Auto Master Tire & Service

This is the worst shop I've ever been to. First of all, I took my vehicle in for a noise and a coolant leak. Two weeks later, I still do not have my vehicle! The whole time they were "fixing my vehicle," they NEVER called me to tell me what they were doing and replaced parts WITHOUT telling me! They told me they would call me at a certain time everyday but they NEVER did! They are a bunch of CROOKED LIARS! If they think LYING to customers and running a DISHONEST business is what is right, then they need to be shut down. If I could, I'd give this place negative stars. If you take your car to them then you are just as bad of a person as they are.

Review: I purchased this vehicle used from Auto Master Tire and Service and they did a wonderful job fixing some of the issues that were present when I purchased it, so I continued to bring the vehicle back to them for regular service. The first issue arose the summer after purchasing the vehicle when I noticed the A/C didn't work. Since I purchased it in September of the previous year I didn't test or use it. I paid to have the problem fixed. After only a month it was back out. I took it back and they "fixed" it again, this continued throughout the whole summer. I believed towards the end of the summer they finally fixed it since they told me they actually replaced a seal, whereas before they were just refilling the Freon with some kind of plugging agent that was supposed to stop leaks... Well the next summer I had the same issue, it didn't work, so I took it back and paid to have it serviced again. It worked for two months then was out again. Meanwhile the tires needed replacing, so I purchased 4 new tires, I noticed that they were wearing really bad on the front and the mechanic advised me that I need to have the tires rotated every oil change instead of every other oil change to keep them wearing the same. I had asked at this time if it could be an alignment issue and they said it looked good, that it didn't need an alignment. So I started rotating every oil change, but I still ended up having to purchase two new tires shortly after. That was in March of this year, These tires were good for 95K miles. This past weekend I ended up needing to purchase two more. I called Auto Master to get a quote on how much it would cost, they said they would have to get back with me after checking inventory, while they were doing that I went ahead and started calling around to different shops to see if they had a better price. Well this is when I got a shock. I spoke with someone and told them the make and model of the car and what size tires I needed, quoting the size of the tires that were currently on the vehicle. The mechanic I was speaking with told me without having to see the car "those are the wrong size for your vehicle". Auto Master had sold me a total of 6 tires that were too tall and too wide for my car. So I took my car down to this mechanic to see if he could tell why the tires were wearing so bad on the front. He said it was in dire need of a front end alignment. I ended up having to pay this new mechanic a $60 diagnostic fee to check the entire suspension and while investigating this they find that I am also in need of front brakes and rotors. The brakes were so bad that there were no pads left, they were scraping causing pitting in the rotors and that is why they also needed replacing. The thing is on my last oil change in July at Auto Masters I asked then to check over everything like the brakes, the fluids, etc. because I was leaving on a long trip to Florida. They said all was good, so obviously they didn't even check because there is no way I could go from having good brakes to nothing in less than two months. I have lost all trust in this business and will NEVER take a vehicle to them again.Desired Settlement: I believe that since Auto Master did such a negligent job that they should reimburse me the diagnostic fee of $60 and the cost of replacing the rotors on my vehicle, since if they would have checked two months ago the damage could possibly have been avoided. This is the least they should do, because I believe if they had put the correct size tire on my vehicle and actually checked the alignment I wouldn't have had to purchase so many, but I am going to leave that alone since I feel that I should have been more aware of what my vehicle required. The new mechanic showed me inside the door of my vehicle where it states the size tire required for the car, so if I would have just done a little research should have been aware right off. My mistake was in trusting Auto Masters without question and I take responsibility for that.

Business

Response:

Thank you for taking the time to contact the Revdex.com of SW Virginia regarding the services provided on your 2007 Grand Dodge Caravan. In response to your complaint, I would like to clarify the items you had mentioned as follows: A. Air Conditioning: a. On April 9, 2013 we performed a minor AC service on the vehicle which included a complete check for refrigerant leaks and inspection of all belts, hoses, pulleys, compressor, valves and fan. We installed a new O-ring on the Receiver Dryer assembly. The AC unit then functioned properly and was within factory specifications. The invoice number for this service is#[redacted]. A copy is attached for your reference. b. On June 22,2012 we performed an AC system check at which time we could not discern any leaks in the system. We recharged the system and installed a special dye chemical designed tv is ually display any FREON leaks our test equipment or visual checks could find. We did not charge you for this service as is noted and highlighted on your invoice #[redacted] which is attached for your reference. We also performed a Trip Check Over of your vehicle and did not identify any problems or items that needed replacement. In addition, we performed this service at no charge to you. This is noted and highlighted on the attached invoice. c. On July 19, 2013 you reported that the AC system was, once again, not functioning properly. We fully tested the AC system and found that the Expansion Valve Gasket was leaking and replaced it with a new gasket. There we re no further leaks evident and the system was fully functional and within factory specifications. Your invoice number for this service is #[redacted] and is attached for your reference. In addition, we did not charge you the labor involved to install the new Expansion Valve Gasket. A labor credit of $20.00 is clearly shown and highlighted on the attached invoice, We only charged you for the part itself. d. It is important to note that this vehicle is over 6 years old and had over 142,000 miles on it at the time of this repair. With this vehicle age and mileage system components are going to simply wear out, We have no way of predicting or knowing which individual component or when they might fail. B. Tires: a. On June 22,2012 you asked us to perform a Trip Check and noted that your front tires were wearing. It was determined that you needed two new tires for the front of the vehicle. When Auto Master Tire & Service originally purchased this vehicle from another dealer, the vehicle Came equipped with four tires in the size P225/60RL6. The standard tire size for this vehicle isP215/65/RI6. The difference in the height of the tire is 3.75mm or 0.14764 of an inch. There would be no adverse effect in the operation of life of the tires installed on the vehicle to that of the recommended size. In fact the tires on the vehicle are also less then 1/4 inch wider which would provide for even better traction and handling. We did not want you to have to purchase four new tires. To avoid this we installed two new tires that were of the same size that were originally installed on the vehicle. The invoice for this tire purchase is invoice #[redacted] and is attached for you r reference. b. On March 6,2013 you required a VA State Inspection on the vehicle and stated that the tires on your vehicle were again wearing. We noted that you needed to replace the rear tires that were originally installed on the vehicle. Again, to prevent you from having to purchase four new tires, we installed two new tires in the size P225/60R16. We checked all of your tires for tire pressure and noted that you did not require a front end alignment at that time. Your invoice number fort his service is#[redacted] and is attached for your reference. c. Please note that tire wear is dependent on many factors. The main three being correct tire pressure, balance and alignment. The tires were in alignment when we checked your vehicle, Hitting a curb or running into a pothole in the roadway can easily throw your suspension system out of alignment. We have no control over such incidents taking place nor can we be held responsible for when they occur. C. Brakes:a. On June 22,2012 you requested that we provide a Trip Check on your vehicle at the time we were installing two new tires on the vehicle. A complete check of the vehicle was performed and no problems were evident. We did not charge you the labor involved to perform this service. This is duly reflected in the labor credit provided to you on your invoice#[redacted], The mileage on the vehicle at that time was 128,420 miles. All brakes were within parameters set for VA State Inspection at that time, b. On July 12,2012 you requested that we perform another Trip Check in addition to installing a Turn Signal Bulb and Repair of the Front Bumper Cowl on the vehicle. There were no discernible problems noted during this Trip Check. The front brakes were showing wear but were still within parameters set for VA state Inspection. We informed you of this and also that we did not want to sell you new front brakes that you did not require at that time. The mileage on the vehicle at this point was 129,631 miles. We had no way of knowing over what terrain, speed and road conditions you would encounter after leaving our shop facility. Hence, we certainly should not be expected to be held responsible for any wear and tear that occurred on the brake system components after you left our shop facility. D. Diagnostic Fee: a. You referenced in your complaint that you were charged a $60.00 diagnostic fee by a "new mechanic" that informed you of the tire size discrepancy and that your front brakes were excessively worn. Please note that a complete suspension and brake system check is performed as mandatory steps in a VA State Vehicle Inspection. The cost of this complete inspection is only$16,00 We feel that the $60.00 diagnostic fee that you had to pay was indeed exorbitant. In a gesture of good faith and prior good customer relations please find enclosed check number [redacted] in the amount of $60.00to cover the cost of the diagnostic fee you paid to another entity. We greatly appreciate the business you did with us in the past and are hopeful that your "new mechanic" will provide you with the level of service you require in the future. Kindest regards, John R. Bachorik Owner cc: Revdex.com of SW Virginia