Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/23/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  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.

  On 5/19 I took my Nissan D21 truck to Academy Automotive 805 to fix the suspension pulling to right side, replace 6 spark plugs and to clean the electrical connectors leading to the throttle body (later on I discovered the electrical connectors were not cleaned, charged $112).
  
  On 6/2, my truck was ready, and I paid $1604.34 in full.
  
  On 6/8, I heard 2 loud noises while driving. My truck veered to the left, crossed the center median, and the front left tire collapsed on the street. Fluid was spilling on the pavement from my truck. AAA towed my truck back to Academy Automotive. A***** ******* and G** ******* (owners) said they were busy and that it would take a couple of days to diagnose my truck. I waited 2 days, but they never called or returned my phone calls.
  
  On 6/15, I still hadn’t heard anything from them. I drove to Academy Automotive to get an update and was shocked to see the truck in the same place that the tow truck left it 7 days ago. *** said again they were very busy and asked me to come back on 6/20.
  
  On 6/20, my truck was in the same place that the tow truck left it 12 days ago. It was then that *** opened the hood to see the damages. He asked for help to search for a part and asked me to return in 2 days. I spent the whole day trying to source the part and realized he provided me with the wrong part number. A parts salesman suggested a repair kit that might fix the problem. I called *** and sent him the repair kit link with pictures. He never responded to my messages or returned my calls.
  
  On 6/22, I went back to Academy Automotive to speak with ***. I let him know he gave me the wrong part # and asked why he never returned my calls. He said he was busy.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/28/2023

  First, clarification about this vehicle. It is a 1985 Nissan D21 pick-up truck. When the customer originally brought this vehicle to us, he brought his own parts. These parts turned out to be incorrect. We found the correct parts. We replaced several parts, including some that were very difficult to find because of the vehicles age. Second, one part of the repair was sublet out to Big Brands. They performed a vehicle alignment and tighten down everything to specifications as best as possible.  We informed and showed the customer the area of concern. He was fully aware that the repair in question could fail. However, he did not want to replace the part because it would be a costly repair. He was told to be careful, not hit large bumps at speed. Customer paid and took his vehicle.  The vehicle was towed back almost a week later. We don't know what precipitated the problem.

  It is true that the vehicle is outside. however, it has been looked at. It cannot take up a bay in the shop until we have a way to proceed with the repair and/or if we are the responsible party since it was sublet out. Further, again we are finding it difficult to not only find parts, but also the tools needed to fix the customer's truck that is almost 40 years old. 

  We are currently way understaffed as is every repair shop in this area; it's just my mechanic and me. The customer is completely aware of this. We have only one mechanic and unfortunately, we had other repairs scheduled before his, and they are taking longer than expected.  We truly are doing the best that we can given the situation. We don't want unhappy customers and we always try to get repairs completed in a timely manner. And again, we need to work with Big Brands regarding the repair we sublet to them. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/29/2023

  
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I initially took my 1986 Nissan D21 Pickup Truck to Academy Automotive 805 because their website clearly states they are more than qualified to repair this type of vehicle. This excerpt comes directly from the home page of their website, “Not only do we offer a wide range of services, we also work on many makes and models from classics, to foreign and domestic, all the way to cool hot rods! Academy Automotive 805 has an expert to fit every situation you may find your vehicle in!”.
  
  It’s unclear why they are having difficulty finding the parts and tools required to fix my truck given what they’re advertising. Perhaps we should add “false advertisement” to this complaint. Apparently their services are limited and they don’t have an expert to fit every situation considering he only has one mechanic.
  
  If *** was not confident in his shop’s ability to repair my “almost 40 years old truck”, he should not have accepted the job in the first place. Instead, he took the job and, unbeknownst to me, had to outsource work to Big Brands. I was never made aware of this until now.
  
  *** is incorrect in saying I initially brought my own parts to repair my truck. The only parts I brought were 6 spark plugs, nothing else. The mechanic replaced them with the correct spark plugs and charged me $138. I provided no other parts.
  
  I was never told that one part of the repair was outsourced to Big Brands, much less that the repair in question could fail. If I was told the repair would fail, why would I pay for a service that wasn’t fully rendered? He also never told me to be careful and to not hit large bumps at speed. It’s ironic considering the street his shop is on is in extremely poor condition. The only repair I denied was replacing the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor to improve the engine idling because his quote was for $400; this was an outrageous quote. All other repair work that *** and his mechanic suggested was approved and completed. This included replacing all rubber boots and bushing spacers to improve suspension handling, and re-tapping 2 stripped threads and installing new bolts. He asked me to buy the 2 bolts and a tap since they were short staffed, but I refused considering I have no background in purchasing these parts. They ended up ordering the items themselves and charging me for the parts and service.
  
  The reason my truck broke down after Academy Automotive 805 repaired my truck is because it was repaired improperly. When my truck was towed back to their garage, A***** ******* (co-owner) asked *** his thoughts on why my truck broke down. His response was, “I thought it was going to work”. Professional mechanics don’t “think” a repair will work; that’s unethical and extremely unsafe. My refusal to replace the MAF is not the reason why my truck broke down and collapsed while driving.
  
  The fact that Academy Automotive 805 is understaffed is not a valid excuse to perform an unsafe repair and delay fixing their poor repair job. I went in good faith to Academy Automotive 805 to repair my truck and now I’ve been stuck without my truck for over 40 days.
  
  J***** ******
  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2023

  First, just to be clear, this is A*****. I have been responding to the complaint. Any statements I make that are 2nd hand, are a summation, not verbatim. Second, *** is not a mechanic but the Co-Owner. We manage the shop but we are not mechanics and do not do any mechanical repairs.  Please note that the vehicle came to us after the customer had taken it to another repair shop that also worked on the suspension and the customer was dissatisfied with their repair. I know first-hand that the customer was aware that the vehicle would be sublet for the alignment, since I told him, in person, that we did not perform alignments. He was also given the option of taking the vehicle himself to be aligned or to have us take it for alignment. He chose the latter. 

  We don't want to go back and forth like this. The he said, she said does not accomplish anything. I assume the point is to have the vehicle repaired which we have every intention of doing. All of our customers that have vintage vehicles understand that parts are difficult, to impossible, to get. It is very common practice in the auto repair industry for customers to look and acquire parts for their vintage car repairs. It does not reflect upon a shop's ability to repair a vehicle and it can save a customer money. We have gone through an exhaustive list of part suppliers looking for the correct part(s) to no avail yet. It is very possible that something may need to be fabricated. Fabricated parts may not carry a warranty. If this is the case, the customer will need to understand and agree to use said part(s) in writing.

  Thank you.

  A***** ******* *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2023

  
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  My case # 20226882 has not been solved as of yet. My Pick-Up truck still remains at Academy Automotive 805, LLC Garage.

  
  

  I am expecting a phone call by tomorrow Tuesday July 11, 2023 from Academy Automotive shop confirming my truck repair has been completed and ready to be picked up. However, as we heard that same promises in the past, I still want to have the BBB case open for any unexpected eventuality by the owners.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  J***** ******