ComplaintsforPenfield Service Center

• Initial Complaint

  10/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Tuesday 10/11- Had the vehicle towed. The towing guy was able to drive the vehicle onto the flat bed. Tuesday 10/11- Mechanic calls and says the radiator hose and the brake pump have blown out and those need to get fixed before they can hook the car up to the machine that reads/shows the error codes. Mechanic says he’s about 90% sure that’ll get the job done by fixing those 2 issues, but that he’s still have to hook it up to the machine after to find out why the car kept shutting off (the reason why the car is there) 10/12- I gave the go ahead and get it done. 10/13- They call me and say that the head gasket is blown and can’t fix the vehicle. I have the vehicle towed back home and find out the vehicle is now no longer mobile. When on Tuesday the car was mobile. They continued to charge me 1237.91 and never fixed the issue. If anything they have made the issue worse. The vehicle does not turn on now.

  Business response

  10/17/2022

  ******* **********
     Although we are no longer a BBB member , I will honor the information in good faith. Initial customer complaint was a stalling issue that could not be resolved by ****** auto repair. Vehicle was towed in. Initial inspection revealed no coolant in vehicle but operable however not drivable as the brake pedal was brick hard due to brake assist problem. We advised the customer there were 2 issues before we even begin further diagnosis of a stalling condition. Information was conveyed to ********* ******** as well as Mr **** ********. Initial repairs were given an estimate of over $1500 as the vacuum brake assist pump had failed creating a hazardous operating condition as well the upper radiator hose was broken( the empty cooling system cannot be tested further in this state). We performed a pre scan which revealed a possible further cam sensor problem however until initial repairs were made the car could not be further tested. Multiple phone calls explaining each step were taking place to explain what EXACTLY was taking place.  Once the cooling system was filled and bled , we took our 1st test drive only to see the temp gauge begin to rise and the coolant began to overflow. Brakes were operating as intended after vacuum pump repair. We continued ANOTHER diagnosis on the cooling system which revealed a bad cylinder head or blown gasket. This a chemical block test to confirm hydrocarbons in the cooling system. At this point we conveyed the information to the customer again as they agreed to let us try some cooling system sealer. The attempt failed and the result is WHEN CAR HAS COOLANT AND HAS THE ABILITY TO HOLD COOLANT it will fill the engine cylinders due to the bad gasket/cracked head and cause a no start. These are all reasonable means to achieve the proper answers as to WHAT the root cause of failures truly were.  Summary, if you do not have proper brakes you cannot test drive, if you do not have a cooling system that holds coolant (broken hose) You cannot test drive or further diagnose any other problem. 
            No further recourse by the customer is acceptable as their negligence of overheating the vehicle without coolant caused a myriad of damage to the engine. The repairs of the cylinder head and or gasket could be upwards of $6000. Customer declined. Conclusion, without our 3 diagnostic procedures, initial repairs and testing the customer never mentioned overheating, coolant loss or loss of brake power. If the customer pulls the spark plugs and lets the coolant out the cylinders it will restart, overheat and continue to be undriveable. This is not a worsening the condition but rather revealing the real problem caused by the customer driving the vehicle with an overheating condition causing excessive engine damage.  In consideration of our long standing relationship w/ Mr **** ******** we gave a discount on this work in good faith.  Everything provided was communicated ,discussed, and beyond reasonable. Any further issue can be addressed with the State of ** DMV.  I would be happy discuss any further questions you may have. 

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Was not given the option of business removing their parts and paying for just labor. If the parts that were put in did NOT fix the issue and the vehicle was still in the business possession, the right thing would have been to remove new parts and charge the customer for just the labor part of the job. When the vehicle was towed to the business, I was able to turn on the vehicle. When vehicle was dropped off it did not turn on. The car was taken in for shutting off. A radiator hose is something that should get changed for such issue NOT a brake pump. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ********

  Business response

  10/17/2022

  Tell us why here...

  Approved parts and service are not "removed" as they are purchased and can no longer be returned. The labor function would need additional time, labor, and cost to repeat the process of removal.  We do not  absorb any costs due to the process aforementioned to achieve the result of a bad head or head gasket. The hose completes the initial repair needed to diagnose, They brake repair was needed to further drive test drive the car. Removal of correct parts is never an option for any agreed repair. Again, if ** DMV agrees any of the services provided are not in line with industry practices , we will be happy to comply. 

  Customer response

  10/17/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ********

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