Tom Steele Auto Care & Tire Reviews (%countItem)
Tom Steele Auto Care & Tire Rating
Address: 3530 W Jefferson Blvd, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, 46802-4952
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+1 (260) 434-0004 |
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I have been to Tom Steele for years with no issues and great service. But this time, it was much different. I went to Tom Steele on February 28, 2019 with two concerns. The first, and much more important, concern was a sound my car was making while I excelerated. The second was the noises my steering wheel would make when I would turn it. The mechanic listened to videos I had recorded of my car making these sounds and the mechanic drove my car for a bit and heard the noises. At this visit, I was told that my brakes were bad and by replacing them, these sounds would go away. So, I paid $236.35 and waited for my car to be fixed. I called days later, explaining that these sounds were even worse than before. I went back because the receptionist told me they would look at it again.The mechanic told me that I had belts relating to this issue that were pretty bad and should be fixed in order to make the sounds go away I made an appointment the soonest I could and on March 20, 2019, I paid $155.04 to fix these belts. The steering wheel no longer made sounds but the initial concern still existed. I took my car in again that same week and the mechanic told me they simply have to tighten the belts they previously replaced. I told them that I would be going out of town, hours away, and I was nervous to drive my car. They told me it was perfectly safe to drive and I should have no issues at all with it. I drove to Chicago and back, with the initial loud noise getting worse. Friends told me to go to a different mechanic because my car sounded awful. I told them that Tom Steele said it was safe to drive. After a while, the noise continued to get worse. I then caved and took it to another mechanic who blantly showed me that my muffler was corroded and falling off. After my muffler was fixed, the noise, and initial concern that I went to Tom Steele for, went completely away.
The issue I have at this point is that the main concern I went to Tom Steele with, was never resolved in the various times that I had to bring my car back to them. If my muffler would have fallen off on the drive to or from Chicago, I, as well as other drivers, could have been in danger. At this point, how am I to know if my brakes really needed to be fixed, seeing as though the neither concern was resolved by replacing them (which the mechanic stated would)? If the mechanics at Tom Steele would have put my car on a lift, they would have clearly seen what was wrong, as would anyone with decent eye sight. Regarding my steering wheel, the noises are gone. However, I should not have had to bring my car back in for them to tighten them. This should have been done correctly the first time. When I go to a mechanic with a concern about my car, I expect them to be knowledgable enough to keep me safe on the road. I went to a different mechanic and they fixed the problem promptly. At Tom Steele, the main and initial concern was never even resolved, things were fixed that may not have needed to be at the time, I had to return a second time for belts that they replaced, and I was promised that I was safe to drive when I was not.
The first time we drove the car the customer was informed that the only noises we heard were the front brakes squeaking because the brake pads were past their minimum life and, the brake wear indicator was touching the rotors.The front brake rotors were replaced at the same time due to there being too much rust to be able to resurface them. She was also informed at the time that the belts on the car were worn and cracked, which was causing squealing and making her steering wheel vibrate when she would accelerate or turn the steering wheel. The belts were not replaced on the visit. When the customer returned after she talked to the receptionist we listened to a phone recording, which you can't make a diagnosis from. At this time we also test drove the car with the customer driving and again the only noises heard were from the belts. The customer returned on March 20th to have the belts replaced. The customer did call back later in the week because she said the car was making the squealing noise again. We did retighten the belts and by her admission it took care of the squealing and the steering wheel issue. The customers car does not have a automatic belt tensioner for her belts. When the belts are installed we try not to over tighten them because that can cause damage to the seals or bearings on other engine components. Belts do stretch and occasionally we do have to retighten them. This usually only takes 10 to 15 minutes. We drove the customers car at least 3 times. We also had the customer drive with us. We could not duplicate this noise and she could not duplicate this noise for us. The noises we fixed were squealing and steering wheel noises from the front of the car. The car was on the lifts 3 times but we never looked at the muffler because we never heard an exhaust noise to warrant looking at it. By her words, the noise obviously got worse as she drove the car longer which could happen if the muffler was rotting away. But, we don't know how long after her last visit with us that it got louder. A loud exhaust noise at the rear of the car is different than a squeal at the front of the car. Exhaust shakes and bounces and a weak and rotten muffler could start to become loose because of that. Therefore, we feel that we were not negligent or fraudulent in the work provided and there should not be any refund given for the brake work done on February 28, 2019 or for the belts that were replaced on March 20, 2019.