V-12 Motorsports of Indian Trail, Inc.

Additional Notes

Complaint Category: Improper or inferior repair

Complaint: The necessary repair was said to have been completed, yet the issue was not resolved. The time to complete was repair was excessive, as well.
I took my 2001 xxxxx in 12-7-11 to have the valve cover gaskets replaced, which had been causing an oil leak. xxxxx) They were replaced, but I continued to see smoke and smell oil a couple of weeks after the repair was performed. V-12 said it was residual oil burning off. I took it to the xxxxx dealership and was told it was still leaking and I should take it back to where I had the repair done. I returned to V-12, and they said they cleaned off all of the oil they could. At that time, I was told by xxxxx, the GM of the shop, that it still may be residual and that he couldn't find a leak. I took the xxxxx home and watched for the leak. I continued to see smoke and small puddles of oil under my vehicle. I took the vehicle back to V-12 in February to have clips on my window repaired and then again in March to have the transmission flushed and have 2 of my O2 sensors replaced, which were covered under warranty. The warranty only wanted to cover after-market parts, but xxxxx said it would be a problematic part and I should pay the extra money to have xxxxx parts used. However, the parts he used were after market parts, and I still paid out-of-pocket. At the time I got my second O2 sensor replaced, there was a discrepancy in the price as compared to the first sensor that had been replaced the week before. xxxxx became very agitated with me because I refused to pay the additional $35 extra, on top of the $55 extra I was already agreeing to pay, that the warranty company wouldn't cover. xxxxx insisted it was the identical sensor he had replaced the first time and should be covered the same. The warranty company needed xxxxx to call them to verify the parts were the same, and xxxxx became very difficult and began slamming his hand on the counter, talking condescendingly and walking out after refusing to call the warranty company back. After about 90 minutes of this childish behavior, he got them on the phone and found out he had given them the incorrect part number. I never received an apology for the unprofessional attitude I received, and I decided I would not be returning there. My check engine light came on a third time, so I took it back to Audi and they had to replace the catalytic converter. I asked them to look for the leak that was causing the smoke and the smell. I dealt with xxxxx in service. He called to tell me that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced, yet again. xxxxx made it clear he didn't want to accuse anyone of any wrongdoing. However, this was the same part V-12 had supposedly repaired initially, and it obviously was either installed improperly or not at all. I don't feel comfortable having V-12 fix their mistake because I am afraid of what might happen. At one point while I was waiting at V-12 for some work to be completed on my vehicle, I walked back to the bay where my car was and happened to notice the technician lowering my car down, and he didn't notice there was a Jaguar parked directly underneath it. I yelled for him to stop, and he did just in time to prevent my vehicle landing on top of the Jaguar. They seem very rushed and unorganized. I spent far too much time there waiting for repairs that should have been done more expediently. I am very disappointed because I had very high hopes for them. I took my vehicle there several times, giving them the benefit of the doubt. In the end, I wish I had just taken my vehicle to a proper mechanic. I have to take my vehicle to Audi now to get the same work redone, and I would like V-12 to either refund my money to me or pay for my repairs at Audi. I think this is fair. The repair at Audi will be $430, out the door.

Business Response
To Whom It May Concern:

I will address the issues one at a time.

Oil Leak Issue...

When an 11-year-old car comes into my shop for the first time ever and the customer has a complaint of an oil leak, it is standard procedure to take as much time as necessary (up to an hour) and thoroughly check the vehicle over completely. This particular vehicle had been leaking oil for quite some time and the rear of the engine, along with both sides of the engine were soaked with oil to the point of a burning smell coming from not one, but both of the exhaust manifolds. You could physically see oil dripping from the valve cover gaskets, primarily from A bank, and watch the oil smoke off the exhaust manifold heat shield, then slowly travel towards the rear of the engine. We replaced both valve cover gaskets as necessary and thoroughly cleaned the engine as best as possible. As most car owners know, there are numerous places an engine can leak fluid. Over 3 months had passed by before the customer ever came back with a complaint of an oil leak. There was so much residue of oil from previous leaks on the lower half of the engine, we decided to clean the engine the best we could once again and add UV dye to the oil to accurately trace the exact location of the "new" oil leak. After driving the car for a few hundred miles, it was apparent the next oil leaks were coming from the rubber camshaft plugs at the rear of both heads. The valve cover gaskets we replaced 3 months earlier were clean and dry all around just as they should be. Once showing the customer the oil leaks he is seeing from the driveway are from a different location, he wanted to know how much it would cost. He was given a verbal estimate at that time and he left my place of business with an agreement to schedule a time for repair in the near future. That was the end of any further oil leak discussion until I was reported to BBB.

Now concerning the O2 sensors:

My shop has invested more money into technology and tools than the majority on shops in the country. If there is something out there that is the latest and greatest, we purchase it. The same goes for my staff. If there is someone on my staff who is not able to handle his (or her) job, they loose it and I find someone who is more suited for the position. I have an outstanding crew of employees who are some of the most well trained professionals in the industry. I am absolutely appalled at what is written by this customer who has clearly misplaced his anger and lashed out at an auto repair facility such as mine. Every single word beginning with "Aftermarket parts" and ending with "unorganized" is nothing more than lies. The rear O2 sensor was flat-lined on the graphs from the first cold start of the morning, all the way until the car was driven and at a fully operational temperature. His insurance company paid for the majority of the repair, including parts and labor. The customer was made aware that one of the codes stored in the ECU pointed to a faulty catalytic converter. However, his warranty company does not cover the catalytic converter, only the sensors. With all approvals in order, we replaced the rear O2 sensor with an OE (Original Equipment) sensor from Bosch. OE is not aftermarket. It is Original Equipment. This was explained to the customer and, again, was not an issue until the report to BBB. It was accepted from the warranty company and with the customers signature on my invoice. The check engine light came on a second time with one of the same previous codes as it had the first time. The customer was told that his catalytic converter was going bad, but on this round, the ECU also tripped a new code indicating the front O2 sensor to be faulty. This can happen if the faulty catalytic converter is not repaired or replaced in a timely fashion, as it can restrict the flow of exhaust and overheat the front sensors. After graphing out the signals and providing the warranty company with the OHM reading from the sensor, the warranty company agreed the front O2 sensor was in fact faulty, and they would pay for the sensor. Still, they would NOT cover the catalytic converter, but the sensors only. Our diagnosis of a faulty catalytic converter was also confirmed by the local Audi dealership.

Parts used by V-12 Motorsports.

There is a difference between "aftermarket" and "OE". The valve cover gasket sets we used on this repair were xxxxx gaskets. They are an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) part. The oxygen sensors used on this repair were xxxxx, an OEM sensor. Audi does not have their own rubber plant to make tires, they use another company such as Michelin or GoodYear (examples only). They do not make their own gaskets. They do not make their own oxygen sensors. They vendor out to companies who mass produce these products such as Bosch, Michelin, Victor-Reinz, etc., and use these products on their own-designed automobiles. This was explained to my customer thoroughly and was accepted by him with a signature on each and every invoice and by the warranty company paying the repair bills. And again, this did not become an issue until the complaint written to the BBB.

Behavior Issues:

This part of the complaint to BBB is 100% false in every written detail. My customer's attitude changed completely on the second round in for the "check engine" light issue. The warranty companies we deal with for various customers are certainly NOT all equal. The company this particular customer uses is one of the more difficult we have dealt with in my 17 years as a professional in this industry. On the first phone call, we waited on hold for 19 minutes when someone picked up the line and hung up. After calling back and going through the motions a second round, we were put on hold for 17 minutes and were then "disconnected" mysteriously. That is almost 45 minutes on the phone in total with being on hold the majority of the time. After the second "lost" connection, my customer became FURIOUS at how long this was taking. He became vulgar, and the woman who was with him became almost hostile. All the while, I have other customers in the waiting area, one with a younger teenager. Cursing and yelling at my xxxxx, was something that will not be tolerated in my place of business. I stepped in and attempted to talk to the owner of the car in question. He instantly became more civil to my face. After walking back to the back to get on the phone for the third time, the name-calling and cursing became part of their regular vocabulary. At this point, the issues weren't with my business or employees at all. It was his own warranty company who was being difficult. However, after over a solid hour lost on the phone while the customer waited, the issues in question were resolved and the money was paid out to do the second sensor. Not one single time did my staff or myself EVER utter a curse word or raise our voices or a hand, but kept a professional and courteous manner throughout the entire ordeal. Once the job was completed, my customer and his lady friend were outright hateful and vulgar to the point that I had to ask them to take their business somewhere else from then on. I do not tolerate this type of behavior in my facility from anyone, nor will I ever.

Conclusion:

I feel that my "firing" of this customer is what drove him to take advantage of the BBB sticker we pridefully place at the bottom of every invoice handed out to our customers. By the grace of God alone we have pulled through some of the toughest economic times this country has seen. In order to continue to keep the integrity we strive so hard for, occasionally we have to weed out select customers. There will not be any money paid out to this customer for the work we did correctly and accurately. Each and every repair performed has been done in a timely, professional, and accurate manner.





Consumer Response
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
There are many details within V-12 Motor Sports' response that are incorrect or manufactured. There was never any "new" oil leak. The oil leak that we originally went in to have repaired on December 7, 2011 was not repaired properly. The mechanics on duty had several opportunities to repair it but didn't. I returned to the shop several times between that date And March Of 2012 because the car continued to leak. When I took the car in to have the transmission flushed in February, I was charged for a UV dye which was Used to find the leak. However, that was not the first time I had been back. It was the first time it was documented. Each time I went in, they claimed they couldn't find the leak. I took the car to the dealership, and they determined that it was coming from the same gasket that had been replaced. I contacted Dennis Rhodes to let him know what Audi found and he said he wanted the opportunity to correct it, because I let him know that I was contacting the BBB. I took the car back there and Dennis, the owner, took my car apart and informed me that he had done nothing wrong and became infuriated, threatened me physically and put my car back together incorrectly. It was very difficult to get him to correctly put my car back together. I had to threaten to call the police to get him to do so.
As for the sensors and catalytic converter, V-12 NEVER told me it was the catalytic converter. At first, the code popped up indicating one of three things: O2 sensors, vacuum leak or catalytic converter. Arthur, the manager, said he would need to keep it overnight and cold start it to determine which it was. He called me the next morning to let me know it was the O2 sensor. It was fixed but the next day, the check engine light came on again. I took it back and the code indicated the other O2 sensor had gone bad. I saw the code myself. They fixed it but then 3 days later, the check engine light came on again. I took it to the Audi dealership this time and they said the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. They said the sensors and converter going bad were not related. V-12 NEVER told me the converter needed to be replaced. That is a lie.
As for the behavior issues spoken about, the only ones who had showed any behavior problems were Dennis, when I last visited, and Arthur the day he had to deal with our warranty company, who happens to be Warranty Direct, who has stellar ratings with the BBB. Arthur became frustrated with my wife and I and began slamming his fist on the counter repeatedly, speaking down to us and stomping out of the office before slamming the door. All he had to do was call the company and verify the part numbers, and it was like pulling teeth to get him to do so. When he did finally call them, the issue with the price was because Arthur made an error and gave them the wrong part number. His behavior was unprofessional and unwarranted.
My wife and I were not fired from V-12. After the way we were treated and the incomplete repairs that were performed, we would never let them touch our car again.

Business Response
To Whom It May Concern:

In my 14 years in business in Charlotte NC alone, excluding my time and training in xxxxx, I have never been accused of any wrong doing by any of the tens of thousands of customers I have done business with. One of my first conversations with xxxxx was him telling about a skateboarding injury he had and how he had not worked in over 6 years. Clearly he has had nothing but time to write fictitious short stories in order to obtain "free" money for further repairs needed on his 11 year old Audi.

1) There has never been any mention or threats to me regarding the BBB.

2) Anyone who has ever done business with me would know that I have never become infuriated or threatened anyone in any manner whatsoever.

3) Nobody has ever threatened to call the police for any reason.

4) Any professional auto technician will verify the O2 sensors and the catalytic converters ARE related as the O2 sensors screw directly into the catalytic converters. Their job is to read the performance of the catalytic converters and to make necessary adjustments for fuel and air ratios provided by the ECU.

5) The additional oil leaks are not from the same gaskets, but from rubber camshaft plugs at the rear of the engine, now evident only AFTER the first 2 massive oil leaks had been repaired, proven by the UV dye.

6) The behavior issues are bogus accusations completely made up in every written detail.

7) I am unsure how a successful, honest businessman and his business can fully protect himself and his employees against a fraudulent xxxxx. This is why I pay for memberships to companies like BBB to represent businesses with some degree of integrity. I am not paying out free money to anyone who writes a short story or two with fictitious accusations. Of course they will never do business with us again. I was very clear when I told them to take their business elsewhere as their vulgar insults and profanity is the type of behavior that will not be tolerated by anyone in my place of business, ever. Only after this did the BBB receive a complaint.

8) I will have no further comments. Please refer to my first rebuttal letter.

Complaint Resolution: BBB determined the company provided proper verification that indicated there was no obligation to resolve the issues of the complaint.