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McBrides Auto & Truck Repair

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McBrides Auto & Truck Repair Reviews (1)

Review: I was told my local mechanic that my 2011 Ford Taurus needed a water pump replaced. The local mechanic didn't have time to get my car done within the next few weeks. I was told not to drive vehicle, which I did not. To that point, my car had not overheated and car started and ran. I didn't drive to avoid further damage, as instructed by mechanic. I called [redacted]'s Auto & Repair shop and he said to get it towed to avoid futher damage, which I did. When the tow guys came, they witnessed that the car would start and also heard noise and agreed that it was the water pump. When I talked to [redacted], I had indicated that I was told it was water pump, but wasn't sure, as I am not a mechanic. I am not a mechanic and would think that [redacted] as a certified mechanic would know how to diagnose what needed done to water pump and know that if we suspect water pump needs replaced that he shouldn't drive it, as he told me before. In the process of diagnostic, he called and said he did pressure test and couldn't find any issues. I told him there are issues, there was leaking and noise that local mechanic witnessed. He said he was almost ready to send home with me, but I wasn't comfortable because I was told water pump needed replaced and not to drive vehicle. [redacted] then proceeded to drive vehicle to further test, then he said car overheated, car wouldn't start, suspected Hydra-lock, and he had to tow back to his shop. I am not sure of date that he drove my car to point of overheating and not starting. The only way I even found out about this, was by calling to check on my car. I don't understand why he wouldn't call the owner immediately. My dad even went there the same day I called. When my dad asked when car would be done, [redacted] didn't indicate any problems and told my dad my car would be ready early the next week. After the further damage that was caused, now [redacted] suggests that I get my engine replaced, which he quoted $3,830. My original verbal quote was about $1200-1500 for water pump replacement. At this point, I am frustrated and don't trust [redacted] to fix my car. I have inquired with other mechanics and they all suggest getting a second opinion and that this shouldn't have happened. I called [redacted] to let him know I wanted a second opinion and now he says I have to pay $660 for hours he has put into car. I feel that he caused further damage to my car, which he is now charging me for. [redacted] told me over the phone that he checked oil in car before he proceeded to drive and it was a little over. To me and I am not a certified mechanic, the oil being above normal would indicate a problem. He then said after he drove it, overheated engine and car wouldnt start. He got it towed back to his shop. He checked oil again and there was milky sludge that he said is when coolant, oil, and water mix in engine, which is why he recommended engine replaced. What this means to me is that the sludge wasnt there before he drove it or else he wouldnt have drove it, which then means that the damage was caused by him. My car has been at [redacted]'s Auto shop for three weeks and now he is saying the only way he will release it is if I pay him $660 and sign an invoice that I don't agree with. I don't see how I can owe him $660 for what has been done to my car. I don't want to sign the invoice because I don't agree with it, but he says I have to sign or he will contact his attorney and hold my vehicle. I have told him I will pay the $660 to move on. I even signed the invoice with an added note that I dont agree with invoice and am paying to get my car back. He says I have to sign invoice only and write nothing else on it. He says that it doesnt mean I agree with invoice, but when I read the invoice, signing where he is telling me to is agreeing and giving him permission, which I dont agree with. Also the invoice says he originally quoted $1,756.21 for water pump replacement when that is over 10% of what the quote was. The invoice he is trying to threaten and force me to sign is one that he created to cover himself and trying to make me sign it like it is ok. I feel like I am being treated unfairly and have tried to resolve with [redacted] and have not been able to. I would like help resolving this matter.Desired Settlement: I don't think I should have to pay [redacted]'s Auto & Repair $660 when my car now needs a new engine and when I brought it in it needed a water pump. I think [redacted]'s Auto & Repair should have to pay the costs of getting my engine replaced because the further damage to the engine was caused by him driving it and causing damage to the engine. He should not be able to force me to sign an invoice, which states that I give him authorization for anything after the fact or hold my car.

Consumer

Response:

I had an update on my complaint ID [redacted]:

8/11/14 [redacted] called me and said he spoke to his lawyer and he isn't liable for damages. He then proceeded to tell me that he credited my card back and would not proceed with payment because I will not sign his invoice (and write nothing else on there), which I previously attached to my complaint. He says I can bring in $660 cash to pay the bill and then he will release my car. He said if I do not pay and get my car within 7 days, he will begin charging me $15/day holding fee.

I am not sure if I should pay and have my car towed to another shop or if that will hurt my case. I will look call WA Law Help to see if they have any advice or can inform me of laws that apply.

Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

This was in my email, so I am forwarding to you. He has not refunded the payment I originally made.

Also, the people that I have spoken to have all been certified mechanics, not friends. Even the place that towed my car in the first place said that I needed to take further action. I don't think that it is right that I bring a running vehicle into him to replace the water pump and he drove it to the point of overheating and vehicle won't crank, which he stated on his invoice. Even blaming me by saying I told him to drive it. Even here he is blaming miscommunication and taking no responsibility. He told me to have car towed to avoid further damage and then he drives it because he doesn't think that is what's wrong.

Thank you,

> From: [redacted]

> Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 10:15:23 -0700

> To: [redacted]

> Subject: Revdex.com COMPLAINT

>

> [redacted], I received the Revdex.com complaint letter yesterday. In reading it,

> you are misstating several facts that I have explained to you several

> times in our conversations. I'm not sure why you are not hearing or

> understanding my words, possibly because you have so many other people

> your talking to, as you say, but none of them, mechanic of not, have the

> vehicle in front of them, nor did they experience or witness the

> procedures I went thru to diagnose your vehicles problem. So none of

> them are able to offer an informed opinion as to what what should have

> been done differently or, indeed, what actually happened!

>

> You have a action, by, action test description & notes of the eventual

> TDI (tear down inspection) that led to this final conclusion listed on

> the copy of the repair order I faxed you. There is nothing inaccurate in

> the procedure, the TDI or the notes made!

>

> As to your signing the repair order contract statements--you were not

> being forced to sign it! The normal procedure for any shop, or service

> business for that matter, is for the customer to sign a work order

> agreement when they direct a company to do an inspection or service.

> This is usually done when the customer has "Face to Face" contact with

> the Service personnel, in the case of Auto Repair, when they bring there

> vehicle in & drop it off. In your case it was towed in with no "Face to

> Face" contact, as written in the RCW's for Consumer Rights! I follow

> these Laws religiously to avoid issue's of misunderstandings, just like

> this! Furthermore, if a customer does tow their veh in for repair, it

> is almost never towed back out. (Only two times I can remember in

> years!) The vehicle repairs proceed & the customer then comes in to

> pick up their vehicle, thus providing the "Face to Face" contact so that

> the final Repair Order paperwork can be signed.

> In your case, due to misunderstanding &/or talking to too many

> people that don't know what they're talking about, you developed a

> mistrust & refused to sign. So this is not acceptable in my business

> when paying with a check or credit card because those payment methods

> can easily be stopped on your end when there is a dispute, thus leaving

> me holding an "empty bag"! That is why I required a signature on the

> Repair Order Contract---standard business procedure, lack of initial

> "Face to Face" contact, there was nothing inaccurate in the RO (by your

> own statements when I asked you), & the fact that you wanted to pay w/

> a credit card & have your vehicle Towed out (again allowing no "Face to

> Face" contact)!

> So when you finally refused to sign, that's when I refunded the credit

> card payment, that you had initially authorized, & told you that under

> the circumstances I would only accept Cash now to cover the charges

> incurred as a result of "directing me to Diagnose & Replace your water

> pump if that was found to be leaking".

>

> To clear up the issue of the initial estimate & follow-up

> estimate-----You called a week or so before your vehicle was towed in

> just to get an "over the phone" estimate. Keeping in mind that an

> "estimate" is called an estimate for a reason, it is subject to changes

> if other unexpected things are discovered, are not evident on initial

> estimate or inspection, &/or additional services or requests are added

> by the customer---such was the case here! My initial "over the phone"

> quote to you was $800-$1000.00, "plus" parts,shop supplies & tax. When

> you had the vehicle towed in, you informed me you wanted me to diagnose

> it was the "water pump", you weren't sure & that you didn't trust the

> mechanic that told you it was. You also told me you had bought your own

> water pump. I asked you if it was new or rebuilt, you thought it was

> new, but you said "if its not, go ahead & get a New one & I'll return

> the one I bought". I also informed you that I had further looked thru

> my labor procedures, @ this point, & realized it was going to require

> additional gaskets & parts to replace the water pump, as other engine

> parts, IE: the timing cover & valve covers, upr intake plenum seals,

> etc, had to come off to get to the water pump as it was located

> internally in the engine (driven by the timing chain), which required

> the adtl gskts. You instructed me to go ahead & get them as well,

> "what ever is needed" were your exact words! At that time you didn't

> ask for an estimate update, just get the new pump & what ever else is

> needed!

> So the increase in the original estimate from the noted

> $1000 to the 1st "revised" estimate was for the adtl diagnosis you

> added, the "New" water pump & " whatever else is needed", which included

> the gaskets/seals, freight in, spark plugs, belts, LOF & coolant + tax.

> Thus the "1st revised update" increased to $1756. But now that I had the

> final picture, based on the TDI, I spoke with my "Technical Assistance

> Line", a service most mechanics subscribe to, to gain some insight on

> how this chain of events could have happened, which I related to you.

> The FORD Master Tech I spoke to informed me that this was not Fords best

> design for a water pump location & that the same thing had happened to

> his wife's car with the same motor w/i only 3-miles of driving after he

> had noticed a leak from the water pump! Remember, I told you he

> related to me the same scenario, he tried to clean out the emulsified

> oil/water mixture, just replace the water pump, but w/i 6-months had brg

> noises & cel codes for variable timing issues (which is driven via oil

> pressure), thus the damage had already started with the initl intrusion

> of ant-freeze/coolant into the oiling system, even though he had cleaned

> it thoroughly!

> This is why I then proceeded with adtl optional estimates

> for you, three of them, which I gave you, over the phone with the

> explanations, pros & cons of each! #1-remove the oil pan & try to

> clean the emulsified mixture out of the system (maybe we'd get lucky &

> all would be ok?), #2- add to that removing the heads also to inspect

> the gskts & heads (as I still was @ a loss the explain the final issue

> of the hydro-lock---coolant in the combustion chamber). Note that after

> the plugs were removed & the coolant from 2-cylinders, there was no more

> hydro-lock & the engine rotated fine, it was not seized!), & the 3rd

> option was #3- to go with the experience of the FORD Certified Tech's

> experience, as he said--"save ourselves the time, trouble & expense of

> having to just clean it up, & find out, like he did, 6-months down the

> road that the engine had already suffered preliminary wear/damage from

> the initl intrusion of anti-freeze into the oiling system"!!!

> Note---that I discovered a slight over-the-full mark on

> your oil dipstick initially, & what I considered a slight off-color of

> the oil to suggest some of your initial coolant loss, before ever

> bringing your vehicle to my shop, went into the oil, the preliminary

> wear/damage to oiling system might have already started??? Its

> impossible @ this point to say, as it is also impossible, w/o trying

> it, to say that if we just proceeded with the water pump repair & clean

> the residual emulsified oil out of the system, that we might not have

> the same experience that the "FORD" tech did with his wife's car? The

> engine might be just fine & will run as well as it always has????

> But this is the risk's & options I tried to explain to you & why I gave

> you the several options as how you could proceed! Frankly, I've seen

> cars with lite coolant in the oil & lasted just fine for several years,

> however it's impossible to determine how much life of the engine is lost

> from coolant in oil----5k, 20k, 100k??? I had one even in here this

> week w/ a head gskt issue w/ coolant emulsified in the oil, I gave him

> the same options, he opted for cleaning it up & drove out of here just

> fine. But only time will tell as to what preliminary damage was done &

> how much it may have shortened the engine life??? I explained the

> risks, the costs, possible outcomes of each scenario in our

> conversations. It seemed to me, & the FORD tech, that another used

> engine, with a warranty, would be the least risk/expense in the long run

> @ this point & so this is why this was recommended as a "primary

> recommendation" for you, but the other options were also available---but

> its your car & your decision!!! My job is to give you the best

> repair/recommendations I can, based on my 35+ years experience in this

> business, my "Master ASE" & other certifications, my training & as well

> as my extensive resources (IE; tech line w/master FORD tech's to discuss

> with, several web based & subscription veh repair information systems &

> forums, etc, etc). I felt I've done that to great excess. The

> decision is then put into your hands as the vehicle owner. This is

> where it all has been stopped by you.

>

> I am truly sorry for being unable to effectively communicate

> your vehicle breakdown & repair recommendations, as most hard feelings &

> mistrust stem from misunderstanding & lack of communication, but I felt

> I've tried very hard to relate to you & explain in layman's terms to

> help you understand, but sometimes too many friends & "supposed

> mechanics" chime in with their opinions & disrupt the trust &

> communication, as has happened here!

> So I'm being made out to be the BAD guy here, when nothing could

> be further from the truth. This if not my fault, this is not your

> fault, "it just happened" because its a mechanical thing & they

> fail! I did not get into this business, nor have I built it up over

> 35-years by ripping people off & taking advantage of them. I have a

> very good/excellent reputation, I genuinely feel for my customers (as I

> understand what it is to have unexpected & expensive car repairs, & even

> on my own vehicles). Most of my customer base is due to repeat

> business, they like what I do, how I do it & what I charge---so they

> come back & they tell their friends & family to come here & I work on

> their vehicles too. If I ripped them off, or over charged them or took

> advantage of them, they would never come back & tell everyone else not

> to come here, thus I wouldn't have made it 35+years doing that. There

> are alot of shops out there that do rip people off, over charge & take

> advantage, & I understand that, & they aren't in business very long &/or

> they don't have alot of repeat business for that reason! Those kind of

> shops have given all of us a bad name & indeed this industry!

>

> With all of this being said, I hope it helps in your

> understanding to explain things in writing rather than verbally. But

> this still doesn't alleviate the fact of the decisions you've made to

> proceed with your course of actions. IE; authorizing testing/work, then

> stopping it, then days pass on hold, then decision to tow out, then pay

> w/ credit card over phone, then have me refund it, then agree to come in

> & pay cash before I could release veh to be towed out (per our

> conversation), & now a complaint letter to the Revdex.com)! Even causing

> me to seek legal advise & verify my business procedures. Which my

> lawyer assured me, after reviewing all of my documentation in this

> matter, that I'm in good legal standing following all the pertinent

> RCW's, laws & procedures w/ respect to authorizations,

> inspections/diagnostic steps, TDI & communications w/you. I have

> documentation of all phone authorizations & communications. Times &

> dates w/ both you & Robert (boy friend- who you initially authorized me

> to talk to about the leak--you stated "he knew more about it than you,

> he was driving when it happened, so talk to him", then you didn't want

> me to talk w/ him anymore, because he told me, after I told you & him I

> couldn't verify the leak "go drive it around & see what happens"), &

> everything else that was said. So my Lawyer verified everything was

> proper & by the Book!

>

> All in all, at the end of the day, I still have a business to

> run-----so I will answer the Revdex.com complaint & will send them a copy of

> this also. I still maintain my same position on this matter & as I

> notified you via phone on 8/11, I am securing your vehicle w/ a

> "MECHANICS LIEN", which I have the legal right to do until all charges

> are paid for. I have given you a 7-day grace period from 8/11 to 8/18,

> after which $15.00 per day storage charges & interest will also begin

> accruing on your veh until all charges are "paid, in cash, in full"

> (which are currently @ $659.95) before I can release your vehicle.

> Note also that the veh may be stored in a secure location off premises

> until such time as all charges plus storage plus interest are "paid, in

> cash, in full".

>

> It is unfortunate that this has risen to this level, however I

> have no recourse other than this @ this time. You've left me with

> little option.

> It would be in your best interest to "pay in full" before the 8/18 grace

> period expires to avoid additional storage charges & interest. We are

> open from 8am-5pm monday-friday. If other times for payment are needed

> before or after hours---call me & some arrangements can be made!

>

>

> Sincerely, [redacted] (owner, [redacted]'s Auto

> Repair) ###-###-####

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Description: Auto Repair & Service

Address: 1708 Rickey Canyon Rd, Rice, Washington, United States, 99167-9754

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