Pro Automotive, Inc.

This letter is in response to the complaint filed by Mr*** on 10/27/2014. Mr*** called and made an appointment at our shop to have us check for a transmission fluid leak around the transmission pan. He stated that his daughter had taken it to another garage sometime last year
and they had replaced the pan. When questioned as to why he didn't take it back to the shop that had originally done the work he replied that he did not want them to look at it again. When we brought the vehicle in on 10/23/2014 it had a major leak around the transmission pan gasket. What appears to have happened is when the other garage replaced the transmission pan, the filter and the gasket were not replaced. Silicone was used to keep the old gasket in it's place. The pan bolts were also over tightened which put a strain on the gasket and caused a leak. What we did was replace the transmission filter and gasket and installed new transmission fluid. We rinsed the transmission pan off, test drove the vehicle, and checked for leaks, we found none at the time. We also checked the battery for a slow start and found that it was not secured in it's hold down position. We secured it properly and made Mr. *** aware that his battery had tested low. When the vehicle came back on 10/27/Mr*** stated that the vehicle was leaking transmission fluid at whatever angle the vehicle was leaning. When we pulled the vehicle in to check we found that this leak/seep was coming from the right front corner above the pan. We pulled the shield and found that the electrical connector was leaking. We replaced the transmission connector , rinsed off the pan, and topped off the transmission fluid. We checked for codes and verified that there were no leaks at this time. According to our research this is a common problem with this vehicle and could have possibly been the original problem when the transmission pan was replaced to begin with. I can understand Mr***'s frustration but we addressed two different problems with his vehicle. The first time that he came in we had to address his leak that was a result of another garage installing his pan and gasket incorrectly. In all honesty I can't hold myself accountable for work that was done by another garage. With all of this being said we run an honest garage and do the best we can by our customers. Mr*** should have called and spoke to the owner of the garage and he would have addressed his complaint. (He was speaking with the technician who repaired his vehicle) I am not willing to refund the entire amount of the second repair because I do not think that would be fair to me. Please let know how to proceed with this matter. Sincerely,*** ***Pro Automotive, Inc. Owner: *** ***Phone: ###-###-####

This letter is in response to complaint number ***. As I stated in my first response to this complaint the customer had two separate issues. We did not make an assumption that he had a leak at the pan gasket, he did have a major leak. He stated that the work that was done by the previous garage had nothing to do with the service we performed but it did. He had a major leak with transmission fluid all underneath his vehicle. We repaired that leak, cleaned off all of the fluid and test drove vehicle. We then checked again for leaks and found none at that time. When it came back in the second time the customer stated that the vehicle was leaking but only when parked at an angle. When we checked it that time we were able to see a small leak at the electrical connector at the transmission. This would not have been apparent the first time the vehicle was in the garage because of the amount of transmission fluid that was leaking everywhere. The customer stated that we should charge people responsibly for not diagnosing the vehicle properly the first time. We do not feel that we misdiagnosed this vehicle. The first time he was in we repaired what the other garage had done incorrectly, the second we repaired what was more than likely his original problem to begin with. I honestly don't know what else to say about this. Please advise me as to the best way to resolve this issue. Sincerely,*** ***

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution
As I stated before, I am not seeking to be reimbursedMrs*** stated that the serious leak was repaired the first time, by replacing the gasketThe vehicle still leaked after that, even after all the fluid had been cleaned from the area the electrical connector leak wasn't noticedWe continue to get hung up on the problems with the previous garage repairIf I had just brought the car in and said I have a leak without mentioning the previous work maybe the original source of the leak would have been diagnosed without any pre-determined assumptionsI take responsibility for that, possibly confusing the technicians approach to the repairI still assert that I was charged an unfair amount the 2nd timeHowever, I do not intend to discredit this business or pursue this matter any further as we are of differing opinionsLets just leave it at that Thank you, *** ***

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
First of all I did speak with the owner when I picked up my vehicle the 2nd time. His name is Jeff [redacted] and I DID speak with him. The cashier asked him to come and speak with me after I questioned the charges. He also tried to convince me that the previous garage that performed work on the vehiclewas the cause of all the problems, which I don't necessarily dispute. I brought my vehicle to Pro Automotive on a positive reference from a friend to find the SOURCE of the leak, not to just assume it was the pan gasket. The work done previously on the vehicle has nothing to do with the service performed at Pro automotive. I had no confidence that the previous garage could correctly diagnose the source of the leak. The first inspection of the transmission pan area should have included all possibilities where the leak could be originating. I appreciate that it was eventually found and fixed but I think the technician specifically focused on the gasket. I'm not asking for any refund but I think a business should charge people responsibly if the problem was not diagnosed properly the first time. The owner, [redacted] [redacted], did state that he would not charge me for the defective parts found and replaced on the second visit, but he did chargeme for the part. I have the receipt copy to verify this, but did not notice it until I got home.

Review: My vehicle had a transmission fluid leak, ask the business to find the source of the leak and repair. The repair shop stated with written copy that the source of the leak (pan gasket) was repaired, the gasket was replaced. Charged $180.00. the vehicle continued to leak transmission fluid the very next day, which was a Friday. D id not drive the vehicle again until the following Monday 10/27 and took it back to the repair business. The vehicle was again checked and a different source of the leak was found. I was charged an additional $150.00 to fix the original source of the leak. The business owner stated that I was only charged labor but the written copy of the receipt showed that I was also charged for additional parts.Desired Settlement: I should be reimbursed for the second charge of $150.00 because the original repair was wrong and unnecessary.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the complaint filed by Mr. [redacted] on 10/27/2014. Mr. [redacted] called and made an appointment at our shop to have us check for a transmission fluid leak around the transmission pan. He stated that his daughter had taken it to another garage sometime last year and they had replaced the pan. When questioned as to why he didn't take it back to the shop that had originally done the work he replied that he did not want them to look at it again. When we brought the vehicle in on 10/23/2014 it had a major leak around the transmission pan gasket. What appears to have happened is when the other garage replaced the transmission pan, the filter and the gasket were not replaced. Silicone was used to keep the old gasket in it's place. The pan bolts were also over tightened which put a strain on the gasket and caused a leak. What we did was replace the transmission filter and gasket and installed new transmission fluid. We rinsed the transmission pan off, test drove the vehicle, and checked for leaks, we found none at the time. We also checked the battery for a slow start and found that it was not secured in it's hold down position. We secured it properly and made Mr. [redacted] aware that his battery had tested low. When the vehicle came back on 10/27/2014 Mr. [redacted] stated that the vehicle was leaking transmission fluid at whatever angle the vehicle was leaning. When we pulled the vehicle in to check we found that this leak/seep was coming from the right front corner above the pan. We pulled the shield and found that the electrical connector was leaking. We replaced the transmission connector , rinsed off the pan, and topped off the transmission fluid. We checked for codes and verified that there were no leaks at this time. According to our research this is a common problem with this vehicle and could have possibly been the original problem when the transmission pan was replaced to begin with. I can understand Mr. [redacted]'s frustration but we addressed two different problems with his vehicle. The first time that he came in we had to address his leak that was a result of another garage installing his pan and gasket incorrectly. In all honesty I can't hold myself accountable for work that was done by another garage. With all of this being said we run an honest garage and do the best we can by our customers. Mr. [redacted] should have called and spoke to the owner of the garage and he would have addressed his complaint. (He was speaking with the technician who repaired his vehicle) I am not willing to refund the entire amount of the second repair because I do not think that would be fair to me. Please let know how to proceed with this matter. Sincerely,[redacted]Pro Automotive, Inc. Owner: [redacted]Phone: ###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

First of all I did speak with the owner when I picked up my vehicle the 2nd time. His name is Jeff [redacted] and I DID speak with him. The cashier asked him to come and speak with me after I questioned the charges. He also tried to convince me that the previous garage that performed work on the vehiclewas the cause of all the problems, which I don't necessarily dispute. I brought my vehicle to Pro Automotive on a positive reference from a friend to find the SOURCE of the leak, not to just assume it was the pan gasket. The work done previously on the vehicle has nothing to do with the service performed at Pro automotive. I had no confidence that the previous garage could correctly diagnose the source of the leak. The first inspection of the transmission pan area should have included all possibilities where the leak could be originating. I appreciate that it was eventually found and fixed but I think the technician specifically focused on the gasket. I'm not asking for any refund but I think a business should charge people responsibly if the problem was not diagnosed properly the first time. The owner, [redacted], did state that he would not charge me for the defective parts found and replaced on the second visit, but he did chargeme for the part. I have the receipt copy to verify this, but did not notice it until I got home.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to complaint number [redacted]. As I stated in my first response to this complaint the customer had two separate issues. We did not make an assumption that he had a leak at the pan gasket, he did have a major leak. He stated that the work that was done by the previous garage had nothing to do with the service we performed but it did. He had a major leak with transmission fluid all underneath his vehicle. We repaired that leak, cleaned off all of the fluid and test drove vehicle. We then checked again for leaks and found none at that time. When it came back in the second time the customer stated that the vehicle was leaking but only when parked at an angle. When we checked it that time we were able to see a small leak at the electrical connector at the transmission. This would not have been apparent the first time the vehicle was in the garage because of the amount of transmission fluid that was leaking everywhere. The customer stated that we should charge people responsibly for not diagnosing the vehicle properly the first time. We do not feel that we misdiagnosed this vehicle. The first time he was in we repaired what the other garage had done incorrectly, the second we repaired what was more than likely his original problem to begin with. I honestly don't know what else to say about this. Please advise me as to the best way to resolve this issue. Sincerely,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.

As I stated before, I am not seeking to be reimbursed. Mrs. [redacted] stated that the serious leak was repaired the first time, by replacing the gasket. The vehicle still leaked after that, even after all the fluid had been cleaned from the area the electrical connector leak wasn't noticed. We continue to get hung up on the problems with the previous garage repair. If I had just brought the car in and said I have a leak without mentioning the previous work maybe the original source of the leak would have been diagnosed without any pre-determined assumptions. I take responsibility for that, possibly confusing the technicians approach to the repair. I still assert that I was charged an unfair amount the 2nd time. However, I do not intend to discredit this business or pursue this matter any further as we are of differing opinions. Lets just leave it at that. Thank you, [redacted]

Pro Automotive - They are terrific. One time my car would not start. The towed the car, fixed it and brought it back with no towing charge! We take all our vehicles there and have for over 10 years.

[redacted] and his staff are really the best. A good small town HONEST businesS.