Main Street Tire and Auto Specialists, Inc.

Dear [redacted],First and foremost, I would like to say I not only respect but also thank you for your business. You have been coming here for many years now and we really appreciate you giving us your business, knowing you have many other options.  As for the day you came for your...

vehicle inspection, I would like to explain a few things in regards to your complaint to the Revdex.com.I would like to start with the fuse being pulled from its socket. The reason is because if you picture your fuse panel in your house, you will notice there are approximately 10-20 circuit breakers (which are like fuses in a car). Each one controls only things on that specific circuit. The fuse for the center brake light also controls the other two left and right brake lights. Therefore, if that fuse were pulled then all of your brake lights wouldn’t have worked, not just the center brake light. Your vehicle failed only for the center brake lamp not functioning. I remember our conversation about you going to the dealer for warranty work, because it was what I told the inspector when I informed him to move on to the next vehicle inspection. It was a busy day towards the beginning of the month, which usually triples the amount of inspections we perform daily, which in turn increases the amount of foot traffic. Theinspector doesn’t work any different in this situation, however has less time to do anything more than the required inspection by Virginia State. Therefore, any kind of diagnose for the functionality of the vehicles center brake lightbulb would have needed to be scheduled with one of our technicians. Your vehicles center brake light consists of LED bulbs which cannot be serviced separately, and the entire assembly would need to be replaced if it stopped functioning. Knowing this and not having the vehicle diagnosed I just wanted to prepare, and make you aware that it’s very common when that type of LED assembly stops working, replacing it is necessary. From my experience I assumed this would be necessary, and is the only reason I went as far as quoting you for that specific repair. If we would have moved forward with any type of repairs and something other than the quoted work were the actual the issue, then you can rest assured that only the necessary work would have been performed, and also charged accordingly.  As for the major difference in the cost of repairs, I called the [redacted] parts department back and received a lower list price for the center brake lamp assembly. The manager could not figure out why I was quoted a higher price previously. Out of curiosity I also called the dealership service department and asked for a quote on an identical vehicle and received a quoteof approximately $198. This quote however, is more in line with what it would have cost here.  One can always make a better decision about a situation when there are more facts, which will lead to a better assumption. With the facts that I know, personally I can only assume that the dealer  told you a fuse was pulled in an attempt tothrow us “under the bus” and better their reputation. The cost of the brake light part for them is most likely pennies on the dollar of their list price that they sell it for. Taking such a loss to actually replace the entire assembly for you, may have been worth it to them. It also may have started working since you left our facility, because although not common, theseelectric parts can work intermittently before completely failing. My only other assumption is that the brake light was working fine the whole time and the inspector made a mistake, because he has no other reason to purposely fail avehicle if it would otherwise truly pass.   I hope that I have answered your request as to why the fuse was not the first item inspected for failure. As for your request to why the fuse may have been purposely removed, I can only restate and express that it was not purposely removed and I don’t agree with the validity of the dealers claim.  If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.                                      �...⇄ Sincerely,

Review: Upon inspection of a 2007 [redacted] at their central facility, I was presented with a vehicle inspection failure within the limits and regulations of Virginia state law. I was informed the vehicle's center LED tail light (3rd tail light, as instructed by the invoice) was not functioning, and needed full replacement. Main Street Tire and Auto Specialists informed me that the part would cost $275.00 for replacement. Due to the fact that I did not have the money at hand, I accepted the vehicle rejection, and took my car to it's next appointment at the nearest [redacted] dealership to have a paint inspection. [redacted] had extended a paint warranty on my car for discoloration, which I took advantage of, and I was coming in for a follow-up appointment. During the follow-up I asked the technician to look at the light, just to ensure it's health. Within minutes of inspecting the light, the technician claimed that the fuse for that specific light had been removed from it's socket and was rested inside the fuse box. This particular technician at the [redacted] Dealership of Dulles diagnosed the light issue immediately and it was fixed when I picked it up after it's appointment. This technician also informed me that the necessary repairs for a broken tail light of this particular variety should cost half of the previous mechanic's quote (including labor) at $140.00.

The fact that the specific fuse for this specific light had been removed from it's socket, and the fact the the estimated repair cost of the supposed replacement part was nearly double of what it should have been, makes me question the validity and trustworthiness of the Main Street Tire and Auto Specialists. They will not be receiving my service again.Desired Settlement: Main Street Tire and Auto Specialists performed a state inspection that very well could have passed upon the investigation of this incident. I would like a full refund of the inspection price ($16.00), so that I can pay for my re-inspection at the [redacted] dealership thereby mentioned above. I would also like a written explanation for why the fuse shouldn't have been the first item inspected for failure, or why the fuse had been purposefully removed and not replaced.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],First and foremost, I would like to say I not only respect but also thank you for your business. You have been coming here for many years now and we really appreciate you giving us your business, knowing you have many other options. As for the day you came for your vehicle inspection, I would like to explain a few things in regards to your complaint to the Revdex.com.I would like to start with the fuse being pulled from its socket. The reason is because if you picture your fuse panel in your house, you will notice there are approximately 10-20 circuit breakers (which are like fuses in a car). Each one controls only things on that specific circuit. The fuse for the center brake light also controls the other two left and right brake lights. Therefore, if that fuse were pulled then all of your brake lights wouldn’t have worked, not just the center brake light. Your vehicle failed only for the center brake lamp not functioning. I remember our conversation about you going to the dealer for warranty work, because it was what I told the inspector when I informed him to move on to the next vehicle inspection. It was a busy day towards the beginning of the month, which usually triples the amount of inspections we perform daily, which in turn increases the amount of foot traffic. Theinspector doesn’t work any different in this situation, however has less time to do anything more than the required inspection by Virginia State. Therefore, any kind of diagnose for the functionality of the vehicles center brake lightbulb would have needed to be scheduled with one of our technicians. Your vehicles center brake light consists of LED bulbs which cannot be serviced separately, and the entire assembly would need to be replaced if it stopped functioning. Knowing this and not having the vehicle diagnosed I just wanted to prepare, and make you aware that it’s very common when that type of LED assembly stops working, replacing it is necessary. From my experience I assumed this would be necessary, and is the only reason I went as far as quoting you for that specific repair. If we would have moved forward with any type of repairs and something other than the quoted work were the actual the issue, then you can rest assured that only the necessary work would have been performed, and also charged accordingly. As for the major difference in the cost of repairs, I called the [redacted] parts department back and received a lower list price for the center brake lamp assembly. The manager could not figure out why I was quoted a higher price previously. Out of curiosity I also called the dealership service department and asked for a quote on an identical vehicle and received a quoteof approximately $198. This quote however, is more in line with what it would have cost here. One can always make a better decision about a situation when there are more facts, which will lead to a better assumption. With the facts that I know, personally I can only assume that the dealer told you a fuse was pulled in an attempt tothrow us “under the bus” and better their reputation. The cost of the brake light part for them is most likely pennies on the dollar of their list price that they sell it for. Taking such a loss to actually replace the entire assembly for you, may have been worth it to them. It also may have started working since you left our facility, because although not common, theseelectric parts can work intermittently before completely failing. My only other assumption is that the brake light was working fine the whole time and the inspector made a mistake, because he has no other reason to purposely fail avehicle if it would otherwise truly pass. I hope that I have answered your request as to why the fuse was not the first item inspected for failure. As for your request to why the fuse may have been purposely removed, I can only restate and express that it was not purposely removed and I don’t agree with the validity of the dealers claim. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely,