Willie Racine’s Jeep

Terrible service department…
We brought our Jeep Grand Cherokee in because our regular mechanic advised us that the power issue we’d had on our Jeep was fairly common and the dealership is best suited for the proper solution, WRONG.
Wildly Racines service department not only installed and charged me for a part I didn’t actually need they also charged us for a second service call (1 week later, $ 90) when the problem remained. The service tech. actually noted that they had my Jeep up to 80 mph and found no problems. Where in VT is the speed limit 80???
My regular repair shop was now forced to identify and repair the problem. Thankfully for me it was just an emissions leak in a vacuum line. Simple repair, but a huge hassle because Willy Racines has a horrible service department.

Shady unreliable service. You’ll pay to have something fixed and you’ll leave with something else broken that was completely fine when you brought it in. Seriously crooks here. They should be sued. This place is a lawsuit waiting to happen

All I can say is that after all the bad things I heard by word of mouth, giving this «dealership» the benefit of the doubt was a bad, and extremely costly decision. Purchased a pre-​owned Jeep from Aldo Borja in June, 2011. The vehicle came with a 3 month/​3000 mile warranty. The mechanics had done an inspection and provided me with a list of about 10 items that needed to be fixed, even minor items like one stereo speaker replacement. They fixed some of the items, while I knew others (e.g. brake pads) would be my responsibility. Little did I know that I would be in and out of the service department 5 – 6 times in the first 3 months of ownership. Literally 10 days after buying the Jeep one of the windows stopped working. I had them look at it (for $ 80) and they told me it needed a regulator which was going to be $ 400 plus installation labor. I bought a $ 130 regulator and installed it myself, but the window still didn’t work. When I called the service dept. they said it didn’t need a regulator but a wiring harness. Now I’ve spent $ 130 and an hour of my life for something that wasn’t even broken. They refused to cover this under my warranty. 2 weeks later (and within the first 30 days of owning the vehicle) it overheated and broke down on the highway. Had it towed to Willie Racine’s Jeep and they informed me it needed a new radiator. They also said they weren’t paying for it under warranty and it was going to cost me around $ 1200. I had my neighborhood mechanic replace it for $ 550 and when he showed me the old one there is no way Willie Racine’s didn’t know it needed a new radiator before they sold the car to me. It looked like someone had taken a hammer to it. Ironically my neighborhood mechanic used to work for Willie Racine’s and quit after a few months because of their unethical practices in the service dept. While my guy replaced the radiator he pointed out the oil pan to me. It was so corroded that poking it with a finger could have put a hole in it, but apparently they «didn’t notice that» on their vehicle inspection prior to purchase. Think it was covered under warranty? Of course not.
I have signed documentation showing what was covered in my warranty yet they refused to fix those items under warranty. There’s a lot more to this story but I’m so aggravated that I don’t want to waste any more time with the other BS they put me through. At the end of the day I will NEVER be back to this dealership for ANYTHING. You can buy a car from them if you want, or have your Jeep serviced there, but you’ve been warned… expect to be screwed.
UPDATED 2014:
I thought I would give them a second chance and an opportunity to earn my business back. I looked at two vehicles on their lot and even test drove one. Upon returning to the dealership I was asked by Brian Racine (sales manager) why I was back so I explained that I believed in second chances. His response? «We don’t want to earn your business back and you need to leave». They had their chance and blew it. I ended up buying a different vehicle from a southern dealer. It had lower miles, more options, and I got it for $ 5k less than the rusted stuff on their lot. I also now make the 45-​minute drive to Foster Motors in Middlebury for Jeep service whenever I need it.

You will get excellent service from this dealership until you purchase a vehicle. I purchased Jeep Liberty there and had issue with 4×4 sensor. Service department is rude and unprofessional took them over a month to get the part in and fix the problem. My experience here was so bad that I started taking my Jeep to different dealership for service. Will never go back to this place again.

When an accident unexpectedly forced me into the automobile buying market this past week, I had no idea which Burlington area dealership would end up presenting me with the best vehicle selection and service. Having been in Vermont for about a year and a half, I had never needed to do any SUV shopping before.
Well as it turned out, the first stop I made at Wille Racine’s Jeep in South Burlington turned out to be the only place I needed to go. And these words are coming from a guy who has driven Chevy vehicles the past 13 years.
From the friendly, knowledgeable service I received from sales consultant Aldo Borja and the rest of the staff which advised me, to the wide range of impressive Jeep models in their lot, I was instantly impressed from the moment I walked in the door, and remained that way until I purchased my 2012 Grand Cherokee Laredo. The service was professional without an ounce of the pushiness you can get at a lot of other places, and they allowed me plenty of breathing room to weigh my options.
Even after shopping around at a few different dealerships in the area, Willie Racine’s Jeep continued to stay at the top of my list throughout the buying process.
Not only do they have a comfortable, upscale showroom without all of the hoopla and gimmicks you can see at other dealerships, their consultants did a great job showing me their vehicles, and their finance department worked very quickly with the banks to find me a great rate. They more than surpassed my expectations, and made me such a good offer in my first week of SUV shopping, that they essentially made my decision for me. There was never a need for me to bargain or haggle.
Additionally, the 2012 Grand Cherokee seems to be the best mid-​sized SUV in the market, with an impressive 290-​horsepower V-​6 engine, and of course legendary Jeep four-​wheel drive for tough Vermont driving conditions. I honestly couldn’t find anything in its class that even came close to it for a price tag under
$ 30,000.
This is an unbiased review from a person who did not know a single person at Wille Racine’s Jeep prior to stepping foot in their dealership this past Monday. I would recommend them to anybody!
One update almost 4 years after my purchase: the service department here is always extremely busy and if you show up without an appointment, you’re not going to get service. This is extremely frustrating when a check engine light goes on, and a place with so many service bays is never able to take you without an appointment.