Performance Car Centre Ltd

Complaint my vehicle , was put on a scope was told the problem and how much it would cost. they took it in, changed sensor, still not fixed, they won't resolveSept.11 2015 took my 2003 [redacted] vehicle in because it wouldn't shift properly all the time and light was on. was put on scope. was told that knock sensors, sub harness and spark plugs need replacing. was told it would cost $1350.00 plus taxes. I asked it this would fix the problem cause it was a 2003 and I didn't want to put a lot of money into it, I was assured by the owner that it would fix the problem. Had to wait for the part to come in, paid the 292.21 for the scope and on October 13, 2015 took it in to have the work done. Picked it up that same evening after paying $1,669.96 and the next morning it was doing it again, so I took it in the following Monday October 19, 2015 and never heard anything from them. I called at about 3:30 on Tuesday October 20, and the mechanic said that the owner should have called me. He said that the whole computer was shot and they couldn't fix it. it would have to be taken to the dealer and maybe they could do something. I said to him that I paid all this money and now I have nothing for it, and he basically said no. I went to pick up my truck and talked to the owner. I told him that it was put on the scope and I was told what the problem was and that it would be fixed. He said it wasn't an exact science. I said so I paid $2,000.00 and my vehicle is still doing the exact same thing it was doing when I brought it in here. He said it was showing the same thing on the scope that day, so I told him, then he didn't fix it! I asked him if he was going to give me a refund and he said no, I asked him if he was going to do anything and he said probably not, so I left.Desired SettlementI feel that they told me what the problem was, said they could fix it and didn't. I feel I should be reimbursed.Business Response On Sept. 11, 2015 the customer brought in his vehicle for a check engine light code. We followed the procedure for scanning and fixing according to [redacted] - a renowned on line information and diagnostic program used across North America. The procedure was followed, and we have the print out on file, as to how to proceed with this problem according to [redacted]. These are the steps that were followed:1. Vehicle was scanned and the code came up for knock sensor.2. The technician printed off the procedure, from [redacted], for diagnosing.3. The frequencies read were not within specification for the sensor at fault.4.The technician looked into the history of the fault code and found out that the knock sensors and the sub harness have a high failure rate.5. The technician advised the customer that the knock sensor and harness would need to be replaced according to the diagnostics.6. Technician recommended doing the spark plugs at the same time, due to ease of access and the recommendation from [redacted] to do so.7. The repairs were done and the vehicle was test driven and no faults were returned at that time.8. The customer phoned a few days later to say the check engine light came back on and the vehicle came back to the shop.9. The vehicle was scanned again and the same/previous code returned.10. The wires to the knock sensors were switched right at the vehicle computer and the vehicle was test driven. As this is an intermittent fault the code did not return immediately.After a few test drives the check engine light did come on.11. The technician then advised the customer that the computer could be at fault. There is no way to test the computer, except for substitution, which has to be done at a dealership because the computer needs to be programmed.The customer seems to believe that the scan tool should be able to diagnose the computer first. This is not the case as all other avenues must be exhausted first. We feel that the customer does not understand the nature of the fault tracing and diagnostic procedures and how a scan tool works. A computer CANNOT be diagnosed.We also feel that that we do NOT owe the customer any refund. All procedures were followed according to industry standards. There was never any guarantee of the problem being resolved with these repairs, as we were dealing with electronics. The technician that the customer spoke with NEVER said it was a guaranteed fix. [redacted] . Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)I do not agree with their response. I paid the 250.00 to put it on the scope. And when they told me of the diagnosis and what the cost would be, I told them it was a 2003 vehicle and didn't want to put a lot of money into it if it didn't fix the problem. They certainly did assure me that it would fix the problem. There was NEVER any discussion of it possibly being some other problem. Also I phoned them the next morning that the light was still on, not a few days later. I am not looking for a way to reduce legitimate costs. In my opinion they did not fix the problem or any problem. It was doing exactly what it was doing when I originally brought it in and I paid almost 2 thousand dollars for nothing. Why would I have agreed to pay that much on the CHANCE that it would be fixed. The only way I would pay that is if I was told it would fix the problem, and I was definitely told it would.Final Business Response As stated previously, the customer does not understand the nature of the diagnostic regime. We followed the procedures and steps necessary to try to fix the problem. No one guarateed the problem would be fixed. A guarantee such as that is not done in our shop. And one would be hard pressed to find any shop that would guarantee what the customer is claiming.We feel this is an unfounded complaint, but to clear this situation up we will offer the customer a refund on the labour that was done on his vehicle. This amounts to $ 920.00. We cannot offer a refund on the parts that were put into the customer's vehicle.Should this not be satisfactory to the customer he is welcome to go to small claims court. Final Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)