Morin Brothers Automotive

Re: Complaint ID Dear Sirs, The owner of the Honda Civic VIN 2HG [redacted] (DEALER PLATES) came to us with a complaint of overheating and smoke coming out from under the hoodHe showed us an invoice from another shop that indicated that it was overheating and that they replaced the radiator cap Nothing else – no notes, no diagnosis, no recommendations We requested and received permission to perform a diagnosisOur primary concern was that the 1.7L engine in these Civics have a history of head gasket problemsOnce they overheat it is often only a matter of time, often days, before the head gasket “blows” into the combustion chamberWe performed a chemical test of the cooling system checking for the presence of combustion gasses in the coolant and found none at this time, as noted on the owner’s repair orderWe did find that the radiator was leaking coolant, and found sealant in the coolant, probably in an attempt to repair the leak on the dealer’s lotOur customer authorized replacing the radiator, hoses, and thermostatThis is the industry standard and recommended practice on a car with this many milesAfter the repairs we pressure checked the cooling system to verify it was free from leaks and test drove the car, as well as letting it idle long enough to allow the electric radiator fan to cycle Customer picked up the car after hours and found that after driving it a short distance that it had developed another leakWhen he returned to Morin Brothers we found that the water pump was now leakingWe also rechecked for combustion gassesWe provided him with an estimate to replace the water pump and further offered contact the seller on his behalf, as he clearly bought a “lemon”Customer declined our offerCustomer was clearly and understandably upset by the need for further repairs and felt that we were treating him unfairlyWe offered to provide him with the phone number of the Bureau of Automotive Repair so he could lodge a complaint and he declinedCustomer further declined to allow us to top off his cooling system, despite our warnings that further overheating would inevitably lead to head gasket and/or engine damage, regardless of the current lack of combustion gasses in the cooling system At Morin Brothers Automotive we take our customers’ satisfaction seriously and spend a lot of time and energy trying our very best to satisfy everyone that walks in our doorA satisfied customer is the best advertisement a business can possibly have With respect to the unhappy owner of the Civic, we feel that he is suffering “buyer’s remorse”, and that he realizes that he bought a lemon and is hoping that someone else will bail him outWe completely understand how much stress and anxiety a problem car like this one can causeHaving spent what is perhaps all the spare cash he might have and then finding out that the new car he bought is a lemon has to be extremely stressful, and we are concerned that radiator alone did not bring his car back into serviceable conditionHowever, we do not feel that we should buy him another car, which is essentially what he is asking us to do The person he should be directing his anger and frustration at is the seller of the car, not the auto repair shop that attempted to revive it I have faxed a copy of the search results we found on Identifix Direct Hit, an online data base we subscribe to, as well as copies of the invoices in questionThe search terms included the year, make and model of the Honda and the word “overheating”The results of the search are presented in order of the frequency of what caused it to overheat and what fixed itAs you can see, out of a total of confirmed fixes, no less than concerned the head gasket, with the radiator and water pump coming in 4th and 5th respectivelyWe repeated our concerns about the head gasket several times to our customer, and should he get the water pump repaired, it still may have issues with the head gasketWe are repeating this as a precaution, and would like to point out that he bought the car with the problems it had and has, and that they did not originate with us Thank You M [redacted] ***, former owner J [redacted] , Owner, Morin Brothers Automotive

Print out from identifix Direct Hit showing frequency and type of repairs related to the search term "overheating"Relevant operations are circledCopies of the invoices from MrG***' repairsM [redacted] ***

Re:
Complaint ID
"line-height: 115%">Dear Sirs,
The owner of
the Honda Civic VIN 2HG[redacted]79614
(DEALER PLATES) came to us with a complaint of overheating and smoke
coming out from under the hoodHe showed us an invoice from another shop that
indicated that it was overheating and that they replaced the radiator cap
Nothing else – no notes, no diagnosis, no recommendations
We requested
and received permission to perform a diagnosisOur primary concern was that the
1.7L engine in these Civics have a history of head gasket problemsOnce they overheat
it is often only a matter of time, often days, before the head gasket "blows"
into the combustion chamberWe performed a chemical test of the cooling system
checking for the presence of combustion gasses in the coolant and found none at
this time, as noted on the owner's repair orderWe did find that the radiator
was leaking coolant, and found sealant in the coolant, probably in an attempt
to repair the leak on the dealer's lotOur customer authorized replacing the
radiator, hoses, and thermostatThis is the industry standard and recommended
practice on a car with this many milesAfter the repairs we pressure checked
the cooling system to verify it was free from leaks and test drove the car, as
well as letting it idle long enough to allow the electric radiator fan to
cycle
Customer
picked up the car after hours and found that after driving it a short distance
that it had developed another leakWhen he returned to Morin Brothers we found that the
water pump was now leakingWe also rechecked for combustion gassesWe provided
him with an estimate to replace the water pump and further offered contact the
seller on his behalf, as he clearly bought a "lemon"Customer declined our
offerCustomer was clearly and understandably upset by the need for further
repairs and felt that we were treating him unfairlyWe offered to provide him
with the phone number of the Bureau of Automotive Repair so he could lodge a
complaint and he declinedCustomer further declined to allow us to top off his
cooling system, despite our warnings that further overheating would inevitably
lead to head gasket and/or engine damage, regardless of the current lack of
combustion gasses in the cooling system
At Morin
Brothers Automotive we take our customers' satisfaction seriously and spend a
lot of time and energy trying our very best to satisfy everyone that walks in
our doorA satisfied customer is the best advertisement a business can
possibly have
With respect
to the unhappy owner of the Civic, we feel that he is suffering "buyer's
remorse", and that he realizes that he bought a lemon and is hoping that
someone else will bail him outWe completely understand how much stress and
anxiety a problem car like this one can causeHaving spent what is perhaps all
the spare cash he might have and then finding out that the new car he bought is
a lemon has to be extremely stressful, and we are concerned that radiator alone
did not bring his car back into serviceable conditionHowever, we do not feel
that we should buy him another car, which is essentially what he is asking us
to do The person he should be directing
his anger and frustration at is the seller of the car, not the auto repair shop
that attempted to revive it
I have faxed
a copy of the search results we found on Identifix Direct Hit, an online data
base we subscribe to, as well as copies of the invoices in questionThe search terms included the year, make and model of the
Honda and the word "overheating"The results of the search are presented in
order of the frequency of what caused it to overheat and what fixed itAs you can
see, out of a total of confirmed fixes, no less than concerned the head gasket, with the radiator and water
pump coming in 4th and 5th respectivelyWe repeated our
concerns about the head gasket several times to our customer, and should he get
the water pump repaired, it still may have issues with the head gasketWe are
repeating this as a precaution, and would like to point out that he bought the
car with the problems it had and has, and that they did not originate with us
Thank You
M[redacted], former owner
J[redacted], Owner, Morin Brothers Automotive

Print out from identifix Direct Hit showing frequency and type of repairs related to the search term "overheating". Relevant operations are circled. Copies of the 2 invoices from Mr. G[redacted]' repairs.
M[redacted]

Review: My car was overheating and wasn't able to make it anywhere without smoking so I got my car towed to morin brothers in San Luis Obispo. When I got there I talked to a mechanic named jesse. I showed him the paperwork from another mechanic who veiwed my car earlier that day but told me to take it to a higher mechanic, I told Jesse exactly what was wrong with my car and asked if he was able to fix it. He agreed that he would fix the car, he had to do a diagnosis first to see what was wrong with it and to leave the car there so they can work on it, so I paid for the diagnosis. During our conversation he was aware that I was going on vacation soon and I needed the car for traveling, he was also aware that I was on a very tight schedule with work and I couldn't keep requesting days off. He told me all would be taken care of. They gave me and my girlfriend (she was with me at the time) a ride back to the complex where we live. I rode my bike for a couple of days back and fourth to work and just before I got off of work Friday, they contacted me and said my car was ready. I told them I couldn't make it before they closed because of work, so they left the keys under my seat. One of my friends took me to the car and I drove home. Before I got home my car began to overheat again and smoke was coming out. During one of my days off I went back in and they gave another diagnosis. I had to get a rental car which they helped me get (but later took me off the insurance and I had to pay $310 more) they called me back and told me the new cost. $680. I had already paid $703 plus the rental car fees on a job they assured would be fixed. I asked for the labor cost back and they denied giving me back my money. They also tried blaming the car company who sold me the car. I feel cheated. This guy will blame everyone else for his mistakes. My car is still broken, I am still riding my bike, I am still very stressed, my vacation was ruined, and I'm still searching for someone to fix the car.Desired Settlement: Cost of 1st Diagnosis: $48Cost of car parts and labor: $703Cost of rental car: $340.88Data from my phone to deal with this matter: $100Cost of gas/ vacation they ruined: $980Cost of fees they tried to charge me: $680Cost of stress: $1000Stress fees because I had to go on my time off of work for 4 days to deal with this matterTotal cost: $2,851.88Total cost with stress: $3,851.88I am looking for total cost. Stress cost would be appreciated

Business

Response:

Re:

Complaint ID 10687928

Dear Sirs,

The owner of

the 2002 Honda Civic VIN 2HG[redacted]79614

(DEALER PLATES) came to us with a complaint of overheating and smoke

coming out from under the hood. He showed us an invoice from another shop that

indicated that it was overheating and that they replaced the radiator cap.

Nothing else – no notes, no diagnosis, no recommendations.

We requested

and received permission to perform a diagnosis. Our primary concern was that the

1.7L engine in these Civics have a history of head gasket problems. Once they overheat

it is often only a matter of time, often days, before the head gasket “blows”

into the combustion chamber. We performed a chemical test of the cooling system

checking for the presence of combustion gasses in the coolant and found none at

this time, as noted on the owner’s repair order. We did find that the radiator

was leaking coolant, and found sealant in the coolant, probably in an attempt

to repair the leak on the dealer’s lot. Our customer authorized replacing the

radiator, hoses, and thermostat. This is the industry standard and recommended

practice on a car with this many miles. After the repairs we pressure checked

the cooling system to verify it was free from leaks and test drove the car, as

well as letting it idle long enough to allow the electric radiator fan to

cycle.

Customer

picked up the car after hours and found that after driving it a short distance

that it had developed another leak. When he returned to Morin Brothers we found that the

water pump was now leaking. We also rechecked for combustion gasses. We provided

him with an estimate to replace the water pump and further offered contact the

seller on his behalf, as he clearly bought a “lemon”. Customer declined our

offer. Customer was clearly and understandably upset by the need for further

repairs and felt that we were treating him unfairly. We offered to provide him

with the phone number of the Bureau of Automotive Repair so he could lodge a

complaint and he declined. Customer further declined to allow us to top off his

cooling system, despite our warnings that further overheating would inevitably

lead to head gasket and/or engine damage, regardless of the current lack of

combustion gasses in the cooling system.

At Morin

Brothers Automotive we take our customers’ satisfaction seriously and spend a

lot of time and energy trying our very best to satisfy everyone that walks in

our door. A satisfied customer is the best advertisement a business can

possibly have.

With respect

to the unhappy owner of the 2002 Civic, we feel that he is suffering “buyer’s

remorse”, and that he realizes that he bought a lemon and is hoping that

someone else will bail him out. We completely understand how much stress and

anxiety a problem car like this one can cause. Having spent what is perhaps all

the spare cash he might have and then finding out that the new car he bought is

a lemon has to be extremely stressful, and we are concerned that radiator alone

did not bring his car back into serviceable condition. However, we do not feel

that we should buy him another car, which is essentially what he is asking us

to do. The person he should be directing

his anger and frustration at is the seller of the car, not the auto repair shop

that attempted to revive it.

I have faxed

a copy of the search results we found on Identifix Direct Hit, an online data

base we subscribe to, as well as copies of the invoices in question. The search terms included the year, make and model of the

Honda and the word “overheating”. The results of the search are presented in

order of the frequency of what caused it to overheat and what fixed it. As you can

see, out of a total of 96 confirmed fixes, no less than 83 concerned the head gasket, with the radiator and water

pump coming in 4th and 5th respectively. We repeated our

concerns about the head gasket several times to our customer, and should he get

the water pump repaired, it still may have issues with the head gasket. We are

repeating this as a precaution, and would like to point out that he bought the

car with the problems it had and has, and that they did not originate with us.

Thank You

M[redacted], former owner

J[redacted], Owner, Morin Brothers Automotive

Consumer

Response:

Review: 10687928

I am rejecting this response because: There are claims within the report that are false. There was a report by the first mechanic stating what was fixed and notes for what needed to be fixed. I am no mechanic, but antifreeze was leaking out of my car 2 hours after I drove it off the lot and as soon as I opened the hood I can clearly see what area may have needed to be worked on. Smoke was coming out of my car next to the right side of the engine, the same area he claimed to have fixed. I am really beginning to question if they even gave it some time to run after the "repairs". I am very upset with this company because they keep trying to find someone else to blame. This five star company completely cheated me, did not want to do any interaction after I got my car back stating that all the repairs were on the receipt, after I came back with the same exact problem I had left them with (the overheating of my car) they tried to charge me more. I also had to rent a car, which through the help of them, I was able to rent one cheap for my travels. After my vacation, I had found morin brothers dropped me off of their insurance waiver via Hertz rental agency. Now they want to continue my suffering by continuing with these arguments instead of offering the fix. This is why I want the money back. Lastly, the only thing I was offered was free oil or antifreeze to go in my car which was something I already had. Oil and antifreeze aren't going to bring my car back. I do believe this current case is between me and morin brothers, not anyone else. All other situations will be dealt with later. I am a full time student who is currently on summer vacation. I work a part time job, will be enrolled in summer classes and is in the middle of a transfer lease to move places. My time is very limited to deal with this matter.

Regards,

G[redacted]

Business

Response:

Print out from identifix Direct Hit showing frequency and type of repairs related to the search term "overheating". Relevant operations are circled. Copies of the 2 invoices from Mr. G[redacted]' repairs.M[redacted]