Master Tech Auto Repair

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response I took my vehicle into Master Tech on 10/but only to be diagnosed and get and estimate for how much it would be to fixAri did contact me around pm on 10/to let me know about the starter and his recommendations on how to move forward and the cost to replace the starterI told him I would have to discuss that with my husband because of the price quoted and the fact that if the replaced starter did not fix the problem we would still have to pay for something that did not need to be replaced, no matter how old the part may have beenAri's response was that they were on a time crunch and at this point there no sense in not replacing it because of all the labor they had already put into itThat is why I took the vehicle to him in the first place, to pay him to find out what is wrong and to get a price to fix itBy the time my husband got out of work pm that same day and went over to Master Tech Ari had already replaced the starter without us giving him permission to do soMy husband and I picked up the vehicle on Friday at a final cost of $It sat parked until Tuesday morning when I took my kids to school and I noticed the noise again but worseWe did not have time to get the vehicle back to Master Tech until ThursdayAri contacted my husband that same day to let him know the new cost to repair the flex plate which was $+taxMy husband asked Ari about a refund or discounted price as was discussed before if the starter didn't fix the problem and Ari told him that wasn't possible but that he would give us $shop credit towards future work done at Master TechWe definitely could not afford this new price, especially after just spending nearly $a few days before on something that didn't need to be replaced, so my husband made it clear not to do any more work to it and we went to pick it upWe found the receipt for the rebuilt transmission and saw that it was still under warrantyWe took it into [redacted] Transmission that same day hoping that the flex plate would be covered under the warranty, it wasn'tWe were given an estimate and they worked with us on their price and were able to match the price from Master TechAgain, after spending nearly $at Master Tech we didn't have the money to pay for anymore repairs so we had to decline service there as wellI asked if it is a safety concern since that is the vehicle I mainly use and I usually have my kids with me in the vehicleHe said not at this time but the noise will get worse/louder before it will give out and can cause damage to the rebuilt transmission when it failsThe noise was already much worse that Tuesday when we first drove it again, and has since gotten louder and more frequentI still have to use it to take and pick up my kids from school, but that is only miles away from our house, I do not trust it to take it back and forth to work or into town in general to run errands (we live minutes south of town)My husband and I have never filed a complaint against any business ever, nor do we go out looking for businesses to swindle into getting free work from themWe pay for services rendered like we planned to do with Master Tech when I took our vehicle to be diagnosedHad he have come to us with a written estimate of what he needed to do, like first replace the starter for X amount, if that doesn't work we'll have to go back in for X amount more and so on and so on, we wouldn't be in this situationWe were told about it possibly being the flex plate, but were never given a price for that prior to Ari installing the starterWould we have gotten the work done right away that day? Probably not, but we would have paid him for his labor in diagnosing it, and when we were financially able we would have taken it back to Master Tech so he could fix itInstead Ari decided to install the part without being told to putting us in a financial and scheduling bind until we are able to get the vehicle repairedThat is the biggest problem I have with this whole situationI am not disputing that the noise wasn't there before we took it in, it wasthat was the whole reason I took it to be looked at in the first placeIt was drive-able however, and the noise was not nearly as bad as when we got it backThis has disrupted our lives significantlyI feel Master Tech should at least offer a full refund if he doesn't want to fix the flex plateWe did not give him permission to install the piece in the first place and should not be responsible for that cost.Best Regards, [redacted] [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the responseIf the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

To Whom It May Concern:I have attached repair orders for [redacted] 's Ford Expedition RO # ***, dated 10/7/2016, was the first time we saw Ms [redacted] 's vehicle It came in for a ticking noise We diagnosed the noise, using a stethoscope, as coming from the starter After replacing the starter, with a year or 24,mile warranty starter, we retested the following morning and the noise was no longer present RO #***, dated 10/13/2016, was the second time we saw Ms [redacted] 's vehicle Client stated the vehicle was again making a ticking noise We noted on RO # [redacted] that the noise had indeed come back We recommended removing the transmission and inspecting it for a damaged transmission flex plate Client declined further diagnostics and repair work needed to pinpoint the noise We suspect that the transmission flex plate is cracked and is causing the noise that client is hearing, but without removing the transmission to gain access to the flex plate we are unable to verify the diagnosis at this timeWe are sorry that client is unhappy with our serviceReplacing the starter was a necessary first step towards pinpointing this hard to diagnose and intermittent noise that the client originally brought the vehicle in for, on 10/3/ We are willing to refund client the labor that we charged her on RO #*** Refund of $+ tax = $ The starter that we replaced was the original starter on the vehicle, which had 214,miles on it and was a necessary component in diagnosing the vehicle, therefore we don't feel that we should refund the part.It is important that client understand that the noise was there prior to replacing the starterAnd replacing the starter did not cause the noise nor the flex plate to break The flex plate was likely broken when the transmission was replaced months ago by a different auto repair shop We believe the damages that client is seeking are excessive and client is looking for Master Tech to repair her original noise complaint issue for freePlease let us know Ms [redacted] 's response Thank you,Ari G***Master Tech Auto Repair, Inc