Prospect Foreign Car Center

usiness Response to a Complaint Complaint ID#: Company Name: Prospect Foreign Car Center, Inc Company Contact: Franco Marcantonio Company Phone: class="Apple-tab-span"> Company Email: [email protected] Person Who Sent the Complaint: Paul Bornstein Staff Member: Response: This is in response to MrBornstein's complaint regarding service preformed starting on February 19, The customer called into Prospect Foreign Car (PFC) and said that Low oil pressure light came on while his wife was driving the carPFC advised him to have it towed into the shopHe was told that continuing to drive with the oil pressure light on would cause internal engine damageMr Bornstein stated that it couldn't possibly be low on oil (even though the customer had not checked the oil level himself) because they had an oil change recently (not at PFC), but he did have the car towedMr Bornstein pointed out that he had paid $on 12/27/for the timing belt service on the vehiclePFC tried to explain to the customer that oil pressure problem was in no way related to the timing belt serviceThe timing belt change is simply regular vehicle maintenanceWhen the car arrived at PFC it was quarts down on oil (it takes quarts max), the oil level did not even show on the dipstick it was so lowwhen we informed the customer of what we had found, he stated that the car always burns oilHe also stated that he was generally unhappy with this car and that he would never purchase another VWHe stated that he wanted to spend as little as possible on the car and trade it inPFC checked the car for an oil leakWith the customers authorization PFC replaced the oil pan (found that the drain plug was stripped and leaking)After the repairs were made the car was restarted and test drove the car milesThe oil light was off and there was no engine noisesWithout intensive diagnostics it was impossible to tell the extent of damage that could have been done to the car while it was low on oilFranco informed Mr Bornstein that it was the only issue found at that timeMrs Bornstein picked up the car and noted that the check engine light was onPFC did not investigate the light because the customer never requested us to do so, and had stated several times that they did not want invest any more money into the carSo PFC reset the light and she went on her wayThe next day the customer returned the car to PFCIt was on a Saturday, so the shop was not openOn Monday we were informed by Mr Bornstein that he would like us to check on the engine light and that after driving the car 15+ miles the oil pressure light had come back onThe customer informed PFC that his wife had driven the car from Middletown to West Hartford with the oil pressure light onThe customer had already been advised that driving the car with that light on will cause engine damageOn Monday, we told them there is a possibility that the oil “ pick up tube” could be clogged (common problem with VW reducing the amount of oil flow)The customer authorized us to remove the oil pan and clean the “pick up tube” we found that the tube was clearPFC performed this diagnostic at NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMERWhen we removed the pan for the second time, we found lots of metal chips due to worn out internal components and previous failure of oil pressureIn addition PFC also found that the hydrualic chain tensioner was damaged when the car originally ran out of oilThat was the reason why the engine light had come onThe engine damage was causing a misfireAt this point the engine was beyond repairMr Bornstein requested PFC put cans of STP oil treatment in the engineThe customer was advised that when there is engine damage done to this extent it cannot be reversedHe did not seem to understand what we were telling himHe still insisted we put in the STP oil as he was going to drive it directly to the dealer to trade it inWe advised the customer that adding the STP was not going resolve the problemThe only option would be to either repair or replace the engineDuring the time while the car was here Mr Bornstein also had a friend call us and PFC explained in detail the problem with the carHis friend understood the issues and tried to explain it to MrBornstein as wellBy this time PFC had spent ½ hours total “free of charge” to try and accommodate the customerPFC never at any point guaranteed the customer that there would be no additional engine problemsHe was advised from day 1, that we only provided the work that was requestedMrBornstein and MrsBornstein stated several times that they hated this car and seems like they want to blame their problems with it on PFCTheir negligence of not checking the oil level regularly greatly contributed to the damage made to the carPFC has been in business for years and has never had any complaints to Revdex.com or DMVWe hire ASE (Automobile Service Excellence) certified mechanicsPFC takes pride in their work and their customer service, and believe we went above and beyond to help this customer Sent on: 3/25/3:52:PM

Complaint: I am rejecting this response because:I am responding to the reply from Prospect Foreign Car (PFC) regarding my complaint to the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) regarding repairs on my Volkswagon Passat MrFranco, the owner, charged me $for a service he did not perform After driving the car miles, the same engine oil light flashed on the dash that appeared prior to the car being brought in for service indicating the car was not repaired I want to be refunded the money that was paid and for the $cost of a rental car while his non repairs were made This complaint should be registered with your bureau so that no other person will have to pay for car repair services from a disreputable business I need to clarify the work that PFC did on the car and the misinformation he presented in his response which will clearly point to his non performance on the repair and his lack of understanding of the problem he was paid to fix I am responding to the comments and Prospect Foreign Car (PFC) service assessment of a repair on my Volkswagon Passat, which was not completed to my satisfaction In his response, Franco did not address the issue that the repair service on the car was not done properly and the same problem occurred again and was not resolved after a $payment Thus I will not remove my Revdex.com complaint as Franco did not fully understand the problem with the car and charged me for a repair that did not resolve the problem My car had to be towed into his shop and towed out of his shop after payment so I would say the issue was not resolved The car at the end of this process, with service from Franco and PFC had oil leaking from the car (previous picture) after a to minute warm up and oil leaking on the engine causing smoke on the right side of the car Nothing was resolved and PFC cost me for a rental car My Volkswagon Passat with 98,miles on it was towed into PFC on a Wednesday February 19th after my wife called to tell me the low oil engine light went on She read the auto manual which indicated that the car should not be driven and should be towed.to a repair shop for review I called PFC to tell them that I was having my Volkswagon towed into their shop and to be expecting it I spoke with PFC secretary PFC knew the car and I thought they could determine the repair necessary as I paid them thousands of dollars to repair my car previously I DID NOT talk to Franco and he did not tell me not to drive the car as a low engine oil light would cause damage to the engine and to have it towed into the shop A lie Yes I did indicate that I just spent $1,on a repair for the car on December 27, for a timing belt and thermostat and I was not happy to have another problem with the car However, this has nothing to do with the issue of whether the repair was done properly and whether the car was fixed after being handled by PFC The car was at PFC on Wednesday and Thursday, February 19th and 20th, as they looked at the car to determine what was causing the low engine oil light to go on Franco said the car was low on oil and it needed a new oil pan and drain plug because that is where the oil was leaking He said that would fix the problem after his comprehensive review of the car I authorized him to repair it and fix the car on Thursday, February 20th when I spoke with him I did not speak with him on Wednesday, February 19th On the afternoon of Friday, February 21st, I got a call from the PFC secretary that the car was ready to go and could be picked up after being towed into PFC on Wednesday NEVER did PFC mention that the car needed an "intense diagnostics" on the engine to fix the problem He said he fixed the oil leak problem as mentioned on the paid bill with a new oil pan and plug I guess Franco realized, after the fact, that he did not find the real problem and needed to do this We put very little miles on the Volkswagon Passat as it had 98,miles on it We never had an oil problem This was a mechanical issue that was not addressed properlyMy wife got dropped off to pick up her car on Friday afternoon, February 21st She paid the bill of $and got in the car The check engine light was on when she turned the car on How could that be if the car was repaired? There was still something wrong obviously but Franco took the car in and reset the check engine light and he said the car was good to go Obviously it was not PFC put in quartz of oil After taking the car home after 1/days at PFC on Friday it was parked in my garage There was no engine oil leaking from the car on the garage floor overnight so we assumed PFC had fixed the problem However we did not know that when the car warms up the problem occurs and the engine oil leaks Obviously Franco did not warm the car up enough to see this problem after only driving it for miles The same problem occurred the next day after it was driven to miles to Bolton from West Hartford not to Middletown, CT The check engine oil light came on Since some quartz of oil was put in the car and it did not leak we could not guess what the problem was I told my wife to return the car to PFC on Saturday morning and I would pick her up there No service people were there as they were only open for emissions service The person running the shop indicated he would try to get Franco to see if he could help as the car was in the PFC shop for 1/days before and "fixed" With PFC great service, I figured I would get a call from Franco No call from Franco's was received No call was received from Franco on Monday, February 24th, either I called Franco closer to noon on Monday and he said he was reviewing the car to find out what was wrong He said the engine seemed fine and he would check other things I thought all this was done before but I guess not I stopped in Monday afternoon for a face to face with Franco and he said he still was trying to find out what was wrong I had to rent a car for the week as I did not know when Franco would get back to me and figure out what he missed in the first place I did not authorize PFC to do anything but find out why the initial problem of an oil leak was not fixed Later after a review by Franco I was told the hydraulic chain tensor was damaged I was never told that when the car was fixed in the first place on Friday that this was a problem Yes I did not understand that a fixed car could still be damaged I got charged and the problem was not thoroughly analyzed I consulted my friend who works on cars and trucks when I saw that PFC was having trouble understanding the issue with the car He is the one who suggested STP treatment as something that might work to help the engine I did not know about that He also indicated that PFC did not drive the car long enough to diagnois the problem He said two miles would not do it I am glad that PFC put in 1/hours of free labor into the repair However the repair was not done right and it was not worth anything since the problem of an oil leak was not fixed Again I paid $for no fix to my car plus the cost of a rental car which PFC should have reimbursed me for There was no mention that he would do thatPFC received the Volkswagon and was to determine what was wrong with it and I would decide on the repair I never had a work request but Franco was told to find out the problem and tell me what needed to be done and I would decide whether to do it Franco reviewed the problem and he came up with the fixThat is the work requested because that is what Franco, a mechanic, came up with If I knew about a Volkswagon I would have done it myself So after a full week in PFC shop Franco never called me to discuss the car issue He knew he did not do his job On Friday, February 28th I called PFC to see what was going on with my car Franco conveniently was not in for the day The secretary indicated that she would find out about the car She called me back and told me to have it towed out of the shop to my house Great service and the problem was not fixed from the previous Friday The car was towed to my house and I started up the car to find out what was going on Saturday March 1st After to minutes oil was leaking on the engine and smoking and oil was dripping on the ground on a continuous basis (see previous picture sent) Some fix! This was totally missed by PFC My friend said that PFC did not warm the car up enough as if they did they would have seen this issue The car has to warm up and the oil will then drip As for curiosity I called Mitchell Volkswagon where I bought the car I told them the problem about oil leaking and burning on the engine with smoke They indicated that it was a leak on the engine above the manifold in the back of the engine compartment and it was leaking due to age to valve cap It would cost $to repair I think PFC should get more Volkswagon experience Given this scenario I think the Revdex.com should warn other customers that this shop does not do its homework on some of the cars they service What a disaster for me and what a insult to me in terms of his response to the work he did on the car for 1/days and for another week My complaint will not be withdraw as PFC did not do its job, did not go above to help its customer and did not compensate me for it's poor peformance Until I am compensated the complaint stays Sincerely, Paul Bornstein

usiness Response to a Complaint
Complaint ID#: 9951688
Company Name: Prospect Foreign Car Center, Inc
Company Contact: Franco Marcantonio
Company Phone:
class="Apple-tab-span"> 8602366136
Company Email: [email protected]
Person Who Sent the Complaint: Paul Bornstein
Staff Member:
Response:
This is in response to Mr. Bornstein's complaint regarding service preformed starting on February 19, 2014. The customer called into Prospect Foreign Car (PFC) and said that Low oil pressure light came on while his wife was driving the car. PFC advised him to have it towed into the shop. He was told that continuing to drive with the oil pressure light on would cause internal engine damage. Mr Bornstein stated that it couldn't possibly be low on oil (even though the customer had not checked the oil level himself) because they had an oil change recently (not at PFC), but he did have the car towed. Mr Bornstein pointed out that he had paid $1549 on 12/27/13 for the timing belt service on the vehicle. PFC tried to explain to the customer that oil pressure problem was in no way related to the timing belt service. The timing belt change is simply regular vehicle maintenance. When the car arrived at PFC it was 4.5 quarts down on oil (it takes 5 quarts max), the oil level did not even show on the dipstick it was so low. when we informed the customer of what we had found, he stated that the car always burns oil. He also stated that he was generally unhappy with this car and that he would never purchase another VW. He stated that he wanted to spend as little as possible on the car and trade it in. PFC checked the car for an oil leak. With the customers authorization PFC replaced the oil pan (found that the drain plug was stripped and leaking). After the repairs were made the car was restarted and test drove the car 2 miles. The oil light was off and there was no engine noises. Without intensive diagnostics it was impossible to tell the extent of damage that could have been done to the car while it was low on oil. Franco informed Mr Bornstein that it was the only issue found at that time. Mrs Bornstein picked up the car and noted that the check engine light was on. PFC did not investigate the light because the customer never requested us to do so, and had stated several times that they did not want invest any more money into the car. So PFC reset the light and she went on her way. The next day the customer returned the car to PFC. It was on a Saturday, so the shop was not open. On Monday we were informed by Mr Bornstein that he would like us to check on the engine light and that after driving the car 15+ miles the oil pressure light had come back on. The customer informed PFC that his wife had driven the car from Middletown to West Hartford with the oil pressure light on. The customer had already been advised that driving the car with that light on will cause engine damage. On Monday, we told them there is a possibility that the oil “ pick up tube” could be clogged (common problem with VW reducing the amount of oil flow). The customer authorized us to remove the oil pan and clean the “pick up tube” we found that the tube was clear. PFC performed this diagnostic at NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. When we removed the pan for the second time, we found lots of metal chips due to worn out internal components and previous failure of oil pressure. In addition PFC also found that the hydrualic chain tensioner was damaged when the car originally ran out of oil. That was the reason why the engine light had come on. The engine damage was causing a misfire. At this point the engine was beyond repair. Mr Bornstein requested PFC put 2 cans of STP oil treatment in the engine. The customer was advised that when there is engine damage done to this extent it cannot be reversed. He did not seem to understand what we were telling him. He still insisted we put in the STP oil as he was going to drive it directly to the dealer to trade it in. We advised the customer that adding the STP was not going resolve the problem. The only option would be to either repair or replace the engine. During the time while the car was here Mr Bornstein also had a friend call us and PFC explained in detail the problem with the car. His friend understood the issues and tried to explain it to Mr. Bornstein as well. By this time PFC had spent 7 ½ hours total “free of charge” to try and accommodate the customer. PFC never at any point guaranteed the customer that there would be no additional engine problems. He was advised from day 1, that we only provided the work that was requested. Mr. Bornstein and Mrs. Bornstein stated several times that they hated this car and seems like they want to blame their problems with it on PFC. Their negligence of not checking the oil level regularly greatly contributed to the damage made to the car. PFC has been in business for 27 years and has never had any complaints to Revdex.com or DMV. We hire ASE (Automobile Service Excellence) certified mechanics. PFC takes pride in their work and their customer service, and believe we went above and beyond to help this customer. 
Sent on: 3/25/2014 3:52:42 PM

Complaint: 9951688
I am rejecting this response because:I am responding to the reply from Prospect Foreign Car (PFC) regarding my complaint to the Revdex.com (Revdex.com) regarding repairs on my Volkswagon Passat.  Mr. Franco, the owner, charged me $571 for a service he did not perform.  After driving the car 11 miles, the same engine oil light flashed on the dash that appeared prior to the car being brought in for service indicating the car was not repaired.  I want to be refunded the money that was paid and for the $250 cost of a rental car while his non repairs were made.  This complaint should be registered with your bureau so that no other person will have to pay for car repair services from a disreputable business.
 
I need to clarify the work that PFC did on the car and the misinformation he presented in his response which will clearly point to his non performance on the repair and his lack of understanding of the problem he was paid to fix.
 
 
 
I am responding to the comments and Prospect Foreign Car (PFC) service assessment of a repair on my Volkswagon Passat, which was not completed to my satisfaction.    In his response, Franco did not address the issue that the repair service on the car was not done properly and the same problem occurred again and was not resolved after a $571 payment.  Thus I will  not remove my Revdex.com complaint as Franco did not fully understand the problem with the car and charged me for a repair that did not resolve the problem.   My car had to be towed into his shop and towed out of his shop after payment so I would say the issue was not resolved.  The car at the end of this process, with service from Franco and PFC had oil leaking from the car (previous picture) after a 5 to 7 minute warm up and oil leaking on the engine causing smoke on the right side of the car.  Nothing was resolved and PFC cost me for a rental car.
 
My 2000 Volkswagon Passat with 98,000 miles on it was towed into PFC on a Wednesday February 19th after my wife called to tell me the low oil engine light went on.  She read the auto manual which indicated that the car should not be driven and should be towed.to a repair shop for review.
 
I called PFC to tell them that I was having my Volkswagon towed into their shop and to be expecting it.  I spoke with PFC secretary.   PFC knew the car and I thought they could determine the repair necessary as I paid them thousands of dollars to repair my car previously.  I DID NOT talk to Franco and he did not tell me not to drive the car as a low engine oil light would cause damage to the engine and to have it towed into the shop.  A lie.
 
Yes I did indicate that I just spent $1,549 on a repair for the car on December 27, 2013 for a timing belt and thermostat and I was not happy to have another problem with the car.  However, this has nothing to do with the issue of whether the repair was done properly and whether the car was fixed after being handled by PFC.
 
The car was at PFC on Wednesday and Thursday, February 19th and 20th, as they looked at the car to determine what was causing the low  engine oil light to go on.  Franco said the car was low on oil and it needed a new oil pan and drain plug  because that is where the oil was leaking.  He said that would fix the problem after his comprehensive review of the car.  I authorized him to repair it and fix the car on Thursday, February 20th when I spoke with him.  I did not speak with him on Wednesday, February 19th. 
 
On the afternoon of Friday, February 21st, I got a call from the PFC secretary that the car was ready to go and could be picked up after being towed into PFC on Wednesday.  NEVER did PFC mention that the car needed an "intense diagnostics"  on the engine to fix the problem.  He said he fixed the oil leak problem as mentioned on the paid bill with a new oil pan and plug.  I guess Franco realized, after the fact, that he did not find the real problem and needed to do this.
 
We put very little miles on the 2000 Volkswagon Passat as it had 98,000 miles on it.  We never had an oil problem.  This was a mechanical issue that was not addressed properly.
My wife got dropped off to pick up her car on Friday afternoon, February 21st.  She paid the bill of $571 and got in the car.   The check engine light was on when she turned the car on.  How could that be if the car was repaired?  There was still something wrong obviously but Franco took the car in and reset the check engine light and he said the car was good to go.  Obviously it was not.  PFC put in 5.5 quartz of oil.
 
After taking the car home after 2 1/2 days at PFC on Friday it was parked in my garage.  There was no engine oil leaking from the car on the garage floor overnight so we assumed PFC had fixed the problem.   However we did not know that when the car warms up the problem occurs and the engine oil leaks.
Obviously Franco did not warm the car up enough to see this problem after only driving it for 2 miles.
 
 The same problem occurred the next day after it was driven 10 to 11 miles to Bolton from West Hartford not to Middletown, CT.  The check engine oil light came on.  Since some 5.5 quartz of oil was put in the car and it did not leak we could not guess what the problem was.  I told my wife to return the car to PFC on Saturday morning and I would pick her up there.  No service people were there as they were only open for emissions service.  The person running the shop indicated he would try to get Franco to see if he could help as the car was in the PFC shop for 2 1/2 days before and "fixed".  With PFC great service, I figured I would get a call from Franco.  No call from Franco's was received. 
 
No call was received from Franco on Monday, February 24th, either.  I called Franco closer to noon on Monday and he said he was reviewing the car to find out what was wrong.  He said the engine seemed fine and he would check other things.  I thought all this was done before but I guess not.
I stopped in Monday afternoon for a face to face with Franco and he said he still was trying to find out what was wrong.  I had to rent a car for the week as I did not know when Franco would get back to me and figure out what he missed in the first place. 
I did not authorize PFC to do anything but find out why the initial problem of an oil leak was not fixed.  
Later after a review by Franco I was told the hydraulic chain tensor was damaged.  I was never told that when the car was fixed in the first place on Friday that this was a problem.  Yes I did not understand that a fixed car could still be damaged.  I got charged and the problem was not thoroughly analyzed.
I consulted my friend who works on cars and trucks when I saw that PFC was having trouble understanding the issue with the car.  He is the one who suggested STP treatment as something that might work to help the engine.  I did not know about that.  He also indicated that PFC did not drive the car long enough to diagnois the problem.  He said two miles would not do it.
 
I am glad that PFC put in 7 1/2 hours of free labor into the repair.  However the repair was not done right and it was not worth anything since the problem of an oil leak was not fixed.  Again I paid $571 for no fix to my car plus the cost of a rental car which PFC should have reimbursed me for.  There was no mention that he would do that.
PFC received the 2000 Volkswagon and was to determine what was wrong with it and I would decide on the repair.  I never had a work request but  Franco was told to find out the problem and tell me what needed to be done and I would decide whether to do it.    Franco reviewed the problem and he came up with the fix. That is the work requested because that is what Franco, a mechanic, came up with.   If I knew about a Volkswagon I would have done it myself.
So after a full week in PFC shop Franco never called me to discuss the car issue.  He knew he did not do his job.  On Friday, February 28th I called PFC to see what was going on with my car.  Franco conveniently was not in for the day.  The secretary indicated that she would find out about the car.  She called me back and told me to have it towed out of the shop to my house.  Great service and the problem was not fixed from the previous Friday.
The car was towed to my house and I started up the car to find out what was going on Saturday March 1st.  After 5 to 6 minutes oil was leaking on the engine and smoking and oil was dripping on the ground on a continuous basis.  (see previous picture sent)  Some fix!  This was totally missed by PFC.  My friend said that PFC did not warm the car up enough as if they did they would have seen this issue.  The car has to warm up and the oil will then drip.  As for curiosity I called Mitchell Volkswagon where I bought the car.  I told them the problem about oil leaking and burning on the engine with smoke.  They indicated that it was a leak on the engine above the manifold in the back of the engine compartment and it was leaking due to age to valve cap.  It would cost $600 to repair.  I think PFC should get more Volkswagon experience.
 
Given this scenario I think the Revdex.com should warn other customers that this shop does not do its homework on some of the cars they service.  What a disaster for me and what a insult to me in terms of his response to the work he did on the car for 2 1/2 days and for another week.  My complaint will not be withdraw as PFC did not do its job, did not go above to help its customer and did not compensate me for it's poor peformance.  Until I am compensated the complaint stays.
Sincerely,
Paul Bornstein