Accurate Transmission

Review: I was told by the owner of Accurate Transmission that he could replace my clutch and resolve the slipping that the old clutch was doing for a reasonable amount of money ($400). When I picked up the car, the bill was $532.25. Worse yet, the car shook in ways it did not before I took it to them. I took it back several times for them to get it right, and they could never resolve it, but replaced other parts they thought were causing the issue for two hundred-thirty more dollars. I spent $752.25 on that car and when the transmission is warm/hot it shakes terribly at take off (in first gear). For the longest time, I tried to live with it, but yesterday I called them to share my concern, and was told I would be called right back. The call never came. In fact, that isn't the first time they lied to me about calling me back. They never call me back.Desired Settlement: I would like to be refunded the entire amount of the supposed repairs.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to communication received from [redacted] of the Revdex.com. We received a letter on June 6 and then another letter on June 11. Apparently the complaint was filed in April however we just received this paperwork. We have read the attached statement from the customer, [redacted] and are quite shocked at his version of events. [redacted] has brought the vehicle back for additional repairs, unrelated to the initial work that he had completed. He has also had work completed on other vehicles and called recently to get estimates on additional repairs. At no point during those conversations did he discuss the supposed issues that he describes in his Revdex.com complaint, so you can imagine our confusion when we received this letter. Furthermore, if there were to be any problems with any of the repairs we completed, the parts are under warranty. The companies from which the parts were purchased would replace the parts and pay for the labor as well. So his request for a full refund for 2 separate, unrelated repairs, is unreasonable. [redacted] has not returned to our facility to complain about any issues not contacted us to discuss any issues. The complaint that he is describing can be a result of several causes, it is impossible to diagnose without inspecting the actual vehicle. [redacted] has not had that done either by our garage or apparently any other.Back in July of 2013, [redacted] contacted our garage by phone to obtain an estimate to replace the clutch in his [redacted]. We have done previous transmission workfor him on a [redacted]. [redacted] lives in [redacted], Md which is quite a distance from us, we are located in [redacted], WV. [redacted] called and requested a price to have the clutch replaced in his 2008 [redacted]. He informed us that the vehicle had a "bad clutch chatter" when shifting gears and needed replacing. Myself and the mechanic worked up the estimate quote and then I relayed it to [redacted]. I told [redacted] that it would cost $400 labor plus the cost of parts and the cost to have the flywheel turned at the machine shop which would be an additional $50. I estimated the cost of parts to be between $150 and $175. That estimate was obtained after pricing the parts from both [redacted] and [redacted]. The clutch kit had to be special ordered, it wasnt in stock. The price of the clutch kit was slightly different between the 2 parts stores and I told [redacted] that we would see which store got the kit in first and thats the one we would use. I allowed for a $25 range for that difference in price as well as the amount of Gear Lube used, which wouldnt be determined until the actual repair was completed. The cost of $50 to have the flywheel turned at the machine shop is a standard price that the machinist charges for that service. The labor amount is estimated by using a mechanics labor guide which is the standard times allowed for specific repairs. Often the actual cost of the labor is cheaper than the estimate, since our shop only charges for the actual time that it took to complete the repairs. Many repairshops charge the allowed labortime, no matter how long it took to complete the repairs, that is not our practice. In this case the actual labor cost was only $300, which was $100 less than the originalestimate. The cost of the clutch kit, which contained the clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing and pilot bearing, was $124.99, The vehicle required 3 Gear Lube at $9.99 each for a total of $29.97. The cost to turn the flywheel was $50 as expected. The total cost of the repair was $532.25 which was actually almost $100 cheaper than the original estimate. [redacted]s statement that the repair was quoted as $400 and then raised to $532.25 is completely inaccurate. I do not know if this is intentional falsehood or if perhaps [redacted]s' memory is unclear, after all, the event was 9 months ago. I however, remember it very clearly and I have a record of the estimate as well. Ali estimates that I prepare for customers are written in an estimate book so that I have a detailed record of the prices for when, and if, the customer chooses to complete the repairs.[redacted] dropped off the vehicle and the work was completed by one of our mechanics. The Clutch Pressure Plate, Throw Out Bearing and Pilot Bearing were replaced. Our mechanic test drove the [redacted] after the repairs and found no chattering in shifting or slipping of the clutch. The car operated normally with no noticeable issues. [redacted] was notified that the repairs were done and that the car was ready to be picked up. He arrived the next day and was pleased with the amount since it was less than quoted. We joked a little about that fact and spoke of the high prices that many mechanics charge. He was quite cordial and pleasant as has always been our experience when dealing with [redacted] on other occasions. [redacted] test drove the car with the mechanic and paid the bill when he returned. After a few minutes of small talk, [redacted] left our facility. At no point did [redacted] complain of any vibration or say that the problem had not been resolved. These events occurred on July 17, 2013. To our knowledge, there was nota problem at all.A couple months later, [redacted] contacted our shop to say that he was feeling a vibration in the car. Our mechanic said that he would have to actually drive the carto diagnose the problem, that it was impossible to do so over the phone. [redacted] assumed, in error as it was, that the vibration was related to the clutch replacement that he had done previously. When [redacted] brought the car down several days later, the mechanic rode in the car with him to see what the problem was. The vibration was in fact because a front axle needed replacing. The previous issue with the [redacted] was a chattering, slipping clutch and several months later, the issue was a vibration in the front of the car. The vibration occurred under a load at higher speeds, it was not at all similar to the symptoms that [redacted] is describing in his complaint. The problems were completely separate and unrelated. The mechanic explained this to [redacted] who said he completely understood and asked us to install a new axle. The axle, just like the clutch kit, had to be special ordered. Our shop ordered the axle and [redacted] brought the [redacted] back to have the part replaced. It was his choice to have our shop replace the axle, our mechanic informed him that his regular garage could complete the repair so that he didnt have to make the drive back down to our facility. [redacted] stated several times on more than one occasion that he liked and trusted our shop and our mechanics. We felt the same way about him, he was a very pleasant man and we told him that we appreciated his business and his loyalty. [redacted] returned to drop off the [redacted] and our mechanics replaced the faulty front axle. Qur mechanic test drove the vehicle, as always and the vibration was no longer present. When [redacted] came to pick up the [redacted], he again test drove the vehicle with the mechanic riding along. When they returned from the test drive, [redacted] paid the bill and left. At no point did he complain of a problem.Over the next few months we spoke to [redacted] on occasion to give him an estimate for repairs. Sometimes the estimates were for his own vehicle or someone in his family and sometimes the quotes were for friends or for people that he knew. We completed other minor repairs for him as well as customers that he referred to our shop. The 2 repairs that I discussed in detail were the only instances that we know of that are related to this complaint. [redacted] recently contacted our shop to obtain a quote from repairs on another vehicle. He spoke to an office assistant and requested to speak to a mechanic and the assistant took his number. When the mechanic called him back to get the details and see what he needed, there was no answer. A message was left stating that if he still needed an estimate to please call back. We did not hear anything further so our assumption was that perhaps the person had the repairs completed elsewhere. This is a very common occurrence. Someone will call for a quote and if they dont get an immediate price they continue to call around to other repair shops and often take their business to them. It is just the nature of this business. It has happened in the past with many customers, including [redacted] and we just assumed that was the case.We are very sorry that [redacted] is unhappy and that he is having an issue. However, the last time that we spoke with [redacted] regarding any problem with the [redacted], it was our understanding that it had been resolved. The replacement of the clutch resolved his complaint of chattering on shifting. The secondary repair of the axle was unrelated and resolved the vibration complaint. Its unfortunate that he is having an issue with the car but its even more upsetting that he is attempting to blame our facility for the problem. [redacted] states in his complaint to the Revdex.com dated April 2014 that when car is "warmshot" it “shakes terribly" at "take off (in first gear).” This symptom is something that he has never shared with us. We completed his clutch replacement 9 months prior to this complaint. During which time he has apparently been driving the vehicle and has not complained to us. He has spoken to us mumerous times over these months and this Revdex.com complaint really surprises us. The complaint doesnt make sense to us and we really wish that if he was having such a serious issue that he would have brought the car back so that we could have checked it out to see what was going on. If there is actually an issue with any of the parts that we installed, the parts are under warranty. If they are defective then the parts store will warranty the part as well as paying the labor to replace the part. [redacted] requesting a full refund is unreasonable. The work was successfully completed on the car and [redacted] has not returned to our shop with a legitimate problem to warrant such arefund. If there is indeed a problem then we would be happy to address it. I see no reference to any diagnosis or proof that the vibration he is complaining about has anything to do with work that was completed by our mechanics at our facility. I find it quite offensive that he is attempting to blame a problem with his vehicle on the work that he had completed at our garage. I see no attempt by [redacted] to have any other garage or mechanic diagnose the supposed issues with the [redacted]. I see no reason to believe that his issues with the vehicle are in any way related to the work our garage completed. Again, if they were as a result of the work we completed, then [redacted] could have returned to our shop and utilized the warranty on the parts. If he chose not to return to our garage, the parts are under nationwide warranty with Advance and Auto Zone. They will replace any defective parts and pay any licensed mechanic to install them. There would be no reason to not have the car diagnosed or repaired by any reputable mechanic, unless of course the problem isnt as described. I find the entire situation suspect and quite strange.Although I understand that [redacted] may be frustrated at the trouble he is supposedly having with his vehicle, I am offended and upset that he is attempting to blame our repairs. The symptoms are entirely different than any repair we have completed, by his own description. Filing a complaint 9 months after the initial Tepair is unreasonable and not bringing the vehicle back to our shop or not taking it to any other shop to have it diagnosed seems quite strange. Why not take it to any other garage to have the supposed vibration diagnosed? Why not make sure that the issue is a problem with the parts our mechanics installed before accusing us and demanding a full refund? [redacted]test drove the vehicle every time before he paid each bill. He had no issues and even brought this vehicle as well as others back for repairs. Why not mention this supposed "terrible" problem? Why not have it diagnosed? Why not have the repairs completed under warranty? Why simply contact the Revdex.com for a refund? [redacted] paid with credit card, if this were a legitimate complaint [redacted] could have dome a chargeback or filed a claim with his credit card company? I believe the answer to that is that this complaint is ludicrous and doesnt meet any sort of standard for a legitimate claim,Regards,Gwen G. Owner/Operator Accurate Transmissions

Consumer

Response:

I am not surprised that Gwen is "shocked" by my recollection of how this clutch repair transpired. I learned of Accurate Transmission by calling a repair center in the [redacted] area; they suggested Accurate. So, I took a chance.I returned the car for other repairs that were, in fact, related to the initial clutch repair; Keith told me that the rattling that started after the clutch repair was due to some axle of some kind; I asked them to repair the axle. The tipping point for me to file this complaint was that when I called to ask why it was still acting up (and I was told the repair had a 12,000 mile warranty) Keith told me he'd cal me back. But, alas, he never did. In fact, during the whole fiasco whenever he said he would get back with me, he did not.