Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/07/2025

  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.

  When my 99 ***** es 300 went into this shop it started with no problem and ran fine we thought it only needed shocks and brakes. I told them to also do a full inspection with a fine tooth comb because it is a taxi I need to use for income and they require inspections to operate they found some things I said to fix everything wrong they kept coming up with new things totaling over ******* and with the total they gave they said my car would be like a brand new car again with 0 problems. When if was being said it was being worked on we seen it sitting behind the shop out of plain view other witnesses did too employed by the cab company *** a long time I kept calling they said it'd be done soon. Well they called us to pick it up today the secretary said they did something to melt my brand new battery i just put in and they put a new one and put my old one in the trunk she said. When we picked the car up the car wouldn't start (it started fine when we took it there) the ac isn't working getting cold (it worked when we took it there) there is a p0125 (that code wasn't there when we dropped it off the brakes on the car are not fixed and are a safety hazard on a taxi and any vehicle they either go hard, spongey, or to the floor and doesn't they were told about all of this before car was taken and their employee got an attitude said have a good day and walked off when the car wasn't even starting properly to be able to leave there is a burning wire smell coming from my taxi now like they fried my cars wiring system out my car is actually worse now than when it went in

  Business Response

  Date: 06/27/2025

  Interstate Auto and AC LLC
  ************
  *******************************
  ********************************************************************************************
  
  June 26, 2025
  
  
  To: Better Business Bureau
  Response to Complaint #******** 
  Submitted by: ****** and ****** *******
  
  When the Graysons made an appointment for their 1999 ***** ES 300, they requested an inspection and said the vehicle was making a clanking noise. They asked us to look at the rear suspension and shocks as well as check the fluids. They told us the vehicle had been sitting for a while and they were going to be selling it. It was our understanding the buyer would be paying for the repairs. When the car arrived it needed a jump to be pulled into the shop.

  On the first test drive the car did need rear shocks as well as sway bar end links. After approval we replaced the rear shocks and sway bar end links. While replacing these components we confirmed the battery tested bad, the left cv axle boot was torn, the serpentine belts were cracked, and there was an obvious oil leak coming from the oil pan area.

  At this point, the Graysons brought in a vehicle they were considering buying. We looked it over and gave them our opinion that it would probably not be a good idea to use it as a taxi.With the repairs already done to their *****, the ******** seemed to be changing their minds about selling the vehicle. They seemed cheerful about the car and with a group of us in the office, one of us may have said something like, I bet it will drive like a new car. No one told the ******** the ***** would be like a brand new car with 0 problems. That statement did not appear on any paperwork, be it estimate, invoice, or work order.

  The Graysons approved replacement of the left cv axle and serpentine belts plus oil leak repair. ****** wanted to get a battery on his own.
  We replaced the approved components but during repair of the oil pan we found a repair had been attempted on the upper oil pan with ** ****/ RTV and that was actually the cause of the main oil leak. We sourced a used oil pan and got approval for that repair as well. ****** did bring us a battery that fits some models of ***** ES 300.

  
  During the next test drive, we noted the brake pedal was not good and discovered the brake master cylinder had failed. This failure as well as the cracked belts and torn axle boot were probably due to the car sitting a while. The ******** approved replacement of the brake master cylinder and we installed a new one.

  When we did the final test drive,the battery bracket touched the positive battery diode which fused the battery to the bracket. This happened because the ground strap was not fully tightened and the battery, being the smaller size choice, moved within the bracket. We replaced their battery with the correct battery at no charge then put their battery in the trunk so they could return it on warranty. Afterwards the car started fine, we continued the test drive, and everything was working correctly.

  The car took several attempts to start during pick-up. ****** and his friend requested we give them a jump so we assigned one of our technicians to do so. The car still did not want to start on first attempt but did after several more tries. Our technician assumed the car needed a starter based on this interaction and mentioned it seemed like the starter was the problem. ****** and his friend got more and more annoyed and our technician could feel the tension so he returned to work to not escalate the situation. ****** and his friend drove away and did not return, indicting the brake pedal must have felt ok when he left.

  ****** left phone messages over the weekend saying the brake pedal was not working correctly and the car needed a starter. She also said we put a hole in an AC component. We did not check the air conditioning system and did not do any work in that area. We called ****** Monday morning per Hilarys request. He said they took the vehicle to another mechanic who bled the brakes and installed a starter. We told him we would cover the cost of the starter as it may have been affected by the battery incident. He came that day and retrieved a check for the amount they paid for the starter.

  The ******** paid for parts and labor they approved and we provided. We went above that and replaced their battery and paid for a starter. The burnt wire smell, caused by the battery incident, will dissipate. A refund is not warranted as the ******** have received the parts and labor they paid for.