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:11/01/2024

  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.

  Please see the attached Built Right 4x4 Timeline for complete detailed description. I have included as well the invoices and payment receipts.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/12/2024

  My name is ******* ******, and I own Built Right 4x4 & Fabrication. I and very connected with the four-wheel drive community in the ******************* area. My husband, ******* ****** and are life member of the California 4 Wheel Drive Asscociation and are active members of three 4- wheel drive clubs. In our personal time, we are consistently on the trail and organize recoveries when a vehicle is disabled or broken down in desolate and snow prone areas. We enjoy our hobby and at Built Right and we strive to provide the community with quality work at a reasonable price. ******* holds 5 ASE certifications and is an undercar specialist. Our business is known for significant rock crawler modifications and specializes, specifically in Jeeps. ******* is well versed in common mechanical failures with Mopar motors.
  I met ******* ********* 3-4 years ago during a Jeep event. We became friends on social media platforms. I saw on ******** post that Ms. ********* was stranded in ***************** ** on July 24th, 2024. I instantly sent her a message and inquired about what she needed help with. She said that her vehicle was having issues when she arrived earlier that day but now it would not start. She was understandably stressed as she was approximately 60 miles from her home. Ms. ********* shared that she had inquired with a couple of towing companies, and she was quoted $ ******* to get her home. Ms. ********* said she was financially unable to pay that amount. I called a close friend of ours, **** *****, and asked if he would be willing to take a truck and trailer up to her and tow her home. **** lives approximately 102 miles from where ******* was disabled. **** agreed and left his home at about 4:30 in the evening. This trip was over 200 miles for ****. The Jeep was delivered to my shop at approximately 8:45 PM. We returned to our shop to lock her Jeep in our bay. In our parking lot, a conversation about compensation for Tonys time and gas was held. He asked if she would cover his fuel expenses. Mr. ***** has not received any compensation.
  Knowing this vehicle was Ms. ********** daily driver, we made her vehicle a priority and completed a comprehensive diagnosis. On the first inspection the dash displayed the 4-wheel drive indicator, although it was in 2-wheel drive. Our Snap-on code reader displayed P0300-P0306- which indicates engine misfires. We also found a C0700-Cat Converter Failure, P0420- Oxygen Sensor failure and lastly a P0455 which indicates a leak in the Evap system. ******* performed a leak down test and found that both engine heads had severe damage. Both heads had blown head gaskets, all valve seats were leaking and both displayed blowby. On July 25th ******* took extensive videos of the damage and what needed to be repaired and sent them to Ms. ********* at the phone number she provided. It is our businesss best practice to replace all 6 coil packs and injectors when rebuilding a motor. This suggestion was provided, however, Ms. ********* said she could not afford all the work that needed to be done as she was on a budget and asked ******* to save her money anywhere he could. Ms. ********* did not return to our shop for any paperwork and was sent an itemized invoice for parts and labor. As ******* continued to inspect the damage, he found several items that needed to be replaced and were contributing to the Jeeps malfunctions. This vehicle has over ******* miles on it, many parts were brittle and broken and needed significant maintenance. This vehicle is equipped with 6 coil packs, all coil packs were functioning correctly except #2, which we replaced. ******* told Ms. ********* that the other 5 coil packs were old but were functioning. To help with her concern about saving money, the functioning coils were not replaced, at Ms. ********** discretion.
  Ms. ********* was emailed an updated invoice which QuickBooks showed she reviewed. ******* and I had bought all the parts from the dealer necessary to complete the work, without payment from MS. ********** Ms. ********* sent me a text message inquiring about making partial payments towards her invoice and if that would create extra fees for either her or I. She shared that she may need to pay increments on different cards. I encouraged her to do whatever she could, as I was completely out of pocket on her rebuild. I appreciate any effort a customer makes towards paying their balance.
  With engine rebuilds, its common to find additional repairs needed as we dissect the damage, perform test drives and begin to restore the motor. ******* contacted Ms. ******** on August 18th, 2024, to advise that we had discovered a rough idle and were immediately able to identify one of the sources. We found that one of the wiring injectors was broken. He informed her that we would cover the cost of the part and labor, as it was missed during our original inspection. Later that afternoon ******* made contact again, to discuss that her small wiring harness was corroded and broken, and that he had installed a new one. Prior to contacting Ms. ********* to come pick up her vehicle, it was idling under observation to determine if any check engine lights would display, checked her fluid balances, confirmed her tire pressure and test drove her vehicle more than average. Our goal is to ensure that we can get our customers back on the road in a prompt fashion. We are committed to consistent communication however, sometimes the timeline gets delayed. On August 30th, Ms. ********* came to our shop to pick up her vehicle. I understand she had issues when climbing the grade on Highway 50 to her home. Jeep Wranglers in the years ********* happen to have issues with the transmissions as well as the motors. Ms. ********* returned to our shop and left her vehicle for further inspection. Later that week, after extensive test driving, ******* confirmed that the rough idle was being contributed to by her transmission under a heavy load. He shared our experiences and empathized with her frustration. ******* then offered to show her how to manually shift her vehicle. Ms. ********* contacted us later that afternoon with a complaint about a Check Engine/U0414 code, as she was able to perform a test with a personal code reader. That code returns to an- Implausible Transfer Case Ratio High Received. Since this code was not related to the first concern and the vehicle was running well and not above normal temperature, ******* suggested she drive the vehicle and put milage on it as we were already aware she could not afford the diagnosis or labor to resolve this issue. This code reinforces Kenneths concern with her transmission. As time went on, Ms. ********* continued to have conversations with ******* of the vehicle having issues starting and displaying a check engine light. She came back to the shop, and we replaced corroded hoses for her heater core at no charge and her cooler along with coil #2, which were billed in her initial invoice. On many occasions we were trying to accommodate Ms. ********** schedule, allowing her to pick her vehicle up from our residence, since we were closed on the weekends and on one occasion, offered to drive it to her home. Prior to returning Ms. ********** vehicle to her, ******* experienced a few issues with his final test drive. He found that her complete engine wiring connections were broken and corroded. Considering the urgency to return her vehicle, we bought the wiring harness from the dealer and installed it. We let Ms. ********* know of the situation and said that we would send an updated invoice. The goal was to get her safely on the road. During that installation, the radiator suffered damage, this was not Ms. ********* fault, in turn we bought and installed a new radiator at no charge. To ensure that this vehicle was road worthy, we test drove it through a complete tank of gas. ******* assessed any codes that displayed. It is common for stored codes to reappear, as Ms. ********* contacted us once again for the same codes. She confirmed the vehicle was functioning well and running at factory temperature. Often, driving the vehicle will reset the monitors and clear stored codes on their own. We recommended her to continue to drive the vehicle.
   About a week later, Ms. ********* contacted ******* with concern about her vehicle not starting and explained that she felt her rear bumper sustained damage from our negligence. ******* and I reviewed camera footage from our entire shop and found no instance where Ms. ********** vehicle was in a situation that would cause such damage. In reference to the vehicle not starting, Ms. ********* provided a description that was indicative of a failure of her starter. We declined to replace the starter as our turnaround was not conducive to her schedule. Ms. ********* shared concern with ******* that we had failed to put her valve stem caps back on. ******* apologized and sent her several options from ****** to have shipped to her home. She wanted specific ones, we offered to buy whatever color or design she wanted, she declined. Ms. ********* continued to receive codes on her scanner relating to vehicle issues that we did not repair. All items that we replaced with a charge are shown in the invoices sent to Ms. ********** Ms. ********* and ******* made plans for her to return one final time to resolve any issues related to her original invoice.
  On 10/27/2024 I received correspondence from MS. ********* that she was not going to make it to our company event. She did not share any dissatisfaction or reference any concern with the value of our work.
  As a business owner, I am disappointed to read about Ms. ********** experience. I am a customer too and I know that vehicle repairs can be costly. I strived to provide Ms. ********* with consistent support outside of my normal business hours, bought parts and began repairs without a down payment, allowed her to make payments to me due to her financial hardship and networked with my friends to provide her with a safe and reliable way to get her Jeep home.
  Ms. ********* came to my business one final time on 10/30/2024. Her demeanor was very condescending, and her bodily language showed that she was not in a state of mind to have a professional conversation. Although, I tried to have a conversation with Ms. ********** she stood with her arms crossed and continued to speak to me in a manner that was not conducive to a resolution. Meanwhile, ******* replaced the remaining coil packs free of charge, he allowed the vehicle to run for ******************************************************************************************************************************* ********* declined and said she was ready to leave.
  Although I had a legal right to keep possession of her vehicle for lack of payment, I knew that doing so would hinder her professionally and financially including the balance she owed me. She said that she intended to pay the balance of her invoice, which is $3572.29 for her complete wiring harness and the labor to install it. I was willing to take the ******, provided her with the keys to the vehicle and returned to my office. Contrary to her words, this invoice stays outstanding. Ms. ********** vehicle is complete with brand new factory heads, head gaskets, coil packs, oil cooler, radiator, heater hoses, small wiring harness and complete engine wiring harness. I feel that my husband and my business have gone to great lengths to resolve Ms. ********** concerns. We are a family-owned business and have fully earned the labor from her earlier invoice along with the outstanding balance.
   
  Thank you.
   
  ******* ******