Business ProfileforSteve Austin's Auto Group, Inc.

ZERO STARS - My husband is a seasoned auto technician. We have a vehicle with a completely rebuilt motor. It has one engine code and occasionally stalls at stop signs after it has completely warmed up. We do not have the equipment needed to do a complete diagnosis. We spoke with the Service Manager, explained the situation & decided to take it to their garage for diagnosis ONLY! I drove it to their lot. After it was in their shop for an entire day and a half, they finally called to tell us what they had found. We were informed that they would repair it for $2700, which we refused since we had only asked for diagnosis. We stopped to pay for it & went to pick it up later, it couldn't even be driven across the lot. It had the original engine code, 2 throttle body codes, various lights on on the dash, and was in "limp mode" - no excelleration. After waiting until Monday afternoon to hear from the service manager, we were told "it's not our fault your car took it's last breath while in our garage." But that if we wanted to bring the key back out, they would get it back to the garage to see if they could find what the issue was but it would cost us. We decided to replace the throttle body to see if we could at least get it home. When we removed the air intake, there were 2 shop rags shoved into the throttle body. Once we removed them, the vehicle started right up and ran fine the whole way home. I met with the owner to inform him of the issues we had. He did nothing but try to talk circles around the situation and defend his technicians. But, my vehicle was intentionally disabled. There is no reason, in the process of diagnosis, for shop rags to be shoved into the throttle body. And there is no way they were overlooked, as suggested by the owner, when replacing the intake. Is it really their policy to disable vehicles so the they can overcharge someone to repair it back to the state it was in when a customer DROVE their vehicle to them and trusted them to be honest??