Gresta Mobile Service

Review: My 1998 Audi A4 Quattro passed Smog test on04/05/2013 after failing the first smog test a couple weeks earilier. I replaced many parts and vacuum lines and connected some components that are directly involved with the emission and NOX. My car developed a broken radiator hose and I had it towed to Gresta mobile service for repairs. At the time of the hose breakage the vehicle was parked, it did not over heat at all.I left it at Greasta for Repairs. The engine was running smooth and the complete car sounded quite and smooth. Gresta repaired the broken coolant hose. But then Banged on the driver side catalyic converter and told me its was broken. I could here a rattle inside the converter.The converter is indeed broken as now it has a very bad ratteling noise inside of it. The point is that the converter was not broken when I had it towed to their shop. Secondly it was there for a coolant problem and inspecting the converters was not part of the scope of work to be done.I am sure that even though it passed smog a month ago it would not pass now. I called Gresta and he said the converter shouldnt have broken so easily and he dont know how it passed the smog test. Gresta owner also told me that the car wasnt worth fixing.My Complaint is that the Catalytic Converter was fine when I took it to there shop. No Noise at all, sounded smooth, just passed the smog test 3 weeks earilier. After the Owner [redacted] Gresta banged on the converter very hard with the back of his hand to show me it was broken inside, then did I begin to here a loud ratteling inside the converter. The converter was broken while it was in there pocession. These CA converters are very costly and my daughter can not afford the replacement. I talked to the owners son and he said he could open it up and secure the ceramic inside so it no longer made any noise. I dont beleive this is a legal proceedure.I think they should fix it. The Station that did the Smog Check can confirm there was no broken Converters on the car.Desired Settlement: I think Gresta should replace both converters for Damaging the car.I can supply the proof that it had exceptable NOX and emissions from the test that was done on 04/05/13 that proves the Catalytic Converters were in good operating condition...Doing damage to someones car to obtain work is totally unexceptable.I have invested $1500.00 of my own income in this car. And my daughter Purchased it for $1800.00 from her Federal Income Tax Return Check.The car now has a very loud ratteling.

Business

Response:

I told Mr. [redacted] when he first brought the Car over at my shop and I first started it that there was a rattling noise probably coming from one of the catalytic converters. This was before any repair , before even lifting the car or banging on the catalytic and with Mr. [redacted] was present. The noise was well known before even I started working on the car and it was told to him. After the repair, I showed mr. [redacted] where the nose was coming from, and I helped myself with the back of my hand knocking on a 3mm steel catalytic assembly that is impossible to brake even using a hammer. It doesn't take a Mechanic to understand that you cannot brake a catalytic converter with your bare hand. furthermore Mr. [redacted] never complained about the Catalytic problem, he acknowledged me and said simply that he was taking care of it in the future and that he understood about Cat Converters and he could buy an aftermarket Cat. Two weeks later he calls me on the phone changing his mind and telling me that yes, the catalytic was actually broken but I made it worse by knocking on it with my bare hand. Now he Changes his mind again saying that it is 100 % my fault. This time he says that I broke a steel pipe with internal steel reinforcements and ceramic element by knocking on it with the bare back of my hand. He also says that he could buy them from a supplier he knows but I have to help him with a discount on the labor, and I naively said yes, that I would have done my best to help him out with the price of the job. Now he wants me to pay for a broken car he has bought for her daughter.

4 Different versions of the same issue expressed in 2 weeks. I honestly don't have time to deal with complaints from people who simply need a free ride. This is the last time I will ever address a matter like this. You guys from the Revdex.com should be careful in pre-screening serious issues from nut cases like this one.