Vail Garage, Inc

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:As I have stated to Mr***, on several occasions, the original clutch that was put in my car prior to driving across the country was a cheap partMy master cylinder needed to be replaced, and it caused the clutch to burn out way faster than it should haveThis occurance has nothing to do with the work Mr*** did on my carIt just happens to be a comparative story because of the common factor that my clutch burned out both timesRegardless of what the first mechanic did, Mr*** made his assessment of my car problems on numerous occasions, took the transmission apart numerous times, and replaced the clutchWhen I contacted him over the phone about the zip ties, he claimed that the first mechanic was the one who did that, unaware that I was aware that you must take the axle off to get to the transmissionHe fell silentHe claims that he wasn't rude to me, however on every single occasion that we spoke, he never failed to mention how my car trouble was driver error, then escalated to him saying, "It's my not fault you don't know how to drive a f*ing stick"I brought my car to him so that he could fix it, not judge me on my driving skills, which are presentI can drive a stick just fineI've driven manyI've never had this problemHe never, ever made me aware of the second clutch that he put in, which leads me to believe that the work was never doneWhen I took my car to *** *** in ***, CO, the mechanics were sure that the master cylinder was not replaced, meaning he lied and scammedAfter filing a complaint with the Revdex.com, he called me and apologized for cursing at me and losing his temper, and then told me that if I could get the burnt out clutch (which was obviously long gone), that he might be able to get the warranty money for the partsThe truth is, he continuously could not figure out what was wrong with my carThe first time I took it to *** *** they figured it outHe is working on cars and doesn't know enough to be doing so, clearlyThe parts he used were cheap and blown out, the master cylinder was the original one that came with the car, and all of the bearings had not been checked, because some had to be replacedMy axles were zip tiedHe was repeatedly rude to meI would like my money back
Regards,
*** ***

June 10, 2014 
To Whom It May Concern: 
In response to Ms. [redacted]' claim against my auto garage and work, please let me offer some clarifying details. The first time I nict Ms. [redacted], she arrived from [redacted] where she recently had her clutch replaced,...

prior to her trip across the country in fact, and the clutch was already burned out, which is what brought her to Vail Garage. 
When I took Ms. [redacted]' vehicle apart, I saw that some parts were missing, and I did not think the job was done well. I spoke with Ms. [redacted]' father, and he gave me the go ahead to replace the clutch, and requested that I replace the master cylinder as well. I completed the job as 
agreed, and the vehicle wvas repaired. 
A relatively short time later, Ms. [redacted] began experiencing issues with her vehicle again, as she described in her letter. The 4 times the vehicle was brought in to Vail Garage, I determined that it was acting up due to the clutch overheating, and once the clutch cooled down, the vehicle operated without any issues. In fact, I drove the vehicle for extended periods of time just to find any evidence of what Ms. [redacted] described. Mechanics often see clutches overheat due to driver error, and everything then works properly once the clutch cools down. 
During one of the inspections done on Ms. [redacted]' car when the vehicle was brought in following the initial clutch repair, we pulled the transmission out to check the clutch, and it was in good condition. We did not charge the client for that day of time and labor. 
The client then asked me to replace the slave cylinder, which I did at her request, though I advised her that it was not the issue. As for the assertion that a missing clip and issue with the fork was the reason for the car acting up, that was not the case.. The clip would not affect the issues described with the vehicle, and the fork was operating properly. When we inspected the vehicle once again, we determined that this time the clutch was partially burned out, so we replaced it once again (free of charge). At this point, the client, first came to me with a brand new clutch from a different mechanic in [redacted], which burned out in less than a couple thousand miles, and had two burned out clutches since. Burning through three clutches from two different mechanics in a short time frame, when there are no other underlying problems with the vehicle points to driver error. 
 
As for the accusation of fixing the vehicle with zip ties, my shop would never engage in such a practice. Additionally, I replaced the waster cylinder and clutch according to best practice, as I always do. I do not use cheap or discounted parts oil my client's vehicles, which is why I pride myself on my strong patronage of Vail Valley residents. I have attached the receipts for the parts used on Ms. [redacted]' car, as well as the invoices to document the quality of the parts, and of work done on the vehicle. 
In closing, I was certainly not trying to be rude to Ms. [redacted] by explaining that the chronic burned out clutchcs on her vehicle were almost certainly caused by driver error, rather, I was trying to prevent the problem from happening again. Please keep in mind that I replaced the clutch free of charge for her once already, and without the parts available to demonstrate that they were faulty, I was not able to do the job without charge for a second time. 
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. 
Sincerely, 
[redacted] 
Owner/Operator 
Vail Garage 
[redacted] 
[redacted]

Aug 12 To Whom It May Concern:
While I recognize that Ms. [redacted] continues to be upset about her car, and I wish her the best of luck in the future, Vail Garage maintains that the damage and hardship she experienced had nothing to do with the service she received from our business.
For a detailed response to the events that Ms. [redacted] described, please refer to my first response, no information has changed since it was submitted.
Vail Garage operates with professionalism and integrity, and will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Owner, Vail Garage Inc.