ComplaintsforGearheads Garage

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought my 2012 Malibu in for a diagnosis and repair. The repair made on two different occasions was not the sole problem. First time they said it was fuel pump and relay, that only soled the problem for like a week. Then they said it was an EGR valve again only temporary fix. I took it to another shop that found out that the problem was in the wiring and the car has not repeated the issue.

  

  Business response

  10/09/2023

  Good morning. To whom this may concern, here is all of the notes from this vehicle almost 6 months ago. As you can tell, a fuel pump and relay was in fact necessary. We had no fuel pressure at all. In addition, you can see that once he filled up a week later, the evaporative emissions purge valve stuck and would not allow proper purge, as,well as venting which causes long cranks to start because volume is disrupted. It's like a milk jug with water in it, if you turn it to dump the water it will come out slow, if you vent it with a time hole it will flow freely. Customer threw parts at it till he brought it here the first time. We wish we had good background on all vehicles, but unfortunately we would need a crystal ball for that. We can only repair problems as they arise and if preventive maintenance is never performed by the customers at mileage intervals recommended, this is what you get 6 months later. I'd something arises, and we know nothing about it, but a customer says it was something else, well, I could say the sky is always red too, but doesn't mean it's true. If there is anything else needed, please email me back, or call me at the office ***** ********. Thank you for your time. Also, sorry it took me till w days ago to respond, I was out for health reasons the last few weeks.

• Initial Complaint

  12/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  After breaking down, I towed my car to Gearhead's Garage on Nov 29. They quoted me about $1000 to replace the catalytic converter, which had developed a blockage. They would also need to clean the cylinders and replace the spark plugs due to the backfed exhaust. I approved the repairs. About a week later, on Dec 05, they called saying new issues were found - mice had gotten in the car, destroying the wiring. They also found issues with some components of the steering system. The price skyrocketed to $1829.33. I told them to hold off on the repairs since I wasn't sure the cost was worth it. They repaired the car anyways without my permission, which I found out later in another call. By the time I was informed, I had changed my mind but hadn't contacted them yet - they still carried out unauthorized repairs. After being in the repair shop for nearly two weeks, my car was ready for pickup. I picked up my car on Dec 13 and paid the full bill. The car ran extremely rough - it emitted a massive exhaust cloud and shook violently. I returned to the shop, and they told me that was to be expected (I had forgone a repair on an ignition coil to save money - I was told it shouldn't cause additional issues besides the engine running a bit rough). As I drove my car home, the engine seemed to run smoother. After less than 180 miles of driving, my car broke down again, overheating and smoking under the hood. The coolant was empty and my oil appeared to be overfilled around 2-2.5x above the max fill line. A friend picked me up and we refilled the coolant. The car started overheating and smoking in less than 15-20 seconds of driving. The car was towed back, and now they're asking for $150 for an apparently new issue. After $2000 paid and a month of waiting, I still don't have a working car. I also missed a month of income due to the lack of transit. They refuse to provide a free repair or refund, full or partial. This is absolutely unacceptable for the amount I paid.

  

  Business response

  01/09/2023

  To whom it may concern,

  The customer had vehicle towed in with the initial complaint of burning smell and check engine light flashing. We performed our diagnostic and found catalytic converter was restricted, valve cover gaskets were dumping oil down the side of motor as well as the coil boots which caused a short in the ignition coils so no spark could occur causing raw fuel to run through exhaust system into the converter destroying the bank 1 catalytic converter. We advised customer of these findings and we had been in communication with the customer the entire time. As per procedure we do not start any repairs without the consent of the customer. After we performed the repairs we test drove the vehicle and vehicle was functioning as desired. Approximately a week later the vehicle was towed back in and had a plastic fitting at the heater core that has stress cracked due to the negative 35 degree weather system as is common with aged molded plastic to fail becoming fatigued and brittle. This was something that was out of our control as we did not nothing to those hoses nor did the repair require us to disrupt them. We took care of the fitting at no charge to the customer. Furthermore we would like to show the customer how to properly check his oil. After the vehicle is running and you shut it off you must pull the dipstick out of the engine and wipe completely clean the oil off of the dipstick then re-insert dipstick into the engine and then pull it back out and then look at the level of the oil. His oil was spot on after properly inspecting the oil level ourselves. We feel that we have went above and beyond on the vehicle even taking care of / free of charge his cooling hose issue which had nothing to do with the repairs we had performed. Thank you for your time. If there are any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us by phone or email. Service complete. We will call the customer and let him know that his vehicle is ready for pickup free of charge.
  

  Customer response

  01/10/2023

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

• Initial Complaint

  10/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Gearheads Garage lied about what was wrong with my vehicle and tried to take advantage of my elderly mother. My 2016 vehicle, that has never had any major issues and had less than 35,000 miles, was making a strange noise when hitting the brakes. Took it to Gearheads, and was called later that day to tell me 1) I had nails in my front tires, this was untrue. Stated I needed to replace my tires, despite 1 week before having them checked out after getting one nail in it and told they were perfect. Shop knew about this and constructed a storyline to go along with it to sell me tires I did not need 2) my oil tank, which had just been filled 3 days prior, was 2 quarts low and needed to be changed. This was untrue. 3) Stated that I needed to replace front and rear rotors and that my rotors were "severely scorched". This was untrue. Thats not it, there were other line items on the estimate too, that were made up. Total estimate? Over $2000. As the rep was spewing out all of these things "wrong", I opted to get a 2nd opinion; they charged me a $115 diagnostic fee. The alternative was paying their predatory body shop estimate and getting repairs done that were not needed. I went to a different shop and got a 2nd opinion. After a thorough inspection, the subsequent shop advised that all that was needed was to replace my rear brake pads. Thats it. Nothing else wrong. Total cost of repairs was nearly equal to the amount this shop got for their diagnostic fee. Not only that, but the shop measured the oil in front of my eyes, mere minutes after being told my oil tank was low by Gearheads and that I "needed" an oil change, and found it was actually slightly overfilled. My tires were checked, no nails found anywhere. Rotors in perfect condition. I was lied to by this predatory body shop. I am aggravated that I was forced to pay an overpriced diagnostic fee only for them to lie to me. They prey upon the elderly and those they do not perceive to know better.

  

  Business response

  11/21/2022

  see attached

  Customer response

  11/21/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  They are flat out lying . They did not put any oil in my tank and they did not plug anything in my tires. After speaking with the rep who told us everything that was "wrong" with my car, we immediately told them to cease all repairs and picked the vehicle up the next day, as we would not make it over that night due to my job. She told us we would be charged the $115 diagnostic fee only and that no more work would be done on the car. They never told us they did any kind of repairs, and I know that they would not do any kind of repairs for free out of the goodness of their hearts. 

  
  

  The document on page 3 of their response was written after this complaint to make it seem like they did the work. I was never provided a copy of anything that said this, and was never verbally told that they did anything like this.

  
  

  I am not seeking anything "free", and it is gross that the entitled owner would imply I am a cheapskate who makes up lies.  I would have happily done the repairs if they were legit . However, I work hard for my money and I do not appreciate a business trying to take advantage of anyone then becoming defensive and dare to say I am seeking free work. Face it, you got called out and are trying to save face. 

  
  

  Lastly, my car is in great shape. It's always passed all inspections with flying colors and I have never had any kinds of issues with my vehicle. I take good care of it and rarely drive it, hence why it has 35000 miles on it and is nearly 7 years old.

  
  

  I do not accept this response because now the shop is lying and providing false documents. They should be stripped of their BBB accreditation. 
  

  
  

  
  
  

  

  Business response

  11/28/2022

  It is part of the process to document everything that is wrong with the vehicle in a handwritten way, and then turn it into the advisors for them to estimate, then call the customer with the costs of necessary repairs, and discuss those issues. We do not enclose the handwritten not sheets but do put them in thee customer file after invoicing and then payment is complete. As I stated earlier, we made the vehicle safe for the customer. We are finding more and more that people do not want to pay us for our time and efforts unfortunately. Also it is easy for other shops to take pot shots at us, and that is a penalty of leadership and being a top shop in bloomington which I and my staff work very hard to be. I will not bring into question the customers opinion as she has my very word, which is my bond and I take such issue in a not so light way. Her response is that of malicious and frivolous intent. So easy this time of year to need more money by any means necessary for some, as we are seeing more and more. This is also I understand my opinion, but so is hers by not understanding that we tried to help her and make her safe which is our job. Her opinion of what she thinks is just that. We stand behind our service and the level of quality we provide. Hopefully this sheds some light on things a bit better and if there is more needed from us please message, or call us here at the shop. Thank you.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩