Wheel & Tune

Review: 05 forester developed front high pitched whining engine noise in early October. Took car to Wheel and Tune in Laguna beach on 10-15-13 at a friends recommendation. Owner [redacted] listened to engine with stethoscope and diagnosed it as a noisy belt tensioner. Charged $150.00 plus labor to repair and replace belt tensioner. Noise remained if not worse. Then took car back on 12-20-13 to reassess noise. Determined to be power steering pump which was then replaced with a remanufactured pump at a cost of $494.15. Same high pitched whining noise remained. Owner stated mechanic drove it and it was "fine". Then on 1-2-14 took vehicle to La Paz Service center to assess. They replaced a power steering belt that was found to be to long. They also advised that the power steering pump is very noisy. I then called [redacted] at Wheel and Tune on 1-5-14 and told him the noise is the same and we then discussed replacing the rebuilt power steering pump with another since it has a 2 year warranty. [redacted] said that he wouldn't let the car leave again "noisy".Took car back to Wheel and tune on 1-6 assuming it would be fixed. Went to pick up car at 5:30 pm and was told by [redacted] that he doesn't hear a noise. I asked him to go for a ride with me to listen to the noise. He said it was standard engine noise, not the power steering although it is the same exact noise that has been there since early October. I must also note that [redacted], the owner of Wheel and Tune has obviously been intoxicated when I picked up my car on all three occasions.Desired Settlement: I would like a full refund of $494.15.

Business

Response:

On 10-15-2013 we replaced a very noisy belt tensioner from the factory that had it's bearing grease dried out from the 100,000+ miles of service in a 220 degree+ environment. Two months (!) later the customer returns and says the noise is back. Our main mechanic that has been here 34 years determined the power steering pump bearing is worn and we need to replace the P/S pump in order to quiet the engine down to the way it left two months ago (No complaint upon delivery of 1st repair!). I advised customer that a new pump would be about $120 more that a re-built unit. All new parts come with a 1 year warranty against FAILURE, which we match our labor to the same. All re-manufactured parts come with a two year warranty against FAILURE, the 1st year we cover our labor :o). Customer went with the re-manufactured part for the lower cost and longer warranty. Upon installation of new pump, our older mechanic (55 years of expierence!) assisted in the proper fill & bleed sequence to remove air from the pressurized system. Upon delivery to customer there was no more than 10 to 15 decibels of noise coming from the new pump. Upon closing the hood the noise was barely noticeable in the interior of the vehicle. On 1-6-2014 we took this vehicle for a test drive out Laguna Canyon Road to past the 73 toll road and used the first turnaround to come back to our shop. Not one of us noticed anything out of order for an old vehicle with well over 100,000 miles after a 3 mile test drive. In the owners manual of all cars in the service section, all manufacturers advise a full bumper to bumper inspection at 60, 70, 80 or 90,000 miles to replace normal consumable parts as their life cycle is nearing it's end. Less than 5% of new car buyers read their owners manual, too many pre-owned cars have no owners manual for buyer to reference. Go online or to dealer to read about how to take care of your #1 safety device in SoCal (#1 car market in the world) and prevent expensive or unnecessary repairs. We will replace the P/S pump if and when it fails before 12-20-2015 @ 11:59:59, owner.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[I had to wait 2 months to return my car to Wheel and Tune after the tensioner pulley repair because of monetary reasons. I am also writing t o inform you that my noisy power steering pump has been repaired properly by another mechanic. On 1-13-14 I took my car to La Paz auto in Aliso Viejo where they cleaned debris out the filter at the bottom of the reservoir in the power steering pump. The pump is totally quiet now and my steering does not shudder as it was before. This cost me $163.00. The mechanic at La Paz auto said the noise was obviously the power steering pump and that I had an obvious complaint. It was unfortunate that the owner of Wheel and Tune was obviously intoxicated and unable to adequately field my complaints on my last two visits there. I believe at a minimum Wheel and tune should reimburse me the $163.00 plus a daily fee of $50 per day for 3 days loss of use of my car that they couldn't or wouldn't repair. Total $313.00.

Regards,