ComplaintsforCottage Muffler & Brake LLC

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my car to cottage muffler to have my exhaust looked at because it was loud. They looked at it and said the problem was the catalytic converter estimated at $700-750. They fixed it I paid them $805. Less that 2 weeks later my car is making the same noise as before I took it to cottage. I called them to bring it back. They looked at it and said it's not what we did it's something else. Which I find hard to believe. My car is making the same noise as before they fixed it. So either they fixed the wrong thing the first time or they never fixed correctly the first time.

  Business response

  04/01/2022

  March 11, 2022 ***** ****** came into Cottage Muffler with a very loud 2010 Chrysler Sebering.  We pulled the car into the bay, raised it up and found that the catalytic converter had rusted and broken in two pieces.  We explained that because the converter was so rusted out it had to be replaced with a new one.  I quoted her a price of 700 to 750 to replace the converter and that it would be about a three hour job.  She explaiined to me she needed to drive the car out of state to pick up her son the next day and she only had about 100 to fix the car.  She said she did not have the money and drove away in the loud Chrysler. She then called and said she could borrow the money if we could still fix the car.  I said I would do my best to fix it that day.  I called my supplier and explained this emergency situation.  The warehouse manager personally drove the converter down to Akron from Northfield to help meet the customers needs.  I put both of my mechanics on the car and we got the job done for herso she could go on her trip.  When the car left it was perfectly quiet.  We noticed the next week she drove by the shop and it was quiet.  

  *** ****** called the shop a sometime around March 18th and said the car was getting loud.  I said the part has a warantee and bring it back immediately.  She brought the car back on March 25th and was very upset.    I told her again we will look at it right away and if the part failed we would fix it.  What we found was the part DID NOT fail.  There was an additional problem up near the engine.  We found the a motor mount had broken and pulled the exhaust away from the engine.  We replaced studs and bolts at NO COST even though it was not our responsibility.  I explained to her that the motor mount would need to be replaced and that Cottage Muffler DOES NOT do that kind of work.  She got very upset somehow feeling it was our responsibility.  She wanted an estimate for her attorney.  I could not provide an estimate because we do not do that kind of work.  We are an exhaust and brake shop, not a motor shop.  My mechanic and I tried to show her the engine part that failed but she did not want to see it or hear about it.  All she said was she was goind to call the BBB, her attorney and her bank to reverse the charge.  I explained the part we put on has a one year guarantee and we would honor that, but our part nor our labor had failed.  

  Catalytic converter had no working parts.  All they are is a block of ceramic surrounded by heave duty stainless steel.  Frankly, there is nothing to fail.

  Cottage Muffler met her needs by getting her car fixed when she needed it.  I even delayed two other jobs to get her car done.  We went over and above to fix her car and a very reasonable price.  It is unfair and unjust to condemn Cottage Muffler for a part that failed on her car that we have not had anything to do with

   

  Customer response

  04/08/2022

  I brought my car in to be diagnosed for a loud muffler. Cottage looked at my car and said it was the catalytic converter and quoted 700-750. I paid 805. I told them before I brought it in that u was leaving they same day I was bringing it in to the shop to go visit my son in another state. Cottage pressured me into getting my car fixed that day stating that the fumes from the muffler would be poisonous to me and my son. And the would not recommend me driving it out of state. Saying its gonna cost the same if i rent a car to just fix mine. I never said I only had $100. I said I wasn't expecting it to cost so much. I had my car serviced a week before Cottage serviced my vehicle. That other shop did an inspection on my car and fixed both front ball joints. That shop said my motor mount was not broke at that time. The same day Cottage fixed my car, I started smelling fumes again on my way to Georgia. I did not return to Ohio until 3/20/22. I called them the next day, Monday 3/21/22. He never said bring it in immediately. He asked when could I bring it in. I am in nursing school 8am-4pm mon-thur and they are open mon-fri 830am-2pm, so he made me an appointment for Fri 3/25/22 at 830am. When I showed for my appointment, he said there was 5 cars before me. I was upset because you made me an appointment but now there are ppl in front of me. So I had to walk home, so yes I was upset. He called and said my motor mount was broke and that is why my motor was loud. I questioned how when it could make my motor loud and how it was broken when it wasn't broke before they did any work on my car. Three mechanics have said that cottage could have broke the motor mount while fixing the catalytic converter depending on how they did the job. The shop that fixed my car before cottage said it wasn't broken at all when they worked on it. There is a warranty on the part and the work. They need to fix thier mistakes and stop blaming the customer.

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