First Choice Automotive of Alexandria Reviews (%countItem)
First Choice Automotive of Alexandria Rating
Address: 1511 Macarthur Dr, Alexandria, Louisiana, United States, 71301-4025
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Paid $2,000 for engine repair. Guaranteed 1 year warranty less than month after repair motor burned up refuses to repair.
ded bank 2, P0012 camshaft position over r
ded bank 1 ,P0021 camshaft position timing over advanced bank 2). I called First Choice Automotive and spoke to xxxx he said it needs to be driven so it can clean itself out so I began to drive home to xxxxxx la less than 10 miles from xxxxx auto parts where I had the code read after driving about 6 miles I lost all Oil pressure and my engine seized up after pulling over and popped the hood my dip stick was dry.(please note I had the oil changed about an hour ago and my truck hold 7 quarts and for it not to show on dip stick it has to be at least 2 1/2 quarts low. I called and asked to speak to xxxx (manager of First Choice) He told the employee on the phone he wasn't taking any calls regarding my truck. I called back about 10 minutes later finally talking to xxxx he stated that I pulled over and drained the oil and then drove the truck home and that I would receive no warranty regarding their attempted repairs
First choice automotive attempted to repaired my 2007 f150 5.4 4x4 engine. The engine was making horrible ticking and knocking noises. They told me they have done this kind of work before on this kind of vehicle. I paid them approx. $2,000 to change my (passenger *** exhaust manifold,timing chains,cam phasers, oil pump, and variable timing solenoids, I picked the truck up about 10 days later and it ran better for about 1 month. While driving to work my truck began the same knocking and ticking it had done prior to having the work done. I brought my truck to Hixon Ford in Alexandria to have a diagnostic done on the truck they told me that my VCT solenoids (variable timing solenoids were in bad need of being replaced. I called and talked to xxxx (manager of First Choice) he told me that they did not change them when doing the other work about a month ago. xxxx told me bring it by and he will have them changed. I dropped my truck off the next day. The next day I got a call from xxxxx another employee from first choice and he said they were going to change my oil and flush my motor with (seafoam). The next day I received a call from xxxxx saying it was fixed and running good. I picked my truck up and paid a fee of $160 soon as I left the parking lot to turn on to highway 165 my truck started acting up (rough idle, ticking, knocking, check engine light, I drove my truck to the nearest auto parts store to have the check engine light code read (P0022 camshaft position over r
That First Choice Automotive pays for engine Replacement by local Dealership.
First Choice was contracted by *** to work on his 2007 Ford F150. We assume *** is the same person as *** was represented as the owner & all conversation was with him initially. That being said, we were contracted to repair the timing components & replace the damaged exhaust manifold on the passenger side. His engine was making excessive rattling that was indicative of worn timing components & experienced a loss of power. Upon inspection & initial disassembly we confirmed the timing components were excessively worn and one of the timing chain guides was broken. We gave *** a more accurate estimate for all these repairs and he authorized the work. We replaced the timing chains/guides/tensioners/cam phasers &timing gears. additionally we also replaced the oil pump & related gaskets. This repair also includes oil & filter change/new coolant. The total repair cost also included new upper & lower radiator hoses, new accessory drive belt labor for these items & labor to install new radiator at customers request. Logan had right at 181,500 miles oh his F-150 at the time of this repair.
The included invoice shows all the parts & labor included in his $2,000 total. This total includes a $374.65 discount we gave Logan as a package deal. But our repairs were to the timing components & exhaust manifold. We did not completely rebuild his engine.We did not overhaul pistons, rings,bearings,crank,cams, valves, cylinderheads nor other parts. Warranty was inclusive only to components we replaced. Additionally Logan was recommended to routinley change his oil every 2,500 to 3,000 miles & required documentation.
*** truck ran better showed a return of power and the timing noise was gone. He continued to drive his truck back & forth to his work ( *** to *** for the approximately next 6 weeks. He did complain of an exhaust leak. We found that the new exhaust manifold was defective & had warped. We replaced this part with another from *** under *** . there was nocharge for part or labor. We completed this warranty repair on August 21st. This is documented so *** time estimate is way off.
On or about August 29th *** was complaing of a loss in power & Check engine code related to the VCT Solenoids, which we had not changed. *** agreed to change These VCT's which we did at no charge. We did not charge him parts or labor even though these were not even in the orinal repair. At this time Logan indicated he had not changed the oil & filter since the initial repair in June, at this time he had over 185,200 on his F150 ( approximately 1,300 to 800 miles over the recommended oil change interval. We discussed flushing his oil system (Since the VCTs were sticking) & Changing the oil & filter. He agreed. We proceeded. I Charged him $ 160 for the oil & filter change change/engine flush & gaskets needed to change the VCTs. This price reflects parts & no Labor. This flush & oil change as well as the oil fill was witnessed by multiple mechanics as well as recorded on the in shop video recorder. Mike drove this F150 for 15 continuos minutes up & down MacArthur Drive with no issues.
It is worth noting that on 4 to 5 occassions *** commented to *** & *** that he hated his truck & wished he could blow it up or burn so he could replace it. We initially ignored these comments, customers sometimes make snide remarks when aggravated.
When *** came to pickup his truck Friday afternoon he sat in the parking lot reving his engine continually while engaging the rev limiter. Which means he had the accelerator depressed all the way down while sitting in the parking lot. (for approximately 5 minutes before leaving)
Later in the afternoon he called & complained he was broke down and that he had no oil in his engine. We initially told him we would have to look at it & assured him we did refill the oil. I informed him if there were any warranty issues we would address them after & inspection, but he would have to get the truck to us, since we are not a tow service.
This occurred late Friday afternoon, *** leaves early for dialysis (which leaves our front counter shorthanded on Friday) We did receive calls from Logan's dad. He cursed Mike verbally our counter guy several times. It was about 4:30 before *** could return his call. The conversation was mostly *** dad expressing himself verbally swearing continuously. threatening *** with a physical attack and demanding an immediate repair under warranty ( ie. *** this & that, " I am going to whip you *** you are a xxxxxxxxxxxxx) & other I cant repeat. After this conversation & one other attempt to converse with father ***. Which he responded in like words & attitude we had no other conversation with Logan or his dad. xxxxx may have attempted to contact us after hours or during that weekend, but we close at 5PM & are closed after the weekend. They made no more attempts to contact first Choice via phone or written or electronically. We decided not to reach out to them again after the swearing tirades and malicious attitude & threats his dad had spoken to us.
Attached is an invoice xxxxx received from the local Ford dealership with a diagnosis & recommendation he got before he made his complaint on about August 30th. Their inspection points his engine problems to engine repair he needs because of wear on his high mileage engine which are not related to work by First Choice. In summary, they have made no contact with us since that Friday, We have not seen the F 150 to evaluate what is actually wrong with it let alone determine if the repair would be warrantable. With the estimate from xxxxxx Ford and their expressed attitude , we dont feel we can do business with them
Thank you for your consideration.
***
First Choice, Inc.
First Choice was paid to do work on my car and the work was apparently not done.
In 2015 I took my car to First Choice to have an engine and transmission which I had purchased elsewhere installed. I also paid them to replace all of my suspension and motor mounts. It was supposed to be a 2 week job. My car sat in the parking lot in excess of 2 weeks before they even started on it. First Choice kept my vehicle for almost 2 months and I had the expense of a rental car for that duration of time. I paid them in advance for the suspension parts and motor mounts. The first time I went to retrieve my car I was told they had just ordered the parts which *** Saucier told me he was ordering them the day I gave him the money. When I finally got my car back the invoice showed all the charges for the parts and labor as well as an alignment. About 2 months ago took my car in for an alignment and was told it could not be aligned because several of the parts on my car were no good, most of which were allegedly replaced by First Choice. I took the car back to First Choice and was assured the items had been replaced. First Choice told me to bring the car back and they would take care of it. Once again I was required to get a rental car. After a month I picked my car up ant took it next door to Exhaust-Tech and they completed the repair. Exhast-Tech verified that First Choice had replaced upper and lower ball joints, sway bar end links and sway bar bushings at no charge. I purchased new motor mounts which Exhaust-Tech installed. I thought the mounts removed were the original mounts that came on the car so I took the motor mounts that were removed to *** Honda and was told that they did not think they were the originals because they were not stamped by Honda. Shortly thereafter it was discovered that apparently Honda does not stamp them. I informed *** Honda that there had only been 28,000 miles put on the car since First Choice allegedly replaced the motor mounts. The parts department found it hard to believe that only 28,000 mile had been put on the car by the condition and wear on the mounts.
I would like First Choice to issue me a refund of $600.00 for the parts I paid them for that appear to not have been changed, a refund of $760.82 for the original labor for the parts with the exception of the engine and transmission a refund of $2,100 for the rental car for the period in excess of 2 weeks, a refund of $1,006.09 for the labor I paid Exhaust-Tech as well as a refund of $1,000.00 for the rental car cost up until the time Exhaust-Tech finished with my car.
Mr *** did employ First Choice to install his engine & transmission assembly. Additionally he did not buy it elsewhere, he purchased the used JDM engine/trans assembly through First Choice. Which we purchased through a JDM wholesaler who gets these assemblies imported directly from Japan. This was done in July of 2014. The wholesaler provides a 6 month warranty on said product. Later in 2014 Hubert also prepaid for his suspension & motor/trans mounts.
Unfortunately due to his schedule and other events in his life, *** was unable to release his car and have the work done, It was approximately 1 1/2 years before we received Mr. Isadores car for the installation. I stored his engine Trans in my shop for this period at no charge. First Choice finally installed the engine & trans/ new mount & suspension. The JDM trans exhibited a very harsh shift when you put it in gear and when it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear. There was an internal defect in this used transmission. But due to the delay on Huberts behalf the warranty had expired. Mr *** chose at this time to not invest in repairing this condition and living with its erratic operation. *** had rented a car while these repairs were being done. When he dropped off his Honda, he informed us to do the work and did not express any concern of time to complete the repairs nor informed me he was in a rental. I recall initially he told us to take our time. The JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) engine & trans are similiar to the original Honda components they are not exact. The installation required several cross bred modified components that are not directly off the shelf of our local part stores. We eventually engineered the install and got the Honda Driveable. This took longer than the estimated 2 weeks. It was not until the near end of the job that *** expressed he was in a rental and asked us to expedite completion.
The motor & transmission mounts were purchased from Autozones commercials parts service. They are manufactured by Anchor products and come with a lifetime warranty. These are all new but as a package they are substantially cheaper than Honda original equipment. Approximately 1 quarter of Honda prices. *** agreed to invest in these products for the savings. Anchor is the primary manufacturing for aftermarket mounts and are sold in all the Parts stores ie. Autozone, Advance, Oreilleys, Bumper to Bumper, Pep Boys and many others. They are the industry standard for replacement mounts. But though the quality is sufficient it is not as durable as Honda OEM.. I surmise due to their quality and the excessive force the transmission shifts this caused a premature failure in the mounts.
*** expressed concern that possibly we did not put new mounts in his Honda. He overlooks the obvious after 3 years of driving an some 30,000 miles his mounts once removed did not look brand new. Nor should they. First Choice & Autozone have the invoices where we purchased this items for his Honda When we did these repairs.
As we did replaced the worn suspension under warranty and the labor at no charge, we intended to replace the worn mounts as well. Unfortunately at the time *** was able to drop off his Honda we were overloaded with other scheduled work additionally at this time First Choice had limited experienced staff and were at the same time attempting to train new mechanics. *** would have had no expense for the mounts are the labor as our schedule would have aligned. As a small business we must simultaneously do paying jobs and warranty work to provide the operating capital to operate daily expenses and pay for warranty repairs. In the end the customer forgets that even though he was not charged for a warranty repair their are costs involved. First Choice has always been willing to endure these costs to provide customer service.
*** is a long time friend as well as a customer. We have done other work for him as well as the noted events. Though occasionally and understandably adamant, he has always been polite & cordial. He has been lenient with our scheduling issues and generously patient. It is unfortunate that the last attempted repairs were conflicted by his & our scheduling/staff issues.
Sincerely,
***
First Choice
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I purchased the engine and transmission and had it shipped to First Choice. First Choice is overlooking the fact that my car sat in front of their shop for more than two weeks before they started the repair. That was the time frame they gave me for completion. This is my first time hearing about the incomparable parts. None if my invoices or notes mention the parts. I advised First Choice on more than one occasion that the rental was costing me money. Furthermore I feel That it was First Choices's duty to inform me of the delays. Not me popping up to see my vehicle parked in the rear out of site. I just Left Autozone showing them the parts that Exhaust Tech removed from my vehicle and they to old me that these were NOT their parts because there is no Duracard stamp on them. Again First Choice is not being truthful. The engine and transmission are not my concern. My concern is the parts I paid Them to purchase and the labor I paid Them to install them. They appear to have NOT been replaced. That is due to no fault of my own. First Chooce gave me several dates of completion that were never actual. The day I picked my car up and took it to Exhaust Tech was one day AFTER the last date they promised me completion
car repaired, car broke again. same issue
paid 1475.00 to have car timing chain repaired in june of 2017. took 3.5 weeks to fix the car. a week or so later car left me stranded. brought car back. appx $500.00 additional charges. car was warrantied for 1 year, 9 months later car jumped time again. contacted the shop on 3/29/18 with this issue. was told on Monday 04/02/18 the shop could tow the car in. no word from the shop on Monday to set up towing, my husband called on Monday was told the shop would get back to him on Tuesday 04/03/18. he had to go up to the shop on Tuesday because no one called him and when he called no one could take his call. brought the car to another mechanic who confirmed it has jumped time again due to the installation process of first choice automotive. the car stayed at that shop for 7 days waiting for *** to go look at the car. *** finally went to look at the car, admitted it jumped time, said it would be towed to their shop. the car was finally towed on Thursday april, 12. I had to go into the shop bc no one would answer my calls, always out. talked with *** and ***,explained the situation whice they said they were not aware of. they have now had my car for 9 days with no definite time to have it fixed.
I would like my money back for the repairs. it was not done right and there is no guarantee they will do it right this time. I have zero confidence in the shop.
1.First Choice repaired Ms. Camaro. A timing component had failed and caused other damage in the valve train. We replaced the damaged pieces repaired the other valve train items reassembled the engine. All repairs & parts fell under the 1 year warranty and was done at no cost for Mrs.. *** picked up her Camaro on about April 25th. We did have a delay in repairing her car as we were backed up and had limited qualified staff to do her repair when we acquired her car in our shop. Additionally we provided the tow for her camaro at no charge.
2.Attached is the invoice for Zero charges. Thanks. *** S. First Choice