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:10/02/2024

  Type:Product 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.

  Substandard Exhaust Work, Lack of Response. I brought my 2004 ***** LS 430 to Muffler ****************************** location on August 2, 2024, for exhaust work. The agreed cost was approximately $350, but after a day of no work being performed, the cost was increased to $400, with an additional $50 for an O2 sensor replacement. I paid a total of $452.34.The service I received was far below acceptable standards for the following reasons:Misuse of Equipment: I instructed the technician to use a multitool for precise cuts to my bumper, but he used a reciprocating saw instead, which resulted in jagged and damaged bumper cuts.Lack of Qualified Personnel: The technician admitted he was the only welding technician on-site, and his poor welding skills caused significant issues.Incorrect Tubing and Welding: Incompatible tubing sizes were used, causing structural weaknesses and an exhaust system prone to failure. The tailpipes were uneven, and the pipes were welded on the car instead of on a bench, as is standard practice.Immediate Exhaust Failure: Within four hours of picking up my vehicle, the exhaust system broke, requiring me to stop at an AutoZone to temporarily secure it with metal ties.Excessive Noise and Drone: The improper installation caused a severe drone between ********* RPM, making the vehicle uncomfortable to drive.Due to these issues, I requested a refund of $402.34 (excluding the $50 for the O2 sensor replacement) in an email sent on September 23, 2024. The shop has not responded to my email, leading me to send a certified letter and deliver it in person via a law enforcement officer. The business continues to ignore all my attempts at communication, forcing me to escalate this matter.Desired Resolution: I request a refund of $402.34 for the exhaust work. If the business continues to ignore my communication, I have filled 2 additional complaints with the *******************************************************, the ************************. As of 2pm today.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2024

  To address this complaint point by point, it goes as follows.

  Mr ********** did bring his vehicle in for custom exhaust work to be performed. He claimed that he wanted his car to be loud, and to have chrome exhaust tips installed. He asked for us to cut his rear bumper to accommodate the exhaust tips he had purchased. Both myself and my technician initially declined to modify his bumper as we are not a body shop. In his words he said "just go ahead and cut it, i have a new bumper on the way anyway, so i don't care how it looks, because I'm having the new bumper installed."

  Regarding qualified personnel, this is a fabricated response, as all of the technicians are trained on the welding equipment. When working with a custom exhaust set up, there is no standard of where the work is performed. Welding is a skilled trade, some prefer to work on a bench, others prefer to work on the vehicle and go piece by piece without having to hope that what was done on the bench fits on the car when done. Welding is an art form, it is not one size fits all. 

  As far as the exhaust immediately failing, there can be numerous reasons for this. Mr ********** drives a vehicle with heavily modified suspension, which causes the vehicle to ride mere inches off of the road surface. Cars that are drastically lowered such as his are for more likely to "bottom out" on bumps and speed bumps, which can cause severe damage to the undercarriage of the vehicle. Again, it is suspect that the claim is that happened hours after, yet he has waited 2 months to complain. He asked for us to remove the factory resonator and mufflers off of the vehicle. By removing all of the factory sound dampening pieces of hardware from the vehicle, it will cause a drone while driving, this was performed at his request. 

  Mr ********** claims to have emailed the store on 9/23/2024 which is a false statement, the only email communication we received was on 10/1, and it was responded to within hours. The certified letter was not delivered via a law enforcement officer, it was hand delivered by Mr ********** himself. 

  I have communicated thoroughly with Mr **********, and informed him of our warranty policy for work performed in the shop, which is 12 months or ***** miles whichever comes first. I informed him that in order to initiate a warranty, he must bring the vehicle to the shop to be inspected, and handled accordingly. Mr ********** has refused to do so. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/19/2024

  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.

  Date was on 3/9/2024 time was 1:20pm, car came in with mph working and when I left the shop the mph was no longer working. They installed the wrong muffler tip that I did not want, passenger side front brake line is now leaking after a break job was done on the vehicle, I was charged $869.63 for a set of 16 new lug nuts and a replacement up stream o2 sensor which parts alone amounted to $189.63 and an outrageous labor cost of $680.00 was added for no apparent reason just for those messily 2 items that was already going to be done while doing the brake jobs and exhaust job I paid another $480.00 to get 4 new wheel hubs installed and only 2 were installed and I still got charged the full price. Id like a reevaluation and a price adjustment vehicle also broke down 5 minutes away from the shop due to alternator not charging battery due to a blown fuse that was never blown a battery replacement and fuse replacement was purchased to get the vehicle operating at normal function again

  Business Response

  Date: 03/19/2024

  I just talked with the Manager ****.  He has informed me that he is in contact with the customer to resolve.  Our work comes with a 12 month ****** mile warranty.  **** also informed me tha if we put the wrong muffler on we will correct that.  I am partially concerned as we installed customer supplied parts.  That normally is not our company policy.  If he has any questions on the bill **** will be happy to go over each item and what was charged for customer supplied parts. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/30/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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 8/15/2022 my 2007 ****** Altima which I bought new and now has only ****** original miles on it stopped running and I had it towed into Muffler Man in Cape Coral,Fl. for evaluation and repair. Muffler Man diagnosed the problem and replaced the A/C compressor, with a complete A/C compressor kit. Total bill was $1068 which I paid by credit card. When my wife and I came to pick it we had to decline to take the vehicle home that evening due to the drivers seat being severely soiled. The next day we were told that they were able to get the seat clean and come pick up the car. As I was paying ****, who claimed to be the owner, I asked if they had changed the Serpentine belt because the car was 15 years old, they had to remove the belt in order to perform the A/C compressor replacement, and the belt is not very expensive, costing about $30-40. **** said that they did not replace the belt because it did not need it, and if it did "his mechanic would have changed it". I stated to **** again that the car was 15 years old, I bought it new, and that I never had it changed. **** just dismissed my concerns and sent me on my way. 18 days and 51 miles since the Muffler Man repair, I was driving home with groceries in my car when the first indication I had was loosing the power steering. After struggling to complete the turn I saw my engine temp gauge rise. From my days as a certified diesel mechanic I suspected the belt failed. Fortunately, I was very close to ************** auto repair station. When I popped the hood in their driveway, the Serpentine belt end was visible to me and I reached in and removed the broken belt. *** at ************** let us put our cold groceries into air conditioning and ordered a new belt. I asked him to place the broken belt in my trunk, which he did. *** checked all of our pulleys along the belts pathway and all pulleys were free. It was very obvious that had Muffler Man inspected the belt, they would have changed it costing an additional $30-40.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2022

  I have contacted the customer and resolved his complaint.  I issued a refund check for his full repair ******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/10/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************