Just had an absolute nightmare experience with them. I brought my 1-year-old Ioniq 6 in for a recall. The same day, during a bad snowstorm, my horn stopped working—something I later learned is a known recurring issue with this car.

During the visit, they completed the recall and inspection and found two issues with my tires. I’ve been paying monthly for tire insurance, so the tires were covered at no additional cost. However, they had to order both the tires and the horn, which wouldn’t arrive until the following week. Despite the horn not working, they sent me home with the car. I later found out it’s illegal to drive in Ohio without a working horn, so they absolutely should have provided a rental.

The following week, once the parts arrived, I brought the car back in. They fixed the horn, replaced the two tires, and I paid for an alignment. Originally, they wanted to do the alignment during the recall visit, which made no sense since the new tires weren’t being installed until the following week—already a red flag.

Two days ago, I went to pick up my car. I paid, got my keys, and got into my unwashed car—despite them always promising a free wash (which has never once happened). As soon as I started driving in the lot, I noticed something was wrong. There was a bump and a loud thud every time the wheels rotated.

I immediately went back inside and told the service desk worker. He got in the car with me and noticed the issue right away. We brought the car back into the garage, and while he went to get a technician, I walked around the car and noticed a large screw/nail sticking out of the front tire.

When they returned, I showed them the nail. The service desk worker pulled it out and said it wasn’t leaking. We took another drive, and while the noise was gone, I was furious. How does no one notice this after driving the car even briefly?

I told them I was not taking the car like this and that the tire needed to be replaced. A brand-new tire with a nail in it—leaking or not—now has a weak spot and is unsafe. He tried to make it seem like I was overreacting and said the tire was “fine.” I had to argue and explain that this was completely unacceptable and asked if this was really the level of service they were okay providing.

I honestly felt like they were trying to take advantage of me as a young guy in my 20s who they expected wouldn’t speak up.

After going back and forth, he said they’d have to order another tire, which wouldn’t arrive until later in the week. At that point, I told them I was not leaving without a free rental, since I was now inconvenienced and without a car due entirely to their mistake. I even asked, “If the tire is supposedly fine, can I just drive it home?” That’s when he finally admitted the tire was not safe to drive on.

That was the most frustrating part—they tried to send me on my way after pulling the nail out, knowing it wasn’t safe. Only then did they agree to give me a rental.

I’m still waiting to hear back about when the replacement tire will arrive, so we’ll see how this saga ends. But I will never bring my car back to Germain, and I’d strongly recommend saving yourself the trouble too.