California Mufflers & Brakes

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/16) */
The customer called me and told me that she was having her car towed inI asked what was the problem and she said it does not moveOnce the car came in, we checked it and the transmission was locking up and vehicle would would not moveIt
would also make a loud noise, which was was transmission forcing it self to try to work, twisting the axlesThe axles have two boots made of rubberThe following lights were on when the vehicle came in here before we worked on it ABS, Traction Control, Stabilitrak, check engine and slippery iconWe did not 100% damage the axle or the abs connectors as she states in the report against meIts not even the connectors as she statesI have pictures of whats causing the light to come onThe car came in bad shape as far as the body, like it was in a car accidentThe axle and abs could have gotten damaged in the accidentI have pictures of the of all the body damageThe axles are connected to the transmission and if you try to drive it, it could damage the axle and abs so before they brought it to me they obviously had to attempt to drive it in order for them to know there was a problemAt the moment of them trying to drive it they could have damaged the axle and abs because of the transmission locking up and axles twisting and boots made of rubberAnother possibility the customer had told me two weeks prior to bringing the vehicle to me they had some work done at another shopShe told me they replaced the bearingsIn order to replace the bearing you have to remove the axle and absThey could have damaged it at the shop they had the bearing replacedIm not saying 100% that the damage happened on the reasons I stated above but theres a possibilityI do know 100% we did not cause the damageSo they get the bearings fixed at another shop and two weeks later the transmission goes out and abs lights are onThe damage to the axle is the boot there was a cut in on the bootAs far as she saying that we would have told her the axle was bad and leaking oilIts not even oil its thick greaseAgain when the vehicle was brought to me the first time it did not move, lights were already on and was not able to driveWe checked it and diagnosed the vehicle and it was the transmissionWe put on the transmissionWe test drove it and the vehicle was fixed, it drove well and left it in the lot ready for pick upIn order for that leak of grease to come out you have to drive it for an extended amount of timeGrease has to heat up then it will leak outShe picked it up and a few days later a man brought it back claiming to be her boyfriend and was very rudeHe even apologized to me before he leftHe said it was making some type of noise and movementI told him no problem we will check it you have warrantyI asked him can you go on a test drive with my mechanic and tell him exactly your concernsSo they went on a test drive and he said It is not doing it right nowHe also stated the lights were on the dashboard and we told him it came like that and he said okThen he stated that he had done some work at another shop two weeks priorHe said they worked on the hub bearingsMy mechanic told him to take it back to them because he has warranty with the other shopHe said ok and he said he will bring back the car tomorrow for the concerns that were not happening at the timeOnce again my mechanic and I know 100% that we did not damage the CV axle boot or abs
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/09/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Fluffy version of a bunch of words that have been COMPLETELY manipulated
A) IF the respondent has pictures of my car, it's because he took them when the car was left the second time - BECAUSE - the respondent FAILS to mention the transmission WAS done improperly AND they had to redo the workAllegedly "rebuilding the transmission a 2nd time"
B) the respondent NEVER once mentions he TOLD me I needed an axle OR sensors and all the lights were on when it got thereThe respondent fails to mention The RECEPTIONIST, MEX, NEVER even mentioned I needed (OR HE TOLD ME) an axel OR sensors even before / After I CALLED and requested he put the oil sensor on adding $to my billI called 9/2/and ASKED for the sensor that I knew of to be replaced STILL no mention of preexisting Axle work being needed
(IF the respondent has pictures of my car NOW it's because he took them when he got the car BACK for an additional week because they DID have to redo the work!!!)
When I first picked up the car, I barely made it around the block and back The Receptionist, MEX, had me speak to the mechanic who said I needed sensorsI IMMEDIATELY called BC Bodycraft and had him speak to RON! Ron told me to bring the car inI did! It was RON, of BC BODYCRAFT, Oak Park, IL that informed me of the Axel bootI got California Mufflers on the phone and was IMMEDIATELY (& offended by the tone of Mex I told him then I would be there with the police
The part In leaving out is ALL day 8/it sat at their shop and nobody even looked at itI picked it up after work that day and Mex informed me that I needed to bring it back Saturday at 8am Because I'm a FULL TIME Broadcast Professional of over 15+ years for Ford & Lincoln and work long days, I oversleptI called at and said I was on the way & Mex told me that AGAIN they couldn't look at the car that day because *I* at this point was too late Remember it sat while I worked a FULL hour shift the day before & took trains and a bus to get BACK to to the carI called Cicero police to meet me there because I sensed MEX was just jerking me around after having taken $CASH money from me
AT THIS POINT, He didn't want to talk, made a very threatening phone call, and outright told both myself AND Officer PERRY that he wasn't going to look at the car, didn't have pictures of preexisting damages, AND wanted me, my boyfriend AND car off the propertyI had proof the car wasn't damaged NEITHER HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, As the respondent has ALSO LIED and said, AND that the mechanic was also fixing cars and people were coming RIGHT BACK, as I didThis made the Officer work a little harder for me to get some sort of resolve
The receptionist, MEX, even tried to get the police to believe my boyfriend threatened him AND showed him video - OF WHICH showed NOTHING WAS THE CASE - and THEN the officer forced him to get the owner on the phone, whom was his dad, who AGREED they would fix my car*** is the owners nameAnd As noted in the incident report filed with the Cicero police The Receptionist, MEX, even had the nerve to say to the police that I can 'just sue them!'
The ride where he says my boyfriend said the car wasn't doing anything - NEVER HAPPENED! The car was barely moving And THATS why it sat all day Friday because the Mechanic told HIM he agreed something was still wrong with the transmission, not, at this Point, just the hub bearings and axle
Finally, the car staysIt sat until 9/2, when I called and found they STILL hadn't looked at it "YET!" This is, AGAIN, after leaving it on 8/ But when he called to tell me I needed the transmission originally - ONLY - it took hours
The next am, 9/3, I get a call from The Receptionist, MEX (who doesn't even work or cars or understand what's going on, but just wants to argue with all the customers) CALLS from HIS CELL PHONE - not the company - and says The owner, Dad, ***, said they will ONLY replace the transmission AND *IF* I want the axle boot and hub bearing replaced it would be $ Well, again - WHY DIDNT HE EVER SAY I NEEDED AN AXLE - and ESP if it's $100? Well this is a case of him outsmarting himself and needing to stop being rude to paying, loyal, and trusting customersI'm spending $on a transmission and $on a sensor that I REQUESTED and he STILL never mentions my Axel boot is broken? And he KEPT making it a point to just say "The axle boot!" Meanwhile, EVERY mechanic says if the oil has leaked out the Axel to the boot you have to replace the entire AxelThat's more than $100, more bad work, and just them trying to screw me over even moreI gave up and couldn't wait to just get the car back with a functioning transmission
Again, to the respondents own point, I dropped my car off not knowing WHAT was wrong and all they needed to do was TELL ME!
I also want to stress that only side needs all this work from this "alleged" Damage a transmission can do when / if ....! It's just nonsense
I'm saddened because I'd done business with this shop for 8+ years and the parents are letting the son, The receptionist, MEX, run the place and he doesn't care how he's doing business or treating customersHumans make errors and they did not do the original work properly and they know itAccept responsibilityThe Receptionist, MEX, has left me never to want to do business with them againMy car stopped MILES away and I sent it there because I trusted the work, but it's gone down and I notice the place is now up for sale as of this year as well Says ALOT
IF I were told I needed an Axel, I would have gotten one It's that simpleAs I've already doneAnd hub bearings, and whatever else I needMy car didn't / doesn't sit waiting for repairs, I handle things right away - even get regular oil changes at Jack Phelan Chevrolet, LyonsAs recent as 7/81/
I was scared to drive the car without an Axel and no oil, so I rented a car I avoided the expense the first week, but the second week - because of work - I couldn'tI was in the rental when the police met me at the shop on Saturday and I told them to get the car right because I had the rental until Thursday 9/3/ After Mex didn't call until 9/2, I extended it because he told me I wouldn't get the car back until Monday the following week and THAT was a holiday
The car was, HOWEVER, ready Friday 9/
And when I arrived IT WOULDN'T START I was told then, by the mechanic, it was because it was out of gasWhich it wasn't when it got thereBut how dare them do MORE work and DIDNT even TEST DRIVE the vehicle?! I called the police AGAIN!
That's when they told Me to simply file a claims with Revdex.com, Attorney General and I would have to go the small claims route because there was nothing else they could really do
I got my axle and hub bearings done on my own And those receipts were attached to the original complaint
Shame on this company to even TRY to send a person on the road with a broken axle tooI was afraid for myself and others, which was why I didn't even Drive the car until everything was fixed I returned the rental the EXACT same day I got the wheel work done That's how much I DO take care of my business, my things, and others
I want my money back because California Mufflers DID 100% not lower the transmission correctly, do the work properly, and broke those sensors! And THEN tried to get another $out of me to do MORE bad work
And Again, they DID replace the transmission they originally put in the car! Which is never mentioned in the response

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/09/16) */
The customer called me and told me that she was having her car towed in. I asked what was the problem and she said it does not move. Once the car came in, we checked it and the transmission was locking up and vehicle would would not move. It...

would also make a loud noise, which was was transmission forcing it self to try to work, twisting the axles. The axles have two boots made of rubber. The following lights were on when the vehicle came in here before we worked on it ABS, Traction Control, Stabilitrak, check engine and slippery icon. We did not 100% damage the axle or the abs connectors as she states in the report against me. Its not even the connectors as she states. I have pictures of whats causing the light to come on. The car came in bad shape as far as the body, like it was in a car accident. The axle and abs could have gotten damaged in the accident. I have pictures of the of all the body damage. The axles are connected to the transmission and if you try to drive it, it could damage the axle and abs so before they brought it to me they obviously had to attempt to drive it in order for them to know there was a problem. At the moment of them trying to drive it they could have damaged the axle and abs because of the transmission locking up and axles twisting and boots made of rubber. Another possibility the customer had told me two weeks prior to bringing the vehicle to me they had some work done at another shop. She told me they replaced the bearings. In order to replace the bearing you have to remove the axle and abs. They could have damaged it at the shop they had the bearing replaced. Im not saying 100% that the damage happened on the reasons I stated above but theres a possibility. I do know 100% we did not cause the damage. So they get the bearings fixed at another shop and two weeks later the transmission goes out and abs lights are on. The damage to the axle is the boot there was a cut in on the boot. As far as she saying that we would have told her the axle was bad and leaking oil. Its not even oil its thick grease. Again when the vehicle was brought to me the first time it did not move, lights were already on and was not able to drive. We checked it and diagnosed the vehicle and it was the transmission. We put on the transmission. We test drove it and the vehicle was fixed, it drove well and left it in the lot ready for pick up. In order for that leak of grease to come out you have to drive it for an extended amount of time. Grease has to heat up then it will leak out. She picked it up and a few days later a man brought it back claiming to be her boyfriend and was very rude. He even apologized to me before he left. He said it was making some type of noise and movement. I told him no problem we will check it you have warranty. I asked him can you go on a test drive with my mechanic and tell him exactly your concerns. So they went on a test drive and he said It is not doing it right now. He also stated the lights were on the dashboard and we told him it came like that and he said ok. Then he stated that he had done some work at another shop two weeks prior. He said they worked on the hub bearings. My mechanic told him to take it back to them because he has warranty with the other shop. He said ok and he said he will bring back the car tomorrow for the concerns that were not happening at the time. Once again my mechanic and I know 100% that we did not damage the CV axle boot or abs.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/09/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Fluffy version of a bunch of words that have been COMPLETELY manipulated.
A) IF the respondent has pictures of my car, it's because he took them when the car was left the second time - BECAUSE - the respondent FAILS to mention the transmission WAS done improperly AND they had to redo the work. Allegedly "rebuilding the transmission a 2nd time"
B) the respondent NEVER once mentions he TOLD me I needed an axle OR sensors and all the lights were on when it got there. The respondent fails to mention The RECEPTIONIST, MEX, NEVER even mentioned I needed (OR HE TOLD ME) an axel OR sensors even before / After I CALLED and requested he put the oil sensor on adding $150 to my bill. I called 9/2/2015 and ASKED for the sensor that I knew of to be replaced. STILL no mention of preexisting Axle work being needed.
(IF the respondent has pictures of my car NOW it's because he took them when he got the car BACK for an additional week because they DID have to redo the work!!!)
When I first picked up the car, I barely made it around the block and back. The Receptionist, MEX, had me speak to the mechanic who said I needed sensors. I IMMEDIATELY called BC Bodycraft and had him speak to RON! Ron told me to bring the car in. I did! It was RON, of BC BODYCRAFT, Oak Park, IL that informed me of the Axel boot. I got California Mufflers on the phone and was IMMEDIATELY (& offended by the tone of Mex. I told him then I would be there with the police.
The part In leaving out is ALL day 8/28 it sat at their shop and nobody even looked at it. I picked it up after work that day and Mex informed me that I needed to bring it back Saturday at 8am. Because I'm a FULL TIME Broadcast Professional of over 15+ years for Ford & Lincoln and work long days, I overslept. I called at 10 and said I was on the way & Mex told me that AGAIN they couldn't look at the car that day because *I* at this point was too late. Remember it sat while I worked a FULL 9 hour shift the day before & took 2 trains and a bus to get BACK to to the car. I called Cicero police to meet me there because I sensed MEX was just jerking me around after having taken $1600 CASH money from me.
AT THIS POINT, He didn't want to talk, made a very threatening phone call, and outright told both myself AND Officer PERRY that he wasn't going to look at the car, didn't have pictures of preexisting damages, AND wanted me, my boyfriend AND car off the property. I had proof the car wasn't damaged NEITHER HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, As the respondent has ALSO LIED and said, AND that the mechanic was also fixing cars and people were coming RIGHT BACK, as I did. This made the Officer work a little harder for me to get some sort of resolve.
The receptionist, MEX, even tried to get the police to believe my boyfriend threatened him AND showed him video - OF WHICH showed NOTHING WAS THE CASE - and THEN the officer forced him to get the owner on the phone, whom was his dad, who AGREED they would fix my car. [redacted] is the owners name. And As noted in the incident report filed with the Cicero police. The Receptionist, MEX, even had the nerve to say to the police that I can 'just sue them!'
The ride where he says my boyfriend said the car wasn't doing anything - NEVER HAPPENED! The car was barely moving. And THATS why it sat all day Friday because the Mechanic told HIM he agreed something was still wrong with the transmission, not, at this Point, just the hub bearings and axle.
Finally, the car stays. It sat until 9/2, when I called and found they STILL hadn't looked at it "YET!" This is, AGAIN, after leaving it on 8/29. But when he called to tell me I needed the transmission originally - ONLY - it took 3 hours.
The next am, 9/3, I get a call from The Receptionist, MEX (who doesn't even work or cars or understand what's going on, but just wants to argue with all the customers) CALLS from HIS CELL PHONE - not the company - and says The owner, Dad, [redacted], said they will ONLY replace the transmission AND *IF* I want the axle boot and hub bearing replaced it would be $100. Well, again - WHY DIDNT HE EVER SAY I NEEDED AN AXLE - and ESP if it's $100? Well this is a case of him outsmarting himself and needing to stop being rude to paying, loyal, and trusting customers. I'm spending $1425 on a transmission and $150 on a sensor that I REQUESTED and he STILL never mentions my Axel boot is broken? And he KEPT making it a point to just say "The axle boot!" Meanwhile, EVERY mechanic says if the oil has leaked out the Axel to the boot you have to replace the entire Axel. That's more than $100, more bad work, and just them trying to screw me over even more. I gave up and couldn't wait to just get the car back with a functioning transmission.
Again, to the respondents own point, I dropped my car off not knowing WHAT was wrong and all they needed to do was TELL ME!
I also want to stress that only 1 side needs all this work from this "alleged" Damage a transmission can do when / if ....! It's just nonsense.
I'm saddened because I'd done business with this shop for 8+ years and the parents are letting the son, The receptionist, MEX, run the place and he doesn't care how he's doing business or treating customers. Humans make errors and they did not do the original work properly and they know it. Accept responsibility. The Receptionist, MEX, has left me never to want to do business with them again. My car stopped MILES away and I sent it there because I trusted the work, but it's gone down and I notice the place is now up for sale as of this year as well. Says ALOT.
IF I were told I needed an Axel, I would have gotten one. It's that simple. As I've already done. And hub bearings, and whatever else I need. My car didn't / doesn't sit waiting for repairs, I handle things right away - even get regular oil changes at Jack Phelan Chevrolet, Lyons. As recent as 7/81/2015.
I was scared to drive the car without an Axel and no oil, so I rented a car. I avoided the expense the first week, but the second week - because of work - I couldn't. I was in the rental when the police met me at the shop on Saturday and I told them to get the car right because I had the rental until Thursday 9/3/2015. After Mex didn't call until 9/2, I extended it because he told me I wouldn't get the car back until Monday the following week and THAT was a holiday.
The car was, HOWEVER, ready Friday 9/4.
And when I arrived IT WOULDN'T START. I was told then, by the mechanic, it was because it was out of gas. Which it wasn't when it got there. But how dare them do MORE work and DIDNT even TEST DRIVE the vehicle?! I called the police AGAIN!
That's when they told Me to simply file a claims with Revdex.com, Attorney General and I would have to go the small claims route because there was nothing else they could really do.
I got my axle and hub bearings done on my own. And those receipts were attached to the original complaint.
Shame on this company to even TRY to send a person on the road with a broken axle too. I was afraid for myself and others, which was why I didn't even Drive the car until everything was fixed. I returned the rental the EXACT same day I got the wheel work done. That's how much I DO take care of my business, my things, and others.
I want my money back because California Mufflers DID 100% not lower the transmission correctly, do the work properly, and broke those sensors! And THEN tried to get another $100 out of me to do MORE bad work.
And Again, they DID replace the transmission they originally put in the car! Which is never mentioned in the response.