Seth Motors, Inc.

Review: My name is [redacted], and I am [redacted]’s boyfriend. [redacted] has given me permission to speak on her behalf, and likewise if you have anything you would like to say to [redacted] after reading this please say it to me and I will relay it.

[redacted] bought her 1999 Toyota Rav 4 in late February 2014. I looked it over and determined it had a coolant leak, it blew white smoke on start-up, and the heater did not work. Given the importance of the cooling system I decided to have this professionally addressed. This was the first reason why the car was brought to [redacted]’s Motors in March. A coolant hose was replaced along with other work, and the car was returned with no external leaks, but the heater still did not work and it still smoked. [redacted] drove the car for months in this condition.

At this point [redacted] and I believed that the car was worthy of keeping and decided to invest in some maintenance. I replaced the front wheel bearings, brake rotors and pads in July, and noticed that the brake hoses were cracked. The car was again brought to [redacted]’s in early August to have the brake hoses replaced and the transmission flushed. After this work was performed, the biggest problem with the car was that the heater did not work. I was hoping that the heater core was clogged and that a coolant flush would remedy this issue. We decided to have [redacted]’s do the timing belt & water pump partly because this service would include a cooling system flush. Indeed after this service in September the heater started working, but it was hit-or-miss. Sometimes the heat would work normally; sometimes it would blow cold air even when the engine was hot.

The next big event that happened was the car overheated one week later while [redacted] was driving on the freeway. She pulled over and stopped because the temp gauge was reading hot, not because of steam coming out from under the hood, not from steam visible in her mirrors nor because the engine lost power. She had the car towed to [redacted]’s. [redacted] was told that the cause of the problem was that the radiator had cracked, leaked all the coolant out, and then the car overheated due to being run with no coolant. She was offered no discount for the radiator replacement even though it failed immediately after [redacted]’s performed expensive repairs on her car that were related to the cooling system. She was also never shown the cracked radiator.

About 100 miles after [redacted] got the car back from the radiator replacement I checked the coolant level and noticed that it was low, and topped it off. [redacted] drove the car for about 3 weeks constantly adding coolant to it. Even though at this point we were not impressed with [redacted]’s as a shop, we decided to take the car back to them to address this issue of the coolant level dropping. We hoped that they would acknowledge all of the heartache we had endured, while continuing to remain their loyal customer.

On Friday, November 7th 2014 I spoke with [redacted] on the phone and explained to him that I feared the head gasket was blown, and that this was why the coolant level was dropping in the vehicle. I specifically asked him to perform a compression test as one means of confirming my fears. Not only did he not perform this test, but also accused me of “removing the radiator cap at the wrong time during its heat cycle” which he claimed produced the illusion of the coolant level dropping, when it wasn’t. He also stated that he pressure tested the system multiple times, hot and cold, and that there was no evidence of a head gasket leak.

A side note: I found it suspicious that [redacted] went out of his way to tell me that when they replaced the radiator the “entire bottom of the old radiator had blown off.” [redacted] had been told that the old radiator was only cracked.

I did not believe that the coolant level was not dropping, so [redacted] and I came up with the plan of having [redacted]’s leave the coolant level totally full, and sealed. [redacted] would drive the car for one week, logging approximately 300 miles without so much as popping the hood to inspect the coolant level. After that time [redacted]’s would again inspect the coolant level and either confirm that [redacted] was right and the coolant level had not dropped, or that I was right and the coolant level had dropped.

On Friday, November 14th 2014 [redacted] returned her Rav 4 to [redacted]’s. It was at this time that it was confirmed that the coolant level had dropped. The same exact tests were performed to check if the head gasket was blown, and this time the vehicle failed.

To summarize the last two interactions we had with [redacted]’s: An amateur mechanic with no diagnostic tools (me) came up with a hypothesis (blown head gasket) which would explain why the car was losing coolant. [redacted]’s responded by dismissing this fear and accusing me of being incompetent. The professional mechanics with diagnostic tools of all kinds then failed to diagnose the blown head gasket and sent [redacted] away with the false security that her car was O.K. to drive. I think we can all be grateful that the car did not overheat and cause serious damage in this week of driving without adding coolant. She then returned the car to [redacted]’s as instructed where they finally detected the blown head gasket and claimed no responsibility.

In conclusion, there has been reason to suspect that the head gasket was blown from the day [redacted] bought this car in February. I don't believe that when the car overheated on the freeway it blew its head gasket, but rather that it overheated because it burned all of its coolant due to the blown head gasket. I think [redacted]’s had many opportunities throughout this ordeal to properly diagnose the blown head gasket and fix the root issue, but that they instead continually sent [redacted] away from their shop with a blown head gasket and would fix the issues that the blown head gasket caused, rather than the blown head gasket itself. I believe that [redacted] at [redacted]’s treated me rudely, that his shop exhibited incompetence multiple times, and finally that they took $2500 of my girlfriend’s money and failed to fix her car.Desired Settlement: Had the head gasket been replaced when the timing belt and water pump were being changed, there would have been little extra labor charge because much of the dis-assembly was already performed. Also, all breakdowns and repairs from that point forward would not have occurred. This is why we are asking [redacted]'s to refund the $537.46 for the radiator replacement as well as compensate us $1800 for the cost of replacing the head gasket, which the vehicle still needs.

Here is a summary of all transactions at [redacted]'s with this vehicle.

3/25/2014 pressure test cooling system for leaks; vehicle inspection; replace leaking coolant hose to t-body as needed; renew left side drive axle; renew right side drive axle; renew

spark plugs.$895.96

8/8/2014 Renew brake hydraulic hose(s) including bleeding system; automatic transmission flush. $312.45

9/26/2014 Timing belt, water pump replacement; drive belt; multi rib belt; oil pump gasket; oil pump seal; crankshaft seal; coolant antifreeze gr. $698.16

10/22/2014 Diagnose cooling system for overheating; renew radiator; pressure test cooling system; renew thermostat and gasket; block test and check fan operation. $537.46

11/7/14 Coolant leaking. Asked [redacted]’s to do a compression test and check the head gasket. Inspected for coolant leak- nothing found. No paperwork given

11/14/14 Coolant leaking. Asked [redacted]’s to do a compression test and check the head gasket. Inspected for coolant leak- [redacted]’s states the head gasket has blown.

No paperwork given. [redacted]’s request $1800.00 to repair the head gasket.

Business

Response:

I have attached all copies of repair orders and all responses make to Mr. [redacted]. You can review what was discussed, I will not offer any compensation to the customer, he/she has wasted enough of my time. We did not have anything to do with the radiator failure or head gasket failure. She ([redacted]) caused the head gasket failure from overheating vehicle. The fact is a 15 year old 135,000 mile radiator failed, yes we did put water pump in the vehicle shortly before radiator failed, but has absolutely nothing to do with failure. The cooling system passed the pressure test every time after we worked on vehicle. Please review response and forward to Mr. [redacted]. Thank You,[redacted] Motors Inc.###-###-####[redacted]Your complete automotive repair facility

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received, your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Revdex.com,

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

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]