Reno Dodge Reviews - Don Weir's Reno Dodge

Huge Dealership, Horrible Customer Service

Let me start by saying I have no affiliation with any business mentioned in this review.  I was simply lied to and treated horribly by the service writers and service manager at Don Weir’s Reno Dodge on 3/27/17. I hope you’ll be able to take something from this review and be able to make an informed decision on your next vehicle purchase or service.

The message I received loud and clear from beginning to end was, we have no desire to help you, we have better things to do.

If you have a similar story please share it with us here, or on our Facebook Page!

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Where it all started

I recently purchased a Ram truck from out of the area and had it shipped to Reno where I’ve called home my entire life.  The vehicle was 1,000 miles outside of the factory 36,000 mile “bumper to bumper” warranty so I reached out to Mopar for an extended Vehicle Protection Plan.  This is the warranty any Dodge dealership sells, it is not an aftermarket warranty of any kind.  They quoted me $4,540 for a 7 year, 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.  A bit on the high side so I did some research and found a dealer in Indiana that offered me the same warranty, but for 8 years, 125,000 miles for a mere $2,825!  Regardless of my decision Mopar needed me to take my new truck to any Dodge dealer in North America for a relatively simple inspection and they provided me the required form.

Enter Reno Dodge

It began with a simple call to Don Weir’s Reno Dodge and asking for someone in service.  I was transferred and nobody answered, no problem, I left a message explaining I’d like to schedule service for my new Ram truck.  2 days later I hadn’t received a call back, so I went through the exact same process again to no avail.  Another day later I called and instead of asking to be transferred I asked if I could actually speak to someone so I could set up an appointment.  The lady on the phone was very helpful and scheduled me for 3/27/17.

I arrive bright and early on Monday morning, inspection paper in hand, ready to purchase the warranty on my new truck!  I walk into the service area and wasn’t too impressed by how things were being handled, but hey, it was early, maybe they were just getting going.  Eventually I’m called up to the counter by a service advisor and explain to him I have an appointment to have my truck inspected.  He looks perplexed, says he doesn’t know anything about it, then fiddles around with his computer and with a look of disbelief says, “oh wow, you’re scheduled to see me”.  At this point I’m pretty surprised he didn’t even know his schedule but again, maybe it’s just early!

I explain the above story and that I’d like to pay them to do the inspection, and if they can match the price I’ve been quoted I’d love to buy the warranty from them and keep my money local.  He then tells me he’s never heard of an inspection for Mopar Extended Service Contracts and makes it quite clear he is very knowledgeable in this field, after all he’s been doing this job for 17 years.  He then leaves to talk to another service advisor and out of their mumbled conversation the next advisor indeed has heard of such an inspection, but makes it clear to him that they cannot do anything for me unless I’m buying the warranty from them.  At this point I’m mentally rolling my eyes, it’s obvious they aren’t the best bunch of guys to deal with.

He comes back and says he will have to get his service manager involved as they don’t know what to do, and he doesn’t know what to put into the computer for the service.  I say no problem, take your time.

As this is happening someone pulls my truck in, right in front of the service advisor’s desks.  Service advisor #2’s eyes get huge and he immediately stops what he’s doing and comes out telling me they cannot touch my truck, it is lifted, it has aftermarket wheels and is “completely customized”.  He then goes on to tell me all of my vehicle warranties are void, and is more or less going off on how crazy I must be for even thinking they would consider inspecting my vehicle.

At this point I’m pretty blown away, my truck has a 2″ leveling kit (if you’re unaware of what that is, it is a VERY small lift in only the front of the truck, and is extremely standard, most full-size pickup trucks on the road have it and Don Weir’s Reno Dodge sells trucks with this from the factory).  As for aftermarket wheels, again, extremely common, and sold by this very dealership.  Beyond that the truck has no mechanical alterations at all and Mopar themselves make it VERY clear they are in NO way an issue for their extended warranty.

I attempt to explain this to him, he’s simply not having it and goes off to tell another service member, it was about as childish of a conversation as you could imagine.  They now march off to get their service “manager”, who comes out and essentially does the exact same thing, telling me it’s lifted, it’s got different wheels and all warranties are void as well as their complete inability to even touch the truck.  I point back in the service bay and notice there are already trucks back there with the exact same things, I also point out they sell trucks with the exact same leveling kit and wheels new off their lot.  They tell me, “it doesn’t matter, it would fail every part of their inspection, we can’t touch it” and he now says “and we have to ask you to leave”.

By now another customer is standing at the same counter with me, explaining that her vehicle is in for the third time for the same problem and how fed up she is with paying top dollar for something to be fixed, but having to come back over and over.  She even explains she stopped coming to Reno Dodge for this very reason, and the service advisor attempts to excuse their issue as someone simply “installing something wrong”.  She’s about as fed up as I am, it’s clear I’m not the only one unhappy with their practices.

Keep in mind, I’ve been nothing but polite, asking nothing more than to pay them to inspect the vehicle.  I’ve not asked for anything free, I’ve not asked for any warranty work to be performed, I’ve not been rude or argumentative in any way.  I quite honestly had never in my life seen anything like it.  Their level of disrespect was astonishing and at that point I knew I’d have to share the entire experience online.

During all of this service advisor #1 had hooked up a computer to the truck and went on to tell me it likely needs a catalytic converter, a mere $1,150 MSRP part, plus installation (more on this later).

As a lifelong mechanic I was shocked, amused and just generally taken back by the entire situation.  I got my keys and left.

I’d also like to add their claim of “all of my warranties being null and void” was a clear violation of the Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act.

What to do and where to go?

After leaving I made a few calls to friends with similar Ram trucks and explained the situation to them, to my astonishment none of them were surprised in the least bit and I was told to call Carson Dodge.  I have to say I was a bit skeptical after what I just went through, but I called them and shockingly was transferred right to a service advisor named Tom.  I explained the entire situation to him and he made it clear things like this happen at Reno Dodge all the time, they’re actually his best advertisement.  He was eager to earn my business and scheduled me for the very next day for my inspection.  He also told me to bring a copy of my quote for the extended warranty and they would try to match it while the truck was being inspected!

The next morning I pull into Carson Dodge and I’m almost in disbelief as everyone is friendly and Tom introduces himself and collects my information.  He informs me there are a few updates they can do to the computer in my truck, one of which will fix the issue that made the Reno advisor tell me it needed a catalytic converter!  He says this is all covered under my existing warranty and is FREE.  He then offered a shuttle to me to go anywhere in Carson I wanted while they did the inspection, again, FREE.  I said I’d gladly wait and he then took me up to his finance manager’s office who again was as nice as could be.  I show him my warranty quote and he literally offers to BEAT the price.  I wasn’t in his office for more than 10 minutes and bought the warranty I wanted walked out with a huge smile on my face.  I even brought a friend with me, another Ram truck owner.  He was so taken back by how polite everyone was at Carson Dodge he said he’ll forever be bringing his truck to them, and he’s never even had to deal with Reno Dodge’s lack of service.

In under an hour the inspection was completed, I had my warranty in hand and wouldn’t you know, the truck passed EVERY single part of the inspection with flying colors, they made it clear it was just like every truck on the road and the ones they sell every day.

Carson Dodge is a mere 30 minute drive from Don Weir’s Reno Dodge and a beautiful one at that.  You’ll be VERY thankful you made the short drive to real customer service.  Their customer service was so much better I’d have gladly driven MUCH further.  Don’t know where they are?  I didn’t either, but click here for directions.

Again I cannot stress enough how horrible the customer service at Don Weir’s Reno Dodge was, never in my life have I been so shocked by the way a business was run.

Let’s be honest, if it wasn’t so terrible do you think I’d truly have taken the time to build a website to inform Reno just how bad it was?

Do yourself a favor, avoid Don Weir’s Reno Dodge at all costs and do business with another local company that has honestly been the polar opposite.

Call Carson Chrysler Jeep Dodge at (775) 883-2020.  They were absolutely amazing, happy and helpful customer service in every way.  They’ve forever earned my business and I hope everyone who reads this as well.

Lastly, Mr. Weir, I’m sure at some point you’ll read this.  I hope you’ll take what I’ve said into account and replace the individuals involved.  I hope you’ll take this and turn things around so people can be proud to recommend your dealership to others.

Your employees are the face of your business.  They need to treat customers with honesty, dignity and respect all day, every day.  You never know when they’ll go and treat a web designer and internet marketer like this.

Yours Truly,

Emory Peterson

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it does!  Within 8 hours of taking this web page and Facebook page live I received many messages, all with similar horror stories, that is except one…

You’ll have to wade through the impeccable grammar at first.  Seemingly the claim is that I went into the Reno Dodge dealership trying to have my broken transmission replaced, apparently from my off-road adventures?

Over the course of the next 10 minutes I continue to receive similar messages, each time changing the “Reply To” name, at this point I’m laughing.  Note the grammar continuing near perfection.

Then, just a few minutes later, I receive this nice message from a Mr. Donald Larson via the newly created Reno Dodge Reviews Facebook page.  I’m not exactly sure what he’s attempting to say here, but I’m relatively sure I’m being referred to as an idiot?

Unfortunately for him, and what I can only assume was an evening with too much to drink, he seemingly forgot that he A) looked a heck of a lot like the service manager I met Monday and B) his Facebook page prominently states he works at Reno Dodge..

I really can’t believe it at this point, there’s NO way someone would treat a customer so terribly they would build a website to share with the entire city, then go on to message that very person and say these things with their face and place of employment prominently displayed is there??

Well, fortunately I did a about 10 seconds of detective work and noted that Mr. Larson indeed has Service Manager listed as his title with Reno Dodge on his Facebook page.

This brings me to my prior assertion that he must’ve had too much to drink.  He was a very well spoken, albeit unprofessional man in person.  Either he seriously struggles with written English or he had a little more than he should’ve and made what I can only expect equates to a career altering decision.

Not the best move, right?

Stories From People Like You

I have no association with any of the below stories, nor way to verify any of what is said.  These are just a handful of the stories shared with us from our Facebook page, you’ll notice my story is far from uncommon.

Text Version Of The Above Stories

Again – I have no association with any of the below stories, nor way to verify any of what is said. 

These are just a handful of the stories shared with us from our Facebook page, you’ll notice my story is far from uncommon.  Do yourself a favor and do business elsewhere, literally anywhere else.  You’re spending thousands of your hard earned dollars, find a business that is willing to earn your business and treat you right.

“Rude, unprofessional person named “Ben” is an ASS. My sister, who is 70 years old, took her jeep there for a over heating problem and 2 thousand dollars later the car still over heats and all he can say is there was no guarantee because it is a 2004! He thought that replaying the heater hoses and thermostat it would take care of the problem. How can that cost 2 thousand dollars. Every car that goes in there they tell you that the hoses and fluids need to be changed just to jack up the bill. Talk about taking advantage of people. Took the car to A1 radiator and for just a few hundred dollars, problem fixed. Why couldn’t a dealer fix this?”

“I had a Ram and a Dakota – same experience with both – Carson Dodge was professional and had old fashioned “country” customer service – Reno Dodge was a bunch of incompetent clowns, actively demonstrating the worst car dealer stereotypes. I feel bad for all the people who get taken by their high pressure intimidation tactics and service dept BS.”

“Is there a NO Star?. Rude, unprofessional people. I was going to buy a diesel truck but i end up buying the best GMC coz of rudeness you lose. After that about week and a half i want a Hellcat but hell no another rude, unprofessional person came up to me again. Never go here if you want to get underestimated, get disrespected and talk to rude people. Negative 0000 ZEROES Star!!!”

“I tried to buy a truck at Reno Dodge a couple years ago. Couldn’t match a deal I could get out of town as well. Their salesman has called me no fewer than 6 times since. Still trying to sell me a truck that I’ve already purchased. Stupid.”

“I bought a Dodge Neon from Reno Dodge many years ago. When I asked to get my “200 gallons of gas for just a dollar more,” (which they heavily advertised at that time on tv and radio), the salesman told me, “oh no, you’re not getting that because you got too good of a deal.” I wrote and complained to Don Weir, but he ignored me. Since then, I vowed NEVER to buy from Reno Dodge again.”

“Same experience for us with Reno Dodge. We only take our trucks to Carson Dodge! So sad that Don Weir has allowed his employees to treat customers they way they do! We were told that they would work on the vehicle we bought from Reno Dodge but if we purchased a Dodge out of state they would purposely break things on it! They assured me that the vehicles Reno Dodge sales are of better quality then anywhere else? Ha! Must be because I’m a girl but I’m not stupid! Same vehicles just way more expensive! HORRIBLE PLACE! RENO DODGE IS THE WORST! 

CARSON Dodge is the only place to take your vehicles!”

“Heres my Reno Dodge story. I was working nightshift, on my way home I drove by and spotted a car that I was looking to buy sitting in their lot. After a testdrive and sitting down to workout the financing I was going to buy it. But after being awake for 20+ hrs at this point, i said I’d like to go home, call my insurance company and cone back in the morning. The salesman and the manager both argued with me to sign today. No. I said I will be back first thing when they opened and left. I came back in the morning, as I said I would, to sign the paperwork. The sales manager comes in and tells me yesterdays deal is invalid, they upped the rate and payments, then wanted a co signer. This was not month end or year end. After some arguing, i got up and walked out. I will never do business with them, ever, and will talk anyone I can to take their business elsewhere.”

“I hate Reno Dodge, their service really does suck. Started taking my Ram to Carson Doge years ago and their service department has been excellent to work with.”

“I will never step into that place again they treated me so badly I will never go there ever period”

“I bought a little Mazda RX-8 when I was 17 (yeah yeah, I know) from Reno Dodge, and the salesman (who if I remember correctly was named Tadi) told me this incredible sob story about trying to support his 2 year old son after his wife suddenly passed a few months ago, and I of course immediately bought into it and didn’t haggle as much as I should have. After signing all the paperwork, I walked out of the sales managers office with keys in hand to Tadi literally kissing his wife who was holding a small toddler. He looked at me with a face of total embarrassment realizing he was busted, then in a split second recognized that I had purchased the car and gave me a small smirk and a wink. 

To add insult to injury, all of the power locks stopped working after around a week and the 46 year old service manager with spiked blonde tips and braces told me they didn’t have the ability to order the part and they couldn’t fix the issue.

They cold call me every 8 months or so and I politely tell them where they can go shove it!”

“Reno dodge is just plain rude !!! I will never go there again as much as i love dodge i will never go to this one in reno!!”

“I tried to buy a truck from them a couple times. Never got any help. Had to go to elk Grove and drove off with a brand new Laramie”

“This place is terrible! I was supposed to buy a car and approved and they played so many games. Wasnt even willing to fill the tank for me. I waitied over a week before i finally walked into dolan and walked out same day with a car fulky detailed and full tank of gas. Huge difference”

“Omg this is great, I went to reno dodge to buy a new charger they looked at my trade came back with some numbers and said they will submit it to the bank and let me know. Well… They didn’t get any of my information so how the hell were they going to get an approval. Just for the hell of it I went back a couple days later to “see” how it was going and the manager said they were still working on it. I couldn’t believe they strait up lied and didn’t want to make a deal. That place has been shady for over 20 years it will never change.”

“Well….I took our Dodge in there (Reno Dodge) to have them give me a “free brake inspection”. They called and gave me a laundry list of things, other than the brakes, of what needed to be done. I told the service guy that I only wanted an inspection on the brakes. He told me that he had taken the brakes apart and was about to have his guys start on them. I hadn’t even given them the approval. I was so pissed…and told him to put the brakes back together and I’d come pick it up. Unbelievable! Never have gone back since….we take our Dodge to Dynamic Diesel, Inc. ONLY! They are good guys, don’t over charge and always professional with us! BTW, just in the past 6 months we’ve had to have new brakes, clutch and now fix an oil leak all to the tune of $5,000+…secret here is don’t buy a Dodge! :)”

“I live in Reno and bought my 2016 Ram at Carson Dodge…..I bought a 2012 from Reno Dodge and it never was right. Was in the shop regularly. I would have preferred my tax money went to Washoe County, but Carson Dodge wanted my business. I won’t buy again from Reno Dodge. Tom is my Service Adviser at Carson Dodge as well. he seems like a decent guy.”

“Shortly after I got married, I bought a Dodge Stratus from Reno Dodge. Before I even took delivery of the car (with 6 miles on the odometer), the service department had to replace an O2 sensor that was causing a check engine warning light. Every year for the next 3 years, I had to bring the car in to have an O2 sensor replaced. Always under warranty. On the 3rd trip, I asked why they couldn’t seem to fix this problem, and I was told that O2 sensors were delicate and finicky. Some will fail quickly, and others will last for years, totally at random. Having picked up my car after the 4th replacement, I managed to drive 2 blocks before the check engine light came on again. I drove straight back to the dealership to have the O2 sensor replaced, again! Miraculously, that was the last time I had to have that fixed. 

Recently, I met a Reno Dodge salesman at an auto show. I’ve been researching new trucks for a while now, and inquired what the price difference was between a 3/4 ton truck and a 1 ton truck if the engine, transmission, cab and other options were all the same. He told me $10,000. Five times what I know to be correct. I quickly ended the conversation as i knew i was wasting my time. The following weekend, I stopped in at Carson Dodge, and related the story. The salesman at Carson Dodge remarked that he had heard many stories of similar BS from Reno Dodge, and that he was happy to have the customers he received as a result. He then looked up the answer to my question and quoted me a value that was within $200 of what I had seen online. When I am ready to buy, I will be seeing Carson Dodge first. Reno Dodge is not an option for me.”

“Since I see so many other similar reviews, I’d like to share my opinions on the matter also. 
My experience is as follows. I don’t use this word lightly and I consider myself a tolerant and most patient individual, but I HATE Reno Dodge. I’ve stood literally toe to toe with a salesman in the middle of the parking lot arguing to get my truck back after the ol “bait and switch” tactic. He claimed he couldn’t find it / can’t get it back / didn’t know what was going on…. Very humored by the other salesperson creeping up behind me too. 
I’ve stood in the middle of the showroom arguing with the service manager because the vehicle they were trying to ‘force me into’ had a bad pull in the steering and they refused to fix it. He said I was stuck with it because I drove it off the lot and it was my responsibility. 
Mr. Don Weir take note, take SERIOUS note, on these reviews and opinions of your dealership. This has been going on for years and you have done nothing to fix it. Your reputation and dealership are going down the toilet and I’m happy to say that my hand was only one of many that was on the handle. 
I WOULD NEVER GIVE MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION NOR PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM A DEALERSHIP THAT HAS YOUR NAME ON IT. Inactions on your part and from your staff are inexcusable. 
My thanks to the original post that has allowed all of us to share our similar thoughts and opinions.”

“Thank you for starting this page!! Here’s my husbands horrible experience!! 
A year ago my husband was looking for a job and reno dodge had positions available for a lot attendant and for sales. He called the supervisor asking if he could meet up with him after work, the supervisor said sure thing and told my husband that he was there till close. My husband gets there and meets with the lot supervisor when my husband starting asking questions the guy he was speaking with told him ‘I have no time for you so you should leave my husband was speechless so he asked him that he could come by tomorrow in the morning and talk about the position then the supervisor told him this ‘ I don’t want you working here because I don’t like to hire eager people who want to work’ my husband was a little upset knowing that this guy was being so rude to him, my husband then asked him if he could talk to some one in sales be because of an opening (My husband is a huge car guru and a molar fan) the supervisor then told him again ‘ they won’t hire you because your eager and that you show interest in the position’ my husband then tells the guy that he is being rude and awful and that he didn’t want to work or ever but a car here. After the supervisor was screaming and yelling at him, my husband left to head to his car and drove off. My husband told me this after I got home and I was so pissed but they missed out on a great worker. Reno dodge is the worst ever.”

“Reno Dodge has been awful for decades. I bought my last two new vehicles from them. Even our salesman hated working there (he told me later). Their warranty consisted of trying to avoid doing warranty work. At Reno Dodge, the “dodge” is what they do best.”

“I’ve been to Reno Dodge twice to test drive/shop for a car. Both times I was treated like crap. I bought my vehicle at Carson Dodge, and was told just like this guy that Carson gets a ton of business from people who were treated like crap in Reno. Carson is also a 5 star dealership. Reno is not.”

“I have two bad stories about reno dodge. The first time was in 1979 when I was looking for an El Camino. When I saw one in the reno dodge lot I stopped to talk to the salesman outside. Right away he was hostile and he barks at me “money talks and bullshit walks” …..so I pull out the r grand I had in my pocket and I say “my money tells me to walk”. I bought at Hallman chevrolet. A few years later my wife bought a challenger from reno dodge and later she had me take it in for maintenence. When I picked it up somebody had been joyriding it. I was pissed. The service manager ran and hid . I went for weirs office and I screemed at him. What a shitty business.”

“It’s well known around Reno that if you buy from anyone but them, they won’t service your vehicle. Especially if you buy from Dave Smith in Idaho. I got almost the same deal from Carson Dodge, as I would have by going to Dave Smith, without the travel. I have bought several times from Reno Dodge, and have written Dodge Corporate about their lousy service. Will never go there again”

“Dodge ripped me off before I haven’t gone been back since 25 years ago. Don Weir gave all of dodge dealerships a bad name in my book”

“I ordered my truck straight from Dodge. Went in to keep it local and they told me they couldn’t do it, and kept trying to get me to buy off their lot and this was the sales mgr. Carson did my order and were great. 

Then at 50k I had a warranty issue. I was leaving for vacation and I left it with them also asking for them to do an oil change and change out all fluids. I would be gone for 10 days. 

I get back truck isn’t ready and when I get it back my A/C doesn’t work. I walk right back in and they take a look at it and say I have a leak and will have to schedule an appointment. I’m like I haven’t left yet I’m still here and it worked fine when I left. They did the whole getting many people involved and said it’s been that way. I took my truck and left. Went down to Carson Dodge, told them my story, they took a look at it. Filled my A/C and found that one of my lines had been loosened. Bam fixed. Also Reno Dodge (same service writer) called me while on vacation saying I need a tune up and would cost $1750, I said it has 50k miles and run great, he told me no it doesn’t. I said don’t touch it. 
Called and left messages after incident and wrote multiple emails and never once got a response.”

“I have a 2015 RAM 2500 CTD that has had the transmission out 6 times because it was slipping or “lunged” constantly when putting it into gear. 

One of the trips to get it fixed in Reno went like this. The Reno Dodge service Guys (Anthony) wrote up the ticket, mechanics looked at the truck then said it wasn’t the transmission and that it was out of fuel. Keep in mind I drove it from South Reno and it had over a 1/4 tank.

Little did I know this incorrect diagnosis, would cause me to lose an arbitration case with Chrysler in March 2017. The minute I took the truck to Carson, they quickly realized the 68rfe transmission valve body was bad and not “out of fuel.”

I now take my truck to Carson Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram for all service, routine maintenance, and warranty repairs.

Plus, they have an express lane for oil changes that accepts Diesels, no appointment needed.”

“I had the worst experience with Reno Dodge. I am a traveling electrician. I bought my truck in Ohio. It broke 2 valve springs and dropped the valves. It still ran when they got it. They called me the day they got it and said it seized up and wanted maintenance records and $1400 to tear it down to see what happened. 5 weeks later Matt called me and said it was all covered under warranty but I had some other issues that needed done, transmission and transfer case service and service both differentials. Being an assistant certified master tech also I was trying to figure out the connection. But I said go ahead and do it. At week 7 he calls and said the intercooler was not covered because it had a hole in it. Funny, it ran great and I had no problems with the turbo or anything till this. Now they want $700 more dollars. They have been trying to get money out of me since day one! Now I have my truck back. New motor, new turbo, new intercooler, all the recalls and emission warranties done and bam! There it was, check engine light is on! Do you people test drive anything? So happy I get to call you Monday morning and ruin you damn day! I really hope you have a great weekend! I will NEVER AND I REPEAT NEVER GO BACK THERE OR RECOMMEND ANYONE TO GO THERE!”

“I really don’t know how they stay in business…we had a horrible experience at Reno Dodge.”