ComplaintsforRunway Imports, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I dropped off my car 3 months ago and they said it had a bad instrument cluster which was replaced and I was charged $1,200 for the repair after the kept the car for 6 weeks. Within a two weeks after the "repair" the car started doing the same exact thing. So I brought the car back and they kept it for another 5 weeks only to tell me they don't know what wrong with it and it hasn't kicked any codes since they been working on it. So it wasn't the $1,200 instrument cluster that was paid for and after 11 weeks of me following up weekly because the customer service lacks the service part. I'm out $1,200 and 11 weeks and the car does the exact same thing it did when we started this process. No mention of returning the money I paid for a part that wasn't needed and no answers on what's wrong with the car. Took the vehicle to another mechanic who pulled up various problems including the "new" instrument cluster.

  

  Business response

  10/14/2022

  If the vehicle has been diagnosed and/or repaired and the problem is with the instrument cluster, the part is under warranty through Volkswagen and we can handle that with them. If the issue is something else and we mis-diagnosed the vehicle in the first place, we owe the customer a $1200.00 refund for the instrument cluster.

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 10th we brought the car to fix the AC compressor system, they received the vehicle and let me know the estimate was around $1 ,400. I called every week trying to contact the owner, Mr. ****, and I was in the shop every 2 weeks trying to obtain any new information about the car but no one return my calls. On August 22th I was at the shop with the intention of take the car because nobody had given me an updated and Mr. *** gave me an estimate of 10 days to finish the project , but he add $490 dollars because they have to replace an exhaust valve. We approved this estimate because I was deseperate to have the car back after 2 months of waiting. On September 7th I received a call from the Runway Imports Inc. notifying me that the car was ready to be picked up. I immediately went to Runway Imports Inc. and paid $1 ,890.81 for the entire bill. After I paid and was given my keys back, they said to me "The transmission is not working good so we're not responsible for that". The transmission is not working at all, and the owner does not want to return my money back to me. They don't want to respond to me about the issue that they caused to my car. On September 8th I tried to request my money back until we could come to an agreement, but they didn't want to cooperate with me and simply said "It's not going to happen, and we don't have to respond for the transmission". I tried to establish an agreement on September 7th with the owner after I saw this issue, but he was a rude and disrespectful person. I just want my car fixed, and, that Runway Imports Inc take responsibility for any other mechanical issues that they caused

  

  Business response

  09/22/2022

  Contact Name and Title: *** ***** President
  Contact Phone: ************
  Contact Email: *********************
  Mr. ***** stated he brought his 2004 Mercedes C230 into Runway Imports for service on July 10, which was a Sunday. Runway Imports is not open on Sundays so a Service Request Form was filled out by Mr. *****, that would have been included with his key, and slipped through the over night slot in the front door. When he had made his initial appointment, he stated "A/C not blowing cold runs rough when stopped and whistles while shifting gears". What Mr. ***** failed to mention in his BBB complaint was the service request form, which he filled out and signed, stated "whistle between going shift". For him to claim that we caused the transmission failure when obviously there was a transmission issue when he dropped the vehicle off is not true. Mr. ***** also failed to mention that there was not a license plate on the vehicle and had to be jump started to move. His Service Request form can be provided if needed.
  
  We jump started the vehicle to bring it into shop for inspection. We recharged the A/C system; jump started the engine and turned on the air conditioner. Almost immediately there was a loud pop and the refrigerant from the system filled the air. Upon inspection we found that the regulating valve had blown out of the A/C compressor. When Mr. ***** was informed, he said he had just installed that component into the compressor. An estimate to replace the compressor and receiver drier was prepared and approved by Mr. *****. Parts were ordered and the vehicle was rescheduled for service and moved outside the shop.
  
  Approximately a week later the parts arrived, the vehicle was again jump started and brought into a service bay for repair. After replacement of the A/C compressor and receiver drier assembly, we evacuated and recharged the system. Almost immediately after starting, the A/C system pressure went to 400 psi (almost double what it should have been) and we shut the vehicle down. A visual inspection of the lines and components for any obvious issues that may be causing a restriction in the system was performed. The vehicle was again moved outside until a course of action could be determined.
  
  ****, our service writer, had spoken with Mr. ***** several times and was made aware of the issue with the restriction in the A/C system. When Mr. ***** came in to check on the vehicle near the end of August, I spoke with him about the issue, what I suspected may be the cause, and the additional cost involved in the diagnosis and/or repair of the A/C system restriction. A few days later I had performed the diagnosis and repair of the air conditioner by replacement of the expansion valve. This is when we found that if the vehicle sat at idle very long, the transmission would not pull the vehicle. I noted the transmission issue along with the rough idle diagnosis on the invoice. Since we do not repair internal transmission faults, Mr. ***** was contacted by **** tell him that the vehicle was ready for pick up and was made aware that there was a transmission issue.
  
  On September 7, Mr. ***** came in to pick up his vehicle, paid his bill and before ever leaving the parking lot, the transmission quit pulling the vehicle. I was called to the service counter to speak with Mr. ***** about his vehicle. I advised him that the problem with the transmission was internal; but I agreed to look at the transmission as he felt that something may have been knocked loose while being serviced by us and then Mr. ***** left.
  
  The next morning, Mr. ***** came in and requested a refund on the air conditioner repair until the transmission issue was resolved. I denied the request as there was not an issue with the air conditioner and the repairs had been performed as estimated and approved by him. Several times Mr. ***** exclaimed that he was not going to take responsibility for the transmission because it quit while in our possession. Each time I replied that I will not take responsibility for the failure as we had not performed any service or repairs to the transmission. We only moved the vehicle in and out of the shop a few times (driven less than 100 yards combined). The vehicle had never left our property for even a test drive as the vehicle had no license plate, had to be jump started, and at this point we knew the severity of the transmission issue plus; the fact that the service request form clearly stated that there was a whining noise between shifts.
  
  Therefore, Runway Imports will not refund Mr. *****'s money on the air conditioner repair, nor will we take any responsibility for his transmission issue.
  
  *** *****, President
  Runway Imports Inc.
  *** ********

  Customer response

  09/23/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  I dropped the car off on Monday, July 11 and Mr. **** is the one that handed me the service request form. A witness can provide a statement if necessary. Mr. *** did not mention that I was in the shop several times, and no one let me know that my car needed to be jumped, or anything about any transmission issues. Obviously, if you need to move the car somewhere inside the shop you need to start it and drive it. Prior to taking it into Runway Imports I was driving my car without any transmission issues. I just want my car back with the A/C system fixed and the transmission in the same working condition as the first day I dropped it off at Runway Imports. The shop is responsible for returning the car in the same condition plus services requested and paid for. The car was in the shop almost a full 2 months for what was supposed to be a 2-day service, that seems very suspicious. I was NOT contacted several times, I had to initiate contact both by phone and in person on several occasions asking if my car was ready. When I called, Mr. **** never returned my calls. We would just like this resolved as soon as possible. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  09/27/2022

  On Monday the 11th of July Mr. ***** filled out the service request form with "whistle between going shift" and signed the form. The service writer, ****, added "A/C not cold" and "rough idle" as the vehicle had been scheduled for air conditioner repair. The A/C is fixed as requested. The rough idle was noted by the technician during diagnosis of the air conditioner. The transmission remains untouched with the exception of the external inspection, as requested by Mr. ***** when he came in to pay for the A/C repair.
  
  It may not have been obvious to Mr. ***** that the whistle between shifts was a transmission issue. Since our shop does not work on internal transmission issues, Mr. ***** needs to take his vehicle to a transmission shop for diagnosis and repair. It is unfortunate that the transmission quit completely while sitting at Runway Imports, but we did not cause the failure. The issue with the air conditioner the Mercedes was scheduled for has been repaired; therefore there will be no refund on a job that has been completed.

  Customer response

  09/28/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  On the initial response Mr. *** stated that I brought my car into Runway Imports for service on July 10th (Sunday), filled out the service request form and slipped it and my keys through the overnight slot on the front door. Now, on his latest response, he changed his statement to say that I filled out the service request form on July 11th (Monday). He was being dishonest in his initial statement. They never mentioned or did any type of external inspection of transmission in front of me, and I never requested one either. Mr. *** stated that they were not responsible for any damage, and that they do not do transmission services there so they couldn't do anything in this case. Once again, I stated to him that the car was in working order before they serviced it and they had the car for 2 months with minimal communication about the progress. This is the reason I found it necessary to seek assistance from the BBB. Thank you, Daniel *****

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