Ramos Auto Repair

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
The business response is partial true, when the problem was detected in regards to the module damage and the vent clog, they did inform me then that the battery was weak and needed replacement. When I picked up the car, again I was informed a new battery was required. I replaced the battery immediately; I drove the car one day, after the new battery was installed and the car would not start again once the car was at rest overnight. I contacted the owner and he charged the new battery to start the car and told me if I still had a problem that he would come and get the carMr*** picked up my car the following week and the car was in his possession for an additional week, for which I was told they isolated the problem. The next time I saw my car, it was completely dismantled and the owner was advising me to submit an insurance claim so they would be paid for destroying my car and it was totaled out by my insurance company. Prior to the dismantling of my car, I had a licensed Mercedes mechanic contact the owner to assist him in identifying the problem and he was not receptive to an experts opinion. Since then, I had the car analyzed by two independent auto specialist and both told me the car is repairable and the damage the shop caused was not necessary and done because the individuals working on the car did not know what they were doing. My insurance adjuster was also appalled by the work ethic of the mechanics and he informed me that the lead mechanic who did the work was only concerned about how he would be paid and did not care if the insurance copaid them or me. He had no concern about repairing the damage caused by his incompetence or the hardship caused to me the client. I have pictures of the damage caused to my car ; I would have respected the repair crew if they simply said this job was outside of their expertise and I would have taken the car somewhere else for repair. They caused me time out of work, emotional distress and I felt disrespected as a women client serviced by unscrupulous mechanics
Regards,
*** ***

The car came in as a no start and flashing exterior lights condition. Upon inspecting the fuel pump relay which is located under the rear seat compartment we noticed water damage in that general area. Due to...

the water damage the rear SAM unit was damaged. The SAM unit was replaced with a new one. Also a front vent drain was unclogged at that time to prevent water from entering again.  At that time we advised the customer that we could not warranty the work since the vehicle had been flooded. Problem was solved vehicle started and was returned to customer.
Approximately two weeks later customer returned vehicle for a dead battery. Further diagnostic was needed at this time. The interior of the vehicle was completely disassembled.  After our investigation we concluded that the battery drain was caused by a damaged wiring harness. The damaged harness also had signs of corrosion due to initial water. This damage was not noticeable during our first repair. Vehicles that have gone through water damage do not always show all signs of damage until the corrosion commences to spread.
Once we noticed the interior wiring harness was damaged the customer was advised that the harness also needed replacing.  At that time to customer opened an insurance claim.  The insurance adjuster that evaluated the car initially wanted to perform the repair of replacing the entire wire harness. Ultimately they deemed it a total loss. The customer then started to claim that the car was totaled due to our negligence and not to water that had entered the vehicle initially. 
Clearly the insurance company would have never honored the claim, had we been at fault as accused.
The customer removed the car from our shop. The initial repair was never paid in full. We pardoned the remaining balance as compensation.
 
We appreciate your help in resolving this issue.
Thank you,

Review: On May 2, 2014, I was unable to start my vehicle, all power was down. I assumed it was the battery and had it charged but it did not work. I immediately contacted Mr. [redacted] , the owner of Ramos Auto Repair and informed him of the problem and he instructed me to have the car towed to his establishment. That morning the car was towed to his shop. On May 3rd, after his mechanic, [redacted], examined the car, he contacted me and I went to the shop to discuss the problem. [redacted] informed me that the computer module, located in the back seat on the passenger side was damaged due to water damage. The back seat was removed to show me the water which settled in the car. At this time, he was unable to determine the source of the water and he informed me he would contact me later that day with the source. He gave me a price for the module, at our first meeting, he explained that to me that he recently completed a job like this and he would be able to handle the work on this job as well. I agreed for him to investigate the problem further to help identify the source. The next day, [redacted] informed me that the source of the water source was due to a clogged drainage pipe in the front of the vehicle on the passenger side and that he would clean and repair. The next step would be to drain the water and dry out the matting beneath the passenger seating and back seat panels to. during this conversation, [redacted], now informed me of a price change to the module, he now quoted a price which was $150 more then the original price. The repairs were completed and my car was returned on 5/23/14. The car operated for a day, it was returned to Ramos Auto Repair shop, they could not identify the cause. As of 6/18/14, [redacted] told me he saw problems with 3 wires during the first repair process, but did not do anything about it nor did he inform me of the problem. These 3 wires were now burnt out, he completed demolished the interior of the car, now saying it is unrepairable.Desired Settlement: To have the shop reassemble my vehicle and restore it repaired. Correct the wires that were damaged, as a result of their negligence. The wiring should have been replaced during the first repair and it would not have escalated to the burn out that was caused later. They placed wet padding back in the car, without fully or partially drying them out before the vehicle left the shop which was contributory to the wire burn out. I'm now left with a destroyed vehicle, they do not want to complete the mess they created, the mechanic [redacted] has indicated to me, and my insurance company he wants to get paid for the work he performed and if my insurance company does not pay him, he told them I will have to pay for his mistakes!!!! I would like to the repair shop to complete the work, so I can have a more qualified mechanic correct their mistake with no additional cost on my part. I have been without my car for almost a month and it has impacted my livelihood tremendously.

Business

Response:

The car came in as a no start and flashing exterior lights condition. Upon inspecting the fuel pump relay which is located under the rear seat compartment we noticed water damage in that general area. Due to the water damage the rear SAM unit was damaged. The SAM unit was replaced with a new one. Also a front vent drain was unclogged at that time to prevent water from entering again. At that time we advised the customer that we could not warranty the work since the vehicle had been flooded. Problem was solved vehicle started and was returned to customer.

Approximately two weeks later customer returned vehicle for a dead battery. Further diagnostic was needed at this time. The interior of the vehicle was completely disassembled. After our investigation we concluded that the battery drain was caused by a damaged wiring harness. The damaged harness also had signs of corrosion due to initial water. This damage was not noticeable during our first repair. Vehicles that have gone through water damage do not always show all signs of damage until the corrosion commences to spread.

Once we noticed the interior wiring harness was damaged the customer was advised that the harness also needed replacing. At that time to customer opened an insurance claim. The insurance adjuster that evaluated the car initially wanted to perform the repair of replacing the entire wire harness. Ultimately they deemed it a total loss. The customer then started to claim that the car was totaled due to our negligence and not to water that had entered the vehicle initially.

Clearly the insurance company would have never honored the claim, had we been at fault as accused.

The customer removed the car from our shop. The initial repair was never paid in full. We pardoned the remaining balance as compensation.

We appreciate your help in resolving this issue.

Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

The business response is partial true, when the problem was detected in regards to the module damage and the vent clog, they did inform me then that the battery was weak and needed replacement. When I picked up the car, again I was informed a new battery was required. I replaced the battery immediately; I drove the car one day, after the new battery was installed and the car would not start again once the car was at rest overnight. I contacted the owner and he charged the new battery to start the car and told me if I still had a problem that he would come and get the car. Mr. [redacted] picked up my car the following week and the car was in his possession for an additional week, for which I was told they isolated the problem. The next time I saw my car, it was completely dismantled and the owner was advising me to submit an insurance claim so they would be paid for destroying my car and it was totaled out by my insurance company. Prior to the dismantling of my car, I had a licensed Mercedes mechanic contact the owner to assist him in identifying the problem and he was not receptive to an experts opinion. Since then, I had the car analyzed by two independent auto specialist and both told me the car is repairable and the damage the shop caused was not necessary and done because the individuals working on the car did not know what they were doing. My insurance adjuster was also appalled by the work ethic of the mechanics and he informed me that the lead mechanic who did the work was only concerned about how he would be paid and did not care if the insurance co. paid them or me. He had no concern about repairing the damage caused by his incompetence or the hardship caused to me the client. I have pictures of the damage caused to my car ; I would have respected the repair crew if they simply said this job was outside of their expertise and I would have taken the car somewhere else for repair. They caused me time out of work, emotional distress and I felt disrespected as a women client serviced by unscrupulous mechanics.

Regards,