Munro Muffler Brake & Service mixed anti-freeze causes chemical reaction dissolving water pump gasket ripoff Jacksonville North Carolina
I have a 2005 GMC Sierra that I have brought into Monro for oil changes since I bought the vehicle. I have not brought this vehicle to anyone else for any other maintenance. On 22 Jan 2007 my wife brought the truck in for an oil change. that following weekend I noticed a puddle under the truck.
Upon investigation, I realized the antifreeze was leaking from the area of the water pump. Since the truck is still under warranty, I brought it into the dealer. They notified me that the antifreeze was mixed and it created a chemical reaction that dissolved the water pump gasket.
The exchange of the water pump was covered under warranty but not the flushing. I then notified Monro store manager and he finally admitted that they added some antifreeze that he called chameleon that is designed to mix with any antifreeze on the market. I told him that whatever he used caused the leak and I asked him for compensation to cover my cost for the flushing. He offered to perform the flushing at a discount price. How ironic, that I would pay him to fix a problem that his company caused.
I then called the Corprate office and explained the situation. The office called e back informing me that they talked to the store manager and the regional manager and they were not willing to compensate me for the flushing.
I informed the Corporate Office that I intended to report this to the Better Business Bureau, that I was going to go to ripoffreport.com and that I was going to spread this by word of mouth. This is not good business and all I am asking that they do the right thing by paying for a mistake that they made.
Sal
Hubert, North Carolina
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Edward
Vine Grove,Kentucky,
U.S.A.
Other possibilities
#3Consumer Comment
Thu, February 22, 2007
I am trying to find support for your argument here. There are many after market additives and replacements for antifreezes. Dex-cool is the GM one that has the yellow-orange color. The after market replacements are made to mix with any of them. I would think that if there were an issue in the mixing, that the issue would not be limited to only your vehicle. You could expect to have intake gaskets, thermostat gaskets, head gaskets, and hoses fail, because of the chemical reaction you said took place. Any where your coolant system travels there could be gasket and or sealant failure. You could also see if the service shop still continues using that brand. If it does not, then you could have a valid claim to follow up on.
I would consider it at very rare breakage for a water pump gasket to fail on a fairly new vehicle. It would be more likely to have the water pump seal to have gone bad. Even on older vehicles, it is rare to see gasket failure. Unless it was the water pump bearing seal that went bad, there would be no reason for the dealer or anyone else to replace the water pump. If it were just the water pump gasket that failed, the dealer would not replace a water pump that was not defective. If they wanted, they could claim that the warranty was void because of the wrong additive being added. As far as doing a flush on the cooling system, most auto parts stores sell a flush kit for around $4.00. Minimum work is required to install it. If Monro installed the incorrect antifreeze, then they would be responsible.
You may also want to contact the company that makes the antifreeze and see what they have to say about the mixing. True, a oil change center has a powered flush system that does it less messy. Hopefully, your copy of the bill will show that incorrect antifreeze was added... Good luck to you.
Sal
Hubert,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
Monro not Munro
#3Author of original report
Wed, February 07, 2007
I spelled the name of the company incorrectly.