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:06/22/2024

  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.

  6/11/2024-6/14/2024 $3237 total paid including tax Diagnostic for transmission, check engine light Over charged for labor by $165 according to invoice # ***** Dated 6/11/2024. Attempted to sell a brake job in addition to services rendered. I declined the brake job as ***** stated the brakes were metal to metal. I knew this was not the case as I recently installed new tires in December 2023. When I picked up the car after the clutch replacement, there was a horrible sound coming from the brakes. The brakes were modified by the shop to sound like metal to metal brake squeal as if to convince me of the need to replace the brakes. Apparently ***** and the shop left the modification in place after I drove off the lot with a horrible noise coming from the brakes. ***** must have thought I would agree to the brake replacement at that point after driving off the lot. ***** called me later in the evening that very same day asking me to bring the car back to the shop as the mechanic thought he may have forgot to tighten bolts related to the steering column. I told ************ wouldn't be able to make it back to the shop until the following Monday. All weekend I drove the car locally, with horrible noise from the front brake area. I was able to get the car back to the shop on Tuesday instead of Monday. ***** had the mechanic check the bolts on the steering column as I waited in the lots with my back turned to the shop and mechanics on duty. Less than 10 minutes later ***** appeared from the shop area with my keys stating to me that everything checked out positive for the loose bolts. I drove off the lot with NO BRAKE NOISE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4 DAYS. ***** obviously modified my brakes and let me drive in total disregard for my safety and the safety of my family all for a brake replacement that I declined. The brakes were checked by ******************* later that same day were damage was discovered to my front left brake rotor. I called the shop on Friday 6/21/2024. ******************* up on me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/24/2024

  On 6/10/2024 ************** brought his 2015 **** Focus to our shop explaining that the transmission seems to be slipping at times. We were unable to duplicate any transmission shifting malfunction and no fault codes were stored for any malfunction picked up by the computer. We charged ************** $82.50 for diagnosis fee and explained that if the condition presents itself again or if the malfunction indicator lamp comes on to return with the vehicle for further diagnosis.

  ************** returned 6/11/2024 with the malfunction indicator lamp on, and further diagnosis revealed fault code P07A5-00 stored for transmission friction element "B" stuck on and mechanical diagnosis confirmed this to be the case and we then made the recommendation to ************** for the repairs needed to the transmission. The technician also noted that the front brake pads were paper thin and needed to be replaced, ************** declined this repair. We confirmed the cause for the malfunction of the transmission to be the dual input clutch was slipping. We replaced the Dual Input Clutch Assembly per ****************** authorization. When the technician test drove the vehicle to confirm the transmission was no longer malfunctioning the brakes started to make a grinding noise as the paper thin brake pads worn down to the metal backing plate.

  After ************** left with his vehicle the technician came to me and said he may have forgotten to torque the bolts that hold the power steering rack in place and if I could call ************** to come back by so the technician to re-check the steering rack mounting bolts. When ************** returned with the vehicle the technician found that he did in fact torque the steering rack bolts after all and no other work was performed at that time.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 21886195
  
  I am rejecting this response because: King's Transmission as represented by ***** did not address the unresolved facts of my complaint. This was a blatant act of sabotage to attempt to coerce me into paying for a brake replacement that was unwarranted, not requested and not necessary. The scam perpetuated by ***** on behalf of King's Transmission was reckless, dangerous and unethical. ***** totally side-stepped the complaint issued to the BBB. I have attached similar complaints from Yelp and The BBB's own website concerning King's Transmission and their deceptive business practices.These complaints all have a common theme of issues brought up by customers only to have no recourse or resolution to their complaints. Often consumers drive away only to have to return for additional work due to deceptive and unethical business practices. When the company is confronted, their strategy is to deny,deny,deny. How this company has earned an A+ rating through the BBB.org with so many unresolved complaints represents a very large disservice to the consumer public that puts their trust in the BBB to ferret out such deceptive business practices. ***** and company clearly sabotaged my brakes thinking I would turn back to the shop and authorized an unnecessary repair due to the sabotage. Right now the brakes make no noise and are still not in need of emergency brake replacement as verified by ******************* on Tuesday June 18th the same day ***** requested I bring my vehicle back to his shop under the ***** of needing to tighten steering column bolts. When I brought the scam to ******* attention via a phone call on Friday June 21st he tried to talk over me and of course denied any involvement. I asked to talk to the owner at that time. ***** promptly put me on hold and said the owner would be right with me. After waiting 10 minutes, ***** returned to the phone stating the owner had reviewed the paperwork and agreed with him and refused to talk to me directly according to *****. ***** then hung up on me telling me I needed to go do what I needed to do in reference to contacting the BBB. The fact remains I brought my car in with no brake issues and left with no brake issues outside of the period that ***** sabotaged my brakes. The shop still owes me for $165 + tax of labor that was charged incorrectly on invoice from page 1 to page 2 as the attached receipt clearly shows. I feel I am owed an immediate refund for the over-charged labor and the shop should offer a refund for the amount of the brake repair that was quoted to off-set the exorbitant repair bill that I was charged and the attempted fraud perpetuated by ***** on behalf of King's Transmission. I understand some businesses go through tough economic times and down-sizing however that burden should not be passed along to the consumer like this fraudulent attempt. I'm seeking $165 for over charged labor and an additional $165+274.98 for the brake replacement plus applicable tax to offset my time, effort and risk to my well-being due to the brake sabotage. I imagine this brake scam has been successful in the past without the consumer having any knowledge of the unethical and deceptive business practices however this time they were caught.In lieu of the refund I will not pursue any further complaints and would agree to a successful resolution of my unresolved  and well-founded complaint.
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/31/2024

  We have left messages with **** and have had ZERO response, there is nothing we can type to better explain the customer has no claim, we did nothing wrong and we will not participate any further when the customer is only interested in lying and character assassination and slander.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/05/2024

  I don't know how to help read the invoices but there was never a charge for brake inspection or repairs on any invoice that we have created for *************************, there is a line item list of recommendations however the invoice items charged for is all the way on the far right side of the invoices. On repair order # ***** ************** authorized one and one half hours to diagnose a malfunction that ************** described as "transmission seems to be slipping". We were unable to duplicate the condition described by ************** and there were no malfunction codes stored in the computer for any form of reference to what the vehicle did other than ****************** description. Repeated road tests revealed no malfunctions. We did not charge ************** one and one half hours if diagnosis time, we only charged one half of one hour. ************** brought his vehicle back with more descriptive information regarding the malfunction that he was experiencing and the malfunction indicator warning lamp was illuminated this time indicating that the malfunction had been recognized by the vehicle computer system, this is documented on repair order #*****. We allowed for one hour of diagnostic time to confirm the malfunction and the cause as well as a recommendation for the repair to correct the malfunction, getting back to the original time allowed for to diagnose the malfunction of one and one half of one hour. With ****************** authorization to replace the clutch the technician proceeded to start the process of the removal of the transmission in order to replace the clutch, this process includes the removal of the steering rack that is what moves the wheels left and right as the steering wheel is being turned as well as the front wheels. In the process of the removal of the front wheels the technician noticed that the front brake pads on the front of ****************** vehicle were worn almost past the brake pads wear surface and into the metal backing plate the wear surface is bonded to. ************** declined replacement of the front brake pads so the technician did not go any further in respect to the brake repairs and rather continued to perform the task of replacement of the clutch. After the technician finished the replacement of the clutch the technician took ****************** vehicle for a road test and within the first few times the brake pedal had to be applied the brakes started making a metal on metal noise as the paper thin front brake pad wear surface had wore through as we had suspected would happen which is why we made the recommendation to ************** to replace the front brake pads. After ************** came and took delivery of his vehicle the technician came to me and asked if I could call ************** and have him return with his vehicle because the technician did not recall if he completed tightening of the steering rack to specifications and did not want ************** to be at risk of steering malfunctions. No where in the process of diagnosis or repair did we do anything but what was necessary to perform the repairs that we were hired by ************** to perform. We did not over charge ************** for anything and we did not sabotage ****************** vehicle as he has claimed over and over again that we did. The billing is clearly backing up the entire chain of events as I have described them here. We are not going to refund ************** anything nor do we expect ************** to retract the slander and character assassination that he has undertaken throughout this entire complaint process. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/21/2024

  I do not agree with the company's denial of sabotage. I have proof of the damage caused by the device, probably a brake pad clip, wedged between the driver's side brake pad and the rotor. This was the cause of the horrific squeal coming from the driver's side brakes after picking up my vehicle after a clutch replacement on 6/15/24. The company's narrative makes no sense in their effort to cover-up the sabotage in order to get a brake replacement that wasn't needed. When I took my car in for diagnostic on 6/11/24 there was no brake noise or issues. When I picked my car up 4 days later there was a horrific squeal as I drove off their lot. Later that same afternoon *****, from the company, called me saying his mechanic "thought he forgot to tighten steering column bolts" and wanted me to drive back to the shop to double check that same day. He actually wanted to remove the device he placed on the brakes since I didn't take the bait of the forced brake repair. I couldn't go back to the shop until after the weekend on Monday. All weekend the brakes were making a horrible squeal. When I took the car back on Monday so the mechanic could check the "steering column bolts" the horrible squeal had disappeared after the mechanic and/or ***** took off the device they wedged between the pad and rotor. The pictures from my brake replacement later that month clearly shows the damage caused by the device placed on the rotor. The pad shows the new damage from the device and the rotor shows the damage from the device exclusive to the outside edge of the rotor. The repair took 5 days as ***** schemed a way to get more money after an already inflated clutch replacement. The estimate changed three times growing each time. This business simply denies the claim however they are well aware of the scheme. ***** saw me as an easy **** and tried to take advantage of me thinking I had no mechanical inclination. I have replace many brakes over the years and this shop should be held accountable for the sabotage and attempted fraud, certainly not a A+ BBB rated repair shop. Why would the shop touch the steering column bolts to replace a clutch? Why was I charged $50 for "Supply Charge" on invoice. This business owes me for my wasted time and effort from their shoddy workmanship. ******************* up on me after attempting to talk to the owner concerning this issue when it originally happened. That is not how reputable A+ rated businesses treat their customer's unless they had something to hide as in this case. I request the BBB look into this further and request arbitration from an independent mechanic from the BBB in order to settle this ongoing dispute. Of course the company will continue to deny the sabotage since they perpetuated the attempted scam. I hope no other unsuspecting customer has to deal with this company's unlawful business practices.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/07/2023

  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.

  On February 6th 2023 I went into Kings transmission to get a vehicle inspection after being referred by another mechanic. I took my car in because my lifters and rockers were making a ticking loud sound in my 2013 Dodge challenger. I needed an itemized list of repairs to present to my finance company regarding a settlement for my vehicle. I explained this to *** and advised him that nothing else was wrong with my vehicle. I left my keys in vehicle with them while I went to get some things from the local market while I waited for my vehicle to be inspected. I had an honest conversation with ***, advising that I am leery about mechanics and shady business practices. *** reassured me that he would be ethical and honest with my vehicle inspection. I paid $93.37 for the inspection. upon my arrival back to the mechanics to get my results, *** advised that I had a coolant and engine oil leak, and advised that I left a puddle of oil on the ground due to an oil leak in my engine. As consumers we are all aware of mechanics and shady business practices. When *** showed me the undercarriage of my car, I saw severe oil leakage and was advised that there was also a coolant link from the oil cooler. *** advised that I put coolant in my car and I did such under his supervision. Prior to the inspection, I had never experienced any coolant or overheating issues in my vehicle. Only misfires and the lifters knocking and misfiring when I accelerate. When I left the dealership, no more than 10 miles or 15 miles later, my vehicle started to immediately overheat. I drove my vehicle from ********** and have driven several miles in ******* ********** for Uber eats. My car never overheated before until I took it into King's automotive for an inspection. This is very concerning as a consumer, and it appears to be a blatant act of mechanical damage on behalf of King's automotive. I am falling a formal complaint because I hold this mechanic responsible for the that were caused by the mechanic.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/08/2023

  This is in response to complaint #******** and #********. ************* came in for a leak inspection only no repairs were performed. he had a massive oil and coolant leak coming from the engine oil cooler that is under the intake manifold. it was leaving puddles of oil and coolant on the parking lot,  which he commented on. the car was over a pit so I took him down to show him the leaks and he took pictures to send to his finance company as it also had a bad lifter noise from the engine. show`d him the coolant level was low and he took a bottle of coolant from his trunk and top`d off the reservoir. told me he has been having to add coolant and engine oil. The under side of the car is coated in oil and coolant and for how much is there this has been a long term issue. Nothing was removed or disconnected during the visual inspection. we did not cause the overheat issue. he declined the repairs needed to fix the coolant and oil leak at that time.