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When I first moved here, these people were great. When I got left DOA by a broken axle-bearing mount on the interstate the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, gave me a brand-new loaner for the weekend, and loaded my bags into the car while i was signing the paper work.

But then, that was a warranty repair. Three years later, they wanted $150 to replace the antenna mast. By then, I was a board member and a lot more savvy.

I had a flat two days after a dealer service that included a rotation. I couldn't bust the lugs loose, even trying to stand on the wrench. A guy from FedEx, obviously a body-builder, tried to help. HE couldn't bust the lugs loose. Fortunately a friend of mine had a 3 ft breaker bar. Next time I was in, I talked to the service manager about it, and in a conversational way, that in-your-face stuff really doesn't get the desired results. Or so I thought, because the next time I had to pull a wheel, just a few weeks later, you guessed it, IT WAS TIGHTER THAN BEFORE !

And then we come to the blown-out lower ball joints. I was getting regular scheduled maintenance from them, and spoke more than once to the service writer - who was a decent guy - about the tire wear, severe scrubbing on the inner tread. I was told it was the nature of FWD.
Please note, when getting the car serviced, the dealer's print-out of items performed always included a "suspension safety check". That means they've supposedly checked for suspension play.

After I installed lower springs and sport struts, I took the car in to an independent front-end shop for alignment. I discovered that I should have replaced the lower control arms while I had the car apart. The ball joints were trash, which should have been diagnosed when I was bitchin' about tire wear.

I haven't been back in three years except for parts I can't find online.