ComplaintsforDiesel & Off-Road Technologies

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a new to me truck and did not have time to do a once over myself. Decided to take it to a shop and asked them to do a few specific things to it as well as give it a look over. I was planning to use this truck to move states. Simple things any good shop would check over, is air filter, fuel filter and fluid check... (oil, coolant, trans fluid, etc). Oil change, Fuel filter change and air filter check were specific things I requested. After having the truck back for a few weeks, the Lift pump failed, and I found that it was due to improper install by the shop. They cross threaded it on. I was also told a new employee worked on my truck and that person was already fired... The owner did reach out and told me that would pay for the cost of the part (lift pump). (I guess my time isn't worth anything to them, they sure made me pay by the hours they worked). I then found that the coolant was low and never checked, there was a nest in the air filter box that they didn't check. They also checked injectors and I ended up getting a CEL code that came up as a cylinder issue which was most likely an injector problem. This is extremely unacceptable. I paid somewhere around $1500, I would need to get my receipt out to confirm exact number. But I feel as though that money was a complete waste. It's caused more issues than helped at this point.

  

  Business response

  05/22/2024

  A copy of the work order our service writer entered it while talking to customer. There is nothing about checking entire truck over. Only request to reprogram injectors because it is running rough. (missing). It had ABS and traction control problems. Which the customer brought used parts to repair. We installed and the used Abs module as requested ( first mistake using old parts). We changed the engine oil and filter. Repaired an oil leak at the Crankcase ventilation tubes and serviced the transmission, and changed the fuel filter. This customer has already called complaining about his electric fuel pump going bad and blamed that on us as well. He stated that the fuel filter cap was cross threaded because he couldn't unscrew it. We never had an opportunity to check the truck or even see the old part other than a picture sent to us that showed no problem with the old filter housing. Because we are a standup repair shop and always do the right thing. Without ever seeing the truck or having a chance to test any part of it we mailed him a check for the amount he asked. He has complained to us about an engine miss and blamed that on us too even though it was missing when he bought to us. This customer is every auto repair shops worst nightmare. He bought a used truck he knows nothing about and the blames the first shop to even look at it for everything that goes wrong with it. 

  Customer response

  05/22/2024

  I am rejecting this response because: it was communicated directly to them that I had just purchased the truck and wanted them to look it over. And listed those specific things I wanted checked. I gave a used ABS module and said “that might work but I have no clue, you guys are the experts”. Boy was I wrong.
  

  This shop is every customers worst nightmare where they put the new guy on the job and don’t check over their work. And this is the first time it was communicated to me that my truck was misfiring. They told me they wanted to scan the truck and quoted me for it. And I said okay but they never said anything wasn’t running properly. Why would I have picked up a truck that wasn’t running properly? The shop communicated that my truck was ready for pick up. I was okay without ABS being fixed due to needing the truck back. They told me it would take 2 days. And had it over a week. I would call to check daily and some days they didn’t even touch it. **** poor service. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

  

  Business response

  05/23/2024

  Please see attached letter as a response and also the ****** report on subject vehicle. Thanks

  ****, I was very stressed when I took time to respond yesterday. I was at the Emergency room with my wife who is ill. Things have calmed down and she is on the road to recovery. I hope you understand.
  
  We here at Diesel & Off-Road Technologies have an excellent reputation and continue to grow because of it. We don't advertise because we don't have to. Our reputation and word of mouth keeps us backed up with work for all 11 of our employees. I don't know how you explained yourself to my service writer, but it is very apparent that he didn't' understand that you wanted the entire truck checked over. (Which by the way I took time to run a ****** report on. Which is attached to this response.) The odometer has been tampered with (not actual mileage). It has been wrecked several times and was totaled by an insurance company on 12/12/2022) Apparently someone rebuilt it from a totaled wreck and retitled it from salvage. We cannot be held responsible for any problems a salvaged truck develops after it has been put back together from a total wreck. As to our work order it only asked our tech which graduated from an Auto­ Diesel College a few years ago. To check the engine because it was running rough, the truck pulls to the right, to install a used part if necessary and to install the inner fenders that you had in the back seat if we needed to remove the original ones. We were backed up with two weeks of work with trucks our customers needed. We tried to work yours into our busy schedule and get you on the road for your move to another state. You originally contacted us a month after we worked on your truck stating that we had improperly installed a fuel filter and it caused the electric supply pump to fail. We replace those supply pumps on a regular basis because they get weak and after you open the system they will fail trying to bleed the air from the system.
  
  Usually soon after the filter is changed. We never had an opportunity to inspect the part that accused us of installing improperly or that it caused the pump to fail. But being a stand-up Company that always goes above and beyond for its customers. I agreed to help you with the cost of that repair. You were sent a check for $635.57. Now you are wanting us to take responsibility for things we never touched on your truck. I am sorry you purchased a salvaged truck. But you must take responsibility for that, not my company.

  Customer response

  05/28/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  You have been rude the moment I brought more than the fuel pump to your attention. You should not be letting personal matters be the reason you act like an *** to your customers. Unfortunately, life does happen but that should be lesson 1 for you in what you take away from this as a business owner.

  Funny you say that you have a great reputation because I had an acquaintance of mine advise against using your shop, he had heard that information from a friend of his, so I looked up reviews and did see some good ones, so I decided to give it a shot and not take that advice. But, through the grape vine and not just on your ****** reviews, your shop's reputation isn't all unicorns and rainbows.

  Your shop did not know I was moving states till after this all happened... So don't act like you were doing me a solid for that reason. I actually didn't tell your shop that information on purposed, worried you might not treat me the same, knowing I wouldn't be a repeat customer. I called to ask how long out your wait would be to have my truck looked over and how long it would take to get worked on. You gave me a date to drop it off and asked if it could stay more than a day. I asked how long your shop thought it would take and they said "A couple days" which I'd say for most people is 2 days. Not once was I told you were backed up for weeks and we have a "busy schedule". After 2 days I called and there was no progress made. I would have most likely had you order the new ABS part if it didn't take a week for you to finally do something with it. I told you shop the truck was pulling to the right and said let's put new tires on it. You guys forgot, your service writer called me after I said I was on my way to get the truck and was like, hey should I get tires on order? And I said no, I'll just take it to a tire shop... (Side note, new tires fixed the pulling problem...) So had you just ordered tires day one that would have been solved.

  And the fact that you are saying you should have inspected the lift pump part now and are even questioning it, is ****... I sent you pictures and told you it was stuck on there. The cap was frozen in place, would not screw the rest of the way on to meet the bump stop and would not screw off to be able to remove the filter. I would have gladly mailed you the part had you requested it. It's now in the trash.

  As a mechanic that works on vehicles... you should know the fundamentals of how a vehicle runs... 2 main components of the vehicle are... Air and fuel, kinda sad I have to teach you this lesson. So I ask you... what should you check on a vehicle that someone says is running rough?? Well... you should probably check the Air Filter... And the Fuel System. So, you managed to mess up the fuel system and never check the air filter. After the fuel lift pump failed and I found that you guys messed it up. I fixed that and still found that it was running off, I was getting a few codes that I sent to you in text and you became very rude. I thought to myself, any good shop would have checked the air filter, right?? Can't be that.... Well, I tell you what, the fact that the air filter was dirt is not your shops fault but I'm embarrassed for you that you didn't check it. The air filter was so clogged it wasn't getting enough air. So, even though you want to be rude and try to make it seem like I bought some *** truck, it's really that your shop doesn't know simple Maintenace. The truck is running just fine now after I did some simple maintenance to it myself. 

  My job for a living is in quality... and when something makes it to a customer with poor quality it is my job to make sure processes are changed to ensure bad quality doesn't make it out again. There are a few things your shop needs to learn from in this poor-quality experience. 1) Keep personal life out of work so that you speak to your customers professionally 100% of the time 2) Change the way your service writers handle ticket taking as well as not give out miss communication regarding timing. 3) Put in place a simple check list for every vehicle you work on. This will help prevent recurrence and insure simple Maintenace procedures are not missed 4) If a new tech is put in place add redundancy like having a trusted tech double check work 

  I looked on your website and didn't notice a quality slogan in place. I would suggest if you don't already have one, to put one in place and live by it. Post it on your website, put it on a banner in your shop, say it every morning at a team meeting and engrain it in your team's brain. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ******

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