ComplaintsforSpectra Auto Services, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  11/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my vehicle in to have minor servicing done and was told my axle was leaking grease. Between each of these services, I noticed my car was rumbling when turning the wheel at mid-high speeds. Believing it could be fixed by the axle grease issue, I took it in and was charged to replace the CVJ boot. This did not fix the issue. I scheduled another servicing and was charged for a tire rotation and was told some of my tires had uneven treads and that was likely the issue. I was told multiple times, even after extensive prodding, that this was not a safety concern. Two weeks later, on my way from Frederick to Baltimore, my car was rumbling to an extreme degree and within minutes my CVT went. I was barely able to get my car to a nearby mechanic, Hillmuth Auto, in Glenwood, MD. Within a minute of them looking at my vehicle, they showed me my treads were in dangerous condition - so much so that I was told if they had let me leave with the tread damage, I'd have had to sign a waver to acknowledge I was doing so with an obvious safety concern. After a diagnostic test, they determined there was still grease on my axle and my ball joint had a lot of play, displaying yet another safety concern. At this point I had no faith in Spectra's work. They told me they would fix it and I could contact Spectra to get a refund for faulty work. I contacted Spectra and was told that not going through them meant they would not refund me because I didn't call them first. I expressed they charged me for incomplete and incorrect work, displaying negligence in their work and a disregard for my safety, and was simply told I didn't make the phone call first and was ineligible, regardless of the impact on myself or my family. I simply asked for a refund on the poor work and was neglected. They even said they did not touch the ball joint and said "the grease could have been left over from when we fixed it", which is also a fire hazard. I want a refund for this safety issue and poor work.

  Business response

  11/25/2022

  We received our first notice of this complaint at about 11:30 AM on Friday, November 25, stating that we would have to reply by November 25, so we were not given much time to prepare a response.
  Mr. ******' vehicle came to Spectra Auto on 9/6/2022 for an oil change, engine air filter, and cabin air filter. Mr. ****** also asked us to determine why the washer nozzles were not spraying well (Spectra Invoice 71695). Mr. ****** did not mention any type of rumbling problem at this time. During our courtesy inspection we found that the left front outer CV boot was leaking grease and advised that it should be replaced. The part had to be ordered so the repair was deferred until the part came in. On 9/22/2022, Mr. ****** returned his vehicle to Spectra and we replaced the left front outer CV boot (Spectra Invoice 71785). Again, Mr. ****** did not mention anything about a rumbling problem. Up to this point we were never asked to check for the cause of a rumbling problem. We replaced the CV boot because it was torn. We never indicated that it was causing a rumbling problem or that replacing it would fix a rumbling problem. Nearly one month and 1,000 miles later, on 10/19/2022, Mr. ****** returned his vehicle to Spectra and, for the first time, asked us to check "the whole car shakes and rattles," or the rumbling problem (Spectra Invoice 71933). By his own admission, this is the first time that Mr. ****** mentioned the rumbling problem. We found the cause of the rumbling to be chopped front tires. We rotated the tires (moving the chopped tires to the rear) which eliminated most of the rumbling. Although the tires were chopped, they still had good tread remaining and were in no way a safety concern. We advised Mr. ****** that he would need to replace at least 2 tires to eliminate the rumbling, but that it would be best to replace all 4 tires. We found that we had actually replaced one of the tires earlier in 2022, so we gave an estimate to replace 2 tires, and an estimate to replace 3 tires (since one had already been replaced). Mr. ****** declined to replace any tires at that time. On 11/14/2022, I was contacted by Mr. ****** concerning Hilmuth repair order 0023806. According to that repair order, Mr. ****** took his vehicle to Hilmuth Certified Automotive for ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS, 4 NEW TIRES, and ALIGNMENT. Again, there is no mention on this repair order of any rumbling problems. Mr. ****** stated in his complaint that his "CVT went." The CVT is the transmission. It appears that Hilmuth did testing and found a valve body fault in the transmission but the repairs were declined. The Hilmuth invoice does not indicate anything about the condition of the tires, only that they were replaced. The Hilmuth repair order indicates that the left front axle was replaced but does not indicate why it was replaced. Mr. ****** told me that Hilmuth told him that the left front outer boot was "severely leaking grease." At this point, Mr. ****** should have contacted Spectra Auto concerning this problem. He did not. When there is a possible auto repair warranty situation, the facility that performed the original repair should be contacted to find out how the warranty should be handled. If Mr. ****** had contacted us at this point, we would have advised him to return the vehicle to us for inspection and any warranty repair found to be necessary. A torn or leaking CV boot is not a safety concern. Hilmuth is located 25 to 30 miles away from Spectra. Driving the vehicle that distance to us would not have caused any additional problems. If Mr. ****** was concerned about driving the vehicle, we could have arranged to have the vehicle towed from Hilmuth to Spectra. We are also part of a nationwide warranty program called TechNet. As an alternative to having the vehicle towed, we could have also directed Mr. ****** to a TechNet repair facility nearby Hilmuth to have his vehicle inspected and repaired under warranty if necessary. Mr. ****** told me that Hilmuth advised him to let them repair the vehicle and then contact Spectra to get a refund. This is the wrong way to handle a possible warranty situation for all of the reasons stated. Spectra was not contacted until after the repairs had been completed. We were never given the opportunity to inspect the vehicle to determine if a warranty repair was needed. We were never shown any evidence of any faulty repairs performed by Spectra. We were not presented with an invoice with any statements as to why the repairs were made. Based on the information that was provided to us we determined that no refund would be made.
  Further responses to this may be directed to David Pheobus (Owner, [email protected], 301-695-5990) or Chris Adams (Service Manager, [email protected], 301-695-5990)
  See Attachment/File: Spectra 71695

  Customer response

  11/28/2022

  In addition to my previous statement, I can provide further detail around the visits. The CVJ was replaced, yes, though based on price and lack of detail, Hillmuth had determined there was no way it could have ended up in the shape it was in within a month unless it was aftermarket and not fit for my vehicle. I was also shown in person that the shape of my treads were 1/32, or a safety hazard on the road. I was told by the technician "I would've needed you to sign a waiver if I let you leave here with treads like that" - something he said would've been hard to do in the time between visiting Spectra and showing up at Hillmuth. The CVT caused an inability to drive my car without oil temperature becoming an issue, so the vehicle was not drivable, but beyond that, the rumble was not "nearly gone" to any degree. It was felt less in the front, yes, which was what I brought it in for, but it was still obvious. I, however, trusted Spectra in expressing that the rotation would fix it until my tires were replaced. This was an outright incorrect diagnosis. I was charged for a tire rotation as the fix for this issue, when in reality, Hillmuth had determined there was an excessive amount of play in my ball bearing which was a safety hazard. They also noted that the boot was cracked and covered with grease. Per Chris' response to me, I was told this could have been excess grease from when Spectra handled it. If excess grease was left on my vehicle, this is undoubtedly a fire hazard and a flagrant disregard for my safety, in addition to charging me for a lack of awareness of how to properly fix my vehicle when I brought it in with a problem. The technician who provided me the details for this fix is Scott Bermanski of Hillmuth Auto - Glenwood (443) 266-7140.

  Customer response

  11/29/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  This response is not acceptable. As I have previously provided, this location sold me incorrect parts for a problem, then sold me unnecessary repairs for a misdiagnosed different problem, and additionally provided me confirmation of no safety concerns and then admitted to safety issues, at very least regarding flammable materials left after the replacement of my CVJ boot. Here is also the exact email I received from Scott Bermanski of Hillmuth Auto:
  
  "Good Morning Mr. ******, Scott from Hillmuth Auto Care. When you brought your Subaru Forester in to us on 11/3 there were some major safety concerns other then the lights coming on for the transmission. Your left front outer cv axle boot was severely leaking grease and could have caused the axle to go dry and bearings in it to give out. Also your lower left ball joint had major play in it and was torn. Other then that your tires were severely mismatched in tread depth and subarus are known for telling everyone that no more then 2/32 tread depth difference on tires or it could cause damage to differentials in the awd system. I hope this helps and if you need more information please let me know."
  
  Hopefully this provides context on what was required to fix my vehicle in response to Spectra claiming no fault. This goes beyond a warranty repair, as they have proven they didn't know what to do with my vehicle and expressed negligence, legally, in charging me for incorrect and unnecessary work. I am asking for this to be refunded, not redone.

  Business response

  12/06/2022

  Once again we were only given less than a day to reply. We received a notice in the mail on 12/6 saying that we must reply by 12/7.
  
  Kevin ****** stated that Spectra Auto Services sold him "incorrect parts for a problem". At no time did we sell incorrect parts. The left front outer CV boot that Spectra installed was the correct part for the vehicle and was purchased directly from Subaru, thus ensuring that the part was of the highest quality. The part number for the CV boot that Spectra installed was 28323SG000 which is the correct part for the application. This has been checked for accuracy in two different Subaru parts catalogs. Kevin ****** stated that Spectra Auto Services sold him "unnecessary repairs for a misdiagnosed different problem". Spectra replaced the left front outer CV boot because it was leaking grease. This is a necessary repair. Mr. ****** did not bring up the issue of a rumbling problem until after the CV boot was replaced. Spectra Auto never told Kevin ****** that replacing the CV boot would eliminate any type of rumbling problem.
  
  Between the time the Kevin ******' vehicle was last at Spectra Auto and when it arrived at Hilmuth Automotive the vehicle had been driven 725 miles and nearly 1 month had passed. When the vehicle was last at Spectra Auto there was no problem with the CV boot. If the CV boot was actually in the condition indicated by Hilmuth Automotive, there are several plausible reasons why it may have been in that condition, including damage to the boot caused by being hit by road debris or other outside causes. Spectra Auto Services was not contacted at this time and has not been given any proof of the condition of the CV boot. We have not seen any photographs showing a faulty CV boot and no faulty CV boot has been returned to us for inspection.
  
  The last time the vehicle was at Spectra Auto, the tires were not worn out, they were only choppy. The tread was not worn to a dangerous level. We rotated the tires to prove that they were the cause of the rumbling that Kevin ****** complained about. We told Kevin ****** that the rumbling noise was less, but we never indicated that it was gone. Kevin ****** was informed that the tires would have to be replaced to eliminate the rumbling. He declined to have Spectra replace the tires. Again, the tires were not worn to an unsafe condition at that time. Spectra Auto Services has not been given any proof to the contrary.
  
  The industry standard for automotive repair warranty dictates that the repair facility that performed the original repair be notified in the event of a possible warranty situation. This notification should take place prior to having repairs performed by another repair facility. That did not occur in this case. Also, since some time had passed and the vehicle had been driven a significant number of miles, any warranty claims would require proof of faulty parts as opposed to a problem caused by any unrelated outside causes. Kevin ****** has not offered any proof of any kind. Spectra Auto Services also believes that Kevin ****** was given bad advice by Hilmuth Automotive when they advised him to let them repair the vehicle and then contact Spectra Auto after the repairs were completed to request a refund. If the roles were reversed, Spectra Auto would have advised Kevin ****** to contact the repair facility that performed the original repair before any further action was taken.
  

  Customer response

  12/08/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  The proof I have provided is expert testimony from Hillmuth that describes the issues with the vehicle. This rebuttal has also entirely glossed-over the fact that I was charged for a tire rotation to mitigate an issue that stemmed from my ball joint, which was missed completely. I was told by Spectra, after asking multiple times and expressing how I am the sole driver that takes my infant daughter to daycare, that this vehicle posed no safety concerns beyond choppy tires. That was no the case. Play in a ball joint can lead to misalignments with tires, which can also lead to excessive and uneven and potentially dangerous wear. Rotating the tires was a service charged to me as a "fix" (mitigation) but was done so under false pretenses and incorrect assessments. I was also never informed that having misaligned tires or uneven treads could cause additional debris to potentially damage my vehicle. I was only ever told to purchase new tires, which given the information I had, I believed could wait.
  
  Per Hillmuth, while being unable to say 100% due to the lack of clarity provided by Spectra in my invoice, I was told that the cost for the CVJ replacement seemed off based on the requirement for my specific vehicle. This, in addition to the lack of transparency around the core issue I had come to Spectra looking to resolve, being my rumble caused by play in my ball joint, added to what was ultimately a disastrous outcome for my vehicle. I, again, was never informed of "industry standard" warranties, as I am not in this industry and should not be made to suffer under the pretenses of information I was never afforded. Whether Hillmuth misrepresented my best interests or not, that would seem to be something Spectra should take up with Hillmuth. The case here is in regards to a blatant lack of interest in my family's safety and a disregard to accountability in Spectra's own work.
  
  There was a blatant safety issue missed in a checkup I scheduled on my own. Had that been addressed at the time, I would have never made it to Hillmuth to begin with and maybe the boot would have remained in-tact. I drove for, as Spectra provided, 750 miles on a ball joint that had shown signs of failure and was missed by Spectra. All other costs incurred to fix this issue are on that miss. For context, industry standards show that ball joints should be replaced 70,000-150,000 miles, so 750 would have made little-to-no difference in the shape of my ball joint when I had already gone to Spectra with symptoms of it previously.

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