Import Car Experts

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/06/03) */
April 30th a first time customer *** *** called to make an appointment stating she chose our shop due to the great reviews she readThe customer's car is a Infinity Gsedan with milesThe only history I have on the
car is what she told meThe car was had been over heatingfor quite some timeThey would fill the radiator every day and there were no signs of leaksShe had someone previous to us working on the car but they couldn't find the problemI don't know if was a qualified shop or somebody's back yardI explained to *** there could be a number of reasons why her car was overheatingShe thought it may be the water pumpI agreed that was possibleWe need to follow procedures to determine problemThe car was towed into the shopThe first thing we notice when starting the car it would hardly idleThe air flow meter boot assy was torn causing a lean mixtureLean mixture in itself could contribute to overheatingAt this time we gave *** a written estimate to diagnose over heating and replace airflow boot assyOur first step was to pressure test the systemUnder pressure the radiator was leaking between the core and the top tankThe radiator core is made of aluminumTop and bottom tanks made of plasticSealed together with a rubber gasketFairly reliable for 100,milesCooling systems that are properly maintained will definitely last longerEventually they will leak or tank will crackThis type of radiator is the most common cause of cooling system failure, causing other things to fail along with itSuch as head gaskets warped or cracked cylinder heads or just burning up motors4/24/we were authorized to replace radiator bleed system & rechecksystemEngine still overheating under loadNext stepPreform chemical block testTo my surprise block test showed no internal combustionChemical did not color from light blue to a light yellowMy first thought was the chemicla was bad
I brought the chemical tester to the exhaust pipe held it to exhaust chemical changed color immediatelyJust for the record chemical test are not always 100% accurateChemical test are done at idleCombustion pressure at idle is considerably less than under a loadYou may have a combustion leak going past a head gasket going up a hill and no leak at idleRather then condeming the head gasket we need to at least ck the water pump firstIf the ph level in a cooling system is to high it can eat the impellas off the water pump or they can just brakeCausing poor circulation and overheating
On 5/1/We got authorization from *** to remove the water pump for inspection and replace if necessaryOn this engine the water pump is located inside the timing cover, it is driven by of timing chains inside the coverThe outer timing chain tensioner has to be removed.This allows the chain to loosen to remove the water pumpThe timing chain tensioner puts pressure on the timing chain guide in order to keep the timing chain tightTiming chain guide is made of plasticWhen the timing chain tensioner was removed the tensioner was broke and the broken peace of the tensioner fell into the timing coverThis engine can not be started of even cranked over with this broken guideDoing so would cause timing chain to jump or breakIn turn it could bend valve or destroy the motorIn order to repair this the timing chains and guides need to be replaced
This break was not visible to the naked eyeThe way it is broke its been broke a whileIf this had come apart when driving the car would have stopped immediately destroying the motor
5/2/I notifyed *** & explained situationShe immediately blaimed usThis problem could not be predictedI asked her to come to the shop so that I could show her what happened
5/22/*** came in to look at the chain guide and tensionerHer mind was made upShe advised me she had already called B.A.RI agreed with herI sugested that she follow up with B.A.RI advised *** she is responsible for the billWe need to fix the car or take it out of hereWe have to push the car in and out of the shop every dayWe don't leave any customers car out side
This is a unfortunate situationThis car in its day was a hi dollar carThe problem with hi dollar cars with 247,miare hi dollar unextected repairs that cant be avoidedA radiator & a water pump are not out of reachWith a vehicle with 247,miles the unexpected can happened
The unpredictable is not my faultThis timing chain guide breaking is something that can happed to cars with lower milageI feel sorry for *** but I don't feel I am responsible in any way
This vehicle has been in our shop over a month, havent heard from her in almost weeksI figued she abandoned the car
We have a good reputation in townWe did nothing wrong
Sincerely
*** ***
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2015/06/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
On 4/23/I took my car in to be fixed for an overheating problem, NOT AN ENGINE PROBLEMThe only reason it was towed in was because of the overheating problem, other than that, the engine was intact and perfectly fine on arrival to Import Car ExpertsI recall him saying, that "these cars last a long time, good cars." On that date, I did not receive any documentation and/or explanation of any storage fees that I would be responsible for if I failed to leave my car there for a longer time than expectedI further never signed anything to that effect
On 4/24/*** called me that the car needed a radiator, which I agreed to have fixedI did NOT hear from *** until first of May, where he said he was going to check the water pump, which reluctantly I agreed to, I told him I never had any leaks but I agreed to have him check itI didnt hear from *** again until May 11th, wherein he said that while trying to get to the water pump, he dropped something into the motorI was very upset, because now with so much experience in his hands, *** should have known that it was a delicate job and he should have placed something underneath so as to not drop anything into the engineHe failed to protect the engine from anything falling into it and damaged my engine while he was repairing another part of my carI also recall him saying that because of the difficulty getting to the water pump, the fee would be $To that end, he ended up telling me it was not the water pump that was the problem, yet he still charged me for the parts and labor to fix something, he concluded was not the problem
On the same day, May 11th he said he had two cars for sale a Honda and a Pontiac Gand that my car he would junk and he would further give me a $1,discount from what I had to pay him and just come up with the balance for the cars he was selling meI was in disbelief and in shock
He admittedly has damaged my vehicle, felt guilty for what he did, so as to try to discount me $1,for the purchase of one of his car in his lot
On May 14th, we spoke about the parts and labor for work that I agreed to pay for but at that time, I also told him that I would pay for ONLY said agreed work done to my car but that he would have to fix the engine HE" damaged while in his careIn his words "When the timing chain tensioner was removed the tensioner was broke and the broken peace of the tensioner fell into the timing cover"He both admitted to having the vehicle in his care and possession and allowing the tensioner to fall into the timing coverHe further explains in his response that "If this had come apart when driving the car would have stopped immediately destroying the motor"Which obviously, did not occur while I had possession of my vehicle, because the engine was working and drive-able when it was in my possession, so its evident and admitted by him that it only occurred while in his hands-trying to replace the water pump
*** further fails to share the fact that on May 19th I went to his shop to both pay for the work agreed upon and to have him explain the engine situation "part that he let fall into my engine"On said date, I agreed to pay for the work I agreed to have done and I asked him to replace my motor, as it was working when I took my car to himHe refused and I told him that I would be reporting this situation to the B.A.R*** further said come pick up your vehicleI was very upset because not only did I have to pay for work concluded was not the problem, but now I had a damaged engine in my car
The following week, I spoke with my insurance carrier and I attempted to have my insurance carrier pick up the car, so that I could have someone I trusted work on the car, I never told *** I would not pay for the work performed, and he never told me that I would have to pay for storage fees because of his lack of diagnosticsMy insurance carrier went to pick up the car, yet *** would not release the car and told the carrier that my car was old, had a lot of miles and that was why the car's engine died and who knows what other things were said, so the insurance carrier did not pick up the carAs such, I DID NOT abandon my vehicle, I attempted on two separate occassions to do something about getting my vehicleI not only tried to pay for unsatisfied work performed but also attempted to pick up my vehicleTo no avail, as *** refused to release my car and as such, the claim through my auto insurance was cancelled
*** had my car since 4/23/2015, yet it wasnt until 5/11/that he came up with the diagnostics that it might be my water pump, which eventually he admitted wasnt the problem (days in his shop without a proper diagnostic)
He proceeded to advice the DMV that my car would be lien sold on 6/and that I further owed him the work performed and the storage fees, which again, I was never told about on ANY of my conversations with ***
I have spoken with Infiniti dealers and they said that a diagnostic would be no longer than a couple of hours, yet *** took almost days to properly diagnose my vehicleHe obviously knows he did something wrong to cause my engine to break and now he intends to not only hold my vehicle from my insurance carrier who would have repaired my vehicle in its entirety but now intents to lien sell my car
I would like my car engine replaced or Import Car to give me enough to replace my vehicle entirely