Darcars Collision Center of Rockville

Review: Dear Sir or Madam :

I am writing about problems I have with repair work done on my vehicle for damage sustained in an accident on May 7, 2014, at [redacted] Road in the [redacted] Community. I was not at fault and my insurer, [redacted], advised me to file a claim with the other driver's insurer, Allstate.

On May 8, 2014, [redacted] claims adjuster, called me and recorded my statement of how the accident happened. At the conclusion of our call, she said “Since your car is safe to drive, you can drop it off at 12:45 p.m. to Darcars Collision Center, located at [redacted], MD [redacted] for a repair estimate." My coworker, [redacted], and I drove my vehicle there with no problem.

At the collision center, [redacted], who works in Allstate’s office at Darcars, inspected and took photos of all damage and did not find anything wrong with the engine or see any evidence of leaking anywhere. Shortly afterwards, [redacted], Assistant Body Shop Manager, came out and did the same thing as [redacted] did. I walked together with [redacted] while he inspected and took photos of the vehicle and, like [redacted], did not find anything wrong with the engine or any leaking. [redacted] even said to me “[redacted], you sure do take good care of your car.” Then [redacted] asked me to sign the document of the walk-through and to authorize [redacted] to issue the check for repairs to them. After that, [redacted] told me that he would contact me the next day to let me know the estimated cost and time needed to do the repair but no one called. On May 9, 2014, late afternoon, I called Darcars and requested the repair estimate and [redacted] sent it to me by email. Once again, there was no indication of any leaking or engine damage in the written estimate.

My car sat at their shop all week and then on Thursday, May 15, [redacted], Assistant Service Manager, contacted me but when I returned his call, I was only able to speak with [redacted]. Bodyshop Customer Advisor, [redacted] told me that I had a leak in my power steering system and asked if I wanted it fixed. I did not authorize repair because I assumed it was minor, as I had not had any previous problems with the power steering.

On Friday May 16, 2014, I went to pick up my vehicle and noticed immediately that it is not drivable with a serious power steering leak, the front under cover broken, and the interior very dirty. [redacted] said, “This problem is not accident related, therefore, you need to pay if you want it to be fixed.” I told him that my car was drivable and steered fine when **. [redacted] and I brought it to Darcars; no one let me know of any evidence of leaking prior to commencement of the repair work. The steering was functioning properly when the car was dropped off. Therefore, I should not have to pay at all. [redacted] still refused to fix it and I became increasingly upset and tired. Finally, [redacted] came out and asked me to pay $195.00, half of the repair cost and he would pay the other half. I disagreed; however, I was very stressed, mentally and physically exhausted by the situation, and just wanted to go home. So I followed [redacted] to the service department just right across the street from the shop where he told [redacted] to fix the car and left. I waited almost another two hours to get my car back and had to pay $204.45.

I drove very slowly home, as the car did not feel right to me. When I got home, I placed papers underneath of my car and found it was still leaking. I called early the next morning, May 17, and spoke with [redacted] about the issue. He asked me to drop the car off and I did on Monday.

I strongly believe that the leak was caused by something that was done to my car while at Darcars and I want my $204.45 refunded based on the several reasons listed as below:

1. Every day prior the car accident, I drove my car to work and back and it steered fine. **. [redacted] who drove my car to the repair shop and many of others at my office can attest to this.

2. [redacted]s and [redacted] both failed to tell me in person while I was at the shop with them when they inspected the vehicle that there was any evidence of leaking. It would appear that they both failed to inspect for engine damage, as I was informed of a major leak in the power steering system after the bulk of the repairs had been made. If they had found the problem then, they had a responsibility to tell me about the problem then, not when I am about to pick up my car. Furthermore, the techs that drove my car into the shop, after the estimate, would, should have noticed, and reported the leaks to their managers prior to the repairs. The manager should have contacted me immediately upon learning of the additional problem.

3. [redacted]s and [redacted] also failed to give me any documents of the repair estimate at the time of their inspections. Most importantly, the estimate that I requested from Mr. Guzman on

May 9 did not indicate of any leak problem.

4. No one from Darcars (or Allstate) ever contacted me about this problem until late afternoon on May 15, 2014, the day before I was to pick up my vehicle.

5. The invoice that I received for the leak repair only has the handwritten total amount of $204.45 and does not show any details about the cost of the parts, labor, etc.

6. I have spoken with several auto mechanics and they told me that if I could drive to work every day and my car steered fine, it is hard to believe that my car has such significant leaking in such a short time. They suspect that something must have happened while my car was in the repair shop from 5/8 to 5/16/14

7. In the email I received from [redacted] after I informed him of the continued leaks after their repair, he acknowledges that there was leaking still going on and that a screw was missing and that they tightened the clamps on the hose they replaced. These comments indicate to me that their workmanship was sloppy at best. That they damaged my car while making the other repairs certainly seems feasible, given their inattention to details throughout the entire process of repairing my vehicle. I certainly will never allow them to service my car again under any circumstances and will let all of my people I know about this.

Despite numerous appeals, Darcars and [redacted] refuse to refund me the $204.45 I had to pay to get my car. Therefore, I am asking for your help to resolve this issue. Please see copies of documents I have from Darcars, and written correspondence. Please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### or by email ([redacted]), if you have any questions or need additional information.

Thank you so very much in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

PS: Darcars Collision Center business card shows different address as below.

[redacted] MD [redacted]Desired Settlement: I'm asking a refund of $204.45 from Darcars Collision Center located at Derwood, Maryland

Darcars Collision Center has moved to [redacted], MD [redacted] & the address shows on the business is [redacted], Rockville, MD [redacted]