Smitty's Auto Body

I am rejecting this response because:I continue to be at a loss in my attempt to resolve these issues. You are extremely defensive and agitated regarding all replies however, offer no resolution. Yes, you referenced a past text conversation that depicted my concern regarding the service and your extremely agitated and defensive response that lacked a single suggestion to resolve the issues. I did not have one conversation with the engine builder during the build therefore, I never had the opportunity to discuss any/other issues that may have been discovered with the engine and its operation. Why would anyone paying for an engine rebuild be okay with an incomplete service (i.e. “bad carb”) or anything else that may have negatively effected the operation of the engine? I was not informed of any issues nor did I ever have the opportunity to address them during the build. You sold me [redacted]s service and did not include me in any of the process until it was time to pay the bill. For $4,338.30 I was under the impression I was receiving a “good” rebuilt motor along with the service of install and tune. No one (you or [redacted]) contacted me to inform me that the engine was not going to operate correctly or as any resonable paying customer would have expected. Furthermore, no paying customer would ever expect to pick up a vehicle and discover issues such as, moldings removed, obvious paint chipping from the bumper, heater boxes not “reconnected,” tin screws incorrectly installed or not installed all together, etc. If that would have occurred at a business such as a large dealership, the dealership would simply fix the area of damage or replace the removed items, or connect components that were not connected. Instead, your response at the time was “those weren’t connected when it was brought in.”  I am baffled that I (the paying customer) have to make these suggestions. You personally charged me $1338.30 on top of the $3000.00 I “separately” paid [redacted] and I received a vehicle with the aforementioned issues. Despite my questions, concerns and neutral efforts to resolve these issues you still offer no resolution... I am still stuck with an engine that does not appear to be operating correctly, the negligent items noted above and $4338.30 less in the bank. I ask again, what do you suggest we do to resolve the issues noted?

Mr, [redacted], On June 30, 2015 at 6:52pm via text message I responded to you and stated "I will try my best to do what ever it takes to make you happy because I care about what I do but I will not be insulted."  I never heard anything from you after that until you filed the complaint with the Revdex.com. I can only offer assistance with services we provided. If you have any issues with the engine you need to contact the engine builder [redacted] directly. Thank you, [redacted]

After reviewing this complaint I'm at a loss as to understand exactly what the complaint actually is. Mr. [redacted] contacted us to see if we could help him with a blown engine he had in his VW bus since we are a body shop not a machine shop or a engine builder a estimate for the cost of the new engine...

could not and was not given by us. My recommendation to Mr. [redacted] was to have us pull the engine and send the engine to a shop that could provide him the services he needed. Once the engine was removed it was shipped to a very well known and respected engine builder the engine was torn down by them and a total cost of the new engine was given by them to Mr. [redacted]. Mr [redacted] had the engine rebuilt by [redacted] and paid them directly for this job the engine was shipped back to us and we reinstalled the engine for him. During the time the engine was away Mr. [redacted] contacted us and asked if we could diagnose the smell of fuel that he had noticed we checked the gas tank and noted that at some point a incorrect tank was added and improperly installed photos of this were sent directly to Mr. [redacted]. I informed him that the only correct way to fix the issue was to install a new correct style gas tank and replace all associated seals and hoses which he agreed and we did and have all photos to support this and texts between me and Mr. [redacted]. My response here to Mr. [redacted] is that if he has a issue with whats been done by his engine builder he should direct those issues to them directly if the issues he had with work done by my facility then I will be more than happy to resolve them with him at any time. Attached is a copy of the invoice that was issued by my shop you will see the total cost of 1338.30.Thank you,[redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:Issues explained during initial filing as well as, no offer or gesture to address any of the noted issues has been made to date. [redacted] SOLD me the noted engine services and contracted a second source for the engine build and personally charged me $450 for removal/install and PROPER ADJUSTMENT of the engine . In fact, [redacted] charged me several hundred dollars more for this particular service than most other businesses in the area that offer the same service. The extra charge for tuning the engine appears redundant because the engine builder also charged me $350 to run, adjust and tune the engine prior to installation. Why was I charged twice (totaling $800) for essentially the same service? The engine is not operating as it should (over heating) and as I paid for. Therefore, I should have either not been charged as much for this service OR all problems associated with this issue should have been addressed prior to this filing. The CONTRACTED engine builder has made some suggestions for me to try in an attempt to address some of the issues with the engine itself. However, I feel as though I have already paid a great deal of money for this service and do not think I should now be forced to install, adjust and  “tweak” components in order for the engine to operate correctly. I should have been informed that the engine was not operating correctly prior to my pick up of the vehicle and payments. Furthermore, the fuel tank was installed using an incorrect component (fuel gauge sending unit) that cost me much more than it should have ($70.52.) The cost of the correct and readily available component (sending unit block off plate) is $6.50 from a reputable VW parts supply source. While at [redacted]’s shop, the left side of the front bumper suffered an impact that caused paint chipping as well as, a piece of rubber molding was removed from the passenger side cab door and not replaced. The heater boxes were not reconnected upon installation of the engine therefore, the heater is essentially inoperable. If these issues had occurred at any other business that is held to a standard and is monitored for competency and quality, the issues would have been resolved and/or the paying customer would have been appropriately compensated with a refund or return. However, as noted previously I informed [redacted] of these issues and he has yet to offer any suggestion for resolution. When I initially informed him that the engine was running extremely hot he merely stated, “welcome to the world of air cooled Volkswagens” but made no gesture or suggestion to fix the issue.

Review: On approximately April 10, 2015, I contacted Smitty's Auto Body with an inquiry of repairing or replacing the engine in my 1960 VW Bus. At that time, [redacted] (owner) stated that he would be happy to assist and informed me that the service he uses for his engine repairs/replacement is located in Paramount California and that he removes the engine from the vehicle and ships it to this business [redacted].) [redacted] informed me that for $3000.00 I would receive a freshly built 2007cc engine with "more power and reliability" without all the usual troubles of other VW air cooled engines. He informed me that for the noted price many and/or most of the internal components of the engine would be replaced by brand new, larger displacement components due to the increase in engine size and output. He also informed me that certain items would be installed for the $3000.00 such as an external oil filter and external oil cooler. On or about April 13, 2015 and after some thought, I contacted [redacted] and informed him that I wanted to go forward with this purchase and replacement of my engine. On April 18, 2015, [redacted] arrived to my residence in Chico, CA. and provided trailer transport of my vehicle to his shop located in Meadow Vista, CA (a provided service he openly advertises for a premium fee.) On June 19, 2015, [redacted] contacted me and informed me that I would need to contact Old Speed and pay for the work related to the engine rebuild separately and independently from the rest of the engine related service [redacted] was providing. On June 22, 2015, I contacted Old Speed and paid the $3000.00 bill for internal engine work. I was told, and it is noted on my invoice, that $350.00 of the $3000.00 included a "start-up test run/pre-tune" procedure to ensure the engine is operating correctly and at its fullest potential. On June 23, 2015, [redacted] informed me that the fuel tank in the vehicle was incorrectly installed thus causing several safety issues and that it would need to be replaced. Continued.....Desired Settlement: I would like to receive the service I paid for and have all negligent items address or an adjusted bill and refund of money.

Business

Response:

After reviewing this complaint I'm at a loss as to understand exactly what the complaint actually is. Mr. [redacted] contacted us to see if we could help him with a blown engine he had in his VW bus since we are a body shop not a machine shop or a engine builder a estimate for the cost of the new engine could not and was not given by us. My recommendation to Mr. [redacted] was to have us pull the engine and send the engine to a shop that could provide him the services he needed. Once the engine was removed it was shipped to a very well known and respected engine builder the engine was torn down by them and a total cost of the new engine was given by them to Mr. [redacted]. Mr [redacted] had the engine rebuilt by [redacted] and paid them directly for this job the engine was shipped back to us and we reinstalled the engine for him. During the time the engine was away Mr. [redacted] contacted us and asked if we could diagnose the smell of fuel that he had noticed we checked the gas tank and noted that at some point a incorrect tank was added and improperly installed photos of this were sent directly to Mr. [redacted]. I informed him that the only correct way to fix the issue was to install a new correct style gas tank and replace all associated seals and hoses which he agreed and we did and have all photos to support this and texts between me and Mr. [redacted]. My response here to Mr. [redacted] is that if he has a issue with whats been done by his engine builder he should direct those issues to them directly if the issues he had with work done by my facility then I will be more than happy to resolve them with him at any time. Attached is a copy of the invoice that was issued by my shop you will see the total cost of 1338.30.Thank you,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:Issues explained during initial filing as well as, no offer or gesture to address any of the noted issues has been made to date. [redacted] SOLD me the noted engine services and contracted a second source for the engine build and personally charged me $450 for removal/install and PROPER ADJUSTMENT of the engine . In fact, [redacted] charged me several hundred dollars more for this particular service than most other businesses in the area that offer the same service. The extra charge for tuning the engine appears redundant because the engine builder also charged me $350 to run, adjust and tune the engine prior to installation. Why was I charged twice (totaling $800) for essentially the same service? The engine is not operating as it should (over heating) and as I paid for. Therefore, I should have either not been charged as much for this service OR all problems associated with this issue should have been addressed prior to this filing. The CONTRACTED engine builder has made some suggestions for me to try in an attempt to address some of the issues with the engine itself. However, I feel as though I have already paid a great deal of money for this service and do not think I should now be forced to install, adjust and “tweak” components in order for the engine to operate correctly. I should have been informed that the engine was not operating correctly prior to my pick up of the vehicle and payments. Furthermore, the fuel tank was installed using an incorrect component (fuel gauge sending unit) that cost me much more than it should have ($70.52.) The cost of the correct and readily available component (sending unit block off plate) is $6.50 from a reputable VW parts supply source. While at [redacted]’s shop, the left side of the front bumper suffered an impact that caused paint chipping as well as, a piece of rubber molding was removed from the passenger side cab door and not replaced. The heater boxes were not reconnected upon installation of the engine therefore, the heater is essentially inoperable. If these issues had occurred at any other business that is held to a standard and is monitored for competency and quality, the issues would have been resolved and/or the paying customer would have been appropriately compensated with a refund or return. However, as noted previously I informed [redacted] of these issues and he has yet to offer any suggestion for resolution. When I initially informed him that the engine was running extremely hot he merely stated, “welcome to the world of air cooled Volkswagens” but made no gesture or suggestion to fix the issue.

Business

Response:

Mr, [redacted], On June 30, 2015 at 6:52pm via text message I responded to you and stated "I will try my best to do what ever it takes to make you happy because I care about what I do but I will not be insulted." I never heard anything from you after that until you filed the complaint with the Revdex.com. I can only offer assistance with services we provided. If you have any issues with the engine you need to contact the engine builder [redacted] directly. Thank you, [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:I continue to be at a loss in my attempt to resolve these issues. You are extremely defensive and agitated regarding all replies however, offer no resolution. Yes, you referenced a past text conversation that depicted my concern regarding the service and your extremely agitated and defensive response that lacked a single suggestion to resolve the issues. I did not have one conversation with the engine builder during the build therefore, I never had the opportunity to discuss any/other issues that may have been discovered with the engine and its operation. Why would anyone paying for an engine rebuild be okay with an incomplete service (i.e. “bad carb”) or anything else that may have negatively effected the operation of the engine? I was not informed of any issues nor did I ever have the opportunity to address them during the build. You sold me [redacted]s service and did not include me in any of the process until it was time to pay the bill. For $4,338.30 I was under the impression I was receiving a “good” rebuilt motor along with the service of install and tune. No one (you or [redacted]) contacted me to inform me that the engine was not going to operate correctly or as any resonable paying customer would have expected. Furthermore, no paying customer would ever expect to pick up a vehicle and discover issues such as, moldings removed, obvious paint chipping from the bumper, heater boxes not “reconnected,” tin screws incorrectly installed or not installed all together, etc. If that would have occurred at a business such as a large dealership, the dealership would simply fix the area of damage or replace the removed items, or connect components that were not connected. Instead, your response at the time was “those weren’t connected when it was brought in.” I am baffled that I (the paying customer) have to make these suggestions. You personally charged me $1338.30 on top of the $3000.00 I “separately” paid [redacted] and I received a vehicle with the aforementioned issues. Despite my questions, concerns and neutral efforts to resolve these issues you still offer no resolution... I am still stuck with an engine that does not appear to be operating correctly, the negligent items noted above and $4338.30 less in the bank. I ask again, what do you suggest we do to resolve the issues noted?