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:01/20/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  Bought a car and before I got home the check engine light came ontook it back and it had a busted thermostat.few days later the check engine light came back ***** was a code for a transmission issue this timethey set up an appointment to look at itwhen I got there they had no idea why I was there..told them about my appointment and they were like well the mechanic is out sick and not sure when h*** be backdidnt even offer to reschedule *** finally called and said Im comingall the mechanic did was reset the computer and cleared the code.which I found out had been cleared multiple times already.the Check engine light came back on hours afterwardsI called to let them know..they said they would call me back and didnt and are now ignoring my calls.its definitely a bad transmission and unsafe to driveits the only vehicle I have that runsits going downhill fast and I dont know what to do.they basically sold me a lemon These guys need to be stopped

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2025

  Customer bought car on 12/3/24, and was purchased AS-IS, with no warranty. Customer called on 12/4/24, had no heat. Made appt for car to get looked at on 12/5/24 by our mechanic. Found that the thermostat was stuck open and car was not heating. Replaced Thermostat, gasket and flushed cooling system. All was paid for by JDL Automotive, no charge to customer, even though car was purchased AS-IS with no warranty. Customer called on 12/9/24, check engine light was on, customer states transmission doesn't feel right. There were no fault codes stored in the *** and we never had a check engine light on in the 3+ months that we had the car for sale on the lot. Customer came on 12/11/24, we reset check engine light to see if it would come back on or if it was a false code. Customer called 12/17/24, check engine light back on, transmission seems to be hit and miss and getting worse, tech advised that he wanted to check the transmission fluid. There is a special procedure and a special dipstick that needs to be used. Our tech left on 12/18 for a snowmobile trip and was not due back until we re-opened after Christmas holiday on 12/26/24. Set appt to have customer come in and have fluid checked on 12/26/24. Customer came in on 12/26/24 and our tech was out sick. He came down with the flu on his snowmobile trip. Had to reschedule appt, as our tech is the only one here with the knowledge and the part to do the check. ****** tried to offer to reschedule, but he walked out in anger and she did not have a chance. We were closed for a long New years holiday and right after that went through a huge round of sickness with ALL of our employees. Customer was here on 1/17/25 and our tech checked his transmission fluid. Customer called on 1/18/25 and spoke with ****** saying that he is upset with the situation and threatening to get a lawyer, I do not work on Saturday's, so I called him back on 1/20/25 and left a message that we wanted to check for TSB's (technical service bulletin) on his car before we make a decision on what to do next. There were no ***'s on the customers car and the possible issue to fix the customer's car is outside of the scope of what our mechanic is capable of repairing. We closed on 1/21/25 due to weather, so I called the customer on 1/22/25 and told him that I spoke to another repair shop that we work with that has experience with this repair and that I set an appt up for him there on 1/28/25. I received the BBB complaint in the mail today. We are under no circumstance liable for repairing this car, as it was purchased AS-IS with NO WARRANTY. We are doing our best to rectify the situation and to work with the customer. The customer's desired settlement of "Finish the job", does not apply in this situation, as we are under no responsibility to fix his AS-IS purchased vehicle.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/17/2024

  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.

  My husband and I purchased a vehicle from JDL Automotive on 3/15/2024. We test drove it, the buyers guide listed no issues with the exception of there was no spare tire or ***** and decided to purchase the vehicle., along with a warranty that we were told would cover all major components and basically be worry free for two years. The vehicle passed emissions on 3/21/24, but within a day it was all downhill. The check engine light came on, and vehicle message came on as engine power reduced. I contacted ********* Chevrolet to see if they would be able to take a look at it, as they were close and a ***** dealer, and it was under warranty. Once they called the warranty company, they wanted ***** to take it apart and take pictures of everything. We were also not told initially that the warranty only covered up to $70 an hour for labor. We ended up paying just over $1400 in repairs and we had only driven it a week. The day after we got it back from ***** the first time, it was within a day that the same issues happened again. We were able to take it back to ***** and the vehicle was found to need a new engine. Again, the warranty company wanted them to take it all apart at our expense, which we did not have the money for so we chose to not go any further with repairs. I had been in email contact (to keep record of contact), with *****************************, who is the owner of JDL automotive with the status of repairs during this time as well. ***** was putting the blame on *****, stating they needed to stand behind their work, but there was visible work done prior to *************** even looking at it. So because there was no response from **********************, I wasnt able to get any info or if any work was completed before we purchased it. I told them that if they did anything to it, they needed to stand behind it as well. We want our down payment back, which was all we initially wanted, but now I want every ***** we spent. This car never should have been sold in the first place.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/03/2024

  I just received this complaint today, 6/3/2024. I have been trying to work with *********************** as much as possible. However, I was not initially contacted by **** *** until 4/4/24.

  The email she sent was the following "Good afternoon! *****, I just want to let you know, that the Malibu we just bought from you is at ***************. we took out the warranty, but the warranty company wants ***** to pull it apart and take pictures of the faulty parts and email them before they will cover anything.  what do we do. I had to authorize $800 worth of labor for that alone. So now if thats not the problem and they pulled it apart for nothing Im gonna be upset cuz then that cost is on us. If they decide its not worth fixing, then what?"

  We had little to no information to go on. We did not know what was wrong or broke or what was diagnosed, the only thing we were made aware of was the car was in the shop and the warranty did not want to pay for an inital tear down to verify a problem, which is common on most warranty's. The ***** dealership did not stay within the warranty guidelines and also failed to tell the customer about the hourly rate cap and tear down costs up front. We were told by **** *** initially that it was a failed timing chain. We were then told it was just a "module or something".  A week or so goes by, and apparently the check engine light came back on again and it went into limp mode. Instead of calling or taking it back to the place that did the initial repair (Sheboygan *****), she starts emailing me threatening to return the car and demanding that I be a "better man" and refund all of her money. I understand she is upset however, I am not the warranty company, I am not the ***** dealership ripping her off, I am not the one who "repaired" her car and it broke again days later. I instructed her to go back to the ***** dealer and have them stand behind their work as that is THEIR responsibility, not mine. The ***** dealership got paid from the warranty company AND the customer to fix the car, and they obviously did not fix it. So now, the ***** dealership says that the whole engine needs replaced as well as the catalytic convertor?? So, the repair, FROM THE ***** DEALER, went from a timing chain, to a module or something, to a catalytic converter, to a whole new engine. Who does the scam artist appear to be here? This vehicle was fully inspected and repaired. I included the buyers guide as well as the repair receipts. I had more paperwork backing up our repair procedure, but I was capped at 5 scans, per your site. We followed Wisconsin state law in EVERY aspect of this transaction and have a whole file folder of paperwork documenting everything we did. When the car was purchased and left our lot on 3/15/24, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the car. Not until a week later did the check engine light come on, which the warranty they purchased, covered the repair. I also included a copy of the purchase order signed by me and the customer that clearly states "AS-IS - NO WARRANTY, unless "Dealership" is checked under limited extended warranty, this vehicle is sold AS IS and the dealer assumes no responsibility for any repairs regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle" By Wisconsin law, I am not responsible for any of this situation, including repairs, warranty costs, etc. Wisconsin also does not have a used car lemon law. Lemon law only apply's to new car purchases, so buying the car back is not an option on the table for them, unfortunately. However, we value our reputation and we have always looked out for our customers and help anyway we can. As of 5/29/24, I have arraigned a service appt for them at a nearby repair shop to have a 2nd opinion on the car repair. I have worked with this repair shop for over ************************************************** If they say the car needs an engine, I will work together with the customer to try and solve the issue. As of today, 6/3/24, I have spent $470 on repair and tear down on their car. It appears that the car will not be completed until next week, so i will not have any updates until then.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/04/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [The reason you werent contacted until 4/4 was because ***** had it until then. The check engine light came on within a week after us purchasing this vehicle that supposedly had repairs done and there was supposedly nothing wrong with it when we drove it off the lot on 3/15/24. If that truly was the case, that light never should have came on correct? There is nothing wrong with it? ***** fixed what they initially found, the codes were reading all sorts of things. So if yall fixed it, then that was a crappy job also. I have no copies of repair records, and nothing is in with my paperwork that states it. The only thing in the window disclosure, was that there was no **** or spare tire. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************