Complaint Review: Fred's Auto Service

I have a 1985 Chevy Truck that had problems when starting it. I carried it to Fred's Auto Service in Hiram, GA for an analysis. After keeping my truck for a week, they replaced the carburetor, muffler and tailpipe and this did not fix the initial problem. Also, at this time, they decided it needed a steering gear because it was wandering on the road.

I had it towed back to their shop because the new muffler had filled up with raw gas and exploded and it still wouldn't start. After another week they decided that the distributor needed replacing and replaced the muffler. This happened in October 2001 at a cost of $1500 and two weeks without an automobile.

I have driven my truck for over a month since then and it doesn't seem to run like it should. I am getting 10mpg, there is a short in the electrical system, and it is getting harder to start. I carried it to a friend who is an engineer and is a member of a pit crew for a dragracing team. When he opened the hood he immediately noticed that all the vacuum hoses were gone.

Fred had installed the new carburetor and removed all the emissions vacuum lines. This is why it isn't running like it should besides I'll not be able to get a tag when renewal comes around. My truck will not pass the emissions test like this. The engineer said that it is a $10,000 fine for them to remove these emission lines. I think I'm going to report them. The bottom line is all my truck really needed was a distributor for $350 and that was it. If you need auto work, stay away from Fred's especially if you are female.