Rebuilt Engines
Thickett Engine RebuildingThis business is NOT BBB Accredited.
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Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Thickett Engine Rebuilding's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 1 complaint in the last 3 years.
- 1 complaint closed in the last 12 months.
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Initial Complaint
Date:02/10/2024
Type:Product IssuesStatus:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I took my truck to them to have the engine rebuilt at $***** there about said and done. When he called for the truck to be ready for pickup the total bill was $***** Was told at that point that the engine block was. Beyond repair. Was not shown any proof any damage to engine. Paid the bill picked the truck up on a Saturday and made it only 5 miles and the turbo hose blew off. Was than told must have been given a boot full of boost that the boot blew off After 35 to 40 minutes the son finally came to put the hose back on as I had no tools to do this myself . When we called for assistance we were told they do not work on weekends or after hours *** ** *** *** ******* . My wife said we needed assistance and was told by the wife I will. see what I can do to help as the owner and her son do not work on weekends or after 5pm. Preceded a few more miles and the engine developed a miss and found it to be a bad injector that he told me he would test but did not. **** **** ** ** * *** *** **** ** ******** * ***** **** ********** ********* *** **** ** *** **** ** ** ** ***** ** ***** * ******** ** ***** ** **** ** *** *** ***** *** ***** ** ******** ******* . After getting truck home return fuel line was leaking and the only reason for taking to him was to prove the problem with the engine as was a theft recovery. ** *** *** ***** **** ********* * ******* ****** *** ****** *** *** **** ******** ****** *** ***** **** *** ****** ******** *** *** **** ******* Bill was only texted and never got an actual bill no pictures of any or proof of any parts damaged ** ** ** ***** ** ****** * ******** ******** *** ******** ** ****** ***** *** ******* ***** *** ** **** *** ******** ***** *** *************** ** *** ****** ** ***** *******Business Response
Date: 30/10/2024
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, we have been in business for over 40 years and take customer complaints very seriously, and will do whatever we can to bring about a satisfactory resolution, however I must point out that the complainant's testimony contains a considerable number of inaccuracies.
When Mr. ****** brought us the truck he informed us it had been stolen and then recovered, and shortly after he received the truck back the engine failed. He was convinced that the engine was damaged during the theft and wanted us to verify this ** ** ***** ***** ************ **** *** ********* ******** Upon removing and tearing down the engine we discovered the camshaft/lifter assembly had failed, contaminating the lubrication system with metal filings which caused even further damage. As this type of failure is fairly common on the 6.0L/6.4L Ford series of engines, (and the fact that the engine had a considerable amount of wear) we were unable to verify that the engine failure was caused solely by the treatment it received, our findings did not go over too well with our customer but we have to call it as we see it.
As for price, Mr. ****** was quoted $****** for a remanufactured engine assembly installed in his truck, (with core exchange) and not including fluids, filters, nor any required external bolt on accessories, and was invoiced for this exact amount, with the addition of the previously mentioned fluids, filters, misc. Since the engine was full of metal particle contamination from the camshaft failure we also had to replace the engine oil cooler, ($******) Mr. ****** also states he was told his engine block was beyond repair, which is incorrect, his engine block did need a sleeve machined in ($******) to repair wear that was too deep to clean up during a standard rebore procedure, but otherwise was reusable and was put back into service. He also needed a new turbo up pipe as the old one had rust damage. ($******) His total invoice came to $********* before GST, Mr. ****** was informed of all this during the time his truck was in our shop, and never voiced any complaints as to price at this point or when the truck was finished and ready to pick up, so I'm not sure why the complaint as to price is coming up now? Our shop labour rate is only $** and hour, ***** ****** *** ***** ****** ******** **** **** ** **** *** ****, for the last 40 years we have always had 25 to 30 trucks sitting outside our shop waiting for engines, and these trucks come from hundreds of miles around so evidently our work quality and pricing does not appear to be an issue.
Our shop hours are Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 5;30 pm, we are open 10 hours a day, which comes to 50 hours a week. (Mr. ****** appears to take issue with the fact that we are not open 6 days a week, for a total of 60 hours a week.) We all have families and lives beyond work, so we will NOT apologize for not having our business open on Saturdays. The fact that Mr.****** elected to pick up his truck on a Saturday when he knew our shop wasn't open and no one was around would explain why he didn't get to see the parts that were removed from his truck.
On the Saturday in question the shop was closed and I was several hundred kms away in Kelleher Sask looking at a tractor. Mr. ******** wife called our house and talked to my wife Arlene, saying they were on the road west of Binscarth and had a rubber intake boot slip off the metal intercooler pipe, it was a simple fix but they didn't have a screwdriver to put it back on and they required assistance.
** ** **** **** **** **** **** **** ** **** *** ******** ** ********** ** *** ******* **** **** *** ****** ** **** *** ********* ******
Arlene managed to get in contact with our son and business partner Darrell who was about 30 minutes away in a nearby town. Darrell headed home, gathered up some tools and drove out to the vehicle and reinstalled the blown off rubber boot.
Arlene informed me that Mrs. ****** was extremely rude and nasty on the phone, which in my opinion was quite inappropriate and unsettling.
When we bring trucks into the shop we plug our state of the art modern diagnostic equipment into the vehicle's OBD port and do a full system scan of the fuel and electrical systems before we remove the engine. Our system scan showed Mr. ******** fuel injectors were showing signs of wear and age, but were still within service limits. We always recommend replacing fuel injectors when the engine is replaced, but since they are quite expensive some customers will elect to reuse the old ones, which was the case in this instance.
Electronic fuel injectors are like a light bulb, they can be working just fine one minute but fail at any time once they are nearing the end of their service life. ** ********* *** *** **** *** *** ** *** *** **** ** ******** ** ***** **** ***** ****** *** *** ***** *** ****** ******* ** *** ******* **** ** *** ******** **** ******** **** *** *** ***** ********** ********* **** ***** ****** **** *** **** ***** *** *** ****** ********* ******* **** *** *** ********** *****
It is unfortunate that Mr. ****** had a fuel injector fail, but since he elected to reuse his old ones instead of replacing them with new ones (new injectors come with a 1 year warranty) this is beyond our control.
I hope this sheds some light on the situation, and if we can be of further service please let us know.
Thanks
Walter
Thickett Engine Rebuilding
******** ******** ************ **** ***************************
Business Response
Date: 31/10/2024
We kept Mr. ****** informed the whole time in regards to what we found wrong with the engine and as to pricing, and he gave us the go ahead to proceed. He also requested that we reuse his old fuel injectors, and now is trying to blame us for issues he is having with them. ****** **** ** ***** ****** ** ** ****** ** ** *** *** ****** **** *** ****** *** ******* ** *** ****** ** ******* **** ***** *** ******* ** **** ** ***** *** * **** ****** ******* **** ************* ********** ***********
We try to run an honest business and we tell it as we see it, ** **** *** ******* ** *** *** **** ** ***** *********** ** ***** ** **** *** ****** ******* *** ********* ******** *** *** ** ** ****** ** *** **** ** ** ** *** ***** *********
We feel it is unfair that our hard earned 40+ year good reputation should be damaged ******* ** *** ****** *** ****** ** *** *** ******* ***** *********** ** ******** ** *** ******** *** **** *******
Respectfully
Walter ********
Customer Answer
Date: 06/11/2024
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:The only thing I was informed of was the lifter failure
I was never informed about the block and or the $**** plus dollars more to cost for the motor
I asked if he could test the injectors and obviously never checked because the injector failed within 15 miles of his house
** **** *** ********* ***** ** ** *** *** **** ** ** *** ******
I asked him what would cause the lifter failure and he said that one of the main causes is excess engine rmp
I asked if he would state that in a letter and he said he would
* ** *** ******* ****** ** ******* *** ********* *******
I still waiting for an actual copy of the invoice
When got to get the truck and it died not far from the business
And called to the business
Was told we don't work after 5 or on weekends ** ****** ** ***
Said no when they answered the call finally we asked for. Help and his wife said no but maybe son can help
Son finally came to put the hose back on but was informed that the business does not work after 5 mon to Friday and not weekends
** ********* **** *** ** ******* ** ***** * ******** ******** ** *** ****** ** ** *****
The owner still owes an actual invoice
*** ** ** *** ***** ** ******* ** *** ******** ** *** **** ****** **** *** ** ****** * **** ** **** **** ******** ** **** ** *** ** ************
Sincerely,
Doug ******Business Response
Date: 07/11/2024
More Information...
In regards to the latest correspondence from Mr. ****** I will do my best to address his concerns in the order listed.
Mr. ****** was quoted $***** for a remanufactured engine assembly (with core exchange) plus $***** for installation, for a total of $******, plus fluids, filters, any required core repairs and miscellaneous external accessories.
After removing and tearing down the 6.0L diesel engine from the customers 2006 Ford F-350, we discovered lots of internal engine wear, plus a disintegrated lifter/chewed up camshaft assembly that put metal filings throughout the oil system. We informed Mr. ****** of our findings, telling him this was a common failure on the 6.0/6.4L engine series that we see all the time, and we could not confirm that the engine issues were the result of operation during the theft. High rpm operation of an engine assembly will cause piston to valve contact and result in engine damage, but there was no indication of that in this instance.
The metal contamination in the old engine required the replacement of the engine oil cooler ($******) otherwise the filings would contaminate the remanufactured engine assembly and quickly damage it. One cylinder was also worn beyond rebore limits requiring a sleeve to be machined in to save the block ($******) The total price of fluids, filters and the previously mentioned items came to $******** Mr. ****** was informed of all this during the period his truck was in the shop, and before he picked up the truck he paid the invoice by E-transfer, at no time did he expressed any concerns with with pricing, so why it appears to be an issue now doesn't make a lot of sense.
Mr. ****** does not seem to be able to grasp the concept that the fuel injectors are electronic, and can only be tested for how they are operating at the time of the test. We plug our computer equipment into the truck's OBD port and can bring up a graph of the injection pump pressures, fuel flow and solenoid cycling operation etc. This test will in no way predict how long an injector will last, or pinpoint the time and date of any possible future failure, any more than testing any other electrical device that is working properly, such as a light bulb, computer etc. will predict how long it will last.
Mr. ****** seems quit adamant that we did not test his injectors, we will offer an open invitation for him to bring his truck to us any time during business hours and we will gladly hook up our equipment to his truck and give him a test demonstration. And again I must point out that we recommended the fuel injectors should probably be replaced, the decision to reuse the old injectors was his alone, we cannot and will not accept responsibility for any issues caused by his decision.
Mr. ****** keeps bringing up the fact that he had an issue with a intercooler pipe blowing off on the road, and keeps saying he was told we don't work on weekends "** ** ***** **** **** ** ****** ** ***** **** ********* ** ********** ***** *** *********** as previously mentioned I was several hours away in Kelleher Saskatchewan at the time, and my son Darrell was 30km away from home in a nearby town. When my wife called him he headed home to his house in Binscarth, picked up some tools, met them on the road and reinstalled the hose within about 30 to 40 minutes. Despite the fact that Darrell responded to the call as quickly as possible, the ******s seem entirely ungrateful *** ********** ******* *** ********* **** *** ** ******* ** ***** * ******** ******** ** *** ****** ** *********
So my question, what more would they have had us do?
They appear to be quit adamant that the fact that they elected to pick up their truck on a weekend when they knew the shop was closed and no one was around is somehow our fault? And as I mentioned before, I will not apologize for not being open on weekends, we all have families and lives beyond work.
We texted a copy of the invoice to Mr. ****** previously, and left a copy of the warranty papers and invoice on the seat of the truck when we left the shop on Friday. If the invoice got misplaced it's really not a big deal, it could be printed off from the text, or we can mail, Email or Fax a copy, whatever he prefers? **** * **** ** ******* ******** * ****** ** *** ********* *** ******** ** **** ** **** ** *******
Sincerely
Walter ********
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