German Car Service, Inc.

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:The information they provided is I've had the same phone number for over years, they never contacted and I never changed my number, that is a lie, my complaint remains that they performed work without permission or written estimate feel free to call ***
Sincerely,
*** ***

GERMAN CAR SERVICE1310 [redacted]HONOLULU,HI 96817 December 08, 2014 [redacted]OperationsRevdex.com of Hawaii, Inc.1132 Bishop Street, [redacted] Dear [redacted], Our initial response to the complaint made by Mr. [redacted] was mailed out on November 13, 2014 by Certified mail and was received and signed for at the Revdex.com office on November 14, 2014 by Ronalyn Reyes.Mr. [redacted] was given verbal estimates because he did not at any time request any written estimates.  Mr. [redacted] states he has only had one contact numberfor the past five years yet we have two contact numbers for him.  The first contact number we have on file for Mr. [redacted] is [redacted].  The second number he had given was [redacted].Sincerely,  [redacted]Owner/President

GERMAN CAR SERVICE[redacted]November 10, 2014[redacted]OperationsRevdex.com of Hawaii, Inc.[redacted] , [redacted]Aloha [redacted],Here we are again having a meaningful correspondence regarding an unhappy customer....

 I believe it is the 2nd or 3rd time since being in business for 48 years in Hawaii.  So I would like to take this time to fill you in on our experience with Mr. [redacted].Mr. [redacted] first arrived here at our facility on June 09, 2014. His [redacted] Mercedes [redacted] had been overheating and requested that we perform a diagnostic on his vehicle.  Upon closer inspection and diagnostic we found that not only was the vehicle overheating but the idle was too high due to a malfunction in the idle control valve.  The brakes weren't functioning properly and the brake pedal was very difficult to push due to the brake booster malfunction. The suspension was worn out and the steering was loose causing a lot of play.   There was also noticeable rust on the vehicle.  After informing Mr. [redacted] of the results of our diagnostic he decided that we proceed with performing work to rectify only the overheating problem at that time.On Repair Order# [redacted] the vehicle temperature at the time of diagnostic registered at 185 - 190 degrees.  Inspection under the hood revealed that the fan belt was very loose so it was unable to turn the water pump and cooling  fan.  Also, the radiator seemed partially plugged up because the water in the tubes were not flowing properly which was stated to the customer.  But customer decided not to go ahead with any further repairs because he just wanted to try it out and hope it would get better.  Customer agreed to change the fan belt as well as other belts that were old and cracked.As our technician tried to move the vehicle to perform the repairs, he notified us that he was unable to start the engine and that the starter motor was not turning over.  I then tried to start the vehicle as well to no avail.  I proceeded to ask Mr. [redacted] if he was aware of the vehicle not starting and he then stated to me that there was an ignition interlock device installed in the vehicle that tests a driver's breath before allowing the vehicle to be started.  This instrument works by measuring the driver's blood alcohol content and disabling the vehicle's ignition if the driver's breath contains alcohol.   I then realized I needed to create a special mouth piece to go over the device in order for me to blow into it without placing my mouth directly onto it." Mr. [redacted] explained that I needed to blow and hum into the tube device until it makes a beeping sound and after a few attempts the vehicle started.  We moved the vehicle to our working bay and completedthe repairs.  Customer paid and left with the vehicle.Mr. [redacted]'s second visit to our facility occurred on June 17, 2014.  He stated he wanted to have the brake booster replaced because the brakes had become too difficult to push.  The brake booster was defective and there was no vacuum.  After explaining to Mr. [redacted] that the cost for a new brake booster from a mainland parts dealer would be $1,040.00 and that a Hawaii parts dealer cost would be $1,240.00, Mr. [redacted] declined and said he would attempt to look for a brake booster himself online.  He left our shop and later returned with a brake booster he had purchased and located on his own and requested we install it into his vehicle.Installation of the brake booster became very difficult for our technician due to rusted bolts and minimal space to work under the dash due to the ignitioninterlock device.  Bleeding the brake system had taken longer than expected because there were air bubbles that continued to come up for about 15 minutes.  Labor time for the booster replacement totaled 4.7 hours of which only 1.7 hours= $183.60 was charged to Mr. [redacted]. Customer seemed very happy at this time because of the hefty discount he had received even though he was informed his vehicle had other issues such as the brakes, suspension, and steering.When Mr. [redacted] dropped off his vehicle on October 14, 2014 there was no brake pedal pressure at all. The pedal was going all the way to the floor and the vehicle was unable to stop. Brake fluid was all over the left and right front wheel.  Mr. [redacted] informed us to be careful because the car was unable to stop and that he was using the emergency brake to drive from [redacted] all the way to our facility at [redacted] in [redacted].  I took a quick look at the brake master cylinderand noticed that there were no leaks but the emergency brakes needed an adjustment.  I asked the customer for a current contact number and he said the numberwas the same and had not changed but that he needed his vehicle the following day for a job search.Our technicians proceeded to move the vehicle into our shop and lift it onto the hoist.  The front wheels were removed to inspect the areas of the brake fluid leak.  Our technician noticed that both left and right front calipers, left and right brake discs, brake pads, wheels and front end was all moistened from the brake fluid leak.  The brake fluid container was completed empty. Our technician removed the rear wheels to check the brake calipers and found that the rear brake rotorswere too worn out and the safety thickness of the brake disc was way below minimum.  The braking surface was scarred and had a dark blue and brown discoloration apparently from becoming too hot.  The brake pads were worn down to the max and the brake pad piston travel is too far out and not deemed safe. It appeared to be in very bad condition.  At this time several attempts had been made to contact Mr. [redacted] to inform him of our findings but were unable to reach him. The number we had on file was [redacted].  After the second day of unsuccessful attempts of contacting Mr. [redacted] our technician proceededto call local businesses for pricing for rebuilt brake calipers all of which informed us that none was available due to the [redacted] Mercedes [redacted] being such an old model.  We also contacted the Mercedes dealership and they too did not have any in stock and would need to order the part at a cost of $461.00 each.  I felt this was a very steep price and tried contacting several mainland businesses since there aren't many parts dealers that stock these particular parts anymore.At this time we were still unable to get in contact with Mr. [redacted] to update him on the status of his vehicle but knew he needed the vehicle by the followingday so we proceeded to perform work on the original part.  Our technician removed both left and right front leaking brake calipers and cleaned the exterior.  He then disassembled the calipers and cleaned then inspected each item.  At this point it seemed there was a very good chance that when rebuilt with new seals, caps, dust seal, and piston polished that it would work efficiently and be more cost effective for our customer. Our technician proceeded to rebuild the original calipers.On or about the 4th day since dropping off his vehicle, Mr. [redacted] called and asked about the status of his vehicle and stated that he did not get any phone calls from us.   I informed him that we tried to contact him on numerous occasions with the number that we had on file but there was no answer.  He then acknowledged  that his phone number had changed and had then given his new contact number.  I explained that we decided to rebuild the original brake calipers for both left and right sides.  It was necessary to rebuild both otherwise if only one is rebuilt the car will pull to one side when stepping on the brake.  The front brake hoses needed to be replaced as well because the rubber had swelled and the interior was restricted to a one millimeter passage.  When rubber hoses age it swells up and the internal flow is restricted making it necessary to be replaced.  After replacing the front brake hoses the brake system needed to be bled which is done by removing air from the brake system to achieve good brake pressure.  After completing this process three times the brake pressure still did not seem right.At that point the rear wheels needed to be removed in order to check the rear brakes and calipers as well.  Upon inspection we noticed that the rear brake disc was very thin and even more so than we had seen before.  The technician measured the thickness of the brake disc and saw that it was below minimum.  Also, since the braking surface was discolored to a dark brown and blue color from getting too hot, air bubbles were forming in the brake system.  This happens when the fluid starts to boil. If air bubbles form in the brake fluid the brake pressure will diminish and the brake pedal will go all the way down to the floor and will be unable to stop the vehicle.  The brake pads had been worn down too low and there was only 2 millimeters of brake lining left.  When both the brake disc surface is too thin and the brake pads are worn down too low, the brake caliper pistons will travel further out and become lodged in the travel pad which causes the brake caliperto become jammed and the brake pad will heat up the brake disc.  If the disc temperature rises too high it will have the appearance of a glow. At this point the brake fluid will become hot and bubbles will form and there will be no· brake pressure.   For safety reasons our technician replaced the rear brake discs and brake pads and noted that the rear brake calipers were not leaking at that time.  Since one of the wheel bolts had been previously broken, it needed to be drilled out and the threads repaired.  It is imperative to have all 5 wheel bolts holding the wheel securely otherwise it will compromise the safety of the vehicle.  The vehiclewas taken out on a test drive and the brakes proved satisfactory.It took a total of 7.95 hours for our technician to complete all repairs on Repair Order #[redacted] yet as a courtesy to the customer he was only charged for 4.94 hours. The Mercedes Benz time allotted for a technician to conduct both left and right front brake caliper removal and overhaul is about 5.00 hours, which does not include extra cleaning and polishing etc.  Time allotted for cleaning rusted parts and polishing pistons are 1.8 hours.  Time allotted to drill out and rethread the rear wheel stud is 0.9 hours.  The time allotted to start the vehicle while working with the ignition interlock device and test driving it is 0.5 hours.The total cost of repairs for Repair Order #[redacted] was $1,100.98 (4.94 hours of Labor: $533.52, Parts: $517.92, Tax: $49.54) yet Mr. [redacted] is demanding $1,200.00 in refunds.