Aamco Transmissions

Dear [redacted] -  It came to my attention through AAMCO corporate on November 29th, 2016 that [redacted] was unhappy with services performed by our Renton AAMCO on his 2002 Silverado. Unfortunately I have been out of the country for 8 weeks due to hospice care and then the death of...

my mother. As soon I heard there was a problem, I set forth to resolve it. I contacted Sandra K[redacted] (W[redacted]) to follow up on the complaint. [redacted] was contacted on 12/6 by Sandra K[redacted] (W[redacted]). It was her task to call [redacted] and learn what had occurred with the vehicle repair and the nature of his complaint. [redacted] shared with Ms. K[redacted] that the vehicle was brought in for a noise and that the shop determined it to be the transmission. [redacted] signed off on the proposed work, paid and then the transmission was rebuilt. After the rebuild, [redacted] claimed the noise was still there and that now, the vehicle would not reverse. [redacted] requested for AAMCO to fix the vehicle at no charge. After we investigated the claim and the situation, we determined that we would tow the vehicle to our AAMCO location at no cost to the customer and evaluate the vehicle. We also shared that we would cover the labor to rebuild the transfer case if that was indeed what was wrong with the vehicle, and that we would potentially cover parts costs or at least give [redacted] our price on the parts simply because he had to wait not for any fault on our part. Ms. K[redacted] followed up with [redacted] by phone and [redacted] agreed to have the vehicle towed. When our staff member Chris called to arrange for the tow, [redacted] became obstinate and would not move forward without speaking to one of the owners. [redacted] hung up on Chris. I have been swamped being back only a week; I am short three people and trying to run three stores. It is unreasonable for [redacted] to demand I call to arrange for the tow. We have been forthcoming with [redacted] and doing our best to serve him and fix his issue even though it is not our fault. [redacted] has been obtuse and completely unreasonable in allowing us to help him. At this time we are rescinding our offer to fix the vehicle at no charge.  Sincerely, Louise B[redacted]Owner

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2016/06/06) */
Warranty repairs on transmission and replacement of ball joint/control arm were done on Customer's vehicle. Customer signed for the repairs and vehicle was returned to the customer on 5/25/2016. Follow up call was made to Customer and...

Customer stated that the vehicle drove great on the way home with no skipping and good power. Confirmed that Customer will be bringing the vehicle back to the shop within the next 2 weeks for a 10 day recheck on the transmission repairs.

This business response was received by Revdex.com via phone.Marlene said they will not charge the consumer to bring his vehicle back to their location to have their water pump work inspected; however, he would have to check with the AAMCO of his choice to see if they will charge him to inspect the work her business performed.

Mr [redacted]'s transmission is under warranty and he has been invited to bring the vehicle to the North Attleboro location if he does not want to take it back to the Brockton store....  [redacted]

The vehicle in question was brought into our facility on 10/17/2016 for the complaint that the vehicle does not shift.  The transmission was removed, the vehicle had codes in the computer for the evaporative emissions system in which we found that the charcoal canister was completely missing....

 We recommended an inspection of the transmisison and replacing the charcoal canister that was in fact missing.  The customer, then approved the inspection of the transmission.  The vehicle was left here sitting,  not running, with a transmission in pieces four months and one week before the customer gave us approval to repair the vehicle.  Unfortunately when car sit for that long of a period with running, parts do fail due to the lack of use.  The customer was informed when we diagnosed the vehicle for the check engine light when she brought it back 3/18 that the vehicle needed to replace the catalytic converter and the fuel pump as the sending was not longer sending a signal to the cluster.....which was why the check engine light is on now.  The customer was never charged for repair of the catalytic converter or the fuel pump, and that is why we will not replace these items for free.  If the customer has any problems in regards to the transmission or the charcoal canister while in the warranty period, we will gladly cover it, however we can not be responsible for every problem she encounters with her vehicle.

My wife brought our family car in to Aamco after our A/C stopped blowing cold air. The tech did a free check and found that the electrical system was the problem with the A/C system so they needed to do an electrical diagnostic which we agreed to based on the recommendation after the inspection. After the diagnostic was run the manager [redacted] called me back stating that they failed to see that something was not plugged in and there was no power to the A/C unit. Once this was plugged in and power was going to the A/C unit they found that it was a bad clutch coil (an electrical diagnostic is not needed to determine this per other A/C specialists). When we decided not to have the work done with Aamco due they tried to charge us for the unneeded electrical diagnostic. I stated I would not pay this since it was unneeded and at this point [redacted] said he would not give my car back since we authorized this test to be done (at his incorrect recommendation). We ended up paying for the diagnosis since they were holding our car hostage. Once we got the car back we took it to a Honda dealership where they found a screwdriver jammed down into the engine with the point up against our serpentine belt (the belt runs the entire car). There was also wiring ripped out of the back of our A/C unit. The car that we brought to them is what my wife drives our 3 small children around AZ in, if the screw driver would have caused the car to break down they would be stuck on the side of the road in AZ in the middle of the summer. Aamco is the most morally and ethically devoid company I have ever dealt with and I hope this review keeps someone safe from their malicious actions they impose on their customer.

Hello,For the record, I had made a request for some help finding alternate driving arrangements, either...

in the form of a loaner or partial refund to cover the money already spent waiting for the prior failed repairs.  Mr [redacted] has declined to offer anything in this regard which is his right, but it is unfortunate that I am essentially being asked to spend more money (in the form of a rental)  which I can ill afford on a repair with no show of good faith whatsoever, nor any real assurance there will be any improvement.  Nevertheless I will be dropping my vehicle off at his Attleboro facility as soon as I am able to figure out alternate driving arrangements, so I am accepting this offer for the time being.  The results will tell if any further action will be needed.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
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 # [redacted].  
 These are all lies just for the simple fact that there is lack of comunication between the owner and the manager at the location; he stated yesterday to me that lives 100 miles away and he cares less about how I feel and how the issue couldn't get resolved. I did place a call yesterday at almost 3 oclock in the afternoon asking for results and [redacted] the Manager simply didnt have an answer for me because he didnt touch the car ( the car got there Monday night ) and had no excuses for such. By 4 pm he called me to tell me that the shop could not find any codes and I was going to have to see [redacted] for an issues that they did start and pay another $250.00 just for diagnostic. I never had the VDC OFF nor SLIP light on before; this has to something to do with the new (used ) Trans that was installed. I am ready to move this to Brockton Court for Small Clains.These poeple are very dishonest and making my life miserable.
Regards,
[redacted]

I am not one to write a negative statement on a public space, but this has been one of the worst experiences in customer service I have experienced. I took my 2003 Dodge Durango to Hector at the Scottsdale location for a rebuilt transmission on June 3rd . 2 long weeks later I was awarded with a new transmission, but apparently my computer was found to be defective as well - resulting in inaccurate check engine messages. I was forced into a predatory finance agreement 1 week before my vehicle was returned to me on June 13th. Not only am locked into an unfair (10% compounded monthly) loan, just 2 days later, the check engine light came back on. Over the course of the next 3 months, I have had my vehicle in their service bay for a total 45 DAYS! 45 DAYS and the computer is still not fixed. Just because they were paid on their end it seems they do not care about following through and standing behind their work OR their suppliers. I feel I am being held hostage - they have my vehicle and I am paying a ridiculous loan for a vehicle that I cannot drive. Never has Hector initiated a phone call to provide me with an update. Always when I call, the fault is someone other than AAMCO. Today is September 16th and it is still not done. "Maybe by the end of the week" A half a star would be more appropriate.

10/24/14Dear [redacted],
There is a lot of information concerning this situation so I will explain some information and include a copy of my notes except for documents, pictures, video, copy of reimbursement check to [redacted] and the (defective) original shifter from his...

vehicle, all of which are on file in my office.First, I want to emphasize that the service was completed. [redacted] authorized and agreed for us to rebuild his transmission and replace the radiator. There was no discussion of any electrical concerns at this time because we could not fully check the vehicle. Any external problems, such as electrical problems outside the transmission were not part of the original agreement. Some problems or concerns cannot be checked until you have a working vehicle that can be road tested and checked. [redacted]'s vehicle could not be fully checked because of the water damage to the transmission which did not allow us to fully check his vehicle when it first arrived at our center. Also, [redacted] made a statement to Charlene at AAMCO's Corporate Consumer Affairs Department stating that the transmission was working fine, but the shifter button was not working. Now with a code [redacted] that was present when the vehicle first came in told us there was possibly a communication error — but, was it due to the damage to the transmission or some other problem? Again without the ability to clear the codes and road test the vehicle we had to first fix the transmission.
[redacted] did not spend double the amount of money. He was quoted on a service and a price, and he gave us a $1,000.00 deposit. Here are some examples of pricing from other companies doing rebuilt transmissions:
[redacted]: $3,654.68 which does not include labor and only a 12month/12,000 mile warranty which also does not include the radiator parts or labor for that replacement.
ETE Company: $4,325.00 which does not include labor or radiator service or related parts. **Our price: $3,712.03 rebuilt transmission w/ [redacted] valve body/TCM w/ 12month/unlimited miles
$ 714.35 radiator, fluids and service
$ 500.00 [redacted] opted for our extended warranty for 35month/50,000mile
$4,926.68 plus PA Sales Tax The numbers show we are right in fine with other services offered. We also reimbursement [redacted] for a shifter assembly he had replaced at another garage which was $466.28. This brings the total cost of the repair down to $4,460.40 plus sales tax.
What [redacted] is not willing to understand is that his vehicle is electronically controlled and when a vehicle's computer sets a [redacted] code there is a communication error which was present when the vehicle first came to us and every time thereafter. This can affect many different components on a vehicle. (Here are two extreme examples, a missing dome light bulb in some [redacted] Trucks will cause the transmission not to shift, and when wipers stop working on some [redacted] this will cause the vehicle's transmission to stop shifting.) CAN systems use more modules to accomplish communications but at the same time they are more vulnerable to electronic faults. Connectors can get corroded or loose and wires can get grounded, shorted, or broken which cause the system voltage to be below specifications. These problems get worse as the vehicle ages as in the case of [redacted]'s vehicle. His vehicle is a 2004 with 121,000 plus miles on it. According to [redacted] repair information systems, the possible causes for a [redacted] code are: harness or connectors and/or a CAN communication line can be open or shorted.The shifter assembly part [redacted] had replaced at another garage was defective. Even though I previously reimbursed him for that part, I also made him an offer to take his vehicle to [redacted] to have the problem checked and confirmed and I would pay the first few hours at their hourly rate of $93.00 per hour. This is the [redacted] dealer from which I originally bought the Valve Body w/TMC, and is the same dealer I got the replacement valve body to try again to correct this problem. I even tried for a 3rd valve body, but [redacted] refused to send me one saying that it would be impossible for two different valve bodies to cause this problem. I am only recommending this dealer because I bought the parts there and they know the situation. But, [redacted] told Charlene from AAMCO’s Consumer Affairs office that [redacted] would put a "lackey” on the vehicle just to agree with me. Why would | pay all this money just for someone to agree with me? We fix vehicles here —we don’t break them. In rare cases like this we just don't have the means to check this kind of problem on [redacted] vehicles, due to the proprietary information and costs from the [redacted] Corporation.
As you can see from my notes I have contacted others concerning this problem, and I even contacted Brenner [redacted] who suggested that [redacted] take his vehicle to [redacted]. I feel it is unfair for [redacted] to accuse me as being unprofessional and lacking integrity. I have never refused to not check his vehicle anytime he called us, nor did I refuse to give him his money back for the defected part he had replaced after he threaten to take me to court if I refused to do so. I have been doing this job for 35 years and I have always tried to solve problems fairly, as I am trying to do with [redacted], but I can honestly say that [redacted] is not being fair to me or my business, Thanks for your time and if you need more information or need to contact me my number is [redacted]
Sincerely,Tom B

Aamco Charlottesville last spoke to Mr. [redacted] last week and informed him his warranty is covered at any Aamco. His vehicle is in northern [redacted] and Aamco in [redacted] and [redacted] are nearby. The first step is to get the car to an aamco for a no charge check to see where we go from there.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
I wouldn't have had a blown head gasket had you guys done your job to begin with,  my vehicle is currentlyat at another shop, BAR is doing an investigation on the motor that was installed into my vehicle and had already found numerous issues with the engine.
As far as the blown head gasket and the voiding of the warranty it is to my understanding that if any damage happens to the motor after the 90 day period warranty automatically voids such as a timing belt breaking or head gasket blowing, so why wouldnt a company such as aamco make sure that a customer comes back to pay more money to have the issue resolved?! My point exactly, aamco didnt fully inspect the motor before installing into my vehicle or they did saw the issues and chose to ignore the issues at hand!Sincerely,[redacted]

Revdex.com:
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 # [redacted]. I respect Mr. [redacted] dedication and experience, I'm also working very hard to get the money.The question is why I was not informed about all this before work started, I'd never go for it.Regarding the used unit, even if I spend my own time to buy it and ship it, there is probability that it may not work on the car, then I'll "owe" to Mr. [redacted] much more then he is requesting now for still broken car. More over the question about warranty is still open in this case.Regarding a new unit, it does not make any sense since the car itself costs around the cost of new unit.Regards,
[redacted]

Well, yes... I was put on the defensive as my integrity was questioned. I have been with Aamco since 1995. I am the second largest Aamco dealer there is (we are independently owned and operated). This is not by accident. I work very hard 7 days a week to make sure our customers are satisfied and our work done right the first time. I follow Aamco procedure to a fault. So here is the deal with the warranty on our rebuilt unit. Yes, we can rebuild this unit. We are using new [redacted] parts from a [redacted] dealer. The problem is that if this needs warranty work, the Aamco in NY near you says he can not repair it. This would leave me with only 1 option. IF you need warranty service I would have to ask the other dealer to remove and ship it to me. Problem with this option is down time and costs. We would contact a trucking company, they would pick up the unit and bring it to me, we would repair and call the trucking company and they would take it back to NY on their schedule. This could take 10 days or more. I have no problem rebuilding this unit and warranting it here, but to warrant it out of state would mean if you did need warrant service I would have to pay another Aamco dealer to remove, ship to me, then ship back and pray the install tech knows what he is doing. This is why it is cost prohibitive. My proposal to you is to either purchase a used unit and have them ship it to me in which or have me purchase a dealer unit and we will install and program it for you for about $1500 plus the $6200 for the unit. Just depends on what the fluid costs me. This would save you a couple bucks but you would have the same warranty as if you took it to the dealer. Your warranty would be honored at any [redacted] dealer. I am basing the install price on the $1050 plus the cost of the fluid. so if the fluid cost me $200 then the install would be $1250, etc. We will then program it for $0. We usually charge $189 to $349 depending, but I am trying to help, best I can, with this difficult problem. If you decide to go with the dealer unit we should be able to get you on the road in a few days.[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/12/29) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@basspro.com
We would be happy to give rainchecks for any items our guests would like.

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  Thank you [redacted] as stated before to you I was not trying give you hard time just wanted car fix. I never had any problems with your services prior to these series of events. I wish you much future success with your business. Please let me know when you will be contacting me or when I should contact you for further.
Regards,
[redacted]

[redacted] first brought 2008 [redacted] Civic Si into us as he stated. After diagnosing an internal problem with the transmission we asked him to authorize an inspection of the internal workings of the transmission. Man, was it crushed. [redacted] explained that he drove the car hard and he needed to...

stop driving like that because it only gets more expensive and that he couldn't afford to do this type of work to his vehicle all the time. This was evident due to the rubber burned off the front tires from spinning the wheels on pavement. The damage was to the extent that it was less expensive to buy an exchange unit than to rebuild his. The price was around $3400 plus the clutch and taxes. The company that sold us this transmission gave us a 6 month/6,000 mile limited warranty. Their warranty, like ours, does not cover abuse, broken gears or clutch damage to name a few. I had my guys pull it and tear it down to see if there was something small we could just fix for free. The differential is part of the transmission in most front wheel drive vehicles. A section of the teeth on the ring gear of this transmission were completely destroyed. This type of damage is usually caused by one of two ways. A catastrophic bearing failure or abuse. This transmission does not have any bearing problems. It appears someone may have revved the engine to a very high RPM and dumped the clutch trying to do a burn out. Obviously, we do not cover this type of driving at any level on any repair we perform. Second problem is and as he stated in his complaint that he was given a 90 day warranty. He experienced the problem on day 91. Further, the company we purchase the transmission from limited the warranty to 6,000 miles and he has gone 7,500 and the failure is certainly abuse. So here is what I am going to do. I am going to install a replacement for [redacted] at no charge. No further warranty but it will work and if care is taken it will last a very long time. Please do not tear this one up. Thank you for choosing Aamco of North Attleboro.

the only repairs the customer paid to have done was a transmission rebuild therefore we do not offer any warranty on his transfer case.  We have no responsibility to repair this under warranty as we never repaired his transfer case.

This customer had a significant amount of work done on here car other than what she has described here.  While the car was in the shop, the fusible link ignited because her alternator was charging at 35 volts, in which should have been at 14 volts causing a surge in power.  [redacted] still...

owes us money on that repair that she has never come in to pay.  the bill is in excess of $500.  We will not be refunding any money at this time.  The car had multiple issues and the work she is asking to be refunded was in fact needed and done.  If I can be of any assistance, please let me know.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
I had informed the Manager before installing the motor into my vehicle to change the timing belt! I also informed 2 other employees to make sure the timing belt was in fact changed! 
 
When I received my vehicle back I asked the...

technician who was working on the car as well as one of the advisors about my belts being replaced both said Wesley young informed them not to change the belts for he supposedly "inspected" the belts himself and therefore according to both technician and advisor said the belts were fine. 
 
My vehicle is now sitting at a shop where one advisor who was previously employed by Mr young, who also told him that I wanted my belts changed! Sincerely,[redacted]