J&J Auto Repair

I am responding to a customer's concerns from the Revdex.com, ID [redacted] on behalf of J&J Auto RepairWe understand the customers concerns and.have been and still are attempting to rectify In regards to the initial repairs; the intake gasket and throttle body,those repairs were made based on the OBD code readerUpon repair, the customer's vehicle was towed to [redacted] for Throttle Body programming, a dealership only repairThe technician stated upon connection to their equipmentthe engine was also failing, and not to program the throttle body as the engine would also need to be replacedThe vehicle was towed back to us and the customer immediately informed The customer was given a quote of $for a Jasper Certified Rebuilt Engine, which came with a year/100,mile warranty covering parts and laborBut, was recommended to not replace as it would exceed the value of the vehicle with all repairs neededThe customer asked for time to think about a decisionThe customer contacted us about two weeks later, stating the car was still being paid for and the dealership wasn't giving money on a trade-in, and had no choice but to complete the repairs, but asked if there was any way a used engine could be used instead of a certified rebuilt We let the customer know that we do not install used junkyard engines as they only come with a day warranty, and do not cover labor, and w'e ave noway of truly verifying the conditionThe customer continued to express the need for the vehicle and asked us to make an exception In attempt to work with the customer, we bent our rule and found a used engine from a reputable junkyard that we have used beforeThe customer was notified the cost of the engine was $and there was a 30-day part only warrantyThe customer said they wanted itThe customer dropped off a deposit, a donation check from another company, in the amount of the engine, but said they didn't have the half-labor deposit, which we require for all engine and transmission repairsWe again bent: the rules for the customer, as we don't accept checks (stating we'd order the engine once the check cleared, which took a week), and agreed to collect the labor upon release of the vehicleThe customer was given a receipt for the deposit, which the receipt also states that .it was a used engine warranty, 30-days, parts onlyOnce the check cleared, the engine was purchased and installedAs the customer stated, and was informed, a engine was sent and used, as the engines are the same for both years, there is mechanically no reason, they are not interchangeable Once the engine was replaced and installed, it was running, however, shutting off after several minutesWe continued to diagnose the vehicle, and make repairs needed based on the OBD readerWe then got a code that the car's computer was malfunctioning The customer was informed and given the quote for the computer, part only, no labor as again, we understood the customer's frustrationAgain, the customer said the dealership part was too high, and although advised against it, purchased a computer offline and asked us to install itWe warned the customer against off the market computers, and told them it would require dealership programming as it was used and off market The customer said it was o as it was cheaper than the dealership computer, which came preprogrammedIt was an additional two weeks before the customer ordered the computer and dropped it off to our shopWe installed it, and towed lt to the dealership the samdayThe dealership advised the customer to pay for a diagnostic:, but gave a range of $200-$to diagnoseThe customer refused the dealerships diagnostic recommendation ,and requested to have the computer programmedThe same cut off issue occurredThe customer then towed the vehicle to another auto repair shop for another non-dealership opinion and diagnostic We are not sure what repair shop the vehicle Is at, the customer towed the vehicle there over a month ago, but we informed the customer that we contacted the junkyard and a replacement engine would be provided, but the engine had to be uninstalled for the engines to be exchangedWe waited two weeks and the junkyard had not provided a replacement engineWe •ked them, although against their return policy, to issue a refund as they could not locate a replacementThey agreed and said they still need the engine returned for the refundThe customer picked up their original engine on March 11, 2014, and informed u.s that the junkyard engine was uninstalled and the customer was to drop it off to us for the refundThe customer has yet to provide us with the junkyard engine for the refundKeeping in mind, we don't know who has the customer's vehicle or the junkyard engine, and if tbey cause damages to the engine, the junkyard will not issue a refund Finally, in reference to the labor charge, we already informed the customer that we were not charging for the engine laborAlthough the customer signed an invoice stating we were not responsible for the risk being taken with the purchase of a used engine, and due to no fault of ours during instillationwe were simply trying to better an already difficult and confusing situation by not charging the laborWith all that being said, once the customer returns the engine, the cost of the engine is to be refunded and no charge for labor on our end

I am responding to a customer's concerns from the Revdex.com, ID [redacted] on behalf of J&J Auto Repair. We understand the customers concerns and.have been and still are attempting to rectify.
In regards to the initial repairs; the intake gasket and throttle body,those repairs...

were made based on the OBD code reader. Upon repair, the customer's vehicle was towed to [redacted] for Throttle Body programming, a dealership only repair. The technician stated upon connection to their equipment. the engine was also failing, and not to program the throttle body as the engine would also need to be replaced. The vehicle was towed back to us and the customer immediately informed.
The customer was given a quote of $4800 for a Jasper Certified Rebuilt Engine, which came with a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty covering parts and labor. But, was recommended to not replace as it would exceed the value of the vehicle with all repairs needed. The customer asked for time to think about a decision. The customer contacted us about two weeks later, stating the car was still being paid for and the dealership wasn't giving money on a trade-in, and had no choice but to complete the repairs, but asked if there was any way a used engine could be used instead of a certified rebuilt We let the customer know that we do not install used junkyard engines as they only
come with a 30 day warranty, and do not cover labor, and w'e ave noway of truly verifying the condition. The customer continued to express the need for the vehicle and asked us to make an exception.
In attempt to work with the customer, we bent our normal rule and found a used engine from a reputable junkyard that we have used before. The customer was notified the cost of the engine was $1100 and there was a 30-day part only warranty. The customer said they wanted it. The customer dropped off a deposit, a donation check from another company, in the amount of the engine, but said they didn't have the half-labor deposit, which we require for all engine and transmission repairs. We again bent: the rules for the customer, as we don't accept checks (stating we'd order the engine once the check cleared, which took a week), and agreed to collect the labor upon release of the vehicle. The customer was given a receipt for the deposit, which the receipt also states that .it was a used engine warranty, 30-days, parts only. Once the check cleared, the engine was purchased and installed. As the customer stated, and was informed, a 2006 engine was sent and used, as the engines are the same for both years, there is mechanically no reason, they are not interchangeable.
Once the engine was replaced and installed, it was running, however, shutting off after several minutes. We continued to diagnose the vehicle, and make repairs needed based on the OBD reader. We then got a code that the car's computer was malfunctioning.  The customer was informed and given the quote for the computer, part only, no labor as again, we understood the customer's frustration. Again, the customer said the dealership part was too high, and although advised against it, purchased a computer offline and asked us to install it. We warned the customer against off the market computers, and told them it would require dealership programming as it was used and off market The customer said it was o as it was cheaper than the dealership computer, which came preprogrammed. It was an additional two weeks before the customer ordered the computer and dropped it off to our shop. We installed it, and towed lt to the dealership the samday. The dealership advised the customer to pay for a diagnostic:, but gave a range of $200-$1000 to diagnose. The customer refused the dealerships diagnostic recommendation ,and requested to have the computer programmed. The same cut off issue occurred. The customer then towed the vehicle to another auto repair shop for another non-dealership opinion and diagnostic.
We are not sure what repair shop the vehicle Is at, the customer towed the vehicle there over a month ago, but we informed the customer that we contacted the junkyard and a replacement engine would be provided, but the engine had to be uninstalled for the engines to be exchanged. We waited two weeks and the junkyard had not provided a replacement engine. We •ked them,  although against their return policy, to issue a refund as they could not locate a replacement. They agreed and said they still need the engine returned for the refund. The customer picked up their original engine on March 11, 2014, and informed u.s that the junkyard engine was uninstalled and the customer was to drop it off to us for the refund. The customer has yet to provide us with the junkyard  engine for the refund. Keeping in mind, we don't know who has the customer's vehicle or the junkyard engine, and if tbey cause damages to the engine, the junkyard will not issue a refund.
Finally, in reference to the labor charge, we already informed the customer that we were not charging for the engine labor. Although the customer signed an invoice stating we were not responsible for the risk being taken with the purchase of a used engine, and due to no fault of ours during instillation. we were simply trying to better an already difficult and confusing situation by not charging the labor. With all that being said, once the customer returns the engine, the cost of the engine is to be refunded and no charge for labor on our end.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
There seems to be a few discrepancies in the email. Yes, I was contacted upon J&J's notification that Nissan advised them my engine was failing, however, I wasn't notified that the throttle body was not programmed. Since that is the case, aren't I due a refund for both the part (if applicable) and the labor, which amounts to over $300? That same evening, [redacted] did inform me about a Jasper engine and gave me a price that surpassed what I could comfortably afford. He then advised me about a company based in Philadelphia, a junkyard, that he regularly did business with and he would see if they had an engine available. [redacted] called back within that week and said they had an engine for $1100.00. So what took "two weeks" was not the decision on getting an engine, instead, it was coming up with the money for one. Also, I didn't tell anyone that I couldn't get any money for my vehicle as I did not get it appraised nor was I informed that J&J does not install used engines. Had I known that, I could have had my vehicle towed elsewhere instead of back to the shop. So "expressing the need" would have been unnecessary as there are other mechanics in the area that do service both used and rebuilt engines.
I called [redacted] after a company decided to generously help me with the cost of repairs and informed him that I had the money for the engine. When I factored in the cost of labor, he stated, "Don't worry about it. Let's just get the engine and we can take care of the labor after repairs." The decision to "bend the rules" was entirely on their end without any intercedance from me.
The engine came in, they
installed it but only to get that phone call that the car was still not
functioning properly. [redacted] then advised me that it's my computer that now needs
to be replaced and I asked so sternly if the computer could be the only thing
that would cause the car to run so poorly.His response was yes. So I gave him
the go to order the part. As in most cases, getting the part from the dealer
would have exceeded what I could have afforded so [redacted], in turn, recomended
calling the junkyard and get a price of an available computer. The part came
about a week later, only to realize the junkyard shipped the wrong one. It was
sent back and weeks went by with no word from the junkyard of finding a
compatible one. I asked [redacted] if I could assist him in finding the computer. He
agreed. I called Nissan and asked them for an item # and all available data
needed to search for the correct computer. I went onto eBay and found a
computer compatible to what I was told. I ordered it from [redacted]'s Auto (a
junkyard based in Minnesota). Due to the inclement weather at the time, it took
longer than expected to arrive. Again, the part was installed and again another
phone call alerting me that the vehicle still will not run. I called [redacted]'s to
verify their return policy. The gentleman I spoke with stated he would gladly
take back the computer but it is recommended that I take it to the dealer for
programming as most of the nissan computers need it in order to run the car
sufficiently. It was towed to the dealer and again, nothing. Upon paying for
another repair, one of the men from the service department advised me that he
nor his team felt that it was the computer in the first place. They said they
could hook it up to their diagnostic tool but the cost of that would be
dependant on how much of the engine they had to take apart to get to the
problem, ranging anywhere from $200-$1000+ and which none of that was going to
the cost of labor. I decided against it. A trusted friend gave me thenumber to
a mechanic that she uses regularly. I towed the car to his shop.After 2 1/2
days, he advised me of the MULTIPLE issues from the engine along with the
problems of the installation. I went back to the shop and had Benny (owner of
Tiger's Auto) speak with [redacted], since their knowledge of car repairs surpasses
mine. So even though the exact location was not given in the conversations that
took place, they did indeed speak to Benny and Benny advised [redacted] that there
was a crack in the head gasket, there was coolant and oil mixed together and
the timing was thrown off in the car in a compartment called "bank
2". While Benny has no afiliation with Nissan, it's pretty funny that they
both came up with an almost identical diagnosis and neither one communicated
with the other. So this non-dealership opinion and diagnostics was backed by one.
I also want to point out that during the conversations, [redacted] never disputed the
allegations of the engine being put in incorrectly or the fact that a 2006
engine could differ slightly than a 2007. I also would like to point out that
that was the first I was told that the engine was not the same year as my
vehicle. My assumption was my car is a 2007, therefore I'm recieving a 2007
engine. That only made sense and anything different from that should have been
expressed to me, with the pros and the cons. [redacted] did try and remedy the
situation by having the junkyard locate another engine. When they came up empty
handed, talk of a refund was considered. On March 11th, I picked up my original
engine from [redacted] with the expectations of returning the other one to him the
same day. Due to Benny's schedule, it was delayed until about a week later and
the engine was delivered to [redacted] on March 19th and verified with him the next
day that he received the engine. I hope the email that was sent to Revdex.com was sent
prior to J&J receiving the engine because to the best of my knowledge, it
is within their possession. To date, I have not received a phone call regarding
the status of the refund.

Review: I took my car to J&J Auto for repair. The mechanic suggested parts that needed to be replaced (intake gasket and throttle body). Once the throttle body was installed, it was towed to the nearest Nissan dealership for programming. According to the mechanic, Nissan stated the engine was bad and needed to be replaced (after spending money to replace the throttle body and programming). He quoted me a price for a used engine at a junkyard in Philadelphia, $1100. Unbeknownst to me, he purchased a 2006 engine for my 2007 vehicle. The mechanic installed the engine and the vehicle would start, but then shut off after a few minutes. He advised me to change several components in the car, including the computer system. That also needed to be taken to Nissan for programmming, a cost of $200, only for Nissan to tell me afterwards that they don't believe the problem was ever the computer. They thought it may be a timing issue between the engine and the transmission. In total, J&J Auto had my car for almost 4 months. I paid a tow company to take my car to another mechanic for a second opinion. This mechanic advised me in 2 days that 1. because the engine is of a different year than the vehicle, any difference could throw off the timing of the engine; 2. the reason it won't continue to run after starting has to do with the installation of the engine. It wasn't lined up correctly causing the car to shut off; 3. there was also oil and coolant mixed within the engine and the gasket was blown. J&J Auto was notified immediately. They claimed to have contacted the junkyard in Philadelphia to reconcile the issue. After about a week, I get a voicemail from J&J stating the junkyard is working on refunding my money. That was over a week ago. As of now, I haven't heard from either company.Desired Settlement: I would like to be refunded in the amount of $1100. J&J is also charging a labor fee of $800, which I believe they are not entitled to due to the amount of money I had to spend on "guessing games".

Business

Response:

I am responding to a customer's concerns from the Revdex.com, ID [redacted] on behalf of J&J Auto Repair. We understand the customers concerns and.have been and still are attempting to rectify.

In regards to the initial repairs; the intake gasket and throttle body,those repairs were made based on the OBD code reader. Upon repair, the customer's vehicle was towed to [redacted] for Throttle Body programming, a dealership only repair. The technician stated upon connection to their equipment. the engine was also failing, and not to program the throttle body as the engine would also need to be replaced. The vehicle was towed back to us and the customer immediately informed.

The customer was given a quote of $4800 for a Jasper Certified Rebuilt Engine, which came with a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty covering parts and labor. But, was recommended to not replace as it would exceed the value of the vehicle with all repairs needed. The customer asked for time to think about a decision. The customer contacted us about two weeks later, stating the car was still being paid for and the dealership wasn't giving money on a trade-in, and had no choice but to complete the repairs, but asked if there was any way a used engine could be used instead of a certified rebuilt We let the customer know that we do not install used junkyard engines as they only

come with a 30 day warranty, and do not cover labor, and w'e ave noway of truly verifying the condition. The customer continued to express the need for the vehicle and asked us to make an exception.

In attempt to work with the customer, we bent our normal rule and found a used engine from a reputable junkyard that we have used before. The customer was notified the cost of the engine was $1100 and there was a 30-day part only warranty. The customer said they wanted it. The customer dropped off a deposit, a donation check from another company, in the amount of the engine, but said they didn't have the half-labor deposit, which we require for all engine and transmission repairs. We again bent: the rules for the customer, as we don't accept checks (stating we'd order the engine once the check cleared, which took a week), and agreed to collect the labor upon release of the vehicle. The customer was given a receipt for the deposit, which the receipt also states that .it was a used engine warranty, 30-days, parts only. Once the check cleared, the engine was purchased and installed. As the customer stated, and was informed, a 2006 engine was sent and used, as the engines are the same for both years, there is mechanically no reason, they are not interchangeable.

Once the engine was replaced and installed, it was running, however, shutting off after several minutes. We continued to diagnose the vehicle, and make repairs needed based on the OBD reader. We then got a code that the car's computer was malfunctioning. The customer was informed and given the quote for the computer, part only, no labor as again, we understood the customer's frustration. Again, the customer said the dealership part was too high, and although advised against it, purchased a computer offline and asked us to install it. We warned the customer against off the market computers, and told them it would require dealership programming as it was used and off market The customer said it was o as it was cheaper than the dealership computer, which came preprogrammed. It was an additional two weeks before the customer ordered the computer and dropped it off to our shop. We installed it, and towed lt to the dealership the samday. The dealership advised the customer to pay for a diagnostic:, but gave a range of $200-$1000 to diagnose. The customer refused the dealerships diagnostic recommendation ,and requested to have the computer programmed. The same cut off issue occurred. The customer then towed the vehicle to another auto repair shop for another non-dealership opinion and diagnostic.

We are not sure what repair shop the vehicle Is at, the customer towed the vehicle there over a month ago, but we informed the customer that we contacted the junkyard and a replacement engine would be provided, but the engine had to be uninstalled for the engines to be exchanged. We waited two weeks and the junkyard had not provided a replacement engine. We •ked them, although against their return policy, to issue a refund as they could not locate a replacement. They agreed and said they still need the engine returned for the refund. The customer picked up their original engine on March 11, 2014, and informed u.s that the junkyard engine was uninstalled and the customer was to drop it off to us for the refund. The customer has yet to provide us with the junkyard engine for the refund. Keeping in mind, we don't know who has the customer's vehicle or the junkyard engine, and if tbey cause damages to the engine, the junkyard will not issue a refund.

Finally, in reference to the labor charge, we already informed the customer that we were not charging for the engine labor. Although the customer signed an invoice stating we were not responsible for the risk being taken with the purchase of a used engine, and due to no fault of ours during instillation. we were simply trying to better an already difficult and confusing situation by not charging the labor. With all that being said, once the customer returns the engine, the cost of the engine is to be refunded and no charge for labor on our end.

Consumer

Response: