Auto Maintenance
Carbon Equipment Repair, LLCThis business is NOT BBB Accredited.
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Complaints
Customer Complaints Summary
- 1 complaint in the last 3 years.
- 0 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
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Initial Complaint
Date:01/10/2024
Type:Service or Repair IssuesStatus: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.
Our truck was towed to Carbon Equipment Repair bc the transfer case etc. fell out while we were driving. We said we needed that fixed and wanted them to check the engine bc it was making a weird clicking noise. After some conversations, they rebuilt the transfer case etc. They called and I paid them $8500. Then they checked the engine and said they would need to take it apart to diagnose it. We ok'd that. They told us we needed a $25k new engine (or rebuilt, etc.). We asked them to put the engine back together. They said they could/would not. They piled all of the engine parts (4 crates full) into the *** of the truck, ruining an already not-that-great interior.I do not understand why they would take apart our engine and then refuse to put it back together? FURTHER, why would they fix UNDER the truck BEFORE checking the engine knowing both needed to be done? Their order of operations seem to say that they wanted to get as much money out of us as possible, as we were admittedly and clearly novice diesel truck owners. It seems to me that they bilked us out of $8500 AND forced us to lose all use of the truck. Why fix the parts that make the truck roll when the problem with the engine could have let us know what was in store?I did not give permission to destroy my truck engine, rather to DIAGNOSE it. I could still have driven it with the new $8500 transmission/transfer case and a clicking engine. WHY would they throw oily, greasy engine pieces into our cab? It seems to me they should have diagnosed the engine first? Absent that, how about only taking apart that which you can put back together?I am frustrated, feel 100% taken advantage of, and got nothing from the shop but condescension and derision.Business Response
Date: 02/07/2024
As you can read in the story that the complainant submitted, the transmission and transfer case had severe damage when we towed the vehicle to the shop, severe enough the engine could not be started, as the internals of the transmission and transfer case were scattered. The start of this unfortunate situation started while driving down the highway. The double cardan of the front driveline seized up and broke in half, severing from the transfer case. This allowed the two shafts to beat the bottom of the vehicle and everything in their reach. The damage sustained included the transmission, transfer case, fuel lines, fuel module, shift cable and linkage, and wiring harness. I had a conversation with the customer why this happened to them, and we discussed the options at this point. Reman transmission and transfer case prices were going to be well north of $10,000 in just parts. The decision to go with used parts was made by the customer. After we got the transmission and transfer case replaced as well as the other damaged parts, we ran the engine for the first time. The engine had a very noticeable and abnormal "knock". I then talked with the customer about the knocking noise, and she stated that she was aware of the noise. This information would have been most valuable if given at the beginning of the job as we had never seen or heard the vehicle run before this point. After several conversations with the customer about potential causes of the knock, she wanted us to diagnose what was causing the noise. It was narrowed it down to be an issue with the valve train, but the cab and the left cylinder head would have to be removed. Had another conversation with both of the customers face to face when they were in the shop and made it clear to them, at this point the repair, if possible, would be at least $10,000 depending on what we find. Both customers approved needed repairs stating, " we just want our pickup back". We then removed the cab and the left hand cylinder head to find a lifter had come apart and we removed pieces of it. (the lifter should be in one piece inside a bore which it moves up and down in) The engine had been run this way so long the bottom roller section of the lifter was mushroomed and could not come up out of the bore. This metal debris had traveled all throughout the engine lubrication system which is why an engine replacement is necessary at this point and engine reassembly is not possible because the lifter came out in pieces and part of it was stuck in the block. After talking with the customer about the engine replacement they did not want any further repairs and asked if we would just park vehicle outside as they were on vacation in Europe somewhere. We did as the customer requested and folded the rear seat up and laid plastic on the rear floorboard and put all the parts in boxes on the floor and pushed the vehicle outside. The customer came later and picked up the vehicle with a tow truck and paid the labor we had into diagnoses.
I understand the customers frustration with the vehicle, but they bought the vehicle from a friend, then when things went wrong and the friend would not take the vehicle back or help with repairs, they are now trying to "blame the mechanic" for their poor decisions in purchasing a piece of equipment in poor shape, without any inspection made prior to purchase. I maintained a very clear communication line with the customers at every step of the process, but that was not always reciprocated. At one point, I talked to the husband about the cylinder head removal, and he was going to talk to his wife. About 2 weeks later they stopped by, and she asked why her truck was not done yet. I then looked at her husband in the eye and said that I was waiting on approval from you guys to go further with the job. After some emotions were shared, they remembered they had not called to give approval after that conversation and then gave permission at this point. If I had known the engine had a knocking noise, and the transmission and transfer case were destroyed, I would have strongly suggested to the customer to not ********************** the vehicle. This information was not given to us until we called the customer after we ran the engine for the first time.
Customer Answer
Date: 02/14/2024
Complaint: 21117027
I am rejecting this response because we feel it does not accurately address our primary concern of our vehicle being reduce to an immobile wreck without our consent.We have the following comments in regard to the response from Carbon Equipment Repair:
The general outline of events as presented in Carbon Equipment Repairs response are generally correct though, as probably expected, there are some elements in that narrative that do not line up with our own experiences.
The response said,
After we got the transmission and transfer case replaced as well as the other damaged parts, we ran the engine for the first time. The engine had a very noticeable and abnormal "knock". I then talked with the customer about the knocking noise, and she stated that she was aware of the noise. This information would have been most valuable if given at the beginning of the job as we had never seen or heard the vehicle run before this point.
Actually, the engine knock was discussed when we first brought the truck into the shop, before the transfer case and related repairs were made. This had been an issue with my wife from the initial purchase of the vehicle and was restated as soon as the truck arrived at Carbon Equipment Repair.
As stated in the response, once the drive train had been repaired we wanted the knock in the engine looked at. The response from Carbon Equipment Repair stated,
Had another conversation with both of the customers face to face when they were in the shop and made it clear to them, at this point the repair, if possible, would be at least $10,000 depending on what we find. Both customers approved needed repairs stating, " we just want our pickup back".
This interaction is the heart of our complaint. We were asking for a diagnosis of the knocking sound so that we could decide if the cost of repairs was worth it or not. We were told (yes, face to face) that it would be around $10,000 for this to be done, which we agreed to. However, we were not informed that the vehicle would be left in ruins. At worst case, we expected to pay $10,000 to have the knock identified and then drive the vehicle from the lot at least now knowing what we were dealing with. What we did not expect was that this diagnosis would leave our engine tossed in pieces into the cab of our truck along with a refusal to put it back together. To say there was a failure of communication here is an astonishing understatement.
The Carbon Equipment Repair response, assumably written by the mechanic we dealt with, goes on to state: I understand the customers frustration with the vehicle, but they bought the vehicle from a friend, then when things went wrong and the friend would not take the vehicle back or help with repairs, they are now trying to "blame the mechanic" for their poor decisions in purchasing a piece of equipment in poor shape, without any inspection made prior to purchase.
This statement clearly reflects the unprofessional and defensive, chip-on-the-shoulder attitude that we received from the mechanic from the beginning of this encounter. During the purchase process, the vehicle WAS inspected as well as taken to a mechanic (************ Motors, ***********************) where the knock was verified. We were told it was not a major concern and that we could have it addressed following our needed trip to ********. That the author of this response went immediately to negative (and false) assumptions about our vehicle purchase as well as the quality (or not) of our personal decision-making is, unfortunately, indicative of our experience with him in person. Rather than blaming the mechanic, we approached the situation assuming the mechanics professionalism and ability to communicate. Frankly, it took us too long to question those things.The response finally goes on to state: I maintained a very clear communication line with the customers at every step of the process, but that was not always reciprocated. At one point, I talked to the husband about the cylinder head removal, and he was going to talk to his wife. About 2 weeks later they stopped by, and she asked why her truck was not done yet. I then looked at her husband in the eye and said that I was waiting on approval from you guys to go further with the job. After some emotions were shared, they remembered they had not called to give approval after that conversation and then gave permission at this point.
From the beginning of this encounter, the mechanic was defensive and angry. Having not heard anything lately on the vehicle and since we were driving through town on our way to ********, we decided to stop by the shop and get a status update. We did not arrive angry, nor were we casting any blame we were just curious. However, from the beginning of the encounter the mechanic was defensive and angry. It was clear that he expected us to be upset and he arrived already set to engage with that. (I was surprised that he said he looked her husband in the eye during this encounter because I remember being surprised that someone so upset could be so aggressive that it left my wife frustrated and in tears that she had to leave without seeming to look up from his feet.) We soon realized that we had, as stated, not given the final ok for the diagnostic of the engine knock and I gave that approval. I also and that from that point on all contact would go through me because I did not want my wife further exposed to the mechanics defensive volatility. As said above, the expectation was that the performance of this diagnostic, while expensive, would not leave the truck an immobile wreck.
Sincerely,
************************* and **********************
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