The Automaster

I love these guys! Their customer service is the best I have ever experienced. I will never go anywhere else. I purposely bought my new car here because of their service department. Other companies should take lessons from them. They leave everyone else in the dust.

The Sporn Co. recently had the pleasure of working with Matthew Shanks from The Automaster Mercedes Benz group. The quality of work as well as their customer service was excellent from start to finish. Matthew is extremely knowledgeable in his field, and responsive to the company and our needs. We look forward to working with The Automaster on future projects.

My 2006 Honda Accord had a airbag recall. I called Automaster and they scheduled me first thing the next day. I waited 40 minutes and the replaced two defective airbags and washed and vacumed my car for me. Thanks Automaster for excellent, prompt service! For what it’s worth everyone there in customer service seemed professional and curtious to all customers which can be hit or miss at other dealerships.

I recently purchased a used Subaru at the automaster from out of state, Casey Webster made the process of buying a used car fast and easy. The level of service was outstanding throughout the whole process with no games. They made the car buying experience a pleasure rather than a hassle.

I recently purchased my first Honda from a dealer outside of the Automaster, and knowing the Automaster carried higher end priced vehicles, I was dreading the cost of picking up touch-​up paint and having a repair done.
Surprisingly, the touch-​up paint was cheaper than other local stores, and the repair was actually covered by the Honda extended warranty, which was discovered by service dept representative Todd!
Great service for both transactions & would definitely recommend!

I came to Automaster with a serious leak in the roof of my car, which had been purchased certified pre-​owned only three months before. The leak was soaking the carpets of my car, which presented a risk of causing a mold contamination. The technicians wound up having to hold my car an additional week, forcing me to pay for a rental car at my own expense, but assured me the problem was fixed. It was not. The leak continued. Furthermore, the satellite radio no longer worked.
I eventually had to take my car to my local dealership who found that the car had been further damaged by the Automaster. Fortunately, my local dealer did the right thing and fixed all the additional damage that had been done to my car by Automaster. That’s right: not only did Automaster not fix the problem, it created additional problems that others had to fix — not only did they return the car to me in a condition that was even further damaged than it was when they received it, they almost certainly did so knowingly.
I can’t imagine a worse experience with a dealership. The dealership behaved without decency or honor.

Zack Phibrook was very helpful and accommodating; answering all of my questions and helping me along the way when I was car shopping last year. He’s a great salesperson, look for him if you’re in the market for a new Benz.

Came in for an oil change, quick check-​up, and tire rotation the other day for my Honda Insight. It did take 2 hours, but I come from a very densely populated area where the same thing would have taken around 4 hours, so this was not at all a concern of mine. The service manager Steve was very congenial and totally honest about the time frame for my services. I was happy about the the pricing and as an added bonus I got my car back with the exterior washed.

While the AutoMaster both sells and leases Hondas, BMWs, and Mercedes (and Mini Coopers & Land Rovers) this review is specifically Honda & Honda Service: Continued professionalism and service. I’ve been coming here with my Honda since 2008 and have seen dramatic improvement in the quality of service. I had some roughy encounters with a service person in the beginning but Honda service has since added new staff who have all been professional, knowledgable, helpful, and friendly. The value adds that this place offers is second to none and I am more than happy with the service they provide. Highlights of those values include: complementary shuttle service to and from your workplace if you need to drop your car off for the day, most often a complementary car wash (and sometimes a vacuum if your lucky), a charming waiting area with comfortable leather couches, complementary coffee and tea, as well as an automobile ‘museum’ type hall/​corridor where you can kill time while perusing old artifacts and pictures. There is also a little play area for children as well as a baby grand piano in the waiting area (though I’ve never seen anyone play it). Additionally, they are great about sending follow up emails for schedule maintenance or specials they are running. Definitely a more upscale and enjoyable car maintenance experience. I believe they also have a Auto Spa which I have never taken my car to but would love to some day!

Horrible Experience with automaster. I have owned over 25 BMW and Mercedes vehicles… Knowing that they are the only dealer in Vermont that can warranty service I will never own one again sadly. Myself and lot’s of friends, family and acquaintances have had the same terrible service that I have but in different situations. I do believe that mine is the topper though…
I bought a BMW X6M from another dealer but did service with automaster for my length of ownership. This vehicle retails for $ 100K plus keep in mind. I brought it to them with a small smoking coming from the engine. They looked at it quickly and said they didn’t have time to completely look into it which is understandable since I just showed up. They looked at it quickly and said they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It had stopped smoking so I forgot about it for a few days. A few days later it was doing it again. I brought it to the dealer I bought it from and found a very minor small leak in a coolant hose on the top of the head that took only a few minutes to fix.
I put the vehicle up for sale and had been driving it for a few weeks after the fix. I found a buyer that had to wait a few weeks to secure his financing so I parked the vehicle until then. The buyer paid for the vehicle and drove it and immediately the same smoke came back. The buyer brought it to automaster and charged him hundreds of dollars to «diagnose» the problem. They told him it had either bad turbos or a bad engine ranging from $ 8000 for the turbos or $ 50K+ for the engine change. The buyer then of course called me and told me the news. I said that’s impossible I drove it every day until I parked it. I told the buyer the only thing it could be was possibly that small hose clamp again. I told the buyer I would call Automaster and ask them to check out that problem (remember this is after they told him $ 8k-​$ 50K to fix). I called and I asked the service guy Adam what was going on and he said the service manager Peter was handling it. I said have them take a look at the hose where there was a problem a few weeks before. He said oh yeah I’ll let Peter know.
So the buyer said to me they wanted another $ 700+ to «get further into the problem» so I said go ahead. Automaster again looked at it and «confirmed» that it was the turbos at the «very least» or the engine.
So the buyer very concerned from their «detailed diagnostic» that this vehicle needed a $ 8k-​$ 50k+ repair. I was up haled that this could have happened since I drove the vehicle every day with no issues (except the one I spoke of).
I called the service manager Peter and asked him what could have possibly be happening. He said «oh yeah this vehicle is bad it has oil in the turbos and is knocking really bad it needs at least turbos». I was so bummed out and couldn’t believe this was happening.
I got to thinkiing about the whole situation… First of all to see that there was oil in the turbos they would have had to drop the engine which they didn’t even come close to do. Second of all the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT would have to have been on which it wasn’t!!! A 1992 honda civic with a bad engine would have shown that!!!
Clearly they didn’t look at it, they weren’t telling the truth and they had no idea what they were doing!!!
I was really upset so I brought it to the dealer I bought it from. The shop manager wasn’t there so I just mentioned it to the sales guy that was there. WITHIN 25 SECONDS THEY FOUND THE LEAK IN THE SAME SPOT I TOLD THEM TO CHECK THAT HAD LEAKED BEFORE!!!
Instead of repairing the hose with a new hose clamp as least time the ordered a new hose and BMW clamp and the BMW has not had a issue in 5 months! (knock on wood)
I found out later they used a low level young tech on my $ 100K+ vehicle that clearly had no idea on what he was doing. Don’t you think if you had that expensive of a vehicle you would have a senior experienced tech look at it. At the very least after the young techs «diagnosis» have a senior at least look at it.
Automaster scammed my buyer only of lot’s of money and almost cost me a $ 60k vehicle sale out of pure NEGLIGENCE. I will never buy and BMW OR Mercedes until another dealer comes to town.
DO NOT BUY FROM THEM!!!

This is a review, specifically, of the Honda Service Department as I have no experience with other aspects of the business.
We have been coming here for over ten years, even though they are a little more expensive than other options. Years ago we tried other places for service but the overall experience was never as good. The employees at Automaster are extremely professional and when you walk in the building you can feel that they «get it». Whole operation is very professionally run.
We don’t even think about going anywhere else (and, granted, we live in Shelburne so it’s very convenient for us).

I purchased my first ever new car from The Automaster in May of 2005. After researching seemingly every car on the market, I determined what I needed and what I could afford, and I arrived at the dealership knowing exactly what I wanted. I test-​drove the car, loved it, went home to think about it and returned the next day to buy it. The salesman was knowledgeable and equally important, he wasn’t pushy when I hesitated. We shook hands, he passed me off to the finance guy, the finance guy pulled my credit, gave me a loan, and told me what my monthly payment was going to be: precisely the exact amount I expected it would be. I drove the car off of the lot with a smile.
When the salesman showed me the engine, he told me all these great things about it but the one thing that has stuck with me is when he said «Take care of this car and it will never let you down.» In the 7 years that have followed, I have regularly used The Automaster for most routine maintenance. They are a bit pricey so I have chosen to do some oil changes and basic tire work elsewhere, but everything else has been through The Automaster. The service folks are kind, informative, patient, and accommodating. Their work is always done when they say it will be done. If that means at the end of the day, they have a top-​notch shuttle service that will take you to and fro your job. If it means in an hour, you can wait in their comfortable lobby and take advantage of their wifi and updated magazine selection (I know it’s a small thing, but we all appreciate when a waiting area has magazines that are current). One other nice touch is their offer for free state inspections for the life of the car, which has, thus far, saved me close to $ 200.
They lose one star for their maintenance prices, but know that like most mechanics (cheap or expensive), you get what you pay for. That is, 7 years and 110,000 miles later, I continue to drive with a smile in a car that has never let me down.

Went out to Automaster to have my hub cap changed and noticed a noise coming from my car. An employee listened and told me it was nothing, I challenged this and he said I was over thinking the noise.
Hours later… car won’t start.
Next day… AAA comes and I share the same information. Once again, what I shared with Automaster two months earlier when they changed my battery and I KNEW it was more then the battery and again, what I shared last night. AAA confirmed I was right and low and behold an alternator issue.
Automaster, listen to your customers more.

Have had a generally terrible service experience with a certified, pre-​owned BMW we purchased from this dealer. We’ve had to return 3, 4, even 5 times for various issues. For example, we’re been trying to get our rear-​hatch latch malfunction addressed since 2010. This week, we were back again. When we sat down with the managers and expressed our frustration, the owner’s son confronted us in a physically and verbally aggressive manner and loudly informed us they were sick of us, sick of car and no longer wanted us as customers. I have to think this wildly inconsistent with what BMW desires for its customers to experience.