Complaint Review: Precision Tune Auto Care

The pre-purchase inspection portion and repairs went fine.  Everything after that has been a nightmare.

The repairs done on 30 May 2017: The manager and front desk clerk (who is not a mechanic) informed us that the smell was coming from the heater core leak and it should be repaired.  That would take care of it all.  The spark plugs and wires were recommended to be repaired because they said they could see arching and that you couldn't miss it.  I don't know how it was missed then during the pre-purchase inspection 4 days prior.  I didn't have to get it done, but they recommended that I also get my air conditioning evaporator core replaced because it may go out during the summer, but nothing was definite.  They told me that since it was right next to heater core, and the 7 hours of labor was already being paid for, it would save me "a lot" in the end if it did go out.  So I agreed to have them replace something that wasn't broken.

After getting the car back from this time, paying $2,189.36 so far in repairs, and being told everything was fixed, the skunk smell and fog from the vents was still there, the check engine light came back on, the car wouldn't start right away when turning the key, there was a weird noise when the car would first start driving coming from the dashboard area (sounded like gears stripping), when putting the car in reverse, it would shake and idle high and low, and the air conditioning wasn't blowing cold air.  They told me to bring it back in (45 minute drive for me) the next working day (2 days later) and they would take a look at it.

They diagnosed the check engine light as P0420 code (catalyst below threshold), but told me that the catalytic converter was not the problem.

 The guy up front (who I didn't know was not a mechanic at that time) told us that we should gas up the vehicle with Ethanol free gas and that should clear up the code.  The manager and the non-mechanic guy up front said that if the catalytic converter was the problem, the car would be sluggish, but that "the converter is not the problem."  The noise coming from the dashboard area was diagnosed (the 1st of 3 times) as a power steering problem and said that the drive-ability of the car was not affected. I informed the manager that the noise was not there to begin with and only came about after they did the work on the evaporator and heater core.  They didn't really say what they were going to do to fix it, but kept telling me that the drive-ability of the car is not affected. 

I got the car back from that a few days later and the A/C still wasn't fixed, the smell was still there, the car was dirty on the inside and not cleaned, the noise coming from the dashboard area was still there, and the check engine light that was cleared by them, came right back on.

After calling them again, I brought the vehicle back into their shop and they proceeded to keep it there until they said it was fixed.  My fiancee went back to pick up the car and when she opened the door, the door panel was broken.  She went inside and told them we had the car taken there to get fixed, not get broken.  They searched around to fix it and did the best they could (still not completely the way it was).  The smell was still there, the A/C still wasn't working properly, the noise was still there, the car took a while to turn on, when putting the car in reverse, it would idle high and low and shake...the same issues still there.  We were told by the shop manager that he would cover the repairs on the power steering area with store credit (not necessary since the issue came about after I got it back from them).

After leaving it there again for them to fix, they re-diagnosed the noise from around the dashboard as the speed sensors and anti-lock brake system, not the power steering.  I asked to have the District Manager contact me so I can talk to him about the issues we've been having and that since they have been having our vehicle for so long (with the same problems that we already paid for and still aren't fixed), we would like a rental or loaner vehicle from them.  The shop manager told me that he contacted the District Manager and that I should be getting a call soon.  That call never came until a few days later.  I called multiple times during that waiting period asking for him to call me and they said he was in meetings all day and would call me at the end of the day, which he didn't.  The next morning, he did, but I couldn't answer it at work and we played phone tag for a little.  I sent him text messages and it took 5 days to get a response back (this will be a common theme).  After that, I could not get in touch with the Shop Manager.  I was still able to talk to the non-mechanic on the phone who told me the car was ready to be picked up.

After going there again, the car was still...not...fixed.  The exact same issues were still there.  I was told that they were fixed and they had run their "tests", but clearly, there was not a test drive done on it.  So I was out a vehicle, with no loaner vehicle, for days and got the car back in the exact same condition.  I told them that I was thinking of talking to legal counsel and contacting the Better Business Bureau.  I had kept being told that the Shop Manager would call me, but never would until I eventually tracked him down through phone calls.  The same thing with the District Manager (who also told me that I could call him with any concerns).  I requested that since they could not take care of the problems themselves, that they pay to have the Chevrolet dealership take charge and solve the problems for them.  The District Manager, after getting back to me days later, told me that he had a certified GM master mechanic take a look and they re-diagnosed the noise as the power steering motor, and that as a "one-time favor" would repair it for me (even though, again, the issue was never there until they messed with it). 

The A/C went out again and it's back at their shop to get looked at, and now they tell me that the same engine code that has been showing the entire time (P0420) actually is the catalytic converter and needs to be changed.  Another misdiagnosis from professional mechanics. 

I already contacted the Better Business Bureau and am now in the process of spreading the word to not trust this shop. 

The District Manager gave us the option (after the vehicle was dropped off) to get a rental for two days worth $35/day and that he would pay for it.  This was after being told about all his personal issues he was handling (not my problem and we are all dealing with personal issues, not to mention, incredibly unprofessional when you work in the customer service industry). 

I requested from him to speak to the next person above him, but never got an answer.  He also told me to speak directly with the shop about my problems (even though he told me that I could contact him with any issues I was having). 

The issues, at least from what I've experienced, begin at the District Manager level and his leadership style, or lack thereof, just fall down as an example to his shops.  This makes the most sense after how we've been treated with our issues from this shop.

Bottom line:  Don't go to Precision Tune Auto Care, especially the one on 799 N Pine St, Spartanburg, SC 29303.