Fitzgerald's Lakeforest Hyundai

July 27, 2014
To whom it may concern, .[redacted]’s vehicle was towed to us from an independent shop after they had no success in fixing her concern. We could not drive the vehicle prior to diagnosing the concern that the customer was having. We found internal damage to the...

transmission and front differential that required removal and disassembly of the transmission. The customer thought the damage may be a result from a previous accident, so she called and had her insurance company look at the vehicle for coverage and they denied the claim.[redacted] approved the repairs to the transmission and we proceeded. The transmission shifted smoothly and vehicle seemed to be fine. The customer came back after picking the vehicle up with another noise concern. We investigated and found the rear axle not seated properly into the rear differential of the car. We attempted to reinstall the rear axle but found damage inside the rear axle housing that need to be repaired. I offered the repair at a deep discount to [redacted] but she declined to have the repairs done and towed the vehicle away. We then went to her house and retrieved our loaner car. Since then she has disputed the credit card charge and we are awaiting their decision in this matter. We don’t feel responsible for additional damages that were undetected because we could not test drive the vehicle prior to repairs because the vehicle was towed to us from an outside independent shop. The vehicle is equipped with a tow hitch and has apparently been towing something beyond it weight capacity that has caused this damage to be done to the drive train.Brett D
Director Fitzgerald Auto Mall

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]  [redacted]

Review: My mechanic was unable to determine the problem with my car. He towed it to the Fitzgerald dealership to see if they could determine the problem. They said it was my transmission and that they could fix the problem for $2500. The repair cost more than the estimate at $3645.84. I paid the bill and picked up my car on March 19, 2014. As soon as I left the dealership, my car was having the same problem it had prior to bringing it into the dealership. I brought it right back and they looked at it again. This time they said it was the front and rear differential and that they needed another $2000 to complete the work. I told them that I did not want to spend more money for a problem that they didn't fix the first time. They refused to do the work without additional payment. They still have my car and I still have their loaner car which they want back. However, I have been in the hospital for the past several weeks and am currently unable to drive. The loaner car is sitting in my driveway and I am willing to return it. However, my car is still not driveable after the investment in repairs that I have provided to the dealership. Please advise ASAP.Desired Settlement: I want my car fixed and guaranteed to work without a similar problem for two years as promised. In fact, since what they repaired wasn't causing the problem, I want that money refunded. And I will pay for the new repair. If they are unwilling to do that, then I want my car returned, my credit card refunded and I will have the work done elsewhere.

Business

Response:

July 27, 2014To whom it may concern, .[redacted]’s vehicle was towed to us from an independent shop after they had no success in fixing her concern. We could not drive the vehicle prior to diagnosing the concern that the customer was having. We found internal damage to the transmission and front differential that required removal and disassembly of the transmission. The customer thought the damage may be a result from a previous accident, so she called and had her insurance company look at the vehicle for coverage and they denied the claim.[redacted] approved the repairs to the transmission and we proceeded. The transmission shifted smoothly and vehicle seemed to be fine. The customer came back after picking the vehicle up with another noise concern. We investigated and found the rear axle not seated properly into the rear differential of the car. We attempted to reinstall the rear axle but found damage inside the rear axle housing that need to be repaired. I offered the repair at a deep discount to [redacted] but she declined to have the repairs done and towed the vehicle away. We then went to her house and retrieved our loaner car. Since then she has disputed the credit card charge and we are awaiting their decision in this matter. We don’t feel responsible for additional damages that were undetected because we could not test drive the vehicle prior to repairs because the vehicle was towed to us from an outside independent shop. The vehicle is equipped with a tow hitch and has apparently been towing something beyond it weight capacity that has caused this damage to be done to the drive train.Brett DDirector Fitzgerald Auto Mall

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

This letter is in response to Fitzgerald’s

letter dated July 27, 2014 regarding complaint number [redacted]. In the

merchant’s letter, there were several inaccuracies that I would like to

address. As stated in the merchant’s letter in paragraph two, it says that “the

customer came back after picking up the vehicle with another noise concern.”

This simply is not true. As I stated in my previous letter, when I picked up my

car from the dealership after having it repaired, within 5 minutes of leaving

the dealer, my car had the exact same problem it was having before it came to

the dealership. Thus, all of their transmission repairs did NOT solve the

problem.

After trying to resolve the issue

with them over the phone, they claimed my car needed more work and it would

cost another $2,500 to fix it. I was not convinced that this was the problem

and that this would fix my car. Instead, I had my car towed to another mechanic

who diagnosed the problem as leaky seals. He was able to fix the problem for

less than $400 and now my car is drivable again. He did not agree with the

dealership’s assessment after a full examination of car. I can fax a letter and invoice from the mechanic who did the repair upon request.

In the third paragraph of the

merchant’s letter, they say they “could not test drive the vehicle prior to

repairs because it was towed from them to an independent shop.” This statement

also is not true. They had my car from the end of March to the beginning of

June. During this time, they had ample time to test drive my car, and during

this time when they looked at car again, they claimed that it required another

$2500 worth of repairs on top of the $3645.84 for which I had already paid.

Also in the third paragraph, the

merchant letter states that my car is equipped with a tow hitch. This is

correct. However, it is not correct when they state that my car has “apparently

been towing something beyond its weight capacity that caused this damage to be

done to the drive train.” I have not towed anything with my car. We use my

husband’s car for towing.

I would appreciate it if you

would continue to pursue this matter on my behalf.

Sincerely,