Trusted Auto Care

Review: On 9/10/2013 I brought my car into Trusted Auto Care because my transmission was leaking right after I had just got my car back from Trusted for a job that had costed me over $2300. They diagnosed the leak as a problem with the passenger axle support bracket, which they said was "broken" when they removed it. Had never been broken previously. They welded the axle bracket back together and I paid them $328.94 for this job on 09/11/2013. Then on 10/16/2013 I bring the car back because the passenger axle is making a lot of noise. That's the same axle that is supported by the bracket that they repaired on 09/11/2013. They assured me it was not their fault the axle broke so I paid them $203.21 for the passenger axle on 10/17/2013. Then on 11/26/2013 the passenger axle (exact same axle) breaks again. This time I'm out of town so I have to leave the car in Danville, VA and get a rental car. I paid [redacted] $274.35 on 12/6/2013 for the new axle. As of today, 12/20/2013, the passenger axle is broken yet again. I have to have it replaced yet again along with the axle bracket that Trusted Auto Care ruined. I have not had to replace the passenger axle ever prior to this experience. I paid them $328.94 to ruin my axle bracket and that costed me $203.21 which they also charged me for despite being their fault. The damage they caused further costed me over $300 in rental car fees, the $274.35 from the [redacted] invoice, and even more money as I have to repair it again. I can furnish additional receipts if requested.Desired Settlement: I want the charges of $328.94 and $203.21 refunded in full. For the first charge they damaged my car and the second charge was a direct result of the damage they caused. If I can receive these refunds then I will not seek reimbursement for the additional damage they caused me such as the [redacted] invoice of $274.35, rental car fees, and repair fees to have it repaired correctly (to be determined).

Business

Response:

In response to customers Revdex.com case # [redacted] there is some info that [redacted],

Has left out. To start the repairs he talks about costing him over $2300.00 was to install

A used motor to replace to one that had lock-up, the info he has left out is the fact that this car came from the factory with a 2.4l 4cylinder motor. When the car came in with the lock-up motor it had already been replaced with a 3.5l v6 from a newer [redacted] (2008)

At that time I informed [redacted] that we did not do custom work and that I did not feel comfortable with the engine replacement. After talking with him I agreed to do engine install. [redacted] supplied the motor from a [redacted] van along with some other part (clutch and a/c compressor kit). While working on the car [redacted] stop by to check on the progress of the repairs, I had taken that time to show him some of the modifications made to the car for the v6 to work in that car witch included the support bracket. One of the things we showed him was the poor welding work that had been done on the bracket to get it to work, also how it had been changed from a 3 bolt to a 2 bolt bracket so it would work. So when he returned with a problem with that axle and we found that the poor weld had indeed came a part we were not surprised. We also did not have any options for repair as I could not find any part suppliers that had replacement parts to make an axle for a 2.4l 4-cyl work with a 3.5 V6 motor. The only option we had is what we did or purchase a new support bracket and modify it to work and as stated earlier we do not do that kind of work. (New support bracket from [redacted] $160.00). When he came in a month later with the axle problem again not surprised having seen all the modifications to the car so we replace the axle at a discounted price of $203.21. [redacted] did call me some time in December and asked me to refund his money for the repairs he has said to be our fault, at the time I explained to him that this was all custom work and that we had no way warranty the axle or the labor charged for repairs. He informed me at that time he had found a support bearing that has been made for a 4cyl. Axle to work with a V6 engine and had already purchased a replacement axle. I offered to install his parts at a deep discount to try and help and I wanted to see the bracket and how it was made at that point he told me he had no intention to ever return for any repair work. At that point I reminded him of the conversation about not doing custom work and that he had talked me into the repair work to start. At this point what do I do, the customer has already declined any help with the work and that the only thing he wanted from me was money. Any help in this would be great.

Manager Trusted Auto Care

Consumer

Response:

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

[redacted], the manager at Trusted, has also left out many details. They never warned me about doing the work, what they did was raise the estimate considerably to account for the extra work. For $2300 of work it better be good work performed by good mechanics. What I got was a host of problems that Trusted never took any responsibility for. And most of the problems had nothing to do with custom work at all. They cross rotated my front tires (which are directional). This likely damaged my tires and again,not a custom problem. Also, the car came back to me with an oil leak and a gear oil leak. I tried to fix the oil leak myself but the numerous times I brought the car back into Trusted they never even noticed it. I finally discovered they incorrectly installed the oil cooler O-ring gasket and that was causing the random leak. Had to have it fixed myself. Not a custom problem, just poor workmanship. 2 weeks after getting the car back I had a massive coolant leak caused by a pinched coolant hose. My engine almost overheated. Again, poor workmanship. And when I took the car back to Trusted the first time it was 1 day after getting it back. After just spending $2300. It was for the gear oil leaking. They claimed to have fixed it. Then they claim it's the axle bracket that is suddenly broken. They charged me for the work. I should expect no problems after spending $2300, where is the quality control? And the worst part, they never fixed the gear oil leak. I had to eventually have a [redacted] OEM axle seal installed and that finally fixed the gear oil leak that Trusted couldn't find for some mysterious reason. When I got my car back from Trusted on 10/17/2013 with the new axle, I looked it over afterwards having had so many problems with there work. The axle nut, which is supposed to be torqued to ~150 foot pounds, was barely tight. Again, poor workmanship, not custom, that could have caused me a broken wheel bearing or other expensive problems.

And as I stated before, these problems never existed before taking my car to Trusted Auto Care so this is an awful lot of coincidences and poor workmanship to blame it on my car. I had my transmission rebuilt by [redacted] in 2013. They never had a problem with gear oil leaking, axles breaking, or incorrectly installing and or breaking the axle bracket.