CarMax
Reviews and Complaints

I worked for carmax for a few years as a sales manager, In 2009 when things got tought they first told us we would not get our raise and that we would have to work more hours. Then I had a customer that attacked me while I worked, To defend myself I pushed the man back and got fired for touching the customer, The store manager was a ### and called me on the phone and fired me. I filed a lawsute with a attorny who later said that fed judge ruled in favor of carmax with out my day in court.can you smell a dead rat! CARMAX IS NOT SMART!

Carmax started out with a vision to change the way cars were sold and repaired. Company motos like " Happy associate make happy customers and happy customers make happy stock holders" and " accept no defect, create no defect, pass on no defect" were words to live by.

Now under new management and reacting to a poor economy, Carmax has resorted to the same cost cutting tactics that give all used car lots bad reputations. Quality used cars are a thing of the past at carmax.

Please do not expect to get the best quality used vehicle. Do not expect to get a fair price for your trade in. Shop around to major new car dealerships for your next used car. With all of the dealerships building cerified used cars these days, the products they are producing are of a much higher standard then Carmax vehicles. Parts used during the recon process with be OEM vs cheapest part available.

Corporate america has destroyed an upstart company that had the potential to be something special.

NEVER BUY A CAR FROM THIS PLACE!

They sold me a 06' Chevy Colorado with 36k miles on it 2 weeks ago and it has been in the shop on 3 different occassions since! The truck cut off on me twice going down the road, and one of those times I was on the interstate! SOMEONE COULD'VE BEEN KILLED! The best part is they won't give me my money back since it has been past 5 days even though I've only been able to drive the car about 3 days out of 2 weeks. Please don't make the mistake I did by not researching this place and now I'm stuck with a $16, 000 truck that won't run! You will see there are numerous complaints about Carmax on the web

I took my vehicle to CarMax for an appraisal to see what they would offer me for it. But before going, I did plenty of research to know the true value of the car, which was a 2003 model with only 52k miles and in outstanding condition both inside and outside:

Kelley Blue Book Private Party Sale value = $10, 325

Kelley Blue Book Trade-In value = $8, 200

CarMax Offer: $6, 500!

I then pulled out two current CarMax listings for similar vehicles (same year, make, and model -- although the two active CarMax listings were a lower trim level than mine). One had 50k miles and was listed for $11, 998 and the other had 58k miles and was listed for $10, 998.

When I discussed the absurdity of CarMax's offer with their appraiser, he admitted that they would probably sell my vehicle for $12, 500-$13, 000. Needless to say, I promptly walked out of their store, never to set foot on a CarMax lot again.

I can't speak about buying a vehicle at CarMax, but I know that I would never recommend selling a car to them. And if they're this slimy when it comes to selling your car to them, I have to believe they're equally slimy when they try to sell you a car.

I guess they're right -- CarMax isn't like traditional auto dealers. Traditional auto dealers will at least give you a halfway decent price for your trade-in. Pretty scary when a business is so bad that they make traditional auto dealers look good.

CarMax Colorado Springs ripped me off. My 05 dodge 1500 is great except for one flaw. The right fromt brake assembly makes noise. Enough noise to turn heads at stops. Returned to CarMax and invoice stated that the rotors were turned. Drove out of shop and the brakes still made noise and had a heavy vibration. Pulled over and looked at the rotors and they were still glossy and smooth. No indication of turning the rotors. Returned to the dealership the next day and was told that it was my driving. No answer when they were told that the brakes were only making nosie on one side. Management defended the service writer by saying he was an award winning performer. NOT! He gets my award for biggest bull...er.

I purchased a vehicle last month and trade in a 2000 Nissan Xterra. The vehicle was in excellent condition, received an anual detail and all maintenance. I was told by the salesman Terry Haskins that "the best they could do was $5000. I traded in the vehicle toward a 2010 4Runner Limited. I checked the CarMax website a month later to discover the vehicle I traded in was now on sale for $10, 000. Their sales practices are deceptive and CarMax is not to be trusted. They are like most car dealers (thieves), do your homework and don't get ripped off.

I have worked for carmax for years now and have seen so much corruption its mind blowing.People stealing, crashed cars being covered up and sold to unsuspecting customers and employees being fired or mistreated because someone goes on a power trip. The way they treat the employees is incredible and they get away with murder. The employees of this company need to join a union and fight back.

Dont fall for their anti union campaigns we need to fight back.

The United auto workers union needs to hurry up and get out to all our carmax stores. We are ready to unionize!

Car Max Inglewood CA, and Riverside CA are not trust worthy when it comes to auto repairs, I purchased in a cashiere check a 2004 Infinity FX for $21, 737.92. I had taken the car in for concerns I had on the brakes and was told they only neeed to be lubrcated, the noise got worse when I would stop and squeek, I took it to a location closer to avoid driving 70 miles.I was told to take it car back to the location I purchased it from because they did not want to be responsible for the other CAR MAX who sold m the car.

I thought buying a car at CARMAX was supposed to be easy. The kids were mislead and misunderstood. A salesman named Ben and the other guy they had today didn't bother to be sure that they understood the sales tax not being able to be included in the financing. He assumed that they understood that because they had a Cali address, (even though they only had it because He is USMC), they would have to pay Cali taxes and that those taxes wouldn't be included in the loan. They only had $3000 and they put all of that down on the car never dreaming that Cali taxes could not be included in the financing...even the finance guy RJ didn't bother to explain, it was a total cluster.

We were there for 7 hours (yes, SEVEN HOURS) trying to get things right. If I would have had my way, I would have cancelled the deal and gone elsewhere. Thanks to his grandparents, everything was taken care of. I WILL NEVER BUY A CAR FROM CARMAX AND I RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE STAY AWAY AS WELL.

I can't say it enough; NEVER, NEVER, EVER GO TO CARMAX.

I purchased an extended warranty from the Warranty Group through CarMax, after a fair amount of pressuring. Shortly before my contract was about to expire, my transmission failed. My mechanic contacted the warranty people, who sent an inspector to look at my vehicle. I keep impeccable servce records, so they had no choice but to honor the claim. Against the advice of the shop, who recommended using GM parts, they sent cheap substandard junk. Lo and behold, the tranny failed again two months later. In the meantime, my agreement had expired. They agreed to fix the tranny again (again, refusing to use GM parts), but are refusing to pay for the tow and rental fees. I am on a relentless campaign to get them to reimburse me for fees that were a direct result of their failure to ensure the proper repair of my vehicle. I suspect I may not see a dime of that money, but I am going to make as big of a stink as possible about these crooks and will refuse to do business with anyone who uses their joke of a warranty!

We had a problem with a Honda Odessey we purchased from Carmax. We had problems geeting the car out of park in 2008 and took it in as a warranty item. They could not recreate the problem and sent us packing saying nothing they could do. We kept experiencing the same issue until it finally got so bad that we would be stuck out somewhere and could not get the car to move for quite some time. When took it in today and they said yes it was a problem but our warranty had expired at the end of 2009 and they would not fix the problem that we had originally brought to their attention in 2008 when the car was underwarranty. The worst part was they were smug both times we tried to reason with them and had unbelievably poor customer service.

Took Carmax 45 days to fix a transmission problem that turned into an engine and cooling system problem. Somehow one little issue became a major car overhaul with a nine page invoice, that luckily the warranty covered everything but $50. The bad news is, that was 19 to 12-18-9 and now the car is going back 3-30-10 for the exact same issue. Cannot get an appt that Carmax won't cancel, my contact Lonnie Frazier will not return calls, and I am scared of what they will do to my car this time and it is financed, so I cannot go buy another car I am upside down on this one and it is not worth anything to trade in, since it does not run and is currently sitting in front of my house while I beg rides off of friends and family to get to work or school. I would never buy another vehicle from Carmax and tell everyone I can about the horrible service.

As many of you are aware CarMax laid off some 600 employees in 2008. What you didn’t hear is CarMax executed this layoff during an Islamic Holiday after they were warned. A week before the layoff the entire company participated in a nationwide conference call to review the company’s decision and go over the details. I was an Operations Manager that spoke up on the call in front of the entire company and said, “All the Muslims around the world are getting ready to celebrate Eid”. Eid is the holiday Muslims celebrate after the month of fasting (Ramadan). After the phone call I asked my supervisor if the company would have done this during Christmas or Hanukah, she said, ” Probably Not”. I was then told special accommodations were made for me because I was Muslim. I was very upset that the company was executing the layoff during an Islamic holiday that is celebrated by over a billion people around the world. I expressed my opinion with the Regional Vice-President. I later received a follow up call from the Regional Vice-President saying the company instructed the other Vice-Presidents to layoff Muslims after the Muslim Holiday. I thought to myself, ”How in the world are they going to achieve this without profiling”?
CarMax claims to be a diverse company that promotes diversity and treats everyone fairly. So I ask all the readers.
1. Did CarMax know that they rescheduled the company layoff to happen during one of the most important Islamic holidays?

2. Would CarMax have executed the layoff during Christmas or Hanukah?

3. How did they make special accommodations for me and other Muslim employees without profiling?

4. Does CarMax respect and cherish their Muslim associates?

5. Do you think the Muslims around the world look at CarMax as a company that respects Islam and all of its followers?

These are all good questions for all to answer. Let me know what you think, I look forward to hearing from all of you. Please pass this link to all you know, I want to get different points of view.

Sincerely,
Meza’n
(Balance)

The Regional Mgmt in Atlanta is awful! The HR manager sexually harrases every female he meets! He is currently dating the regional business office manager even though it is completely against the rules. their affair along with his harrassment has been reported to corporate, but they decided to turn a blind eye to it. the regional mgmt are intimidating, so only a few people have come forward. everyone knows that if you complain about their mgmt, you WILL be fired! i think people need to get the media involved since the corporate offices refuses to take care of these issues in atlanta and the carolina's...

I purchased my vehicle from CarMax in April 2008. Since then my vehicle has been in the shop 10+ times for extensive repairs. I was sold an extended warranty and told that CarMax would be able to fix my car for $50 per visit. CarMax doesn't have the expertise to fix my Saab. Why sell cars that you are not able to repair? I have tried tiresly to contact someone at CarMax to help me fix my problem. I finally reached the operational manager who has told me they can do nothing. He says that the mechanics can fix the Saab although they can't diagnose it in the first place, they are currently attempting to change my PCV valve with instructions that I have sent to them off line. There mechanic admitted to my husband that he has no idea how our pcv valve operates so he thinks it is running fine. They changed my oil and returned my car to me claiming it ran fine and the oil pump, water pump and the head gasket were bad. I had to take it to the dealership for a full diagnosis. How can you claim to be able to work on a vehicle if your mechanics change the oil on a car and don't notice that the same vehicle is leaking oil at the time?!? Now they have washed their hands of us, they claim no liability, the car is just needing maintenance due to age and milage. I have never heard of a car needing a new head gasket at 80, 000 miles. Below I have documented all problems and interactions with CarMax to date. Do yourself a favor, don't purchase a vehicle from here.
My experience with CarMax
Summary of 2003 Saab Maintenance
Date Event
4/2008 Purchased Saab from Va Beach CarMax
7/15/2008 Dealership: CarMax
Problem: Check engine light on
Result: Instructed to take vehicle to Saab dealership, we were told that CarMax could not fix the problem.
7/21/2008 Dealership: Saab Dealer
Problem: Check engine light is on
Result: Replaced ignition cassette and changed spark plugs
8/28/2008 Dealership: Saab Dealer
Problem: SID display bland and SES light on
Result: Replaced SID display and replaced brake vacuum booster
1/23/2009 Dealership: Saab Dealer
Problem: Check engine light is on
Result: Replaced thermostat
3/5/2009 Dealership: Saab Dealer
Problem: Theft system light is on
Result: Replaced siren
10/27/2009 Dealership: CarMax
Problem: car clunking when hitting bumps
Result: diagnosed as strut assembly
*Took car home to await parts
11/9/2009 Dealership: CarMax
*Return to fix struts
Result: Struts were not the problem, wrong diagnosis. Ordered control arm bushings.
*Took car home to await parts
11/17/2009- Dealership: CarMax
11-25-2009
*Return to install control arm bushings
Problem: Car is rattling
Result: Air conditioning compressor replaced
*CarMax was unable to change the control arm bushings and the Saab was transferred to Suttle.
12/08/2009- Dealership: CarMax
12/10/2009
Problem: Car is still making noise when hitting bumps
Result: Car is evaluated and diagnosed as no problems exist. We were instructed that key battery needed to be replaced and told it must be done at the dealership; CarMax was unable to change it.
*Oil change and tire rotation completed-Upon pickup we noticed that the car had not been reset. After trying to reset the car we were told that the car would have to be taken to the dealership to be reset. The next morning the shop tech called to inform us that the car would not reset because the key battery was dead. CarMax changed the key battery (the same battery that we were told had to be changed at the dealership) and the car reset.
Due to the holidays we had to drive our car on vacation while it still made noise and ran horribly.
1/4/2010 Dealership: Saab Dealer
Problem: Car still making noise
Result: Replaced head gasket, water pump, oil pressure switch, front crank seal, oil pump and o-ring. Instructed that “PCV valve needs to be replaced ASAP” and 4 new tires are needed.
*CarMax diagnosed the car as fine, changed the oil and rotated tires and never noticed any of the problems above.
1/29/2010 After numerous attempts we finally contacted a manager who was willing to help us. We were instructed to bring our vehicle in for service and told that the PCV valve and head gaskets would be replaced.
1/20/2010 Dealership: CarMax
Problem: Ongoing complaint from October 27, 2009. Car continues to make the same noise and PCV valve needs to be replaced per the Saab dealership.
Result: Car diagnosed as fine. We are informed by CarMax that the vehicle does not have a PCV valve rather it has a PCV tube? CarMax stated that the car runs fine and no noises were heard.
Despite numerous attempts to contact CarMax corporate management we have had no response regarding what can be done about the car we purchased. We have tried to give CarMax every opportunity to correct the situation.
1/21/2010 Dealership: CarMax
• Sales Manager set up an appointment for us to drive the vehicle with him and the Operations Manager at 4pm
1/22/2010 Dealership: CarMax
*Showed up for appointment with the managers, the sales manager was at lunch and the Operations Manager was not at the store. This letter was left for the Operations Manager in his mailbox.
Result: Drove Saab with a mechanic who instructed us that the noise may be the vehicles axle or the wheel bearings. PCV valve still not diagnosed while mechanic felt the problem while driving he informed us that he doesn’t know what he is looking for in the part because he is not educated on how it functions.
1/22/2010 CarMax Corporate
Problem: Called to speak with someone in regards to our vehicle. We tried to obtain contact information for someone that can help us with our problem. We were once again directed towards the elusive Operations Manager at CarMax Newport News, Va. The customer service representative has assured us that the Operations Manager will be contacting us in the morning.
1/23/2009 CarMax
*Finally spoke with the Operational Manager who instructed me that there is nothing that CarMax could do to assist. They could not take responsibility for every customer that had repairs from aging and mileage being put on their vehicle after purchase. I am not an expert but unless I am drag racing I don’t think a head gasket should blow on a car that has 80, 000 miles on it.
Result: CarMax is attempting to change PCV valve for $96.14 for the part and $20.70 for labor. If the car has to be transferred to Suttle, CarMax will be paying the difference.

On October 1, 2009 the Seeker of Justice posted complaints on various websites to inform the public about accounting fraud within CarMax, this has lead to multiple employees losing their jobs because they tried to stop the corruption. The Seeker of Justice has received many follow-up emails with internal and external examples of fraud at CarMax. The Seeker of Justice is investigating each one.

While we cannot discuss the details of the investigations, we can however disclose CarMaxs recent move to find out the identity of the Seeker of Justice. As you all know this is public information anyway.

Here is a snippet from the email we received from Google.

Google has received a civil subpoena for information related to your Google account in a case entitled CarMax, Inc. et al. v. John Doe, Circuit Court, County of Goochland, Commonwealth of Virginia, Case number CL09000177-00.

While this attempt from CarMax violates our Constitutional and privacy rights, we are confident that Google will not disclose our identity to anyone, besides, that was the agreement between us and Google when we created the Gmail account.

Beware of KMX stock right now, this is the only fair advice we can give you. The seeker of Justice will not stop until the corruption stops and the individuals that are covering this up are brought to Justice. The Seeker of Justice will not stop until the families that were destroyed are made whole again.

Please tell all your friends and family about what is going on at Carmax. Also if you are aware of any fraudulent activities within CarMax please shoot us a detailed email at seekerofjustice2009 AT gmail.com. Together we can stop the corruption.

If each of you pass this message on to ten people you know that possibly has or will purchase Carmax stock you will have made them aware of what is really happening.

I've never written one of these before, but man, my experience with CarMax was one of the most frustrating buying experiences (or lack thereof) I've ever had, so much so that I feel an incredible urge to share it with the broader interweb public. From what I've read below and elsewhere it looks like many can commiserate.

I honestly wasn't really expecting a lot from CarMax. I look at it like a thrift store - what you buy is what you get. Used is used. Here's the story (or tome as it turns out):

My truck was totalled so I had to act with reasonable haste. I found a car that I really thought I would like, an Audi wagon, only problem was that it was located in Illinois, and I'm in Ohio. Slim pickins for a manual transmission and AWD around here right now, at least in my price range, so after much deliberation I decided to have it transferred. This was a crucial mistake. Once I paid that transfer fee, it's like they really thought it was a done deal. Customer service went out the window.

I requested the transfer on a Monday. My sales rep said he would call me with an update on it's estimated arrival. Ok, cool.

By Wednesday evening when he still hadn't called me, I called him. He said it should be arriving by the weekend. He'd call me with an update. Sounds good.

On Sunday, after not hearing from him, I called the main number just to check on its status. I was told that only my sales rep knew the status of that particular vehicle and he was not in. They could not look it up for me. Awesome.

The following Monday, when he hadn't called by 11:30am I called him yet again. He informed me it in fact had arrived sometime over the weekend and was there when he arrived that morning. He said he was planning on calling me. At this point I was told I could not see the car until it went through another inspection but that it would be ready to see and test drive on Tuesday and that he would call me to let me know.

By 4pm Tuesday I hadn't heard anything and decided to head over to the store as I was anxious to actually see the car and wanted to do so when there was still a shred of daylight left. "Oh, I was going to call you. Bad news, your car won't be ready until Wednesday. I noticed a rattle in the exhaust pipe when I drove it today. A bracket needs to be installed to hold it in place. It should definitely be ready by 6pm tomorrow. I'll call you tomorrow to let you know the status."

By 6:15pm on Wednesday he still hadn't called. Yet again I had to call him and he told me that it would not be ready after all. That the service had not been completed but that it would be ready for me on Thursday and he would call be by noon. Man, I have to admit that I was totally unamused by this point. Not so much that the car wasn't ready, which was frustrating in and of itself, especially since I was driving a rental car the entire time, but that I couldn't get a phonecall to tell me this. Four times I was told he would call, and not once did he. I gotta admit, he heard it from me at this point. "I promise I'll call you tomorrow". Sure. And really, how long does it take to install a bracket anyway? Three days? Fishy.

During this entire time, I was constantly searching for other cars. That Thursday morning, I went to check one out and take it for a drive. At noon, CarMax did actually call me - to tell me: "Really bad news, your car won't be ready after all. It needs a whole new exhaust system, as it was botched the first time we did it." I just had to laugh: "No, MY car (a Subaru) is sitting right outside my car dealer's office, as i just wrote him a check for it. Good luck with YOUR car's repair though." Eating that transfer fee was well worth not ever having to deal with those guys again. If it was this difficult to buy a car from them, i couldn't imagine if something actually went wrong with it.

We all know how deceptive Car Companies can be, but it surprised me that Car Max, which is a self-described "no ###" car company would be running this scam. When you buy a car, in my case, a 2001 Lincoln Navigator, the salesman pressures you to buy the extended warranty. This is not cheap, in my case I purchased the warranty for $1800, figuring that a "no ###" company would have a "no ###" warranty.
Surprisingly, such was not the case. During my extended warranty, the transmission went out on my Navigator at only 80, 000 miles. Now this would make you think the company had sold a bad car? But no, when I approached Car Max, they asked me to prove that I had properly serviced the car. This is service, according to the small print on their extended warranty. Happily, I had properly serviced my car according to CarMax. The next step was for Car Max to "sub" the job out to another company. Surprise! They do not do transmission work, or several other car servicing jobs. These jobs are basics with a regular car dealer, but to car max, it appears that anything over an oil change is out of their realm of expertise. The trouble starts if the sub company does not do great work. Car Max sends you to these people, they are "trusted" by Car Max, and when they screw up, Car Max keeps sending you back to this company, until you are happy. This results in lost work, time spent dealing with the issue, and Car Max does not supply a loaner or rental car while these shennanigans are going on! Initially: Car Max was responsible for hooking me up with a loaner car. But as I went back to the sub 2, 3 4 times to get the work done right: Car Max was not responsible for the loaner car, the sub was. This resulted in my receiving a horrible, dirty, and badly serviced loaner car. The window wipers, and horn didn't work on it. I was driving my kids around in a Chrysler that had definitely seen better days.
The first time I got my transmission done by this sub, I took it home, and it stopped working a day or two later. Then it would work again, then stop again. I took it back.
The second time, it worked longer, but it had a "hitch" at 42 mph. The car would roughly shift into a higher gear. I asked the sub about this rough shifter, and they said the transmission was the only one Car Max would pay for, and that was the best I could hope for. Again, the transmission would stop working at random times, and I had to leave my car in the shop for several days so the "mechanic" could drive it to his home, and diagnose it.
This continued for two months. I was so mad at Car Max, and the transmission shop, but Car Max kept throwing the blame back on the sub. Car Max took NO RESPONSIBILITY for the continuing issue, only the sub was to blame. I lost so much work over the two months, and had so much aggravation, I was furious.
The final straw was when I was getting ready to take a vacation. I was driving 500 miles, and didn't want to experience any of the issues I'd had. I asked the sub to make sure my transmission was ready to go. The owner snottily informed me that not only was my car ready, but he wanted a personal apology if I made it to my vacation destination and back without transmission trouble.
Well, guess what. After traveling 400 miles, my transmission went again. It wouldn't go in reverse. So while on vacation, resulting in a ruined vacation, my car had to go into the shop again. This time, when phoning Car Max, I was told that the sub was responsible for the repair, and they would find a sub where I was vacationing.
I guess it was fortuitous that my car finally was fixed, by the sub's sub. If not, I think I'd probably still be going back to the original sub and begging them to get my transmission going.
The moral: DO NOT BUY an extended warranty from Car Max. They are selling you a useless document, unless you know who will be doing the repair work. If Car Max isn't responsible, they shouldn't be selling the warranties. I will never buy another car from Car Max.
In an interesting aside: after I bought my car, and was assured it was in good working order and had never been in an accident, I called my insurance agent to get insurance on it. He asked me about the accident I'd had a few months before. I told him I'd just purchased the car, and hadn't been in an accident. Car Max DOES NOT give it's consumers an accurate record on what's happened to the cars they sell. You'd be better off going to Ned the Snakey Car Salesman than Car Max.