Second Chance Furniture Restoration

MrO [redacted] ’s Ford Explorer was towed in to Fairview Shell on Friday, June 10, at around noonThe complaint on the vehicle was smoke coming from under the hoodA repair order was written up with an initial estimate of $less his AAA discount of $This was to diagnose what the problem was concerning the smoke from the engine compartmentThe estimate was agreed to and signed by Mr.O [redacted] at 12:Since MrO [redacted] was an AAA member, and was travelling back home, we made his vehicle a priority to diagnose the issueAn ASE Master Mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the smoke was caused by faulty thermostat housing; the lower housing was separating from the upper housingThe housings frequently warp due to the heat and the recommended repair is to replace the entire housingA replacement housing, complete with a new thermostat was located, and a revised estimate was made to include the replacement of the entire housing and refilling the cooling system with the proper Motorcraft coolantThe revised estimate included the initial diagnosis, along with the repair and test drive of the vehicle to confirm the repair was the only issue causing the smoke from the engine compartmentMrO [redacted] was notified by my Service Writer, that the revision amount was $522.49, which included an AAA discount of $MrO [redacted] approved the revised cost for the repair at 12:The parts were ordered, and when we received the parts, the repair was completedAt 4:in the afternoon, on Friday the 10", MrO [redacted] picked up his vehicleIt was at that time that MrO [redacted] complained concerning the price of the repairMy Service Writer and I attempted to explain the costs, but to no avail.So, I would like to explain the costs at this timeThe initial estimate of $103.46, (the Bureau of Automotive Repair requires a written estimate to be given prior to any work on a vehicle), was for my ASE Master technician to inspect the vehicle, confirm the problem, find the cause of the problem, and give a solution to the problemThat is exactly what he did, and it is a business practice to be paid for the diagnosisMy Service Writer checked at various parts suppliers and located a complete thermostat housing to replace the faulty oneThe thermostat housing was not a Ford part, but is one that carries the same warranty with us as the Ford partWe checked at the local Ford/Mazda dealer for the part, and were informed that the parts had to be purchased individuallyThere was an upper housing, lower housing, thermostat, an o-ring, and a sealThe total list price, not the selling price if the dealer were replacing the parts, was $The price we charged for the complete housing was $MrO [redacted] stated in his complaint that the part should only cost $since it was not a Ford part, and if it was a Ford part $100.00, that assumption is incorrectI have attached an estimate on the parts from our local Ford/Mazda dealerMrO [redacted] also said in his complaint that he was able to locate the part on carparts.com, for $25,I went on the website carparts.com and checked for the housingI was able to locate a housing made by Dorman for $50.02, plus shipping and tax, for a total of $61,The expected delivery date, for that part was estimated by the customer service representative for carparts.com, of 3-business daysSince it was already Friday afternoon, the part might not have arrived until the next FridayMrO [redacted] was travelling back to San Francisco, so that was not a very viable solution to his car problemAs a business, we do markup the price on the parts that we sell, which is necessary to insure that the business does cover the expenses that every business has.According to AllData, a standard estimating resource for the automotive industry, the labor to replace the lower thermostat housing was hoursIn order to replace the lower housing you are required to remove the entire housing assemblySo we used that additional labor along with the diagnostic time to arrive at the total labor cost, ($per unit, our shop rate), to a total labor cost of $318.99.I personally called Perry Ford's Service Department, when MrO [redacted] had left, and asked for a rough estimate on replacing the thermostat housing on the ExplorerI was told the estimate was between $500.00–550.00.I do not feel that we did anything improper on this repairMrO [redacted] ’s car broke down while travelling to San Francisco mid day on a FridayWe were able to expedite getting his vehicle diagnosed, the repair authorized, and the repair completed, in time for MrO [redacted] to be back on the road all within less than hoursI am highly disappointed that MrO [redacted] was not appreciative of our efforts to accommodate him so quicklyI have attached files from Perry Mazda, carparts.com, and AllData to back up my claimsI will not address who was rude at the time, because it was not my Service Writer, my cashier, or 1.I do not believe any refund is due to MrO [redacted] If there are any additional questions, I can be reached at Fairview Shell Auto Care, ###-###-####Paul WWilson (Owner

Complaint: 11514748
I am rejecting this response because:To reiterate my experience, I arrived at the Fairview Shell station with the tow truck at 12:20 pm and said I wanted to watch the pressure test because it was a coolant leak. I was told that it would be at least one hour and 30 minutes before the test, so my wife picked me up in the rental car at 12:35. Fairview Shell called my wife's phone at 12:49 pm (see attached from Verizon), 29 minutes after dropping it off, and stated that they could fix the car for $580.There was no explanation of the breakdown of cost or labor at that time. They knew I was on a timeline and at their mercy because the second question they asked was my home address.They called me at 2:27 pm (see attached from Verizon), one hour and 38 minutes after the initial call, to say the car was "done, come and get it." When I arrived, I questioned the bill because of my conversation with a Ford mechanic back home stating a much lower price. Fairview never produced a bill for the part they put in, but admitted it was not a Ford part and an after market top and bottom unit. Without knowing anything about the part, how do I know it didn't come from a junkyard?The master mechanic admitted he only had to change three bolts, a hose clamp and a sensor when I questioned the 3 hours of labor when I okayed the work at 12:49. They claim they didn't have the part yet were completed it at 2:27pm. The bill they attached to the Revdex.com response to my initial complaint is irrelevant because they admitted it was not a Ford part. I went into O'Reilly Auto Parts in Millbrae, CA and asked for the same non­ Ford part quote, which was $46.99 (see attached), $100.22 less than the price of the part on the bill. I called the Goleta O'Reilly Auto Parts and they quoted the same and had it in stock.They asked me why I okayed the original quote and I stated that they were not specific as to how easy the job was an how much they were overcharging in parts and labor. The Alldata quote to replace the lower thermostat housing of 1.8 hours involved dismantling the existing housing that was not done but rather replacing the entire unit, consistent with the Alldata quote of 1 hour.When they say that got me on the road and back on my way home in a few hours, they forgot to mention that they had 3 repair stalls and all were empty when we were towed there, and all empty when picked it up.Finally, is it legal to not show the replacement part documentation because my mechanic in San Francisco always does that. As for them saying I was rude, I consider it rude to not answer any questions about the charges except to tell me “it’s legal to charge whatever they want” to which I replied, “so if you gouged me for $1000 I would just have to take it?” and the owner replied “we could have, it’s all legal.”
Regards,
M[redacted]

This has been resolved through arbitration with AAA.

Mr. O[redacted]’s 2002 Ford Explorer was towed in to Fairview Shell on Friday, June 10, at around noon. The complaint on the vehicle was smoke coming from under the hood. A repair order was written up with an initial estimate of $114.95 less his AAA discount of $11.49. This was to diagnose what the...

problem was concerning the smoke from the engine compartment. The estimate was agreed to and signed by Mr.O[redacted] at 12:18. Since Mr. O[redacted] was an AAA member, and was travelling back home, we made his vehicle a priority to diagnose the issue. An ASE Master Mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the smoke was caused by faulty thermostat housing; the lower housing was separating from the upper housing. The housings frequently warp due to the heat and the recommended repair is to replace the entire housing. A replacement housing, complete with a new thermostat was located, and a revised estimate was made to include the replacement of the entire housing and refilling the cooling system with the proper Motorcraft coolant. The revised estimate included the initial diagnosis, along with the repair and test drive of the vehicle to confirm the repair was the only issue causing the smoke from the engine compartment. Mr. O[redacted] was notified by my Service Writer, that the revision amount was $522.49, which included an AAA discount of $50.00. Mr. O[redacted] approved the revised cost for the repair at 12:50. The parts were ordered, and when we received the parts, the repair was completed. At 4:21 in the afternoon, on Friday the 10", Mr. O[redacted] picked up his vehicle. It was at that time that Mr. O[redacted] complained concerning the price of the repair. My Service Writer and I attempted to explain the costs, but to no avail.So, I would like to explain the costs at this time. The initial estimate of $103.46, (the Bureau of Automotive Repair requires a written estimate to be given prior to any work on a vehicle), was for my ASE Master technician to inspect the vehicle, confirm the problem, find the cause of the problem, and give a solution to the problem. That is exactly what he did, and it is a normal business practice to be paid for the diagnosis. My Service Writer checked at various parts suppliers and located a complete thermostat housing to replace the faulty one. The thermostat housing was not a Ford part, but is one that carries the same warranty with us as the Ford part. We checked at the local Ford/Mazda dealer for the part, and were informed that the parts had to be purchased individually. There was an upper housing, lower housing, thermostat, an o-ring, and a seal. The total list price, not the selling price if the dealer were replacing the parts, was $154.67. The price we charged for the complete housing was $147.21. Mr. O[redacted] stated in his complaint that the part should only cost $50.00 since it was not a Ford part, and if it was a Ford part $100.00, that assumption is incorrect. I have attached an estimate on the parts from our local Ford/Mazda dealer. Mr. O[redacted] also said in his complaint that he was able to locate the part on carparts.com, for $25,67. I went on the website carparts.com and checked for the housing. I was able to locate a housing made by Dorman for $50.02, plus shipping and tax, for a total of $61,97. The expected delivery date, for that part was estimated by the customer service representative for carparts.com, of 3-5 business days. Since it was already Friday afternoon, the part might not have arrived until the next Friday. Mr. O[redacted] was travelling back to San Francisco, so that was not a very viable solution to his car problem. As a business, we do markup the price on the parts that we sell, which is necessary to insure that the business does cover the expenses that every business has.According to AllData, a standard estimating resource for the automotive industry, the labor to replace the lower thermostat housing was 1.8 hours. In order to replace the lower housing you are required to remove the entire housing assembly. So we used that additional labor along with the diagnostic time to arrive at the total labor cost, ($114.95 per unit, our shop rate), to a total labor cost of $318.99.I personally called Perry Ford's Service Department, when Mr. O[redacted] had left, and asked for a rough estimate on replacing the thermostat housing on the 2002 Explorer. I was told the estimate was between $500.00–550.00.I do not feel that we did anything improper on this repair. Mr. O[redacted]’s car broke down while travelling to San Francisco mid day on a Friday. We were able to expedite getting his vehicle diagnosed, the repair authorized, and the repair completed, in time for Mr. O[redacted] to be back on the road all within less than 5 hours. I am highly disappointed that Mr. O[redacted] was not appreciative of our efforts to accommodate him so quickly. I have attached files from Perry Mazda, carparts.com, and AllData to back up my claims. I will not address who was rude at the time, because it was not my Service Writer, my cashier, or 1.I do not believe any refund is due to Mr. O[redacted]. If there are any additional questions, I can be reached at Fairview Shell Auto Care, ###-###-####Paul W. Wilson (Owner

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 11514748, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I am still awaiting reimbursement by the business per our AAA arbitration, so if that does not arrive, this is not acceptable. 
Regards,
M[redacted]