Airport Road Auto Repair

The Vehicle mentioned in this complaint was towed to my shop. On the initial test drive I found that the vehicle was not drivable, I could not achieve a speed above 10 mph. To prevent further damage I pulled the vehicle into to my shop and retrieved codes from the... PCM. Several active codes were stored indicating a transmission failure. I then checked the condition and level of the transmission fluid. No fluid showed on the dipstick. To assess the condition of the transaxle I added fluid to bring the fluid into the proper operating range. I expected to have to add only one or two quarts of fluid but had to add 4 and 1/2 quarts of fluid to get the fluid to get the fluid level into the operating range. This vehicle has a CVT transmission and unfortunately this fluid is significantly more expensive than conventional transmission fluid. At this point I felt that it was safe to test drive the vehicle. The vehicle was able to achieve normal operating speeds but had harsh engagement into both reverse and drive and some noise from the transmission. I inspected the transmission for leaks and found that it seemed to have a leak from the torque convertor seal. It is my experience that a transmission run this low on fluid cannot be repaired by simply replacing the leaking seal, driving a vehicle till it will not move inevitably causes severe damage. If the vehicle had been brought to me before that point had been reached I could most likely have repaired the leak and saved the transmission. At this point the customer was able to drive the vehicle away, it was towed to the my shop because it could not be driven. The complaint of the fluid level being between full and empty is ridiculous, that is exactly were the fluid level should be. I apologize for rendering this customers vehicle drivable, I am sorry that the transmission fluid for a CVT transmission is a full synthetic fluid and is more expensive than conventional fluid. If the customer would like to bring the vehicle back to my shop I will remove the 4 and 1/2 quarts of fluid I added to the transmission refund the cost of the fluid. At this point the vehicle will not be drivable and the vehicle can be towed to whatever location the owner chooses. However if the vehicle is left on my premise the owner will be liable for storage charges.

While we are very sorry that the customer is dissatisfied with our service, it is apparent that the customer is unwilling to accept our attempts at explaining what was wrong with the vehicle and what needed to be done to fix it or not fix it. It is clear at this point there is nothing further we can do or say that will alter the customer's opinion that we failed him. The shop manager and customer service manager both tried to explain the vehicle's situation to him on several occasions, but his refusal to listen or accept the facts of what happened is unfortunate and leaves us in a position where there is nothing else we can do to help him.

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:The business has not addressed their multiple statements on their original report of the occurrence, which I pointed out in my response on Friday, July I received inadequate service (my car broke down days after bringing it to Airport Auto for the exact reasons I brought it in initally - leading to an engine failure which I was not informed of until paying to replace additional parts), and my car was towed before 5PM when I was told to remove it (I showed up at 4:30PM to pick it up), forcing me to pay the tow company At the very minimum I should be compensated for the tow, which I strongly suspect was called in to spite me -- wholly unprofessional Regards, [redacted]

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
The business has not addressed their multiple statements on their original report of the occurrence, which I pointed out in my response on Friday, July I received inadequate service (my car broke down days after bringing it to Airport Auto for the exact reasons I brought it in initally - leading to an engine failure which I was not informed of until paying to replace additional parts), and my car was towed before 5PM when I was told to remove it (I showed up at 4:30PM to pick it up), forcing me to pay the tow company At the very minimum I should be compensated for the tow, which I strongly suspect was called in to spite me -- wholly unprofessional
Regards,
*** ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:There are several factual errors in the response: The business claims that before the radiator hose was replaced, I was advised to not go forward with any repairs, due to the condition of the car This is not true, rather -- I was advised to replace the radiator hose AND pay $for a diagnosis to examine potential misfires in the engine I was told I would be able to drive the car after the hose was replaced (not truesee the next point) so I respectfully declined the $diagnosis At this point, I was being pushed hard for the $diagnosis, but due to this being my second visit to this mechanic, I intended to drive my car to a different shop The business claims I picked up my car after the radiator hose repair and drove it for an indeterminate amount of time before bringing it back because 'the car was running very rough.' This is not true, either When I went to pick up the car after the hose was replaced, I could not start my car I could not start the car, nor drive it anywhere While I had intended to drive it to a different mechanic nearby, it was at this point where I OKed them to perform the $inspection, rather than pay to tow it to another shop At this point I had received no recommendation that additional repairs were 'unadvisable.' The owner Gary personally recommended that I go forth with the $inspection In the business' response, it is noted that I became 'rude and belligerent', using 'foul language.' While I don't believe this is a very important detail, I would like to go on record saying that this is also false While I was indeed frustrated with the poor service I had received, I did not raise my voice nor use profanities at all during our exchanges -- however, one of the employees, Mikayla, raised her voice and behaved belligerently towards me multiple times Following the exchange on Monday, where I re quested some compensation for my now totaled car, I was indeed asked to remove the car from the property The response claims I agreed to remove my car the next day This is not true I cleared out my car after the exchange, and walked in and peacefully said I will have the car removed 'Tomorrow or Wednesday.' Gary, Mikayla, Robert, and a mechanic were all present for this, and they said that would be fine Wednesday morning at 8AM I received a call saying my car had to be gone by 10AM, and I reminded Mikayla that we had agreed on Tuesday or Wednesday, and I was planning on removing the car that afternoon --she agreed and reminded me that it had to be gone by 5PM The response says that on Wednesday, the day I was supposed to remove my car by 5PM, I did not contact the business at all that day This is not true, I was in contact with the business twice that day The first time is explained above, when I talked to Mikayla and said I was planning to remove the car that afternoon I called them again around 3PM and spoke again with Mikayla, to request another day's extension on keeping my car at the lot, because the tow at my company was on the other side of town and it would be less of a headache to do it tomorrow At this point Mikayla began yelling into the phone that this was completely unacceptable and I had to have the car there that day OK -- I immediately got the tow and arrived at Airport Auto right before 4:30PM My coworker and I even checked inside where Mikayla told us that they had already towed the *** I have these calls on record and my coworker would be happy to confirm my side of the story
Regards,
*** ***

The customer brought their vehicle (*** with 210,miles) to our shop with an overheat concernAfter inspecting and pressure-testing the vehicle, it was confirmed that the coolant level was low and the water pump was leakingThe customer authorized the repair to replace
the water pump, and after the repairs were completed, the cooling system was pressure-tested again and no further leaks or overheating were detected at that timeThe customer picked up the vehicle and drove it for several days, and then brought it back because it was overheating againUpon completing a warranty (free) inspection, it was confirmed that there was a new hole in the radiator hose - if the hole had been there previously, it would have been detected when the system was tested because the cooling system would not have held pressureBefore conducting the repair on the radiator hose, the shop technician advised the customer that the vehicle was running very poorly, aside from the issues with the cooling system, and the technician suggested that further repairs were not advisable due to the poor condition of the vehicleThe customer chose to go forward with the repair anyway, and after the radiator hose was replaced, the vehicle was still running very poorly but there were no further cooling system issuesThe customer then picked up the vehicle and drove it for an undetermined amount of time, then returned again because the vehicle was running very rough with loss of power and noise coming from the engine compartmentThe running rough condition had already been noted to the customer, so when he brought it back in for further diagnosis, it was determined that the engine had suffered from damage not related to the previous cooling system repairsThe customer felt that the failing engine was related to the cooling system repairs, and demanded that we replace it at no chargeThe shop manager and service manager both explained many times to the customer that the cooling system and engine issues were not related and that it is common for older vehicles with excessive mileage to have multiple significant issues that occur in rapid sequence once one significant issue occursAt this point the customer became rude and belligerent, using foul language and insulting the integrity of our establishment, so he was asked to leave and remove his vehicle from the property (this occurred at closing on Monday evening)The customer agreed to remove his vehicle the next day, but did not show up to do soOn Wednesday morning we contacted the customer and informed him that the vehicle would be towed from the property at 10:00am, but he asked for more time and was granted an extension to the end of the business day, which is 5:00pmThe customer still had not contacted us or arrived to remove the vehicle at 4:30pm, so the tow truck was called and arrived shortly after to remove the vehicleThe customer arrived soon after the vehicle had been towed away

The customer brought their vehicle (*** with 210,miles) to our shop with an overheat concernAfter inspecting and pressure-testing the vehicle, it was confirmed that the coolant level was low and the water pump was leakingThe customer authorized the repair to replace the
water pump, and after the repairs were completed, the cooling system was pressure-tested again and no further leaks or overheating were detected at that timeThe customer picked up the vehicle and drove it for several days, and then brought it back because it was overheating againUpon completing a warranty (free) inspection, it was confirmed that there was a new hole in the radiator hose - if the hole had been there previously, it would have been detected when the system was tested because the cooling system would not have held pressureBefore conducting the repair on the radiator hose, the shop technician advised the customer that the vehicle was running very poorly, aside from the issues with the cooling system, and the technician suggested that further repairs were not advisable due to the poor condition of the vehicleThe customer chose to go forward with the repair anyway, and after the radiator hose was replaced, the vehicle was still running very poorly but there were no further cooling system issuesThe customer then picked up the vehicle and drove it for an undetermined amount of time, then returned again because the vehicle was running very rough with loss of power and noise coming from the engine compartmentThe running rough condition had already been noted to the customer, so when he brought it back in for further diagnosis, it was determined that the engine had suffered from damage not related to the previous cooling system repairsThe customer felt that the failing engine was related to the cooling system repairs, and demanded that we replace it at no chargeThe shop manager and service manager both explained many times to the customer that the cooling system and engine issues were not related and that it is common for older vehicles with excessive mileage to have multiple significant issues that occur in rapid sequence once one significant issue occursAt this point the customer became rude and belligerent, using foul language and insulting the integrity of our establishment, so he was asked to leave and remove his vehicle from the property (this occurred at closing on Monday evening)The customer agreed to remove his vehicle the next day, but did not show up to do soOn Wednesday morning we contacted the customer and informed him that the vehicle would be towed from the property at 10:00am, but he asked for more time and was granted an extension to the end of the business day, which is 5:00pmThe customer still had not contacted us or arrived to remove the vehicle at 4:30pm, so the tow truck was called and arrived shortly after to remove the vehicleThe customer arrived soon after the vehicle had been towed away

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:The business has not addressed their multiple false statements on their original report of the occurrence, which I pointed out in my response on Friday, July 8.  I received inadequate service (my car broke down 5 days after bringing it to Airport Auto for the exact reasons I brought it in initally - leading to an engine failure which I was not informed of until paying to replace additional parts), and my car was towed before 5PM when I was told to remove it (I showed up at 4:30PM to pick it up), forcing me to pay the tow company.  At the very minimum I should be compensated for the tow, which I strongly suspect was called in to spite me -- wholly unprofessional.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
There are several factual errors in the response:
1.  The business claims that before the radiator hose was replaced, I was advised to not go forward with any repairs, due to the condition of the car.  This is not true, rather -- I was advised to replace the radiator hose AND pay $220 for a diagnosis to examine potential misfires in the engine.  I was told I would be able to drive the car after the hose was replaced (not true... see the next point) so I respectfully declined the $220 diagnosis.  At this point, I was being pushed hard for the $220 diagnosis, but due to this being my second visit to this mechanic, I intended to drive my car to a different shop.
2.  The business claims I picked up my car after the radiator hose repair and drove it for an indeterminate amount of time before bringing it back because 'the car was running very rough.'  This is not true, either.  When I went to pick up the car after the hose was replaced, I could not start my car.  I could not start the car, nor drive it anywhere.  While I had intended to drive it to a different mechanic nearby, it was at this point where I OKed them to perform the $220 inspection, rather than pay to tow it to another shop.  At this point I had received no recommendation that additional repairs were 'unadvisable.'  The owner Gary personally recommended that I go forth with the $220 inspection.
3.  In the business' response, it is noted that I became 'rude and belligerent', using 'foul language.'  While I don't believe this is a very important detail, I would like to go on record saying that this is also false.  While I was indeed frustrated with the poor service I had received, I did not raise my voice nor use profanities at all during our exchanges -- however, one of the employees, Mikayla, raised her voice and behaved belligerently towards me multiple times.
4.  Following the exchange on Monday, where I re quested some compensation for my now totaled car, I was indeed asked to remove the car from the property.  The response claims I agreed to remove my car the next day.  This is not true.  I cleared out my car after the exchange, and walked in and peacefully said I will have the car removed 'Tomorrow or Wednesday.'  Gary, Mikayla, Robert, and a mechanic were all present for this, and they said that would be fine.  Wednesday morning at 8AM I received a call saying my car had to be gone by 10AM, and I reminded Mikayla that we had agreed on Tuesday or Wednesday, and I was planning on removing the car that afternoon --she agreed and reminded me that it had to be gone by 5PM.  
5.  The response says that on Wednesday, the day I was supposed to remove my car by 5PM, I did not contact the business at all that day.  This is not true, I was in contact with the business twice that day.  The first time is explained above, when I talked to Mikayla and said I was planning to remove the car that afternoon.  I called them again around 3PM and spoke again with Mikayla, to request another day's extension on keeping my car at the lot, because the tow at my company was on the other side of town and it would be less of a headache to do it tomorrow.  At this point Mikayla began yelling into the phone that this was completely unacceptable and I had to have the car there that day.  OK -- I immediately got the tow and arrived at Airport Auto right before 4:30PM.  My coworker and I even checked inside where Mikayla told us that they had already towed the [redacted].  I have these calls on record and my coworker would be happy to confirm my side of the story.  
Regards,
[redacted]

The Vehicle mentioned in this complaint was towed to my shop.  On the initial test drive I found that the vehicle was not drivable, I could not achieve a speed above 10 mph.  To prevent further damage I pulled the vehicle into to my shop and retrieved codes from the...

PCM.  Several active codes were stored indicating a transmission failure.  I then checked the condition and level of the transmission fluid.  No fluid showed on the dipstick.  To assess the condition of the transaxle I added fluid to bring the fluid into the proper operating range.  I expected to have to add only one or two quarts of fluid but had to add 4 and 1/2 quarts of fluid to get the fluid to get the fluid level into the operating range.  This vehicle has a CVT transmission and unfortunately this fluid is significantly more expensive than conventional transmission fluid. At this point I felt that it was safe to test drive the vehicle.  The vehicle was able to achieve normal operating speeds but had harsh engagement into both reverse and drive and some noise from the transmission.  I inspected the transmission for leaks and found that it seemed to have a leak from the torque convertor seal.  It is my experience that a transmission run this low on fluid cannot be repaired by simply replacing the leaking seal, driving a vehicle till it will not move inevitably causes severe damage.  If the vehicle had been brought to me before that point had been reached I could most likely have repaired the leak and saved the transmission.  At this point the customer was able to drive the vehicle away, it was towed to the my shop because it could not be driven.  The complaint of the fluid level being between full and empty is ridiculous, that is exactly were the fluid level should be.  I apologize for rendering this customers vehicle drivable, I am sorry that the transmission fluid for a  CVT transmission is a full synthetic fluid and is more expensive than conventional fluid.  If the customer would like to bring the vehicle back to my shop I will remove the 4 and 1/2 quarts of fluid I added to the transmission refund the cost of the fluid.  At this point the vehicle will not be drivable and the vehicle can be towed to whatever location the owner chooses.  However if the vehicle is left on my premise the owner will be liable for storage charges.

While we are very sorry that the customer is dissatisfied with our service, it is apparent that the customer is unwilling to accept our attempts at explaining what was wrong with the vehicle and what needed to be done to fix it or not fix it. It is clear at this point there is nothing further we can do or say that will alter the customer's opinion that we failed him. The shop manager and customer service manager both tried to explain the vehicle's situation to him on several occasions, but his refusal to listen or accept the facts of what happened is unfortunate and leaves us in a position where there is nothing else we can do to help him.