Hayes Automotive Inc

At this point in time, Mr. [redacted] has stated what he feels happened and his perspective of the chain of events from his perspective and we have done the same.  We would absolutely like to get to the bottom of this whole issue just as much as he would and are hopefully back on track to do just that.  We have recently been in contact with Mr. [redacted] by phone and text and both parties have agreed to have the truck taken to a neutral shop in Billings, MT which is closer to his home and where they do not have the strict emissions laws in regards to the EGR bypass in case that is part of the continued overheating and running issues.  We have agreed to pay for the initial diagnosis to determine if there are existing problems with the repairs we already performed, a part has failed, or if there is just one more piece of the puzzle that we either missed or did not get addresses.  Hopefully once a plan of action has been determined by the other shop, we will then be able to take the necessary action to get this resolved and the truck back on the road in a satisfactory manner for both Mr. [redacted] and our shop.

In regards to the complaint by [redacted], we would like to respond with our perspective of the events as they played out with regard to the repair process for his 2008 Ford F350 Super Duty Power Stroke truck.  Mr. [redacted] had his vehicle towed to our facility on 2/24/16 when it overheated...

while he was traveling in our area.  He stated on his initial call to make arrangements with our shop that it had started running poorly, but  he still needed to use it and declined to have it towed until it would no longer go over 20 MPH and was in extremely poor running shape.  He informed us that he knew the intake tube was cracked and needed to be replaced.  During the initial diagnosis, our technician found three codes stored in the computer: P0086-Fuel cooler pump circuit fault, P012F-Engine coolant temp/Engine oil temp hot, and P2263-Turbocharger boost fault.  He also confirmed that the turbo down pipe was cracked and broken and he recommended replacing the down pipe and reset the codes to verify that the turbos would still make boost as designed.  Mr. [redacted] was informed that this was just the first step because we could do no further testing of other components in the turbocharger until the down pipe was replaced so the system would at least function.  We also recommended replacing the primary and secondary fuel filters and an oil change just because both of these were overdue as part of regular maintenance.  This work in the amount of approximately $1,500.00 was approved and completed on 3/1/16.After the down pipe was installed, the technician was able to re-test the truck to confirm that this repair had solved the problem and discovered that the turbo mount brace was broken and separated and the turbocharger was not functioning as designed.  We called Mr. [redacted] at that time to notify him of our current findings.  He gave us his verbal approval to remove the turbos and replace the gasket and the exhaust mounting bolts that were obviously broken.  When the turbo assemblies were removed for this repair, our technician was able to visibly confirm that both were damaged extensively.  The turbo blades were chipped which had caused metal debris to go through the whole exhaust system and engine causing the sensors to become packed with this debris and would need to be replaced.  The additional work to replace the turbo assemblies for an additional $6,000.00 was approved by Mr. [redacted] and completed on or about 3/4/16.  After the extensive repairs to replace the turbochargers were completed, the technician found that the truck would start and run but turn off after 5 seconds.  He tried several things to try and pinpoint where there were further issues with the truck causing it to go into “limp mode” and turn itself off, including forcing it into regeneration mode with no change.  He then disconnected the DPFE filter from the exhaust and found the truck would run on its own at that point and build the proper amount of boost.  This test confirmed that the DPFE filter assembly was plugged and we firmly believe that due to the neglect of regular maintenance to keep the filter clean and air flowing, this plugged filter finally became so bad that it allowed pressure to build resulting in combustion in the turbo housings and rear exhaust pipe causing what can only be described as a small explosion that damaged the turbo assemblies, cracked the downpipe, and blew metal shrapnel from front to back of the exhaust system.  The technician also believes that after this initial combustion occurred and the truck started to run poorly, Mr. [redacted] continued to drive the vehicle until such time as it began to overheat and put itself into “limp mode” to protect the truck from even more damage and forced Mr. [redacted] to address the long list of concerns and necessary repairs needed on this truck.  In hindsight, at this point we had pinpointed the more obvious repairs the truck would need, but still only begun to scratch the surface!!  Throughout this whole process we attempted to notify Mr. [redacted] of the progress and any new information we had about his truck, but due to his job situation we started to discover that it was very difficult to get him to call us back in a timely manner and he was constantly unavailable.  We left numerous messages for the next couple weeks waiting to hear if he wanted to proceed with repairs or stop the process since his bill was now sitting at approximately $7,500.00.  He finally called us back around 3/20/16 and approved changing the DPFE filter and the sensors that were clearly damaged associated with the filter.  We also found a metal cooling system bypass hose that was leaking that was also replaced.  Our technician test drove the truck numerous times for a total of approximately 80 miles with no issues.  We then called Mr. [redacted] to inform him that the repairs were complete and the truck was ready to be picked up and that the total bill came to $10,738.00 and he informed us that he did not have the money to pay for the repairs!!  After a full month of discussions and giving us approvals for additional repairs numerous times he never once said that he would not be able to pay for the repairs!!Over the next four months his diesel truck sat idle in our back parking area while Mr. [redacted] weighed his options to come up with payment which included trying to have us sell the vehicle for him and keep the amount of his bill.  This was not possible since he had a loan balance on the truck that was higher than the current value less the charges on his bill.  As time dragged on, we finally got in contact with his bank to try to get something figured out because Mr. [redacted] was dragging his feet.  In the meantime the truck sat because we did not feel comfortable driving it around with all the liability we had already assumed allowing it to sit on our lot.  During this four months we did not add any storage fees or charge him any interest which is customary in situations where payment is not made in a timely manner.  The bank finally agreed to give him an advance on the truck loan if he would add another asset as collateral to the initial loan.  We were finally sent a cashier’s check directly from the bank on 7/25/16 and were finally able to release the vehicle to his family members.  Unfortunately, the saga does not end here.  We were called a couple days later after the truck was finally released to say that the gauge on the dash indicated that the truck was overheating and the wrench light was back on the dash.  The wrench light was on when the truck was brought to us initially.  Our technician then performed a Level 1 diagnosis to determine if something we repaired the first time around had actually failed or if there were new issues with the truck.  It was discovered during his testing that the entire EGR assembly including the throttle actuator and fuel cooler pump had been disconnected and completely removed from the truck.  The code that was stored in the computer triggering the check engine light was P008C- Fuel cooler pump failure due to the pump being disconnected.  This new code was set when the truck was finally able to be driven for a significant amount of time since the original repairs were completed back in March.  We also determined that an after-market computer program had been installed on the truck’s main computer to override the EGR which made it impossible to update the computer to re-calibrate it properly without deleting the program which would render the truck inoperable.We immediately contacted Mr. [redacted] to discuss this latest development with him and to determine how he wanted us to proceed.  The proper repair would obviously be to restore all of these missing components back to their original state so that the truck could be re-calibrated and the computer updated so it would function as designed and stop triggering the check engine light.  However, it was clear to everyone based on our past experience that this type of extensive repair could not be done due to financial issues.  We went back to the drawing board and our technician stated that he could possibly get by with replacing the two thermostats because one was not opening and closing properly.  This approach was approved by Mr. [redacted] and during the installation the technician noted that one thermostat was actually stuck in the open position which contributed to the overheat issue in addition to the missing components already mentioned.  These repairs were eventually approved and were completed on 8/17/16, but the truck once again sat in our back parking lot another four weeks until it was finally delivered back to Mr. [redacted]’s family members again on 9/19/16.We received another call from Mr. [redacted] a couple days later stating that it was overheating again.  It was reiterated to him by our service manager that this truck will most likely continue to have overheating problems as long as the EGR system continues to be disconnected from the truck.  We do not believe that the truck is actually overheating, but the computer thinks there is an overheating issue and triggers the gauges and check engine light because it continues to think the components from the EGR system are there but not working properly and that is throwing everything off.  The truck is engineered to have those components in place and the computer is not able to just understand they have been removed purposely and adjust accordingly.  We are also suspicious that the oil temperature gauge and the engine coolant temperature sensor have been damaged or are malfunctioning as well.  Last time we spoke with Mr. [redacted] he had arranged to bring the truck back in on September 28th for us to look at, but it was at this point where Mr. [redacted]’s mother started her internet smear campaign with scathing half-truth reviews and launched her current complaint with the Revdex.com which we are responding to now.  We feel it is completely unfair for Mr. [redacted] and his mother to hold us in any way responsible for the continued malfunctioning of this truck just because we have worked on it.  It has been discussed quite a few times with both of them that this truck was messed up before he ever bought it and there is no scenario anyone can give where our shop or any other shop out there can completely or even effectively repair a vehicle with vital components removed or bypasses until those are restored.  It was completely Mr. [redacted]’s decision to purchase this vehicle without doing a pre-purchase inspection and it is his decision whether to properly repair his vehicle or not.  That is not in any way my responsibility.  Everything that was repaired on this truck was absolutely necessary and those repairs are functioning properly as far as we know.  They will no longer take our phone calls.  To state that he has paid us $11,000.00 and he still has the same issues is absolutely not true!  He has a completely different issue and he will continue to have ongoing issues until he either reconnects the EGR or sells the vehicle to some other unsuspecting person like himself and washes his hands of it.   To misrepresent that we took six months to repair the truck is also absolutely 100 percent not true!!  They are completely leaving out the fact that the truck sat at our shop either waiting for payments or waiting for someone to come from out of state to pick it up five out of those six months to embellish the facts to make us look bad as a defamation of character.  The bottom line is that any repairs we do at our shop are covered by a two year, 12,000 mile warranty and we are happy to stand behind any repairs that have already been completed if they fail.  The details of our warranty are on the bottom of his receipt and all warranty work has to be done at our shop unless he is more than 50 miles away when the repairs fail.  There is a 1-800 number to call and they will direct him how to proceed with the NAPA Autocare Peace of Mind Warranty process once he is out of the area.  We would like the [redacted]’s to cease and desist from continuing to accuse and defame our shop until such time it is confirmed by a third-party that the repairs we did on this truck are either flawed or inoperable.  So far there has been absolutely no proof provided that any of our repairs have been deemed unnecessary or are not working properly this is the case.  I understand they are frustrated that after spending so much money the truck is still not working right, but we did not buy it, build it, or break it so please stop putting the blame on us without providing any concrete evidence we did what they continue to accuse us of doing!!

Revdex.com:
I would like to reject the offer of Arbitration for complaint ID [redacted].Hayes Automotive had me take the truck to a shop in Billing Montana for diagnotics and repairs if they were to found to be at fault. Shop of Hayes Automotive choice stated repairs Hayes did were not necasary as well as cost to repair is 2,000 roughly. No reaon to arbitrate if Hayes would just hold to their end of the deal they made the issue would be resolved. On aphone call I recorded Hayes states they made a mistake and are going to pay for the repair but now refuse.
Sincerely,
[redacted]