C&C Auto Service, Inc.

Review: On 7/4/2012 around 9:30p.m., while riding with my daughter and a male friend, my vehicle a (2006 [redacted]) broke down on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Before the engine completely shut off, a red indicator signal appeared on the dash, indicating the oil in the car was too low. A series of loud beeps followed. I pulled the car into the parking lot of the Cambridge Marriot and called AAA to have it towed to C&C Auto Services on River Street in Hyde Park. The following morning the male friend who I was driving with just before the car broke down and who also brings his car to this mechanic, drove to C&C Auto Services to drop off the keys to my car and explain to the mechanic what went wrong with the vehicle. He spoke to a mechanic who identified himself as [redacted]. After 2 days of inspecting the vehicle, [redacted] called my friend and explained to him what issues he found. He mentioned the issues as the high pressure fuel pump as well as a piece that came off of a part in the engine. He charged $185 for this diagnosis stating the reason for the high price was because he had to take things apart to accurately diagnose it, and then put it back together. He also claimed to have changed the oil. He quoted me $2500 to fix the problems. I asked for documentation showing in detail the problems he found while diagnosing the car. I then had the car towed to a family mechanic at [redacted]s Automotive also on River Street in Hyde Park. The mechanic [redacted], examined the car and confirmed the issues that [redacted] at C&C Automotive found were accurate, but stated these issues were only part of the problem with the car. He also found that the timing belt had slipped of and had gotten tangled in the engine causing it to seize. He advised replacing the engine for $4000-$5000. I declined from doing so because I did not have that type of money, plus I was still financing the vehicle and owed a little over $7000. So I had the car towed back to my grandparent’s house until I could decide on what I wanted to do with the vehicle. I ultimately decided to go ahead and have [redacted] at C&C Auto Services fix it for the $2500 he quoted me. I felt I had no other options but to get the car back in working condition until I could pay it off

with my 2011 taxes as I planned to do before the car broke down.

Before having the car towed back to C&C Auto Services, I had my friend call and let [redacted] know what the other mechanic found. [redacted] explained that what the other mechanic was doing was replacing the engine completely, which differed from what he said he would do, which was repair the problems with my existing engine. I asked my friend to confirm with [redacted] that once I paid the $2500 and had him repair the problems he found, the car would run once again for a while. [redacted] assured him it would. On 7/16 I had my car towed back t C&C Auto Services to be repaired. A week later, on 7/23, my friend received a call from [redacted] telling him that my car was repaired and ready to be picked up. That evening, after work I got off of work around 4:00pm, my friend and I drove to C&C Auto Services to retrieve my car. We both spoke with [redacted] briefly about the car, and what needed to be done in the future to care for it. [redacted] suggested we use synthetic oil when filling the oil in the car and using premium gas when filling it with gas. We also spoke about how common the issues he repaired were with [redacted] cars such as [redacted]. I paid the $2500 charge to repair the car with my grandmother’s credit card that she authorized me to use. He told me that if any problems occurred or any lights came on to bring the car in immediately for him to look at.

That evening while driving my car home from my grandparent’s house, the same oil pressure indicator light came on and the car immediately shut off. I was able to pull it into the Shell gas station on Memorial Drive, where I waited for a tow truck to tow it back to C&C Auto Services in Hyde Park. Because the tow was over the mileage my AAA plan covers for free, I had to pay $28 for the tow. The following day, my friend spoke to [redacted] and explained what happened the night before when the car broke down. [redacted] told him that when he started the car that morning to look at it, it came right on with no problems. He said he would keep it for the day and drive it around just to make sure everything was okay. When my friend went to pick the car he was told that the problem may have been the oil that was put into the car, and that it may of not settled completely, triggering the engine to shut off, But, was told that after driving it around for a few, it was working fine now. Again we were told that if any problems arose to bring the car back immediately.

The car rode without incident for 3 to 4 days before the engine light came on. Again, we took the car back to C&C Auto Services to have it looked at and was told the computer used to diagnose problems with the car detected no problems. When we got the car back for the 3rd time in less than a month, the engine light was off and it rode normally.

On 8/31 my friend was using my car to drive to Easton, MA and pick up his employment check, but only made it as far as Canton, MA, when the same oil pressure indicator light that came on the very first time and the second time (immediately following the first) came on again following the series of loud beeps. Fearing the car would shut down and leave him stranded in Canton, he chanced driving the car back to C&C Auto Services in Hyde Park and luckily made it without the car shutting off. As he had done 3 times in the past month, he explained the problem he incurred to [redacted] at C&C Auto Services. It was around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and C&C Auto Services was busy with other cars, so [redacted] told my boyfriend to leave the car over the long weekend and said he would give him a call Tuesday 9/4 to let him know what he found. When Tuesday 9/4 came, my friend spoke with [redacted] who told him that the problem was now the oil tension switch. He told my friend it would cost $285 to fix this problem as well as some rusted wires he supposedly found. My friend called me to explain the situation, and I immediately became upset. I already borrowed $2500 from my grandmother to have the car fixed to a working condition like [redacted] guaranteed me, not mention to mention the $185 I gave beforehand for him to diagnose all the issues with the vehicle. Now he wanted to charge another $285 to fix a problem that should have been detected during the initial diagnosis, repair and not to mention the 2 other times the car was brought in because of issues. It just did not make sense to me, nor did I think it was fair that I was going to be charged again and it had been just over a month since the car was initially repaired. I asked my friend to question all of this while I waited for him to call me back with a response. When my friend called me back with a response from [redacted] regarding my inquiries, I was still unsatisfied with what I was being told. The only explanation [redacted] could give my friend was that Volkswagen's are susceptible to these types of issues and when he hooked it up to his computer the 1st, 2nd and 3rd time none of this showed up. He said the car also needed an oil change, yet he claimed to have changed the oil during the 1st diagnosis when he charged me $185! Just 62 days ago! By now I was livid and knew I had been taken for a ride and was still being taken for one. I demanded my car back and told my friend to let [redacted] know I would not be paying for any diagnosis he claimed to have done that day. We parked the car in front of my grandparent’s house because the oil pressure indicator light that was still on and I did not want to chance driving it to Cambridge with my little daughter. On Friday 9/7 I drove the car to my apartment in Cambridge. I planned to visit a dealership I had been speaking with, in hopes of trading in the car for a different vehicle. That night while driving the car home, it started making some very loud noises. It was also smoking and emitting a weird smell and every time I stopped at a red light or stop sign it would start jumping and shaking. This behavior from my car never happened before, at least not before I retrieved it from C&C Auto Services the 4th time. My daughter was very scared sitting in the back seat and all I could do was try and comfort her by assuring her we would make it home safely and soon. Not to mention I was totally embarrassed by the looks I was getting from the other drivers passing me as my car sputtered and jerked. Surprisingly I made it to the garage of my apartment complex and parked the car inside. I rescheduled my appointment with the dealership the next day for the following day 9/9. That Sunday afternoon I tailed my friend in his truck as he drove my car up the street toward the dealership. I noticed the tremendous amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust of my car and immediately called my friend to warn him of this and suggest we take the car back to the garage and have it towed instead. He agreed and pulled into the Mobil gas station right downstairs from my apartment to buy some oil to see if it would help. But, while in the gas station, he explained to the mechanic in there the issues we were having and the ordeal I had been through with C&C Auto Services. The mechanic suggested taking the car back to where it was repaired. My friend explained how we tried that and the mechanic wasn't very helpful and wanted to charge more money for work that should have been done in the first place. The mechanic at the Mobil agreed to look at the car for $55 to determine what the problem was. We figured what did why not and while the mechanic looked at my car, we drove to the grocery store. Fifteen minutes after leaving the car with the mechanic at the Mobil, we got a call back from him stating the problem with the car stemmed from the engine and again he suggested taking it back to the shop we had it repaired at. As far as I was concerned this was a lousy diagnosis considering my friend and I already knew the problem was the engine. Reluctantly we ended up paying the mechanic $45 for the lousy diagnosis and once again I called the dealership to reschedule my appointment. I explained to them the problem I was now having with the car. I told them how I had paid a lot of money to have the car repaired and at the time I reached out to them about my interest in trading it in, the car was running. I explained how the vehicle had been back in forth to C&C Auto Services since the initial repair and on the 3rd time I had to bring the car back to them, they wanted to charge more money to diagnose and repair. I explained that now the car is not in a safe running condition and I had no way of getting it there. The dealer suggested I have the car towed to them to have it appraised and see what could be done about getting me in a new vehicle.

Tuesday 9/11, I had my car towed to the dealership I had been in communication with. While appraising the car, the dealer asked about the work that was done to it. I explained all the work that was on the itemized receipt from C&C Auto Services. The dealer then asked for the number to the repair shop and the name of the mechanic I dealt with. He called the shop to get more information about the work that was done as well as the shop manager’s name, but was met with resistance when the person he was speaking with would not provide any information including the name of the shop owner. After ending the call with the repair shop, he suggested contacting the Attorney General in regards to the issues with the inadequate service I received from C&C Auto Services. Afterward, he appraised my car and offered a $2000 trade in allowance for the car, stating had it been in working condition my trade-in offer when have been $6000 (also the KBB appraisal amount) or close to it. I accepted the offer but had to have the remaining balance on my existing loan for the [redacted] which was a little over $7000 added to my new loan amount, which after the trade-in allowance was deducted, left a balance of a little over $5000 I had to carry over to my new loan. Had the car been in safe running condition I would have only had to carry over $1000 to my new loan, leaving me with enough money to pay back the $2500 I borrowed to have the car repaired.

I now have a new car that I am making payments on, but I still owe and am currently paying back my grandmother the $2500 she let me borrow to have the [redacted] fixed, that ultimately wasn’t fixed by the mechanics at C&C Auto Services.Desired Settlement: I would like to receive my money back for the so called repair of my vehicle, $2500.70, as well as the $185 I was charged for the oil change/diagnosis, which resulted in my car still misdiagnosed and needing another oil change according to [redacted] at C&C Auto Services.I would also like the $28 I spent to having it towed back to the shop the same night I picked up the car from the repair shop after supposedly having been repaired. I would also like the money I lost out on the value of the car when I traded it, because the car had not been repaired as it should have been and in safe running condition once it was fixed, I missed out an additional $4000 (according to KBB and the dealer) for my trade, a Grand Total of $6713.70.

Business

Response:

Vehicle was towed into C and C Auto Service with an Engine crank no start L Upon diagnosis we found that vehicle had no engine compression on all cylinders, we informed the customer that further diagnosis was needed. We removed the valve cover and timing cover to see if the cam shaft was turning. We found the high pressure fuel pump seized causing the exhaust cam bolt to break. Therefore this caused the cam shaft

not to turn which resulted in no engine compression. We advised [redacted] the damage to the cam bolt, cam synchro and gear, timing chain, timing tension-er and the exhaust cam shaft were the reasons why the engine had shut off and was unable to restart. [redacted] then said he was going to tow the vehicle home to figure out what he wanted to do. We put the valve cover and timing back together and charged the customer $185 for the extensive diagnosis. Customer returned the following day and stated that he would tow the vehicle for repairs to be completed. We performed the work that we diagnosed as the problem.(Refer to attached invoice)

[redacted] and [redacted] came and picked up the vehicle on 7/23/2012. At the time the customer picked up the vehicle [redacted](technician) brought to their attention that the passenger lower control arm was loose from wear and extremely dangerous(also stated on invoice), however, customer never addressed issue even after warning.

[redacted] returned a few days later concerned that the engine had shut off on him. We then checked the vehicle for a 24 hour period which included test driving and thorough

computer diagnosis and found no problems with vehicle. Thus, we returned the vehicle back to customer at no additional charge. [redacted] returned a few months later stating that the oil indicator light illuminated within the instrument cluster. We diagnosed the vehicle once more(no charge) and found a bad oil pressure switch. We also informed [redacted] that he was at the 3,000miles/3months mark for the oil change. [redacted], called [redacted] and explained what was needed at which point [redacted] became enraged stating that he paid $25 00.70 a few months ago. [redacted] explained to [redacted] that oil pressure switch was a completely different problem from the original no start condition that the vehicle was experiencing. [redacted] declined the work and we never saw the customer again in regards to any problem with this vehicle.In regards to a few statements made by the customer via the Revdex.com report We would like to address a few in the following order:

l.Customer statement: “We parked the car in front of my grandparents house because the oil pressure indicator light was still on and I did not want to chance driving it to Cambridge With my little daughter.”-In regards to this statement by customer on the safety of the vehicle she was notified at the time of pick up 7/23/2012 of an immediate danger with the passenger lower control arm. Customer had declined to address this safety concern and continued to drive vehicle.like this for a few months. Thus, this leads us to believe that the vehicle being unsafe had nothing to do with our work but the passenger lower control arm not being fixed.

2. “When my friend when to pick up the car he was told that the problem may have been the oil that was put into the car, and that it may of not settled completely, triggering the engine to shut off.”-[redacted] (technician) informed customer that no problems arose with vehicle while we were in possession of it.(second time for diagnosis). Also, [redacted] never stated to customer that oil might have not settled correctly. That statement a technical aspect does not makeany sense.

3. “I already borrowed $2500 from my grandmother to have the ear fixed to a working condition like [redacted] guaranteed me, not mention to mention the $185 I gave before hand for him to diagnose all the issues with my vehicle.”-In regards to the $185 for diagnosis paid for by the customer. It must be understood that this was a diagnosis fee for the problem of the vehicle shutting off and not restarting. Which was the only concern that the customer had. Thus, the customer stating that We charged $185 to diagnose ALL issues with car is a false statement. The repairs we did brought the vehicle’s ENGINE to a safely working condition. It seems that customer does not realize that the work performed to the vehicle is not associated with the later oil pressure indicator problem.

4. “He called the shop to get more information about the work that was done as well as the shop manager’s name, but was met with resistance when the person he was speaking would not provide any information including the name of the shop owner.”-This statement by customer is not true. Anytime customer called shop with any kind of concern we always had the customer bring the vehicle by. We also never charged any diagnosis after the original repair. Even when the customer’s concerns were not related to the work performed by us. We have been in business for well over 25 years and we are easily accessible to all our customers during business hours.

In conclusion we have been in business for over 25 years thus we understand any concerns our customers may have. We also work very hard alongside our customers in an event where a repair performed by us may have not gone accordingly. However, we do not entertain false statements in an attempt to receive compensation which seems to be the case in this specific situation.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint.

Your response to my complaint (which you listed as number 1.) reads: “Customer statement: “We parked the car in front of my grandparents house because the oil pressure indicator light was still on and I did not want to chance driving it to Cambridge With my little daughter.”-In regards to this statement by customer on the safety of the vehicle she was notified at the time of pick up 7/23/2012 of an immediate danger with the passenger lower control arm. Customer had declined to address this safety concern and continued to drive vehicle. like this for a few months. Thus, this leads us to believe that the vehicle being unsafe had nothing to do with our work but the passenger lower control arm not being fixed.”

In regards to the lower control arm you mentioned, and it being loose and dangerous to drive with, how does this have any relevancy to the vehicles engine? I'm no mechanic but I do know that a part like that would only cause the vehicle to shift or wobble when going above a certain speed limit, which is exactly what happened when I drove my car. Before my car broke down; [redacted] brought the car to C & C Auto to have some unrelated work done to it, during that repair, [redacted] mentioned that the car would sometimes shift a little on the highway. We were given the same diagnosis in regards to the passenger lower arm control being loose, although we were actually told it was bent. True we chose to hold off on repairing it at that time, but the car was still very much operable. So the mention of that particular part holds no relevancy to my claim for the non-repaired engine issue. The passenger lower arm control did not cause the engine to seize, the proof is in your response as well as the itemized receipt you provided. The mention of that part appears as a separate issue, and not connected to the engine problems. So your response claiming the malfunctioning of the vehicle was caused by this is obviously ludicrous. If you truly believed the passenger lower arm control contributed to the car breaking down and the car being rendered as inoperable, why would you list it separately on the invoice and not include that part as an additional part needed to repair the engine issues? You also made mention in your statement you listed in response number 4: “The repairs we did brought the vehicle’s ENGINE to a safely working condition.” The lower arm control was not a repair made by you, but according to you the repairs you made brought the vehicle’s ENGINE to a safe working condition, which is why the car was brought in to have repaired. So explain to me how the passenger lower control arm is responsible for the vehicle being unsafe and not the fact that the engine stopped or that smoke was exuding from the exhaust, or the car was sputtering and moving sluggish and making noise after the fourth time retrieving it from you? Funny you made no mention of the issues I mentioned that happened as a result of driving the vehicle after I retrieved it from your shops possession for the fourth time in just over a month.

After my car was "repaired" by C&C Auto, that same evening I picked it up and drove it to Cambridge, it shut off again. It was not a few days as you stated in your response. It was the same night the car was picked up from your shop because I was told it was repaired. AAA has record of when and where my car was towed that evening, which was C & C Auto Services Inc. in Hyde Park. Again, that is why I was charged $28 for the tow. So when you said [redacted] returned a few days later concerned that the engine had shut off, how did he return? Definitely not in the vehicle C & C Auto was responsible for repairing. You also stated that a thorough computer diagnosis was done as well as a test drive and nothing was found, so you returned the vehicle to customer free of charge. Yes I was not charged for C & C Auto diagnosing my vehicle a second time because the car had supposedly just been repaired by them and did not make it a full day without breaking down. Why would I pay?! It was your shops responsibility to ensure the vehicle was in safe running condition after the repairs and because it was not, you then had the obligation to find out why the work you did and got paid for failed.

You also mentioned that a few months later [redacted] returned stating the oil indicator light illuminated. But, what about the time before that, a week after we first brought the vehicle back to the shop for malfunctioning after it was supposed to have been repaired? [redacted] returned with vehicle because the engine light came on. He was told by another mechanic that [redacted] was not there and to bring the car back when he was. [redacted] brought the car back when [redacted] was present and after being in the shop for part of the day, the vehicle was returned to [redacted] stated that the computer read that the vehicle was fine and the light was off now. Same thing I was told when the car broke down the same night I picked it up.

So let's try to make sense of this, the vehicle, since repairs had been returned twice now to the same mechanic that was hired to repair it. It's had computer tests run on it twice after repairs were done, not including the initial and “thorough” diagnosis. Yet you claim when [redacted] came back (according to you months later, when in actuality it was not months later it was a month and maybe a week later) because the same light that came on when the car originally broke down in fact reappeared, you found that the issue was the oil pressure switch. So am I to believe that just over a month’s time the oil pressure switch went bad? And through 3 previous diagnoses it went undetected by your licensed mechanics? Sounds to me like an error on C&C Auto’s part for not properly diagnosing the vehicle all of the times it was brought in.

You make mention that [redacted] became “enraged” when he was told there would be an additional charge to fix the oil pressure switch. In response to this, I know [redacted]’s character, and him becoming enraged is simply not true. I know he was definitely displeased and upset with the information [redacted] was giving him (so was I), I mean who wouldn’t be if they just tolled out over $2500 to a mechanic to repair a car and that same car was still having problems? Being upset is not an unusual response to being taken advantage of. I’m sure other customers have expressed the same emotion many times at your business. Any business who quotes a price to repair an item after claiming to have done a thorough examination to diagnose the problem, and then turn around and ask for more money when the same or other problems arise within a month and one week; would definitely receive an unpleasantness from the consumer. In the same paragraph you state “we informed [redacted] that he was at the 3,000miles/3months mark for an oil change.”, but, on the invoice for the initial diagnosis ($185), it lists an oil change as one of the services performed, so why would [redacted] then make mention of the vehicle needing an oil change when it was suppose to have been already performed and made up some of the cost for the “thorough diagnosis” according to him?

In reference to your statement that reads: “In regards to the $185 for diagnosis paid for by the customer. It must be understood that this was a diagnosis fee for the problem of the vehicle shutting off and not restarting. Which was the only concern that the customer had. Thus, the customer stating that We charged $185 to diagnose ALL issues with car is a false statement. The repairs we did brought the vehicle’s ENGINE to a safely working condition. It seems that customer does not realize that the work performed to the vehicle is not associated with the later oil pressure indicator problem.”

When the car initially broke down, just as I mentioned in the original complaint, and a fact you failed to mention in the first paragraph where you explained why the vehicle was towed to the shop in the first place, the oil pressure indicator light is what came on just before the vehicle shut off completely while driving on Memorial Drive. It is also the same indicator that appeared when [redacted] brought the vehicle back to the shop for the third time in a little over a month after repairs were claimed to have been made. I refuse to believe Volkswagen made it so that the oil pressure indicator light comes on when ANY and ALL problems arise with the vehicle; in fact I know this is false. So explain to me why this indicator light came on when the car initially broke down and [redacted] diagnosed the problem as being the engine and then again the last time [redacted] brought the car to the shop, but this time the oil pressure switch was determined as the problem? [redacted] did not have a straight answer for this as well, which is why he told [redacted] it was because when he put oil in the car after the light came on, he flooded the engine. I think it’s safe to say the bad oil pressure switch was part of the problem all along and was either overlooked or purposely ignored, with the intentions of charging me more money to fix a problem that existed during the repairs, and should have been fixed.

In regards to response number 2: (“[redacted] (technician) informed customer that no problems arose with vehicle while we were in possession of it.(second time for diagnosis). Also, [redacted] never stated to customer that oil might have not settled correctly. That statement a technical aspect does not make any sense.”).

Your statement about [redacted] never stating that the oil may have not settled correctly is false. In fact what was said verbatim as I mentioned in the complaint was that the car may have shut off due to the new oil (synthetic) not settling COMPLETELY. And, you mentioning there were no problems that arose while the car was in the shops possession means absolutely nothing. I did not have the car towed there for no reason. It was inoperable which is why services were rendered by AAA to have it towed back to the shop. So apparently something was wrong with it, it was fixed at your shop and then given back to me in running condition.

Lastly, you mentioned that my statement about information being withheld in regards to services performed on the vehicle and the shop owner’s name when the shop was called was untrue. Your answer reads: “This statement by customer is not true. Anytime customer called shop with any kind of concern we always had the customer bring the vehicle by. We also never charged any diagnosis after the original repair. Even when the customer’s concerns were not related to the work performed by us. We have been in business for well over 25 years and we are easily accessible to all our customers during business hours.” If you had taken the time to read my complaint carefully you would have noticed that I did not mention [redacted] or myself as the person who called the shop for that information. I clearly said it was someone from the dealership I was trying to trade the car in at that called. So now that I have refreshed your memory, will you admit to being resistant in providing the requested information to that person and not the customer(s)?

You said “We also never charged any diagnosis after the original repair. Even when the customer’s concerns were not related to the work performed by us.” Again, why is the fact that you never charged for any other diagnosis after your repair important? When I came to retrieve my car after the repairs, [redacted] told [redacted] and I to bring the car back if any problems arose. So it was the shops obligation to re-examine the work that was done by the mechanics if any problems appeared, and we were given instructions to do so. No special privileges were granted to us. Just common ethical business practices as all merchants and consumers understand them. As far as the statement “Even when the customer’s concerns were not related to the work performed by us.” What other concerns did I have and brought my car to you to address, that was not regarding work that was performed by you? The answer is none. Every time my car was brought back to the shop after the repairs, indeed had to do with the work that was performed by the mechanics there. You’ve made no mention of any work that was not related to the repairs that C & C Auto was hired to perform.

In conclusion, my statements from this response and my original complaint are not false. They are very much true. C & C Auto does not work hard at all in an event where a repair was performed by them and that repair did not go accordingly. What C & C Auto in fact does, is shift the blame and conjure up reasons why issues that should have been addressed weren’t. For a business who claims to have been in business for 25 years; I would not categorize this as good customer service from them. It’s not even mediocre customer service. It is plain deplorable and inexcusable negligence on their part. My belief is that the mechanics at C & C Auto have little to no knowledge about foreign cars, and when I brought my car there to have it diagnosed; dollar signs were the only thing factored. Additionally, I believe the work that was claimed to have been performed, was either never performed or received minimal performance. In fact the vehicle was taken to a mechanic after it was traded in, who found that some minor parts had been replaced, but not the major ones, so it was determined that little work was performed by C & C Auto. I am prepared to provide confirmation of the diagnosis performed from that mechanic after the vehicle was taken out of C & C Auto’s possession for the last time, and what he found.

The next course of action will involve a complaint filed with the Attorney General to investigate the illegal and inadequate practices performed by the individuals at this business (C & C Auto Services Inc. in Hyde Park) in an attempt to receive the compensation that I’ve requested and is justifiably due to me.

On 7/4/2012 around 9:30p.m., while riding with my daughter and a male friend, my vehicle a (2006 [redacted]) broke down on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. Before the engine completely shut off, a red indicator signal appeared on the dash, indicating the oil in the car was too low. A series of loud beeps followed. I pulled the car into the parking lot of the Cambridge Marriot and called AAA to have it towed to C&C Auto Services on River Street in Hyde Park. The following morning the male friend who I was driving with just before the car broke down and who also brings his car to this mechanic, drove to C&C Auto Services to drop off the keys to my car and explain to the mechanic what went wrong with the vehicle. He spoke to a mechanic who identified himself as [redacted]. After 2 days of inspecting the vehicle, [redacted] called my friend and explained to him what issues he found. He mentioned the issues as the high pressure fuel pump as well as a piece that came off of a part in the engine. He charged $185 for this diagnosis stating the reason for the high price was because he had to take things apart to accurately diagnose it, and then put it back together. He also claimed to have changed the oil. He quoted me $2500 to fix the problems. I asked for documentation showing in detail the problems he found while diagnosing the car. I then had the car towed to a family mechanic at [redacted]s Automotive also on River Street in Hyde Park. The mechanic [redacted], examined the car and confirmed the issues that [redacted] at C&C Automotive found were accurate, but stated these issues were only part of the problem with the car. He also found that the timing belt had slipped of and had gotten tangled in the engine causing it to seize. He advised replacing the engine for $4000-$5000. I declined from doing so because I did not have that type of money, plus I was still financing the vehicle and owed a little over $7000. So I had the car towed back to my grandparent’s house until I could decide on what I wanted to do with the vehicle. I ultimately decided to go ahead and have [redacted] at C&C Auto Services fix it for the $2500 he quoted me. I felt I had no other options but to get the car back in working condition until I could pay it off

with my 2011 taxes as I planned to do before the car broke down.

Before having the car towed back to C&C Auto Services, I had my friend call and let [redacted] know what the other mechanic found. [redacted] explained that what the other mechanic was doing was replacing the engine completely, which differed from what he said he would do, which was repair the problems with my existing engine. I asked my friend to confirm with [redacted] that once I paid the $2500 and had him repair the problems he found, the car would run once again for a while. [redacted] assured him it would. On 7/16 I had my car towed back t C&C Auto Services to be repaired. A week later, on 7/23, my friend received a call from [redacted] telling him that my car was repaired and ready to be picked up. That evening, after work I got off of work around 4:00pm, my friend and I drove to C&C Auto Services to retrieve my car. We both spoke with [redacted] briefly about the car, and what needed to be done in the future to care for it. [redacted] suggested we use synthetic oil when filling the oil in the car and using premium gas when filling it with gas. We also spoke about how common the issues he repaired were with [redacted] cars such as [redacted]. I paid the $2500 charge to repair the car with my grandmother’s credit card that she authorized me to use. He told me that if any problems occurred or any lights came on to bring the car in immediately for him to look at.

That evening while driving my car home from my grandparent’s house, the same oil pressure indicator light came on and the car immediately shut off. I was able to pull it into the Shell gas station on Memorial Drive, where I waited for a tow truck to tow it back to C&C Auto Services in Hyde Park. Because the tow was over the mileage my AAA plan covers for free, I had to pay $28 for the tow. The following day, my friend spoke to [redacted] and explained what happened the night before when the car broke down. [redacted] told him that when he started the car that morning to look at it, it came right on with no problems. He said he would keep it for the day and drive it around just to make sure everything was okay. When my friend went to pick the car he was told that the problem may have been the oil that was put into the car, and that it may of not settled completely, triggering the engine to shut off, But, was told that after driving it around for a few, it was working fine now. Again we were told that if any problems arose to bring the car back immediately.

The car rode without incident for 3 to 4 days before the engine light came on. Again, we took the car back to C&C Auto Services to have it looked at and was told the computer used to diagnose problems with the car detected no problems. When we got the car back for the 3rd time in less than a month, the engine light was off and it rode normally.

On 8/31 my friend was using my car to drive to Easton, MA and pick up his employment check, but only made it as far as Canton, MA, when the same oil pressure indicator light that came on the very first time and the second time (immediately following the first) came on again following the series of loud beeps. Fearing the car would shut down and leave him stranded in Canton, he chanced driving the car back to C&C Auto Services in Hyde Park and luckily made it without the car shutting off. As he had done 3 times in the past month, he explained the problem he incurred to [redacted] at C&C Auto Services. It was around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and C&C Auto Services was busy with other cars, so [redacted] told my boyfriend to leave the car over the long weekend and said he would give him a call Tuesday 9/4 to let him know what he found. When Tuesday 9/4 came, my friend spoke with [redacted] who told him that the problem was now the oil tension switch. He told my friend it would cost $285 to fix this problem as well as some rusted wires he supposedly found. My friend called me to explain the situation, and I immediately became upset. I already borrowed $2500 from my grandmother to have the car fixed to a working condition like [redacted] guaranteed me, not mention to mention the $185 I gave beforehand for him to diagnose all the issues with the vehicle. Now he wanted to charge another $285 to fix a problem that should have been detected during the initial diagnosis, repair and not to mention the 2 other times the car was brought in because of issues. It just did not make sense to me, nor did I think it was fair that I was going to be charged again and it had been just over a month since the car was initially repaired. I asked my friend to question all of this while I waited for him to call me back with a response. When my friend called me back with a response from [redacted] regarding my inquiries, I was still unsatisfied with what I was being told. The only explanation [redacted] could give my friend was that Volkswagen's are susceptible to these types of issues and when he hooked it up to his computer the 1st, 2nd and 3rd time none of this showed up. He said the car also needed an oil change, yet he claimed to have changed the oil during the 1st diagnosis when he charged me $185! Just 62 days ago! By now I was livid and knew I had been taken for a ride and was still being taken for one. I demanded my car back and told my friend to let [redacted] know I would not be paying for any diagnosis he claimed to have done that day. We parked the car in front of my grandparent’s house because the oil pressure indicator light that was still on and I did not want to chance driving it to Cambridge with my little daughter. On Friday 9/7 I drove the car to my apartment in Cambridge. I planned to visit a dealership I had been speaking with, in hopes of trading in the car for a different vehicle. That night while driving the car home, it started making some very loud noises. It was also smoking and emitting a weird smell and every time I stopped at a red light or stop sign it would start jumping and shaking. This behavior from my car never happened before, at least not before I retrieved it from C&C Auto Services the 4th time. My daughter was very scared sitting in the back seat and all I could do was try and comfort her by assuring her we would make it home safely and soon. Not to mention I was totally embarrassed by the looks I was getting from the other drivers passing me as my car sputtered and jerked. Surprisingly I made it to the garage of my apartment complex and parked the car inside. I rescheduled my appointment with the dealership the next day for the following day 9/9. That Sunday afternoon I tailed my friend in his truck as he drove my car up the street toward the dealership. I noticed the tremendous amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust of my car and immediately called my friend to warn him of this and suggest we take the car back to the garage and have it towed instead. He agreed and pulled into the Mobil gas station right downstairs from my apartment to buy some oil to see if it would help. But, while in the gas station, he explained to the mechanic in there the issues we were having and the ordeal I had been through with C&C Auto Services. The mechanic suggested taking the car back to where it was repaired. My friend explained how we tried that and the mechanic wasn't very helpful and wanted to charge more money for work that should have been done in the first place. The mechanic at the Mobil agreed to look at the car for $55 to determine what the problem was. We figured what did why not and while the mechanic looked at my car, we drove to the grocery store. Fifteen minutes after leaving the car with the mechanic at the Mobil, we got a call back from him stating the problem with the car stemmed from the engine and again he suggested taking it back to the shop we had it repaired at. As far as I was concerned this was a lousy diagnosis considering my friend and I already knew the problem was the engine. Reluctantly we ended up paying the mechanic $45 for the lousy diagnosis and once again I called the dealership to reschedule my appointment. I explained to them the problem I was now having with the car. I told them how I had paid a lot of money to have the car repaired and at the time I reached out to them about my interest in trading it in, the car was running. I explained how the vehicle had been back in forth to C&C Auto Services since the initial repair and on the 3rd time I had to bring the car back to them, they wanted to charge more money to diagnose and repair. I explained that now the car is not in a safe running condition and I had no way of getting it there. The dealer suggested I have the car towed to them to have it appraised and see what could be done about getting me in a new vehicle.

Tuesday 9/11, I had my car towed to the dealership I had been in communication with. While appraising the car, the dealer asked about the work that was done to it. I explained all the work that was on the itemized receipt from C&C Auto Services. The dealer then asked for the number to the repair shop and the name of the mechanic I dealt with. He called the shop to get more information about the work that was done as well as the shop manager’s name, but was met with resistance when the person he was speaking with would not provide any information including the name of the shop owner. After ending the call with the repair shop, he suggested contacting the Attorney General in regards to the issues with the inadequate service I received from C&C Auto Services. Afterward, he appraised my car and offered a $2000 trade in allowance for the car, stating had it been in working condition my trade-in offer when have been $6000 (also the KBB appraisal amount) or close to it. I accepted the offer but had to have the remaining balance on my existing loan for the [redacted] which was a little over $7000 added to my new loan amount, which after the trade-in allowance was deducted, left a balance of a little over $5000 I had to carry over to my new loan. Had the car been in safe running condition I would have only had to carry over $1000 to my new loan, leaving me with enough money to pay back the $2500 I borrowed to have the car repaired.

I now have a new car that I am making payments on, but I still owe and am currently paying back my grandmother the $2500 she let me borrow to have the [redacted] fixed, that ultimately wasn’t fixed by the mechanics at C&C Auto Services.