanted at Sam Linder.
I came to Val Strough for service one morning because I knew something was wrong with my power steering. My car is fairly new so the guy told me that it couldn’t be the power steering. He told me it was the transmission and that this repair was not covered under the warrenty. I asked about my extended warrenty. He tells me that I do not have one…
Okay… so I took my car to Sam Linder the next day– did not mention anything about my concerns with the power steering. They tell me on their own that the there is some defect with my power steering and that my extended warrenty should cover this. I double check with them if I really have an extended warrenty because Val Strough told me I did not. They double and triple checked and turns out I did have the extended warrenty and the power steering was fixed at Sam Linder. Now the guys at Sam Linder laugh over this every time I come in for an oil change.
I never plan to head to Val Strough for anything. I’d suggest you drive a little further and go to Salinas, Gilroy, Morgan Hill or San Jose. Just don’t even bother

Bad feeling. After reading the reviews, I decided not to spend $ 350 here for oil change, filters and brake pads. Just doing oil change…$ 45?! No
, as this price is discounted!
Shuttle driver nice.

My five star rating is for Felipe, the Internet sales manager. We agreed on a fair price for my new car prior to coming into the dealership, with little negotiation needed. Upon arrival my trade was appraised and I was given a fair price right off the bat. None of the «let me talk to my manager» crap. He was super professional and made the car buying process a breeze. Their facilities are beat up, but I would rather have a nice buying experience in bad surroundings than vice versa. I would definitely buy my next car from Felipe.

Great experience all around: great price, low pressure and friendly folks. Radu, Felipe and Mark helped us and we couldn’t be happier with them. They gave us a much better price than any of the dealerships in the Bay Area. It’s not that hard to figure out what cars actually cost these days, and after talking to crooks for a week, it was great to do business with people that wanted to give us a fair deal.

This review specifically relates to Manny and his crew at the Val Strough Collision Center. I was referred to VSCC by Allstate. My contact with Manny was strictly over the telephone as I reside in SoCal. He assisted my daughter, who is attending school in the area, with her vehicle. Manny took the time to explain to me over the phone, the repair process and even emailed pictures of the before and after of the vehicle.
Thanks again Manny for your assistance during the whole repair process.

I brought my Honda and my husband’s Mazda to Manny. We are very satisfy with the service. They were very quick with out compromising the quality of the work. Manny is such a nice guy and very professional. I don’t know about the other Honda departments but the collision department rocks!

I went because I was serious about getting a car. Since I’m a USAA member (USAA offers no haggle deals, same as Tru Car values), I though I’d ask if Val Strough would honor my USAA pricing. After spending two hours there, the «manager» not only agrees to honor my USAA pricing, but promises that he would give me a better price. My salesman comes back and says, «Wow, he’s giving you a great deal! He’ll give you the car for xxxx!» When I saw the offered price, I immediately got up and left. The manager gave me the sticker price, over $ 3500 of my USAA pricing. This place is a joke!!!

If it was possible to give 0 stars, I would have.
The dealership is run down looking. It looks INCREDIBLY shady. Definitely not a place I would want to give my money to.
We already own a Honda, which is why we leaned toward Honda first. The salesperson that helped us looked really shady. He did not know that much about the cars. I think we may have known the same amount. Awkward!
We told him that we were really interested in a hybrid. He told us that they only had one Hybrid Accord on the lot, and because there had been a deposit placed on it, we couldn’t even open the doors to look inside… forget about test driving it.
We opted to test out a Hybrid Civic. I explained to him that eventually this new car would be our family car, so it needed to be roomy and we wanted something with good gas mileage/​eco-​friendly. He just kept mentioning prices of things. I am not trying to pretend I’m a baller or anything, but price was not the most important when considering our car.
My husband and I were giving each other really uncomfortable glances the whole experience. We get back into the dealership and he wants all of our information. Then he starts filling in that we want the Civic! Come on! Did not listen at all.
Finally, we explain to him that we are just in our initial phase of car shopping and would be most interested in the Hybrid Accord. Then him and his manager tried to pressure us in to putting a deposit down.
This was the worst car experience I’ve ever had. I will never return to Val Strough Honda. I suggest you don’t either.

The story to this review starts 20 years ago when my parents bought an Accord from them. The sales department was very nice and got them a good deal on a car that is still being driven today by my parents. The sales staff here to this day are very nice, and will even let a car nut like me simply check out the latest models. They aren’t pushy, and will still talk to you when you don’t wanna commit.
…Now comes the post buyer experience. My parents took their Accord to Val Strough for maintenance to start off with. Then they insisted the car needed new brakes. My parents took the car to the mechanic they had their Mazda serviced at, and there was nothing wrong with the brakes. Fast forward to recently with my personal experience. I also have an Accord, and I wanted them to take a look at a coolant leak to trace the problem. Get this… they wanted $ 65 just to look at it!!! No way am I doing that when any other mechanic will look at it for free!
Moral of the story? Buy your Honda from Val Strough, but get it worked on elsewhere!

Just bought a 2014 CR-​V for my mother yesterday and had a very good experience.
My mother has been in the market for a short while. She had an older Toyota with just shy of 200,000 miles and it was time to buy a new vehicle. She had been leaning towards a new Toyota Rav-​4 but after a very very bad experience we had at Gilroy Toyota (feel free to read my Unilocal review), she decided to do more research and leaned towards the CR-​V.
We did some looking for colors (she doesn’t care for the plain colors) and found that Val Strough Honda had the color she liked in the model she wanted. i looked on Unilocal and asked a few people about the dealership and heard nothing but positive things. I called and spoke to a sales manager by the name of Felipe who was very courteous and helpful and had him put the CR-​V aside so we could come and take a look at it.
After a test drive and some price negotiations we drew up paperwork (this always takes some time) and drove away in a brand new 2014 CR-​V. We experienced none of the typical dealer games that are normally played or pressure that is normally used to get you to purchase a vehicle. We were treated with respect by the entire staff and had a very good experience. I had such a good experience with Felipe and the staff that when i am ready to upgrade my vehicle in a few years to a new Civic i am going to make the trip south and but from this dealership.
Thanks Felipe!

First time I went in to this dealership, no one helped me out, there were staff in the sales department but no one out and about to talk to me and provide customer service. I went back 2 times with the same result. I was done with Honda!!! If I would had written a review then it would have matched those of the past NEGATIVE stars (6 mo ago)!!! Who knows why but something pushed me in to go one last time today. I had amazing customer service from Mark and I believe his name was Bob. We had a conversation and lots of laughs today, it wasn’t sales, it was a conversation between two people to Taylor my needs. Thanks guys and I applaud Ur efforts!!! I rolled away with a beautiful 2013 Ridgeline!!!