Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/12/2022

  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.

  Last fall, the transmission on my blue **** Dodge **** pick-up was giving out. Pulling loads weakly, shifting poorly. In December, 2021, I took it to Red Line transmission in ***** to have them rebuild the transmission. The first bill was around $4500. After a few weeks of sitting, I used it to haul a load and it began slipping and jumping gears. I spent $260 (not counting what insurance covered) to get it towed back to the shop to get fixed. They did not fix and rebuild the valve body in the initial fix, so the rebuilt transmission burnt up in the one haul I did. This cost me another $1300. As I also had them install a thermostat for the transmission. I got it back and hauled a load of horses again and the transmission was still jumping gears but now it was also overheating at a stand-still in traffic on a 70 degree day. I took it back to them and this time they had not replaced the clutch bands in the transmission which, again, should have been addressed in the rebuild. They replaced those and this time charged me $300 for a completely different belt they claimed needed fixed. After this fix the pick up was still jumping gears and slipping. Three more trips to the shop (no more charges) they have been unable to resolve the issue. Two different times on these retrieval trips, I was told the truck would be done on a certain day and drove the 3 hours to get it, just for them to tell me that it is not done yet, even after I called before I headed in. This truck has been in their shop 6 different times now in the last 10 months. In shop costs alone I am out $6100. This is not including my towing cost as well as the fuel costs and days spent in retrieval of vehicle. Overall, I am out over $7,000 and I am left with the same transmission issues I had almost a year ago. They have tried to make it right, but after 6 attempts, I have lost faith in their ability to fix it. I need to take it elsewhere so I have a reliable pick-up again. I would like $7,000 to cover it.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2022

  Written Response for ******************************* Complaint
  
  ******* brought her **** Dodge Ram **** into ** to have it rebuilt in December of 2021. According to her the transmission had already been rebuilt by another shop (Intermountain Transmission & Exchange) in which they had the valve body replaced according to her. During our initial rebuild the customer stated that she wanted to keep that valve body against my recommendations. I forewarned her of potential problems in the event that that valve body was bad. She brought the vehicle back the following April, where we rebuilt the transmission again and had to replace the valve body because it was the cause of the transmission failing. During this visit, she requested a temperature gauge be put in as well. We rebuilt the transmission, replaced the valve body and put the temperature gauge in while only charging her for the valve body cost and temperature gauge parts & labor cost. She then brought her vehicle back in saying that it was getting hot. We diagnosed and found the problem to be the clutch fan which is responsible for pulling air in to cool off both the engine and the transmission. This component is completely separate from the transmission itself. During this visit, we found electrical faults in her electrical system that we repaired free of charge. That visit we only charged her parts and labor on replacing that clutch fan. She then brought it back again in September of 2022, and during this visit we completely went through the transmission again. Everything internal was good. We took the vehicle to ******************** to get a second opinion. During their diagnosis, they cleared all codes and test drove the vehicle. They stated that the only fault they found was that the throttle position cable from the engine to the ****** was broken but that the transmission itself was functioning properly. We went ahead and replaced that broken throttle positioning cable free of charge for the customer even though that component is completely separate from the transmission. When the vehicle was returned to the customer we told her that the codes might come back which would be indicative of a faulty computer. A bad computer can cause the transmission to act up after using the vehicle for a certain amount of time. This component again is completely separate from the transmission itself. 
  
  As previously stated, the vehicle is a **** Dodge Ram **** work truck with almost ******* miles on it. The engine has misses as well that *** possibly be what is causing it to feel like the transmission is acting up. But from our diagnosis as well as ********************s diagnosis, the transmission is functioning properly. We have gone above and beyond reasonable expectation to satisfy our customer.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/12/2022

   
  Complaint: 18205903
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  And my response.
  
  
  
  
  This is in response to the business' rebuttal. From the beginning, At no point did I ever ask him to reuse the old valve body. He expressed to me that he "didn't like the valve body, but didn't see anything wrong with it either" and it was under his recommendation that we try reusing it. At several times throughout our exchanges, I expressed to **** that this pick-up works hard and hauls loads whenever it is used and needs things to be done properly and I did not care what it took to get it right. Why else would he have covered the rebuild after the valve body malfunction, if he did not feel at fault?
  
  Second, after the second rebuild and the installation of the temperature gauge, when the transmission began over heating while sitting in traffic, I immediately called ****. He told me that the clutch bands in the transmission were the cause. When I questioned him about whether or not that should have been part of the rebuild, he claimed that the bands must have just been bad. And then proceeded to replace my fan belt and charge me there. At no point did my engine temperature ever rise above normal, only the transmission temperature. 
  
  Third, I would like to point out that he says a few times that he "only charged for parts and labor cost".  Which is exactly what would be charged in the first place, so that is to be negated, he did no favors.
  
  The trip to his electronic specialist was supposed to be done in order to clear any suspicions of the computer being faulty, and when he told me they were done with it, they cleared the computer and only found the throttle sensor cable issue. And then in his rebuttal, he is claiming again that the computer is faulty. 
  
  The statement where he brings up the mileage on this pick up is also a weak foundation, as these motors, when properly taken care of have been historically known to last WELL over ******* miles. **** is why this style of pick-up is still sought after, over twenty years later. I bought this pick up with maintenance records every ***** miles and since I have owned it, I maintain it every ***** miles as it gets used less, but harder now. The motor on this pick up is strong and true and has never once felt like it has "missed" to me. I am not a mechanic, but nor am I mechanically ignorant. I grew up helping my brother fix and build vehicles and always have his expertise in my back pocket. 
  
  At the end of Alexs statement, he claims that it is my motor that is malfunctioning. **** is news to me, he has never said anything of the sort to me. Why would he keep taking it in and trying to fix the transmission if he claims it was the engine that was the problem? The holes are clear in his statement.
  
  It was also extremely difficult to get a hold of **** throughout all of these exchanges. My calls went unanswered and several times I was forced to call from a different number in order to get someone to answer or have a friend or family member call for me, just to get someone to answer the phone. 
  
  
  Regardless of the he-said, she-said situation, I still paid in full (though in steps) for a fully rebuilt and functioning transmission, and that is not the product I have received. I am not trying to get more than what is owed here. He claims to be a transmission specialist and that's why I took this pick-up to him. I need it to be running right and I cannot afford to drop **************************************************************************************** to his bay. I paid him to do a job, and I expect the job done properly. I only ask that he make up for what he took from me. It is an injustice not to.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************