Dave's Automotive Group

The car that I got was amazing, there was no issues with the car and sold at a great price!!! The sales manager was very pleasant and helpful throughout the entire process!! Definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a great car for a good deal!
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We had been having our vehicles serviced at Dave's since 2010 so when our main car started sounding funny we took it in in Sept of 2012. We were informed it needed some engine work and that's where all the issues started... It took WEEKS for us to get our car back, every time WE contacted THEM for a status update it was something new. At one point they told us they put the car back together but it still was running rough and so they had to take the whole thing back apart and fix something else and it would take another week or so... When we finally got our car back it did run better but the temp gauge read hotter than it used, not overheating so we brushed it off. A couple of months later when it started to get really cold outside and the heater needed to be used, it wouldn't work. It blew air that was cold when it was idling and only luke warm air when you were accelerating. We took the car back in at that point and they changed the thermostat. After the thermostat was changed the car began to have issues overheating. We have had the car back there nearly 10 times for issues with overheating with new thermostats and radiator caps and asked them specifically to check the head which they ensured us they had and it was ok. We finally took the car to another mechanic for a 2nd opinion and were informed it is definitely the head and most likely due to the work Dave's did in Sept 2010! We contacted Dave directly to ask how he wanted to resolve the issue and he is unwilling to right the situation claiming mileage on the car could be the issue despite the fact we brought it to them when the issues first started only a few short months after they overhauled the engine. We paid for the work they said they did and now are stuck with a vehicle they never fixed with them unwilling to do the work we paid for to begin with. I DO NOT recommend Dave's Automotive and will advise against using them if asked.Product_Or_Service: [redacted]Desired Settlement We would like a full refund for the work Dave's did to our vehicle in Sept 2012 so that we can pay another mechanic to do the job correctly. Business Response The [redacted] brought in their [redacted] with engine mis-fire complaint on or about Sept 22, 2012 - with approx 107,772 miles on it. We addressed the issue & repaired as needed, vehicle left running good. Around Jan, 5, 2013 - with approx 119,638 miles, vehicle was in for a heater blows cold complaint. We found faulty thermostat (stuck open) & still original radiator cap. Replaced both, filled with coolant, & tested - heater working good & no other issues found. On or about May 20, 2013 - with approx 132,245 miles, vehicle was brought back in with request for us to install a new thermostat which they supplied (believe it was a Nissan brand part) we installed. There was no charge. On or about July 31, 2013 - with approx 139,964 miles, vehicle was in with an overheating, boiling in overflow tank, & we were told they had removed thermostat. We checked & found thermostat had been removed/broken. We replaced as needed & found radiator cap may have failed. Both parts were replaced with new Nissan factory original parts. Checked for other issues & test drove vehicle many miles without incident. No charge. Our standard written warranty on the invoice is 3 months or 3,000 miles. There was over 24,000 miles put on vehicle when a possible overheat issue was mentioned. Which we checked out at no cost even though warranty was over. The last time it drove away from our shop in good running condition it had over 32,000 miles put on since original repair. The engine was not overhauled & we did not work on this vehicle in Sept 2010 as stated. Our warranty has expired on this vehicle due to mileage.

HORRIBLE SERVICE! Took my car here after they assured me that it wouldn't be a problem to work on an [redacted]. They diagnosed that the "turbo needed some new parts" after "doing some research on the internet." They wanted to charge me $750 for this service. This didn't make sense based on what I took it in for, therefore I had it towed to [redacted] in Reno. It turned out being a cracked engine valve, which [redacted] fixed for free. Dave's diagnosis was wrong, completely wrong.Best part of all, Dave's charged my credit card nearly $150 because they blew some smoke through the car and "had to do research." It is NOT within normal business practices to charge a customer for research. There is an expectation that when you take your car somewhere for service the the technicians are educated specialists, and that they wouldn't charge a customer to receive further education.I feel like I've been part of some investigative journalism piece on shady service shops. They should have just acknowledged from the beginning that they didn't have the experience to work on my car.Desired SettlementDiagnosis was completely wrong. Dave's was not prepared to work on my car and never should have tried to work on it. I was forced to tow it elsewhere and then was charged for research. This is not within the standard of reasonable business practices. It is completely unethical and should not be tolerated. I am seeking a full refund.Business Response On 1/21/15 customer brought in their 09 [redacted] with a concern of what they thought was a squealing noise from the drive belt area. Customer was advised and signed an authorization stating there would be a charge of $135.00 plus tax to diagnose their vehicle BUT we would not charge for the diagnosis if they authorized the repairs found....Upon inspection it was found that the noise was actually a vacuum leak whistling noise. Technician also noted that engine was running rough and the check engine light was on. Computer was scanned for codes and found 10 active codes ranging from engine misfires detected to idle control system. After inducing smoke into the intake air system with our smoke machine designed to locate leaks, technician found a leak at the turbo inlet pipe, pressure regulating valve area. Checked for technical service bulletins and found 1 to replace turbo inlet pipe and crankcase ventilation pressure regulating valve. Also found 1 [redacted] TSB bulletin related to vehicle running rough stating to replace all 4 ignition coils. We called the [redacted] dealer in Reno and asked a service advisor if these repairs would be covered by [redacted] at this mileage and was told no,that it would not be covered. After explaining the needed repairs to the customer they advised me that they would call [redacted] because the car had been into them 2 weeks earlier for other repairs. Customer then called back and said [redacted] in Reno was going to arrange to have car towed to them and that they would repair it at no charge to the customer. After receiving this complaint, on 3/11/15 our service department called [redacted] of Reno to ask what repairs were made to correct this problem and we were told they made the repairs we had recommended previously. One being a cracked "CRANKCASE PRESSURE REGULATING" valve, not an engine valve. Attached is copy of signed authorization & final bill with correct diagnosis.Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)Under no circumstances would I authorize a $135 charge for diagnosis if I thought it was the serpentine belt. Dave's has stated that we signed a document authorizing this when I dropped the vehicle off. THAT IS NOT THE CASE.Following in line with their standard business practices, they uploaded a document that was our "authorization" with a hand written "135+tax". What kind of joke is this. Obviously that was added AFTER the fact because if it was real, it would have been typed in the labor section. Again, I feel like this is all some sort of terrible joke.Let's be clear. The vehicle was towed to Reno away from Dave's because it was discussed with [redacted] that based on the codes present, that it was likely a torn regulating valve diagram. This is DRASTICALLY different than what I discussed with [redacted] on the phone. He said that he would do some work on the turbo inlet pipe and charge me approximately $750. I knew that this was a bad road to start going down, trying to chase the problem one item at a time (all while charging me hundreds to thousands each time they got it wrong). I had all the service COMPLETED at [redacted] for $135. The car was actually fixed for the same price that Dave's thinks they should charge to pull some codes from the ECU.My wife paid Dave's as that was the only way we could get the keys to have it towed to Reno from Fallon. She figured our ethical concerns would be addressed later. I am still requesting the refund. If the refund is not authorized, I will execute a chargeback on my credit card. I figured I'd give Dave's a chance to do the right thing before going that route.