Image Auto Sales

Reviews 3

BR

Brent Hutchison

This was our first time buying a car and so going into it both my wife and I were a little nervous and didnt know exactly what to expect. We were very excited when we found that Image Auto was selling a Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen, something that we had been researching and hoping to buy. The staff was friendly to work with and everything about the car seemed great besides a few minor aesthetic details. On the day we drove the car off the lot, however, I was a little disappointed that they left us with a completely empty tank of gas. I mean, the needle was in the red and the gas light was on! Coming from Provo, UT (about 45 minutes south of Image Auto), there was no way we would make it home on that little of gas, despite the staffs well-intentioned jokes that, given the Jetta TDIs reportedly high gas mileage, we would be able to make it back without any worry. Maybe Im just a novice in my experience with car dealerships, but I always had imagined it common courtesy of dealers to top your car off. When we did ask if they would top the car off before we drove it off the lot, the staff said they didnt have the P-card available at the time. They did promise that they could top us off along with our car wash upon writing a Google review and they did which was nice of them. About two weeks after our purchase, I made my first long highway drive up to Salt Lake since driving the car off the lot and back home to Provo. First the glow plug light came on. Since it was after hours, the best I could do was to take it home and wait to schedule an appointment. The next day, the check engine light came on. Knowing that we had a warranty on the car, and had even bought the 5-year warranty covering the engine and its associated parts, I called up a trusted Volkswagen mechanic and made an appointment, thinking the problem would be covered by the warranty. Turns out the problem was a little leak in the fuel-injection hose. Unfortunately, the hose was not covered in the warranty. By that time I felt it was too late to call Image Auto to see if they would make the repair with their mechanics, especially since doing so meant driving the car up to Salt Lake Valley and possibly incurring more damages to the car. I know I should have checked the car with a mechanic before my purchase to ensure that all the parts were fine, but my wifes and my work schedule made it difficult to do so. Image Auto did say their mechanics check all their cars and ensure that they are in top condition, but somehow they must have missed the hose on our car. Anyway, $325 later, I felt a little disappointed. After the fact Image Auto did say we should have taken the car in and they would have made the repair, but alas, what was done was done and I feel all the more stupid for it. Other than those two issues, we love our car. Image Auto was friendly to work with. I admit that Im new to the whole car buying experience and so I could have been more aware and on top of my game when doing my research prior to purchase.

GA

Gary Gurney

Be careful!!!! You are buying a damaged vehicle, a vehicle that was abandoned by an insurance company and that has gone through a complex rebuild process by humans who make mistakes. The magical ‘150 point inspection’ is not enough! We got our van and two days later the check-engine light came on, then a low tire pressure indicator, then had the alignment checked and discovered a bad wheel bearing and damaged steering components, and now with colder weather discovered the heater cores are obstructed so the heater(s) don’t work like they should. We negotiated a lower labor rate and a discount on parts with a local dealer who replaced a catalytic converter for $1,200, replaced the wheel bearing and steering component parts for another $1,100, got a tire pressure sensor form eBay and had a local tire shop install it, and now the heater core problems could run us into the multiple thousands for the labor. Disappointed Yes. Would I guy again, maybe, but I would be much more thorough with the pre-inspection. Take your vehicle of interest to a DEALER who is in an EXPERT for your vehicle and pay them to go beyond a visual inspection; have them check the emissions system, the wheel bearings, have them use a ‘scan tool’ to check the vehicle’s computer diagnostics and have them check the wheel alignment. You can make sure everything works inside of the car yourself: the AC, the heat, the electronics, everything! Take it out and DRIVE it, drive it HARD and not just around the block. Buy some gas and put 20 miles on it under different driving conditions. If it pulls to one side there could be unrepaired damage to the steering components or possibly even the frame. The sales team at Image Auto is pretty good but some things are beyond their control and once you drive off their lot you are pretty much ON YOUR OWN since you sign papers, with big letters, that say “No Warranty”. They will agree to fix what you find BEFORE the sale so make sure you’ve identified all problems. You can buy an extended warranty but it is expensive and doesn’t cover that much unless you go with the ‘premium’ package. We didn’t get an extended warranty because we didn’t expect significant problems. The problems we encountered would have been detected had we taken it to a dealer and paid a little more and asked them to do the things I mentioned above. You can get a good vehicle at Image but there are no guarantees as some damage may not be detected by the rebuilders or by the ‘150 point’ inspection, so, inspect yourself and test thoroughly! Bottom line for this buyer: you can probably get a good vehicle for a good price if you are thorough in your inspections, but, if you have the money, you might be better off spending a little more for a good used vehicle that hasn’t been crashed, preferably one that is still under warranty. Good Luck and say hi to George!

TA

Tabor LeCheminant

This was the first car I purchased. I was awfully scared going into buying my first car and tried to do as much research as I can. I like the car I ended up buying from here but it needs a lot of work and theres no way these guys could not have known about the work it needed. The check engine light came on within minutes of driving it home...not sure how it didnt come on in the test drive and wish I would have driven it longer. The transmission had some leaks and the clutch needed to replaced and I spent about 1300 on that...Justin was really pushy and didnt seem to have the patience to help me understand what I was doing in the process of buying a car. He made some demands which I expressed discomfort in and rather than explaining what the purpose of the demands was he just said it was required information and that if I want the car I have to do it ((he even hung up on me out of frustration over the phone)). It really was on overall terrible experience and I had so much anxiety about the whole thing. Ive had to spend a lot of money on car repairs and it makes me think they were pushing the warranty so bad because they knew these repairs would be needed but wanted me to pay for them by buying a warranty I suppose.I looked at a lot of other cars and tried to be as educated as I could but to no avail...apparently I either know nothing about cars or the defects were simply hidden very very well. I hear a lot of poor things about the ethics of used car salesmen and I always wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. And I am still trying to find the good in my experience but the only good thing I can find is the lesson of adulthood Ive learned and that some people simply try to take advantage of you. Reading through these reviews the companies response to poor reviews seem like arguments in saying that we had all of the options to check to make sure the car was okay and that its our fault that we didnt check on those things. Not in so many words but thats what I take from it. Theres really no excuse for bad customer service. The only mistake I genuinely feel I have made is buying a car from a car from this place. If you a right a response to this comment please do not mention that I should have pointed out any defects to you when I was buying the car or that I should have asked for specific things as if it is not your job to check the car for good health. It sounds to me from your reviews that you like to sell cars without checking them because you expect your customers to tell you about everything that is wrong with the car and it sounds like you are too lazy to perform general diagnostics or simply look at the car windshield and check for cracks... I CAN SAY THAT IF YOU LIKE BUYING DAMAGED CARS AND REPAIRING THEM JUST FOR FUN DEFINITELY BUY FROM IMAGE AUTO SALES.