South County Auto Repair

The resolution proposal is not satisfactory as the reason why the engine light is on has not been determinedUntil I have inspected the vehicle I stand by my decision Regards, [redacted]

Dear [redacted] ; Following and in reply to your letter dated 11/07/regarding the repair carried out to Mr [redacted] 's Honda Accord LX, Mr [redacted] brought his vehicle to me having been an estimate by another shop, I stated that I would prefer to diagnose the fault regarding the SMOG failure myself, to which Mr [redacted] said that would be ok Having diagnosed the fault, I gave Mr [redacted] an estimate for repairs ($610.00) and the he stated that he could not afford repairs at that time but would return to have the repair done at a later date Mr [redacted] returned month later (approx) for the repairs to his vehicleI replaced the parts required and tested the vehicle to ensure that the problem (engine light) was resolved I then called Mr [redacted] and offered to take his car for a SMOG check, not only to satisfy myself that the problem was fixed but so that Mr [redacted] would not be inconvenienced by having to take the car for a SMOG check himselfPermission was given for this to be done Having had the car SMOG checked, which it passed with flying colors, I contacted Mr [redacted] and informed him that his car was ready for collection and offered to pick him up to collect his carMr [redacted] declined saying that his friend would bring him Mr [redacted] arrived shortly after with his friend and I presented him with an invoice for less than the original estimate, but which included the cost of the SMOG check, he could not have been happier Since that time I have not had any contact from Mr [redacted] regarding his vehicle, had he called, I would have known that there was a problem with his car and offered to take another look at his vehicle, but as I have not heard from him since the repair I was unaware of any problems An engine light can "come on" for a number of reasons, and the Mr [redacted] s' engine could well have generated another problem, due to age and condition of the vehicle, until I have interrogated the engine management computer and diagnosed the fault and ascertained why the engine light is on, there is no more that I can do for Mr [redacted] Should Mr [redacted] wish for his cars fault to be diagnosed, I would be only to willing to help him in this matter Yours sincerely, [redacted]

Dear Sir, My apologies for not replying sooner, my shop is being remodeled and I have been out of office during that timeWith regard to the turbo problem with the Audi, I can assure you that the turbo unit was replaced under warrantyWhen the vehicle
originally came in for excessive smoke and lack of power, the turbo unit and pipers were replaced, inter cooler cleaned of oil and new gasketsIt was reported at that time that the valve cover was leaking oil, (a substantial leak), that the oil level was low and that an oil and filter replacement was recommendedAuthority was NOT given for this repair (The engine oil was topped off, at my expense) When the vehicle was brought back with the same complaint, I removed the turbo unit and observed a small amount of oil in the
inter-cooler pipesI then contacted the company who supplied the unit, who said they would exchange the unit under their warrantyI installed the new unit, again explained that the valve cover was leaking oil and recommended replacement of the faulty part, recommended oil and filter replacement - authority NOT given again The customer picked the car and I did not hear from *** until mid April, when he called and said that he was experiencing the same problem againI explained that I was changing my business direction and that I was having construction work done to my building, which would take around 6-weeks, therefore I would be unable to look at his vehicle at that timeI also explained that I would be on vacation for daysDuring the time that I was on vacation, (which I had told *** about), ***'s wife came into my shop and started shouting at a construction worker regarding the matter, a matter which the construction guy obviously knew nothing about as he does not work for me I fully appreciate the frustration *** and his wife are experiencing regarding this matter, but talking to a construction guy is not going to help in resolving this matterThe mechanical repair was done correctly on both occasions, engines and turbo's rely on oil like a human needs blood, the amount of oil that was leaking from the valve cover was sufficient enough that I would check the oil level everyday, as the car is used everyday, I can only assume this was not being done and as a result, damage to the turbo has occurredI understand the problem, but as the repairer do not feel I am responsibleThe reported oil leak from the valve cover was an item that the customer did not have replaced, whether it be for financial reasons or just plain ignorance as to the purpose of oil in an engineBest Regards,
*** Locker (CEO)
South County Auto Repair

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowThe diagnosis I was given by *** Locker when the car was
first brought to South County Auto Repair was that the turbo was not
functioning properly and needed replacingI agreed to have the new turbo installed
and when I picked up the car my understanding was the problem was fixedI was
never told that I had an oil leak that would undermine the functioning of the
turbo and that by not having it repaired would essentially waste the $1,
in parts and labor I spent to have the problem fixed. I would ask *** supply
documentation to support that claimWhen the car was returned a second time to
*** @ South County, the diagnosis *** provided was that the part was bad, and
because the parts and labor were still under warranty, he said he would ask the
supplier to replace the turbo with a new one and he would install it at no
charge under the terms of the warrantiesAgain, we were never told that an oil
leak, that supposedly needed repairing, was the cause of the problemThe
invoice states clearly, “Suspect turbo
has failed internallyRemoved turbo assembly and inspected, excessive
amount of oil in turbo pipe from intercooler, confirmed internal fault with turbo.” I am not a mechanicWhen *** said the turbo
was bad, I took him at his wordI paid him to fix the problem, and if that
meant fixing an oil leak in conjunction with replacing the turbo, I certainly
would have had that work doneI would never have driven off the first time, or
the second time, knowing that the turbo would blow out again because of an oil
leak
When I spoke with *** on Friday, April the 17th,
he told me that his shop would not be available for weeks, and I told him
that was not going to work as I needed a vehicle to drive, and we agreed that I
would call him on Monday April 20th on his business line which he said was being
forwarded to another lineHe said he wanted to help, but expressed concern in
his ability to do that because he was moving away from the repair businessI
have called numerous times, and to date I have had no response from *** to
honor the terms of the agreement
The comment about my wife screaming at a construction worker
is silly at bestShe went to the shop to try and connect with *** because
none of our phone calls were being returned, and she was told by a group of
workers who were inside the shop that their boss was due back shortly and
recommended that she stay and talk with him At that time she was under the impression that
their boss may potentially be connected with South County Auto Repair or the
new restoration business *** was startingWhen this person arrived a few
minutes later, he approached her car and asked, in a very defensive manner,
what her problem wasHe never once stated that he was unconnected to the
businessIn fact, after listening to the problem my wife had explained to him,
he took it upon himself to state that since *** hadn’t built the part, he
shouldn’t be held responsible for it and suggested I contact the company that
sold the part to ***/South CountyIf he is not a representative of South
County Auto Repair, you may want to advise him and any other individuals doing
work there, to refrain from engaging in discussions with clients, otherwise it
gives the impression that they are in fact representatives of the business
which is misleading and counterproductive
I have since taken our car to a reputable mechanic, Unique
Imports, Inc., in business since 1975, to be repairedI’ve called ***/South
County numerous times, and have given ***/South County sufficient time to fix
the problem, and they have made no effort to get in contact with me to honor
the warranties stipulated on the invoice which clearly state, “Warranty on
parts is 24,miles or months whichever comes firstAnd labor is one year
or 12,miles whichever comes first
I would like to put this behind meI have the 2nd replaced turbo in my
possession which was removed by Unique Imports if South County would like to
pursue a refund from their vendor since they will not deal directly with 3rd
partiesPlease advise on how I can obtain a full refund and return the part
back to South County
Regards,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Regards,
*** ***

Dear [redacted];
    Following and in reply to your letter dated...

11/07/2014 regarding the repair carried out to Mr [redacted]'s 1998 Honda Accord LX, Mr [redacted] brought his vehicle to me having been an estimate by another shop, I stated that I would prefer to diagnose the fault regarding the SMOG failure myself, to which Mr [redacted] said that would be ok.
Having diagnosed the fault, I gave Mr [redacted] an estimate for repairs ($610.00) and the he stated that he could not afford repairs at that time but would return to have the repair done at a later date.......
Mr [redacted] returned 1 month later (approx) for the repairs to his vehicle. I replaced the parts required and tested the vehicle to ensure that the problem (engine light) was resolved. 
I then called Mr [redacted] and offered to take his car for a SMOG check, not only to satisfy myself that the problem was fixed but so that Mr [redacted] would not be inconvenienced by having to take the car for a SMOG check himself. Permission was given for this to be done.
Having had the car SMOG checked, which it passed with flying colors, I contacted Mr [redacted] and informed him that his car was ready for collection and offered to pick him up to collect his car. Mr [redacted] declined saying that his friend would bring him.
Mr [redacted] arrived shortly after with his friend and I presented him with an invoice for less than the original estimate, but which included the cost of the SMOG check, he could not have been happier.
Since that time I have not had any contact from Mr [redacted] regarding his vehicle, had he called, I would have known that there was a problem with his car and offered to take another look at his vehicle, but as I have not heard from him since the repair I was unaware of any problems.
 
An engine light can "come on" for a number of reasons, and the Mr [redacted]s' engine could well have generated another problem, due to age and condition of the vehicle, until I have interrogated the engine management computer and diagnosed the fault and ascertained  why the engine light is on, there is no more that I can do for Mr [redacted].
Should Mr [redacted] wish for his cars fault to be diagnosed, I would be only to willing to help him in this matter.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
[redacted]

The resolution proposal is not satisfactory as the reason why the engine light is on has not been determined.
Until I have inspected the vehicle I stand by my decision.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: On January 30th I paid South County Auto Repair/[redacted] Locker $1,568.70 for parts/services to repair the turbocharger and , indirectly, the oil leak on the Audi. Approximately two weeks later the car was smoking and leaking oil again, indicating the problem was not resolved. I returned the vehicle and was told there was excessive amounts of oil in the turbo pipe from the intercooler and there was internal fault with the turbo (I have the invoice from South Couunty that supports this) . Supposedly a new turbocharger was insalled, and I picked up the car on 2/17/15 and was not charged for the replacement part or service as they were both under warranty. About a month later I started to experience the same problems. Again, I called South County, spoke to [redacted] Locker, who said he was no longer in the business of fixing cars (and was moving into the business of car restoration), but said he would think about what he could do to honor the existing warranty which is 24 months on parts and 1 year on labor. He has not returned any phone calls since then and when I or my wife have gone to the shop he has not been there. It appears as though he is partnering with another gentlemen who has started to set up a business at the same location, doing car restorations, as I have seen a number of antique cars sitting up on the blocks in that same garage.Desired Settlement: Even if South County Auto Repair was still in the business of repairing cars, after this experience, I have no confidence in [redacted] Locker/South County Auto Repair to do the work correctly, and furthermore, honor the terms of any warranties, especially if [redacted] Locker/South County Auto Repair is no longer in the business of fixing cars.

Business

Response:

Dear Sir, My apologies for not replying sooner, my shop is being remodeled and I have been out of office during that time.

Review: Went in to fix engine check light to get a smog check. They said that they replaced evap but the check engine light went back on in one month. They did a smog check after me saying not to and that I would get it checked myself.Desired Settlement: Refund money $500

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted];