ComplaintsforDemore's Automotive

• Initial Complaint

  10/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had my dodge 500 ram truck serviced in September to be able to get back on the road . Truck had numerous things corrected on it. After I picked up the truck on September 19th 2023 I drove the truck home. The following Sunday I drove the truck to get the miles needed to pass inspection while driving on the ********* the check engine light came on and within a few minutes all the lights flashed and a check gage red light came on as the truck shut down. I as able to pull the truck into the breakdown lane and had it towed back to Demore's. It took Demore's awhile to test the truck but the tried to start and actually did run the truck before they ran the codes for the check engine light issue. This engine should never be attempted to start without clearing the code issue to see what may be the issue, Also Demore's advertises roadside assistance after a vehicle is serviced there but offered no reimbursement for the tow back to their shop. After nearly a month of delays on their part they state that I need a engine replacement now and quote me over 8,000 dollars for the work. I have spoken to some other mechanics and they feel that something had to go wrong during service for this issue to happen so fast after. The shop never even road tested the vehicle after they performed the work the first time. I am seeking either compensation or for them to repair the vehicle

  Customer response

  11/07/2023

  The Company said they wanted to make things right and asked to see the truck again. After they had the truck all they wanted to do was show how they worked on it and not take any responsibility for anything.  I had them send the truck back to me as  there is no use in watching them as they took apart the oil pan again.  They will not even offer a compromise and they will not respond to you as well.  I have sent a letter to them by registered mail with intent to sue and they do not respond to that as well.

   

  ****

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  The customer's vehicle was originally towed to us for brake repairs. The customer also requested an oil and filter change. When the technician proceeded to drain the engine oil he noted the engine oil pan was rotted and could start leaking. A recommendation was made to change the engine oil pan before the rotted areas started to leak oil. The customer agreed to this along with other recommendations the truck needed. All these repairs were made without incident. The vehicle was test driven an approximate amount of distance for the repairs we made. None of them required extended long distance test driving. There was no indication at this time of any further concerns.

  
  The customer picked up the truck and stated he drove about 28 miles before the vehicle broke down. I am not sure if this was one trip or over the course of multiple days. The vehicle was towed from the ************* on Sunday September 24th. The customer left a voicemail stating he broke down over the weekend and had the truck towed to our shop. We got the vehicle brought in the shop first thing that Monday morning to inspect what caused the breakdown. When we went out to inspect the vehicle and retrieve possible fault codes we found the battery had no charge left in it. We connected a battery jump box to the vehicle battery so we could scan for possible fault codes. We retrieved various fault codes including fault code P0016 Crankshaft/Camshaft Timing Misalignment - Bank 1 Sensor 1. We understand one of the customers' concerns was why we attempted to start his truck. This fault code requires us to crank the engine over to monitor sensor values that allows us to determine the cause of the fault. The technician proceeded to follow the code specific flow chart and through the course of testing determined there was an internal mechanical fault with the engine and the engine would have to be replaced.
  
  The customer was informed of what we found with the vehicle. The customer refused to listen to anything we tried to explain to him and just insisted it was our fault. We understand this is a stressful situation and we did our best to explain our repairs were not located near the fault that occurred. After many attempts to explain this and the customers refusal to listen it was decided to have the vehicle towed to the customers house. We dispatched a tow truck and covered the cost as well.
  
  Our automated messenger system sent a text message to the customer about other services and he replied you're kidding. I saw this message come through and asked our staff for more information and they informed us what happened. I instructed my office to contact the customer and ask if we could tow the vehicle back to the shop. Once there we would remove the oil pan for the customer to come and inspect our work and see how what we did in no way could have caused a timing issue. The timing parts are behind the timing cover and located above the oil pan area. The customer continued to insist that his friend, who is a mechanic of 25 years, said we had to touch the timing to perform this repair. Our Technician pointed to the locations of the timing parts and how they were not touched or interrupted by the oil pan repair. With his refusal to still believe us we offered to pay to have the vehicle towed and inspected at a repair shop of his choosing that employed an ASE Master Certified Technician. If that shop determined we were at fault we would happily tow the vehicle back and complete the suggested repairs. The customer refused this option and chose to have the vehicle towed back to his house. We also covered that tow as well.
  
  As to the customer's concern of us not offering reimbursement for his tow as I stated in my prior message that was a misunderstanding with our service advisor that did not know we could offer that reimbursement. There was some confusion with it being towed off the ********************* as those are handled by the state police. We later informed the customer he could still submit his bill still and provided the information to do so. The customer can then apply for reimbursement of that bill up to $75. Furthermore if the fault was determined to be ours we would have covered the remainder of the towing cost.

  Customer response

  11/30/2023

   
  Complaint:*********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Lots of contradicting statements here  then what was done to the vehicle according to their own paper statements. They never test drove the vehicle after  their work was done the first time according to miles on the vehicle  before and after service, When confronted with this the service advisor stated they drive the vehicle down to a nearby bridge and back again less than a block away and not nearly enough for a true road test.  I left a message after the breakdown that all sorts of error codes and other messages were displayed at time of breakdown and that the battery was drained because of hours waiting to be towed from the pike and hazards on.  They could have tested for the codes without starting the vehicle up but proceeded to jump start the vehicle and ran the vehicle for some time as mechanic stated that it sounded like an exhaust issue. I had the vehicle towed back to my house as there was no way to afford their quote of over 8000 dollars to repair. Their service tech then asked me if they could look at the vehicle  and perform more testing  to determine the cause of the engine failure.

  They did not state that thy were just going to show me the work they did before and that is all they did. They did nothing to test or discover the reason behind the failure. when asked  at the shop why they attempted to run the vehicle  and not test  for codes  they stated they did not know  there was a engine code already before they jumped it even though it was stated to them before they worked on the vehicle

  they promised many thing but all they wanted was to have the vehicle in their shop so they could potentially cover up any wrong doing on their part.

  They are not to be trusted as to the fact  that my other vehicle which was also serviced at their location was never repaired to satisfaction also I also have discovered  that they charged  way over the cost of a oil pan replacement  by industry standards. i have no choice in the matter than to pursue legal action against them they have had plenty of time to respond  and always delay till the last moment 

   

   

   

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

  Customer response

  12/09/2023

  If your RAM Hemi is showing a P0016 code, it means that the Crankshaft Position Sensor and the Camshaft Position Sensor are out of alignment by a certain number of degrees, or if there is a sensor issue 12. The following video tutorial 3 and article 1 provide some insights on how to fix this issue.
  It is not recommended to crank the engine if you have a P0016 code as it can cause further damage to the engine 1. It is best to diagnose and repair the issue before attempting to start the engine again. They cranked the engine and started the vehicle even though they state that they scanned for codes on this engine if you have a P0016 code  you should not crank or start the engine  as this can cause severe damage to the engine. They admit themselves and state that the ranked and started the truck.

  Customer response

  12/09/2023

  as shown in their invoice from this  the technician jump started the vehicle before any testing was done or codes scanned  yet  in their statement to the BBB they stated they performed the scan first

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