Kings Krete

[redacted]
Auto’s Etc. LTD DBA Automax
[redacted]
Killeen, Texas 76543
 
Revdex.com Corporate Office
1005 La Posada Drive
Austin, Tx 78752
Dear Revdex.com,
After reviewing the complaint submitted on 3/21/2016, ID of [redacted], we sincerely apologize that the email where the...

original complaint had been filed was misprinted. We have since received the complaint regarding [redacted]. [redacted] and we are working diligently to repair the relationship between our consumer and his family.
Addressing the complaint:
The [redacted] family was interested in purchasing a Mitsubishi Outlander, at the time our facility had a special running for qualified buyers. The specials at the time had incentives and rebates offered through the manufacturer as well as dealer discounts. However, in order to qualify for the incentives the consumer has to qualify under the rules and regulations of the lender who approves the transaction structure. Due to the negative equity in the vehicle being traded in, some of the dealer discounts had to be forfeited in order for the consumer to receive the .9 interest rate they received. This typically occurs in order for the consumer to retain equitable value in the vehicle being purchased and not forfeit value due to a negative trade. Also, due to the lenders rules, regulation or practice when rebates are offered the lowest interest rate is not an option, so lenders give the consumer the option of receiving the rebate or the lowest possible interest rate. Which, in this particular case the consumer chose the lower interest rate.
The vehicle being traded was in fact in the name of the father. Due to lender rules of practice a third party trade was not allowed. The information regarding the third party trade unfortunately was not relayed promptly because of the time the transaction was occurring. The lender had already closed for the day and a response regarding the vehicle was not received until the next business day.
Due to the scenario, an actual sales price could not be established immediately because the trade vehicle was not in the buyers name and establishing a firm number after qualified credit and rebates was not foreseeable due to the time of day and the lenders availability at that time. Furthermore, establishing a basis for monthly payment in this situation allows for our finance team to structure the loan properly to maximize the potential for approval at the lowest rate. Thus, seeking the best interest of the consumer.
The aftermarket item purchased for the new vehicle was subsequently installed. However, in order for any items to be installed in a vehicle purchase, a member of our sales team has to verify the vehicle identification in order to prevent a wrongful installation of product.
Due to the high volume of vehicle loaner needs on that particular day our facility was initially unable to assist the [redacted] family with their needs. Since the incident our facility has made adjustments so this does not occur again.
Sincerely, it is the mission of Automax to provide the best customer service to our customers at all times. Our team will work diligently to improve the relationship between the [redacted] family and our staff at Automax in Killeen, Texas.
[redacted]
General Manager

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:I received a voice mail from the service department and returned that call.  NO one answered, so I left a voice messages.  My message has not been returned, so I have not been able to set up a return visit.Regards,[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: response does not say who to contact or who they are. And what they will do for me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear Revdex.com, After reviewing the complaint submitted on 10/26/16, ID of  [redacted], we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience due to any misunderstanding on our or the consumers behalf. Addressing the Complaint: We will stand behind our work and the parts are warranted through the...

manufacturer.  Please bring in your receipts and any other pictures, documents, etc., you feel isrelevant and we will be happy to review. Sincerely, [redacted]Director Fixed Operations

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]

Please be advised that the truck has been fixed to the customer's satisfaction.  Automax has replaced the tires and the rims on the vehicle.  Our Fixed Operations Director personally spoke to Mr. [redacted] and he confirmed that the truck is working well and he was happy with the...

actions taken by Automax to resolve his issue.

Mr. [redacted] received a new battery as requested.  In addition, our General Sales Manager, Tim Ward, spoke to Mr. [redacted] today, 8/15/17, and Mr. [redacted] confirmed that he is happy that we have addressed his concernsand will be bringing his vehicle to Automax for service in the...

future. Thank You, [redacted]

I understand the frustration you must be going through with a vehicle that no longer works.  I would like visit further about the experience please call [redacted]if I don't answer please leave a message and I will get back as soon as possible.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I do not want to do business with Automax. They are ripoffs and liars. Also that my truck has been stolen. 
Regards,
[redacted]

After reviewing the complaint submit[redacted] on 4/11/2016, ID of [redacted], we sincerely apologize and we are working diligently to repair the relationship between our consumer and [redacted].

I understand that your vehicle has both cosmetic and mechanical issues. I am not able to give your money back however I am willing to look into trading the vehicle for another one that may fit your needs.

Please accept may sincere apologies from the entire service department. We do not like to delivery vehicles in the condition you have described. I will be happy to have your vehicle cleaned and gased. Again my most sincere apologies to you and your fiancé.

Again,  I am more then happy to make an appointment with you to schedule the work needed. Please let us know when a good day would be for you to leave your vehicle with us. Thank you.

I look forward to discussing the situation with you.

Thank you for being a valued customer of Automax. I will be happy to help you with the key situation. Please contact me at [redacted]

We have reached out to our valued guest and have resolved all concerns. She has confirmed that Nissan has also removed any late charges, or late penalties that potentially were going to reflect on her credit in a negative manner.Thank you,AutomaxGeneral Sales Manager[redacted]...

[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Thank you for your response to our inquiry. We have read the reply from Automax Hyundai and would like to clarify a few points. In their reply Automax states that when bringing the car into the shop for repair it turned over but did not start as quickly as it should. Upon dropping off the car the night before, my wife had asked that the service department, in addition to performing the recall, notify us of any other maintenance issues they noticed while in their possession. We were notified around noon on November 24th that our car was finished and ready to go. I went to pick up the car, and when I got there they processed our paperwork and sent a tech to retrieve the car, never saying that there were any other issues. It was only after they realized that the car would not run that anything was ever said about this starting issue. While we haven't been having starting issues with the vehicle, it is nevertheless possible that it did not start up as quickly as it could have. However, the car was still completely driveable as it was driven into the shop. Automax states that the valve cover gasket had been changed before and they insinuate that some damage may have been done at that time that could have caused this failure. It is true that the valve cover gasket has been replaced at least once before, as the oil leaking onto the alternator has been the most major issue we have had with the vehicle. We are currently on our 3rd alternator, and will soon need a 4th, assuming the vehicle ever runs again. While we still don't know exact date, we know it was roughly a year or more ago when this was last done because it was done concurrently with the last alternator replacement. That alternator lasted until a few days before we brought the car to Automax, when we started getting battery warning lights intermittently showing up on the dash. Having been through the alternator issues before, we knew we only had a few days to a week before the alternator failed completely. My husband, [redacted], plugged in a bluetooth diagnostic adapter that allows him to watch the output voltage while the car is running. This way he would know if the battery voltage was dropping below 12 volts and the car needed to be stopped. The car never gave me any fault codes, and the code reader never showed any either. [redacted] had told individuals at Automax at least twice what he was using the code reader/diagnostic tool for but it is possible they had forgotten. As for the alignment tab/pin that was missing from the valve cover, no mention of this was ever made of this until my husband told the service manager about it himself. There is also a broken aluminum boss that would normally retain said tab/pin. The break in the aluminum appears to be a fresh break and even if it had been noticed by the mechanic prior to this, it would have been after he lifted the valve cover off the engine, which is when damage would likely have occurred. This is also when the pieces would likely have fallen into the cam timing chain which the pin sits directly adjacent to. In [redacted]'s opinion, and in the opinion of every other mechanic we have talked to about this issue, all it would take to cause a lack of compression would be for one of these pieces to fall into the chain, causing it to jump timing and likely cause bent valves. This is a much more likely scenario than the timing chain jumping on its own coincidentally. After submitting our request to the Revdex.com two weeks ago, we used a borescope to inspect inside the engine, under the valve cover and around the timing chain. We found many metal flakes and fragments in the bottom of the oil pan and even some on a machined ledge near the chain itself of which we have pictures. These fragments are probably from the pin, or pieces of the aluminum boss that have been chewed up by the timing chain. Being a mechanic himself, [redacted] knows it is very unlikely that these pieces could have been there for a year without causing any damage until now. Also, the pieces sitting on a ledge near the chain would almost certainly have vibrated off and fallen into the oil pan after so much time. The Automax representative states that he offered to perform a teardown inspection and diagnosis. This is true. He then quickly followed up by telling us that unless they can find some proof that it was their fault "which is unlikely" he said, then we would be responsible for the cost of the inspection and teardown. Knowing that it is in their own best interest not to find anything incriminating, we do not trust Automax to give a fair accounting of their findings and would rather have that done by a third party shop. After we used the borescope to inspect inside the engine and found the metal fragments in the engine, we called and left a message, asking to speak with the general manager. This call was never returned. It seems that Automax believes that damage was caused last time the valve cover gasket was replaced (around 1 year and 10 to 20 Thousand miles ago in our best estimate) and it waited to manifest itself until it was in their shop. We believe the more likely scenario is that the damage was caused while in the shop at Automax, and manifested itself almost immediately when they attempted to start the car. The bottom line is, if the evidence of the broken pin and the metal fragments in the engine is not clear enough, the fact that we brought them a vehicle that was running fine and we left with a broken car on a tow truck speaks for itself.After reading multiple reviews of Automax's service department, listed on multiple websites, it unfortunately becomes clear that ours is not an isolated issue. There have been a disproportionately high number of complaints that Automax has made mistakes and then was unwilling to take responsibility for them. We believe that customers should be confident that no matter who they do business with, they should expect said company to do the right thing. It seems our greatest mistake here was trusting Automax's ability to do just that.
Regards,
[redacted]

The customer was contacted on 6/9/17 and her sister returned to Automax with the car on 6/13/17.  Automax offered her sister a loaner car and she refused.  Our Shop Foreman diagnosed the vehicle andfound the noise to be coming from her tires.  We reimbursed [redacted] for both...

axles and one bearing that was replaced for a total of $ 1,246.62 and we replaced all four tires and the steering coupler at no charge to the customer.  The Shop Foreman test drove the car and then our Service Advisor, [redacted], test drove the car with the customer's sister and she said that the"car is in the best condition that they have ever seen".   [redacted], the customer, came in to pick up the check for the refund she told [redacted], the Service Advisor, that the vehicle wasworking great and that she was very satisfied with the repairs.

We are pleased to report that Mr. [redacted] returned to Automax for Service and he was pleased with the Service he received on March 1 ,2018.He was provided a loaner  vehicle at no cost to him while his car was being serviced and we also washed and detailed the car for him at no charge.He assured...

us that he was very pleased with the service that was provided to him.