Ken's Muffler Shop Inc

On March 20th 2015, the customer came in with his [redacted] inquiring about a fix for an exhaust leak. After performing an inspection of his exhaust system, our technician found multiple exhaust leaks. The vehicle had an aftermarket performance header on it that was wrapped...

with fiberglass header wrap. The most severe exhaust leak was coming from a section of the header that was covered by header wrap. The flange that connected the header to the up pipe was also covered and our technician could hear a leak from somewhere around that flange. There was also a leak from the top of the up pipe. It had a crack below the flange that connected the up pipe to the turbo.Our technician brought the customer out to his vehicle in the shop and showed him what he found. While the vehicle was running, our technician showed him there was a major leak from the header and explained that to find out exactly what the cause was he would have to remove the header wrap and the wrap that was covering up the flange. With a piece of welding rod our technician pointed to the top of the up pipe were it was cracked and explained that not only was the pipe cracked but more than likely the metal was crystallized and because of this, any fix would only be a temporary fix and because of the location we could not guarantee that we would be able to weld the entire crack. The customer said to do the best we could and that he would be replacing the up pipe anyway. The customer was not interested in the additional work of removing the header wrap (even though our technician explained that he could hear another leak under the wrap) to allow a thorough inspection. Our technician was able to seal the entire crack which did not require welding around the whole pipe. The customer’s bill for that day was $70.80 with tax.On April 16, 2015 (27 days later) the customer came in and in a very cordial manner explained to a customer service rep that, he had been in previously to have repair work done and sometime after started having problems with the engine getting too hot. He knew he needed a new up pipe and stopped at another shop to have it replaced. After having it replaced he asked for his old up pipe back and he said he noticed that not only had we not done a 360 degree weld but we welded the wrong end, leaving the original crack untouched and performing a weld on the end that didn't need it. As all of our technicians were out to lunch at the time, our service rep asked the customer if he could come back in about 45 minutes to which he agreed. He left the up pipe with us so we could discuss what happened with our technician. He alsosaid that our technician pulled his front bumper off as he was driving it on the rack. His vehicle sits low to the ground and didn't have proper clearance. He remarked that he wasn't worried about that but he wanted something done about the weld. He further stated that he wasn't interested in receiving his money back but instead would like us to put on his new headers free of charge. Our service rep, not knowing the involvement of the suggested remuneration said she would have to defer that option to someone else.  At the request of the service rep, the customer left the up pipe with us so we could document the event and discuss it with the technician.  Upon returning from lunch we informed our technician of the situation. He promptly took the pipe and showed us his weld – completely covering the crack even though it was not a 360 degree weld. We were also able to see the crack on the other end of the pipe along with the crystallization of the metal. Something we were not able to seewhile the pipe was on the vehicle covered in fiberglass wrap. The customer returned around 2 in the afternoon and we showed him what we had discovered about his up pipe. We lifted the car up on the rack to show him the other original problems that were going on. At that time we noticed that his bumper was hanging loose and he hadattempted to repair it with self-tapping screws. We did not discuss the bumper further as he said that was not an issue for him. The question that arose in our mind was if he had fixed it, why was it still hanging loose. Later we asked our technician about that and he said it did indeed rub the rack as it was driven on and that the customer mentioned it and asked him to be more careful but when he looked to see if he caused damage the bumper was already loose and the self-tapping screws had come awayfrom the body. This would have become a he said/they said situation without a final resolve and since this was curiously not our customer concern we let it go.  Our decision was to refund his money $70.80, which we did. That however was unsatisfactory to him and he insisted we also complete the replacement of his header. After much deliberation another technician told him he would replace the header with a new one if the customer would bring in his own header. The customer left to go get his header and returned at 4:20PM with the original manifold that was on it before putting on the aftermarket header. He said his header wouldn't be in for a while so he just wanted his original manifold put on. We were expecting a new header that comes with a new gasket. There was no gasket with the manifold and we proceeded to order a gasket from our parts supplier. The customer asked our Service Manager if he needed to go get a gasket and she told him she had already ordered one. When the gasketarrived the box was empty. The customer was a witness to this. At this point it was after closing and too late to get another gasket from our supplier. We told him if he could leave the car with us overnight we would get the gasket first thing in the morning and get it completed right away. That was not an option for him. He wanted itrepaired immediately. The only option we had for him was to use the old gasket to which he agreed. The job was completed while the customer and his friends watched. Upon completion the customer and his friends accepted the work done. The next morning there was a message on the answering machine left by the customer the night before saying that he had called several different parts stores and therewere plenty of gaskets available. He felt we had lied to him and would be back tomorrow. That day (April 17th) he came back and had a very threatening posture. He demanded that we redo the job with new gaskets and said we lied to him. We explained that we didn't lie. That our parts supplier was unable to get us another gasket and that we do not do business with the discount parts stores that he had called. We also reminded him that we gave him the option of leaving the vehicle overnight to wait for new gaskets but he declined that option. We asked him if his car was performing as expected and he said it was but that wasn't the point, he "just wanted what hepaid for." Since we had already refunded his money we said we had done everything we could for him. His next response was “then I want you to pay for my bumper”.  Clearly we were not going to be able to do anything to make him happy and as there was doubt in our mind that our technician caused any additional damage we reaffirmed that we were done and could do nothing more for him. Our security cameras show the customer and his friends in the bay while the manifold was being installed with his old gasket. His claim that he was at dinner and didn't know can be proven inaccurate.Furthermore on all occasions there were several customers in our lobby that are witnesses to these facts. It is with all likely-hood that these challenges will need to be addressed in court.

If the customer had come to management at the time of the alleged incident with his bumper, we would have been able to verify weather or not our technician caused the damage to his bumper. Given the fact that it took him 27 days to come back creates reasonable doubt in our minds that we caused this damage. We stand by our statement that the flange was covered in a fiberglass wrap, preventing us from repairing additional cracks. We refunded the amount of $70.80 for the original work, even though we do not feel we were at fault. As the customers recollection of the events differs from ours, we accept that it will only be satisfied by outside arbitration.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The employee who damaged my bumper and knew he did, his name is [redacted]. If a car is damaged you should take responsibility and make it right not making excuses. The screws that are in the bumper was a temp fix, I wanted my car to run right and still is not. My stock header that was put back on with "USED" gaskets is leaking...who would have thought that using "old" gaskets that they wouldnt last? Must be a phenomenon and old gaskets cant be bad. I will not let "Kens Muffler" get away with mistreatment and take advantage of me. You are lazy and didn't do your diligence, man up and take responsibility for your lack of actions. You damaged my bumper and now your going to pay for it plain and simple, either the easy way or the long and painful process of litigation. I will not just go away, I will continue to fight this until I have to explain my case and bring in witnesses and show items to the proper authority. This all could have been taken care of by telling the truth and fixing my bumper. Again going back to the beginning, I asked for my stock header to be put back on properly and with new gaskets which didnt happen you said we are done. So in that case you will pay for the damage done to my car "bumper and front lip". The fact you are fighting this shows the lack of integrity in your company and the lack of work ethic/respect you dont have for your customers in this community. God only knows how many people you have screwed over and not told. Karma   
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:I would like my complaint ID [redacted], to be handled through an Arbitration hearing with Revdex.com.Regards,