Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/01/09) */
Uptown Imports Response to Revdex.com Case# [redacted], [redacted]
Let me start by saying I am sorry for your experience. We have tried reaching out to you
several times to resolve this issue but have not gotten any response back.
I have...
spent quite some time going over the procedures and the billing of your recent visit. I
think there needs to be more clarification to you of the charges and how the diagnosis
process was completed. The diagnosis started with a scan of the complete car (all computers)
then a test drive for 10 to 15 minutes. After this was done the technician could not recreate
the symptom. He then called and spoke to your husband to get more information from him to
find out how and when the symptom occurred. In that conversation the technician was told by
your husband that the transmission did not have the symptom until the car was driven at least
20 minutes. Subsequently your car was driven again for that long and then the technician
experienced the symptom that your car's transmission was having.
The technician then brought your car back into the shop and checked the transmission fluid
level and condition. Your car's transmission has no dipstick. To check the fluid level and
condition, the vehicle has to go cold to a temperature between 35 to 40 C (95 to 104 F) with a
scan tool attached to the car to monitor the temperature of the fluid. The car needs to be on a
hoist because the fluid level is checked from a plug at the bottom of the transmission. This
takes 10 to 15 minutes in the shop idling. We then saw that the fluid was low and very dark.
That is when the technician suggested we change the fluid in the transmission as the next
step in diagnosis. The technician also noted that there was an oil leak somewhere under the
car and may have been the cause of the low fluid level and suggested degreasing and
pressure washing the underside of the engine so we could try to find the source of the leak.
The service advisor told you about the fluid condition and asked when the fluid had been
changed last. You replied that it had never been changed since you owned the car, which had
111,000 miles on it and you had owned the car since it had 40,000 miles on it. The service
advisor also explained the fluid change intervals on the transmission, which was way overdue.
He advised you to try changing the fluid to see if that would take care of the problem. He also
explained that this may not fix the issue with your transmission. So you were aware of this
before we proceeded, with your approval, to change the fluid and filter. At this point I would
like to explain what transmission fluid does. Transmission fluid has hydraulic, friction and
lubrication properties that can cause erratic shifting if the fluid is extremely old or the level is
low, symptoms which your car was experiencing. I might add that many times replacing the
fluid and the filter will take care of shifting issues.
The fluid and filter was changed, the fluid level checked again and the technician drove the
car again for 20 minutes or more to see if the symptom reoccurred. After driving for that time,
the technician experienced the shifting issue again.
The technician then brought your car back into the shop and made a call to our diagnostic
hotline "Identifix" at a charge incurred of $32.40. The hotline diagnostician told the technician
to access the transmission computer and unplug it to see if the car would move with it
unplugged. To access the transmission computer, the drivers front wheel needs to be
removed and the inner fender covering removed as well. The technician then did this and the
car would move, so the next step in diagnosis was to reset throttle body adaptation through
the scan tool and reset the transmission kickdown
basic settings. The throttle body
adaptation can be off if the fluid is old because the transmission computer will try to adapt to
shift properly with the old fluid. The technician performed all these operations, reinstalled the
transmission computer and drove your car again for 20 minutes before it could be determined
that there was a mechanical issue in the transmission. That is when it was reported to you
that the transmission had internal problems with the valve body and may need to be replaced
or rebuilt at some point. When you asked how long the transmission would last the advisor
replied that "it could be a month or it could be a year, I do not know". Your transmission still
functions but has delayed shifts after the car is driven for over 20 minutes. We spent almost 3
hours over the time your car was here to diagnose your car correctly. We also removed and
reinstalled the transmission computer and reset adaptations at no charge as a courtesy to
you.
At this point, it is my hope with all the explanation I have provided you that you'll agree with
me the charges, along with the steps to diagnose your car, have been substantiated.
At this time I'd like to add that I am sorry that the outcome was different than what both of us
desired. But we did not misdiagnose your car as you claim, or knew ahead of time what was
wrong with the transmission before the diagnostic steps were performed.
I have included documentation on the procedures to check transmission fluid level, throttle
body adaptation and kickdown
basic settings along with the billing from "Identifix".
Please be advised that the oil leak needs to be reassessed at no charge to you, we just need
you to setup a time to come in for this.
Sincerely
[redacted]
Owner, Uptown Imports
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/03/18) */
iam writing this in response to [redacted]'s complaint #[redacted] to the Revdex.com.
[redacted] called in on 2/18 to see what we would charge to diagnose his vehicle. Previously [redacted] had his car at another shop and they told him that they did not...
have the equipment or computers to work on his Mini. [redacted] (the Service Adviser) said that diagnosis could run up to $300 for the check engine iight, air bag light, TPMS light, brake light and battery light. [redacted] said he didn't want to pay that much, he only wanted to know about the check engine light. So [redacted] had him authorize $125 for diagnosis of the check engine light, which [redacted] Okayed and then [redacted] set up [redacted]'s appointment.
(This is what was originally enter into our schedule:
1. Client states the check engine light, air bag light, TPMS light, and brake light are all on. He also has no power Steering and is hearing a clicking noise Corning from a relay by the fuse box.
2. All he wants diagnosed is the check engine light. $125 approved for check out. JD
3. Client states the USC is in need of replacing. Check and advise.)
After [redacted] set up the appointment to bring his car in, he called back and spoke with [redacted] (Customer Service) and wanted a price to replace the Vehicle Stability Control WSC). [redacted] had his car at another Shop and they told him that was what needed to be replaced, even after saying they didn't have the equipment to work on his car. We informed him that we still would like to diagnose the vehicle in order to be sure that the VSC actually needed to be replaced. He agreed and brought the Mini over.
[redacted] dropped the vehicle off on 2/18 at 3:52 PM, at which point (before knowing the severity of the situation, since we hadn't seen the car) [redacted] discussed diagnosis with him. He still said he didn't want any of the other lights diagnosed, only the check engine light for up to S125. [redacted] then mentioned that when he drove the vehicle home from the other shop, the car began to smoke under the steering Wheel. [redacted] told him that this smoking issue would need to be looked at too, as that is a safety concern, and would not be included in the $125. [redacted] told [redacted] it could run upto $80 (totaling $205.00) to figure out the smoking, on top of the $125 for the check engine light. [redacted] agreed to this and left his car.
________________
________________
[redacted] (the Technician) pulled the vehicle in the shop late in the day on 2/18 to diagnose the check engine light and found that there was no communication thru the scan tool (with any of the computers in the car) and he would need additional time authorized to diagnose the no communication issue ([redacted] wrote "get $300 for diag approved" on his technician worksheet). [redacted] called [redacted] on 2/19 to explain to him that there is no communication with his vehicle and we would need up to $300 to properly diagnose this issue. [redacted] approved and [redacted] continued diagnosis. He removed the footrest and kick panel trim to gain access to the fuse panel connector, where he found an inch of water and all the wiring was submerged. We had another Mini in the shop with a similar issue that was $1600 to repair the wire harness. [redacted] called [redacted] and told him this at which point [redacted] decided he wanted to call his insurance company. [redacted] un-benounced to us had already filed a claim previously with the insurance company. His insurance company called later in the day and said they were going to send an adjuster out on 2/20 to inspect the vehicle. The adjuster never carne on 2/20.
[redacted] called on 2/21, spoke with [redacted] and asked if he could drive his car. He said he wanted to take it to the dealer. [redacted] told [redacted] that the car is taken apart right now and probably shouldn't be driven if it is smoking, in fear that an electrical fire could start. [redacted] told [redacted] she would have [redacted] call him back, which [redacted] did. [redacted] told [redacted] that the insurance adjuster never stopped by and he wanted to make sure they were still coming down. [redacted] showed up without letting us know he was coming down around 4 PM on 2/21 to pay and pick up the vehicle. After paying his invoice [redacted] had to wait for 15 minutes while [redacted] finished putting everything back together in [redacted]'s car. After the bill was paid during the time [redacted] was waiting for his car to be put back together, [redacted] had several opportunities to express his issue with what his total bill was ($214.70). [redacted] never expressed to us any issues about the total, said thank you and was very appreciative and friendly to us. We wished him luck at the dealer and off he went.
[redacted] called [redacted] after he picked up and paid for his car and asked why he was charged $214.70. [redacted] explained to him (again) that he had called [redacted] after trying to diagnose the check engine light, that there was no communication and in order to figure out why, we were going to need up to $300 to diagnose. [redacted] said OK and ended the conversation.
In closing l would like to add that we always strive to deliver our services and take care of our guest's needs to the best of our abilities. l hope this document provides enough detail to resolve this issue. I
have included all the documentation that I have about this issue (repair order, technician worksheet
ect.) with this letter.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2014/03/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I don't believe I authorized more diagnostic fees. It was on the first diagnosis round that the water was found. (I mean, why would it take more than an hour to hook up a diag. tool and discover that is wasn't communicating?) And I didn't give full permission to keep diagnosing after that until the insurance company came out to look at it. I didn't complain at the time because I was short on time and figured I would voice my concern later.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/01/09) */
Uptown Imports Response to Revdex.com Case# [redacted], [redacted]
Let me start by saying I am sorry for your experience. We have tried reaching out to you
several times to resolve this issue but have not gotten any response back.
I have...
spent quite some time going over the procedures and the billing of your recent visit. I
think there needs to be more clarification to you of the charges and how the diagnosis
process was completed. The diagnosis started with a scan of the complete car (all computers)
then a test drive for 10 to 15 minutes. After this was done the technician could not recreate
the symptom. He then called and spoke to your husband to get more information from him to
find out how and when the symptom occurred. In that conversation the technician was told by
your husband that the transmission did not have the symptom until the car was driven at least
20 minutes. Subsequently your car was driven again for that long and then the technician
experienced the symptom that your car's transmission was having.
The technician then brought your car back into the shop and checked the transmission fluid
level and condition. Your car's transmission has no dipstick. To check the fluid level and
condition, the vehicle has to go cold to a temperature between 35 to 40 C (95 to 104 F) with a
scan tool attached to the car to monitor the temperature of the fluid. The car needs to be on a
hoist because the fluid level is checked from a plug at the bottom of the transmission. This
takes 10 to 15 minutes in the shop idling. We then saw that the fluid was low and very dark.
That is when the technician suggested we change the fluid in the transmission as the next
step in diagnosis. The technician also noted that there was an oil leak somewhere under the
car and may have been the cause of the low fluid level and suggested degreasing and
pressure washing the underside of the engine so we could try to find the source of the leak.
The service advisor told you about the fluid condition and asked when the fluid had been
changed last. You replied that it had never been changed since you owned the car, which had
111,000 miles on it and you had owned the car since it had 40,000 miles on it. The service
advisor also explained the fluid change intervals on the transmission, which was way overdue.
He advised you to try changing the fluid to see if that would take care of the problem. He also
explained that this may not fix the issue with your transmission. So you were aware of this
before we proceeded, with your approval, to change the fluid and filter. At this point I would
like to explain what transmission fluid does. Transmission fluid has hydraulic, friction and
lubrication properties that can cause erratic shifting if the fluid is extremely old or the level is
low, symptoms which your car was experiencing. I might add that many times replacing the
fluid and the filter will take care of shifting issues.
The fluid and filter was changed, the fluid level checked again and the technician drove the
car again for 20 minutes or more to see if the symptom reoccurred. After driving for that time,
the technician experienced the shifting issue again.
The technician then brought your car back into the shop and made a call to our diagnostic
hotline "Identifix" at a charge incurred of $32.40. The hotline diagnostician told the technician
to access the transmission computer and unplug it to see if the car would move with it
unplugged. To access the transmission computer, the drivers front wheel needs to be
removed and the inner fender covering removed as well. The technician then did this and the
car would move, so the next step in diagnosis was to reset throttle body adaptation through
the scan tool and reset the transmission kickdown
basic settings. The throttle body
adaptation can be off if the fluid is old because the transmission computer will try to adapt to
shift properly with the old fluid. The technician performed all these operations, reinstalled the
transmission computer and drove your car again for 20 minutes before it could be determined
that there was a mechanical issue in the transmission. That is when it was reported to you
that the transmission had internal problems with the valve body and may need to be replaced
or rebuilt at some point. When you asked how long the transmission would last the advisor
replied that "it could be a month or it could be a year, I do not know". Your transmission still
functions but has delayed shifts after the car is driven for over 20 minutes. We spent almost 3
hours over the time your car was here to diagnose your car correctly. We also removed and
reinstalled the transmission computer and reset adaptations at no charge as a courtesy to
you.
At this point, it is my hope with all the explanation I have provided you that you'll agree with
me the charges, along with the steps to diagnose your car, have been substantiated.
At this time I'd like to add that I am sorry that the outcome was different than what both of us
desired. But we did not misdiagnose your car as you claim, or knew ahead of time what was
wrong with the transmission before the diagnostic steps were performed.
I have included documentation on the procedures to check transmission fluid level, throttle
body adaptation and kickdown
basic settings along with the billing from "Identifix".
Please be advised that the oil leak needs to be reassessed at no charge to you, we just need
you to setup a time to come in for this.
Sincerely
[redacted]
Owner, Uptown Imports
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/03/18) */
iam writing this in response to [redacted]'s complaint #[redacted] to the Revdex.com.
[redacted] called in on 2/18 to see what we would charge to diagnose his vehicle. Previously [redacted] had his car at another shop and they told him that they did not...
have the equipment or computers to work on his Mini. [redacted] (the Service Adviser) said that diagnosis could run up to $300 for the check engine iight, air bag light, TPMS light, brake light and battery light. [redacted] said he didn't want to pay that much, he only wanted to know about the check engine light. So [redacted] had him authorize $125 for diagnosis of the check engine light, which [redacted] Okayed and then [redacted] set up [redacted]'s appointment.
(This is what was originally enter into our schedule:
1. Client states the check engine light, air bag light, TPMS light, and brake light are all on. He also has no power Steering and is hearing a clicking noise Corning from a relay by the fuse box.
2. All he wants diagnosed is the check engine light. $125 approved for check out. JD
3. Client states the USC is in need of replacing. Check and advise.)
After [redacted] set up the appointment to bring his car in, he called back and spoke with [redacted] (Customer Service) and wanted a price to replace the Vehicle Stability Control WSC). [redacted] had his car at another Shop and they told him that was what needed to be replaced, even after saying they didn't have the equipment to work on his car. We informed him that we still would like to diagnose the vehicle in order to be sure that the VSC actually needed to be replaced. He agreed and brought the Mini over.
[redacted] dropped the vehicle off on 2/18 at 3:52 PM, at which point (before knowing the severity of the situation, since we hadn't seen the car) [redacted] discussed diagnosis with him. He still said he didn't want any of the other lights diagnosed, only the check engine light for up to S125. [redacted] then mentioned that when he drove the vehicle home from the other shop, the car began to smoke under the steering Wheel. [redacted] told him that this smoking issue would need to be looked at too, as that is a safety concern, and would not be included in the $125. [redacted] told [redacted] it could run upto $80 (totaling $205.00) to figure out the smoking, on top of the $125 for the check engine light. [redacted] agreed to this and left his car.
________________
________________
[redacted] (the Technician) pulled the vehicle in the shop late in the day on 2/18 to diagnose the check engine light and found that there was no communication thru the scan tool (with any of the computers in the car) and he would need additional time authorized to diagnose the no communication issue ([redacted] wrote "get $300 for diag approved" on his technician worksheet). [redacted] called [redacted] on 2/19 to explain to him that there is no communication with his vehicle and we would need up to $300 to properly diagnose this issue. [redacted] approved and [redacted] continued diagnosis. He removed the footrest and kick panel trim to gain access to the fuse panel connector, where he found an inch of water and all the wiring was submerged. We had another Mini in the shop with a similar issue that was $1600 to repair the wire harness. [redacted] called [redacted] and told him this at which point [redacted] decided he wanted to call his insurance company. [redacted] un-benounced to us had already filed a claim previously with the insurance company. His insurance company called later in the day and said they were going to send an adjuster out on 2/20 to inspect the vehicle. The adjuster never carne on 2/20.
[redacted] called on 2/21, spoke with [redacted] and asked if he could drive his car. He said he wanted to take it to the dealer. [redacted] told [redacted] that the car is taken apart right now and probably shouldn't be driven if it is smoking, in fear that an electrical fire could start. [redacted] told [redacted] she would have [redacted] call him back, which [redacted] did. [redacted] told [redacted] that the insurance adjuster never stopped by and he wanted to make sure they were still coming down. [redacted] showed up without letting us know he was coming down around 4 PM on 2/21 to pay and pick up the vehicle. After paying his invoice [redacted] had to wait for 15 minutes while [redacted] finished putting everything back together in [redacted]'s car. After the bill was paid during the time [redacted] was waiting for his car to be put back together, [redacted] had several opportunities to express his issue with what his total bill was ($214.70). [redacted] never expressed to us any issues about the total, said thank you and was very appreciative and friendly to us. We wished him luck at the dealer and off he went.
[redacted] called [redacted] after he picked up and paid for his car and asked why he was charged $214.70. [redacted] explained to him (again) that he had called [redacted] after trying to diagnose the check engine light, that there was no communication and in order to figure out why, we were going to need up to $300 to diagnose. [redacted] said OK and ended the conversation.
In closing l would like to add that we always strive to deliver our services and take care of our guest's needs to the best of our abilities. l hope this document provides enough detail to resolve this issue. I
have included all the documentation that I have about this issue (repair order, technician worksheet
ect.) with this letter.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2014/03/18) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I don't believe I authorized more diagnostic fees. It was on the first diagnosis round that the water was found. (I mean, why would it take more than an hour to hook up a diag. tool and discover that is wasn't communicating?) And I didn't give full permission to keep diagnosing after that until the insurance company came out to look at it. I didn't complain at the time because I was short on time and figured I would voice my concern later.