Golden Rule Automotive Reviews (%countItem)
Golden Rule Automotive Rating
Address: 1605 Access Rd, Covington, Georgia, United States, 30014
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Had my vehicle towed to shop by AAA on September 29th. Shop diagnosed timing belt broke and damaged engine. The shop recommended that it be replaced with a used engine or rebuilding of cylinder head. Shop asked for an initial payment for start of engine rebuild at an amount of $1,247.38 and shop requested remaining balance be paid once the repairs was done. Work was completed and vehicle was picked up by December 13th at around 6:00pm. Per invoice, it was noted that my vehicle was road tested for 4 miles total. Within 24 hours, vehicle died while driving on December 14th at 3:ooam and had it towed by AAA back to home. Called the shop next day to inform them that the vehicle died while driving and had it towed back to the shop on Monday December 18th. Shop diagnosed that starter failed. I had asked the shop to double check the diagnosis due to the fact that the complaint did not jive with the cause of failure. Shop recommended to go ahead and buy starter and I purchased reman starter from Autozone for $148.99 on December 18th. After questioning of diagnosis, shop explained the next day, on December 19th, that it was not the starter and that they would do further diagnosis. I called the shop on December 21st to find out status of my vechicle and shop said per technical service bulletin (TSB) on this vehicle, engine would lose oil pressure. I asked "Why didn't the shop check outstanding technical service bulletin prior to recommending rebuilding cylinder head'" The shop said that the engine had to be replaced and that I had to pay for it. I asked "why recommend rebuilding the engine when repairing the engine did not solve the problem'" The shop did not offer any additional assistance. I paid in total $2,566.66 for engine repair. Shop said that used engine replacement would cost over $3,000 and reman engine would cost over $7,000 to install. I asked for TSB number so I could review the TSB but they refused to give me TSB number.
Billing Adjustment $2,566.66 go toward an acceptable repair for my vehicle.
When vehicle arrived it would not start, technician found that the timing belt had broken resulting in bent intake and/or exhaust valves. Customer was advised that engine replacement would be the best repair, but that rebuilding the head and replacing timing components was also an option, although not recommended and would carry no warranty. Customer argued until we agreed to warrant the cylinder head repair for 12 months or XXXXX miles. Timing components would carry our standard 3 year/XXXXX mile warranty. Rebuilding the entire engine was never discussed nor agreed upon. Customer was informed of our policy to receive 1/2 of total prior to beginning repairs if total exceeds $1000.00 and paid the deposit without delay. Upon completion, technician allowed vehicle to reach full operating temperature to ensure cooling system was full of coolant and no leaks were present. He then test drove vehicle to ensure it ran properly and smoothly. After test drive, vehicle was pulled back in to the service bay to double check that there were no leaks, none were found. At this point, vehicle had been running approximately 40 minutes with no problem. Vehicle was returned to customer and balance was paid in full. When the customer left vehicle was running perfectly and no problems were present. Upon returning, vehicle has oiling system problems and "low oil pressure" warning light on. This is when the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) was discovered for oiling system complaints/concerns. To clarify, a technical service bulletin is merely a note published by the manufacturer that states a common problem or concern, and its remedy, that may be encountered by the customer, usually classified by system and symptom, this is not a recall that is "open" or "closed". When the vehicle arrived originally, it didn't run at all and that problem was addressed, and repaired properly. Those components which the customer elected to have repaired are in fact repaired and still working properly. The issues at hand are a separate concern that wasn't showing signs when original repairs were performed. We are, and always have been, more than fair with customers if a concern arises. The customer was unreasonable and rude to my staff and myself, refusing to see the facts placed before him and refusing to come to an amicable resolution. While this is a very unfortunate situation for the customer, the proper repair was originally recommended and refused. We performed the alternative repair against our recommendations but in an effort to help the customer out. As it turns out, the original recommendation was spot on. Furthermore, after returning with the vehicle the customer brought to our attention that AAA requires approved repair facilities to provide 24 month/XXXXX mile warranty. I was not aware of this policy (again, our standard warranty is 36 months/XXXXX miles) and immediately agreed to honor that warranty on the cylinder head repair that was recently performed. At this point we are not against coming to an amicable resolution with this customer. Absorbing the entire cost of previous, unrelated repairs is not a fair resolution.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
In response to the statement from Livingston Auto LLC, I was never rude or argued with anyone at this shop. I only questioned the diagnosis. The shop made all the diagnosis and recommendations for repair but the shop never indicated a preferred repair for me (Per invoice). The warranty was discussed and relayed to AAA and per AAA representative (Jared), the shop should have given AAA gold members a minimum of 24 months/XXXXX miles warranty. The shop has not reached out to me at this time about repairing my vehicle. Also, prior to picking vehicle up, shop communicated with my son Jared and asked him for $600 over the agreed price.