Pellegrino's Saab Service

This is my response to the complaint by [redacted]. First, however, I'd like to give you some  background.  My husband, Nicholas P[redacted], began the business in 1982, after working on Saabs for the previous five years. He was regarded highly as an expert on Saab maintenance and...

repair. Nic passed away in January of 2016.1 had been running the business end of the company. To make it easier for my hundreds of loyal customers and my two employees, I kept the business running until June 30.  [redacted] called on May 23 reporting an exhaust leak, parking sensor wiring chewed by mice, a  wobble at 70 mph, and a leaking power steering line. He had purchased an aftermarket steering line&  requested we install it.  At his May 31 appointment a test drive demonstrated noise but the car was not holding the road well so  Idid not go any faster than 55 mph. My mechanic found that the exhaust manifold leaked at an incorrect stud installed by another shop. The wiring for the parking sensor was intact, not chewed up as  he reported, but the error codes indicated that the left center sensor had an internal fault and was notcommunicating with the bus. The steering line was in his trunk in a plastic bag. He also supplied the  hydraulic fluid &a hardware kit. The tire pressures were in the high 40s and low 50s psi and the tread  was unevenly worn, close to worn out. We adjusted the tire pressures to the recommended 34 psi.  A final test drive demonstrated the car tracking better but the tires made noise. There was no wobble at  70 mph.  I gave him an estimate for the repairs and an appointment for June 7. When I told him that I would close on June 30, he requested that we also perform our Major Service. He declined to replace the tires but  authorized the $2000.00 for replacement of exhaust manifold gasket and studs, labor to install his  power steering hoses, replacement of left center parking sensor, and our Major Service.  I called [redacted] several times during the procedures. Once was to tell him that the steering line he suppliedwas bent in a subtle manner and that we needed to partially remove & adjust the bends, resulting in a higher labor cost. I called again to inform him that the Major Service did not require any extra costs (brake pads, suspension, etc.) and would not result in estimate adjustment. The power steering line required some adjustments by our mechanic. It is manufactured with several  bends. The part he supplied was not shaped correctly, either from bouncing around in his trunk for  weeks, or because it was purchased from an aftermarket supplier. His rubber insulators in the hosing  system were broken and he had not supplied replacements. My mechanic fashioned replacements fromair box insulators, which are of a similar design. The incorrect bends in the line would have caused the  replacement line to rub against the motor mount so my mechanic zip-tied the line to keep it free from the motor mount. We installed only the lines he supplied. He was charged only for labor and two air box  mounts, not for all of the lines, as he is accusing in his complaint.  [redacted] called me a few days after he picked up the car to complain about the service. He informed me that he had removed the zip ties that were preventing the line from rubbing and leaking. Also that he had removed the parking sensor to check our work. The failures he refers to now were more likely caused by his "work" than by ours. He also took issue with additives that are used in the course of the Major Service. These are fluids that have proven, in our 38 years of servicing Saabs, to be beneficial. No other customer has ever complained about the extra steps we take for the benefit of their Saabs.  I never hung up on this man. I spoke to him at length, in several telephone calls before, during and after  the service. I answered each of his questions directly, honestly and politely. In our final telephone conversation, when he threatened to reverse his credit card payment, I did say that I would go after him legally if he did so. In summary, we did our customary high-quality work on this car with Saab O.E. parts, did not charge him for anything above  what was estimated (in fact the final bill was $61.75 lower than estimated, even with the higher labor on  the steering work) and the car left here in perfect working order, except for the worn-out tires that he declined to replace. He did pay $125 deposit on the parking sensor, which I forgot to deduct from the  final bill but it has since been returned to him in a credit card chargeback.Because I have sold this business, a negative rating by the Revdex.com will not affect the business. However, my husband poured his heart and soul into building it and I do not want it besmirched by a person who  thinks he knows more than such "grease monkeys" as we.  Thank you for your attention to this.  Very truly yours,  Rose P[redacted]