Complaint Review: ricks automotive

I was having an issue while driving on the freeway. Something felt loose in the wheel. I wanted to get it fixed before it got worse. It would only do it on the freeway at high speeds (45 and up).

I went to Rick's automotive because they were triple a approved. They said it was 135 dollar diagnostic fee. I said ok. I had a pretty good idea what parts were bad based on my own visual inspection and a previous estimate that I had gotten someplace else. 

Rick's replaced the upper and lower ball joints, the outer tie rod ends and then did an alignment. I still needed to do a sway bar bushing and shocks and made an appointment for the 1st of next month to do that because I am low income. 

I asked for a written estimate but did not closely examine it right away because I was going to sit and wait for the vehicle and talked at length about what was being done, what needs to get done fist and what can wait.

When it came time to pay I paid 1032.00 and was handed an invoice to which I asked for another written estimate for what we talked about doing next month which were shocks and the bushing. I didn't look at the invoice yet. I was going to go over it after I left. As I was walking out Rick says expect to feel a little play in the steering wheel until you get that steering gear box fixed. 

I was speechless. There was nothing wrong with the steering gearbox. That I am sure of. My old van always had issues with that so when a van has a bad box I would recognize the feeling instantly. I asked why am I just hearing about this now? He said the mechanic found a bad steering box. That caught me so off guard that almost believed him. That is until I actually drove away.

It could be felt the minute I left the driveway. I drove around the block and I had to fight to keep the van in my lane. It was scary. And it was unsafe. It did not drive like that before at all. I went right back. Louis was walking out as I pulled up to the curb and I said how is it even possible that its worse? He kept trying to make excuses all the while starting his sentences with I'm not trying to make excuses.

He went for a drive with me and said he felt it it but he didn't know what it felt like before and the mechanics were gone and come in the morning and we will take care of it. Then he tried to downplay it and say it was safe to drive. He said see im going 40 its fine. It was not fine. I drove slowly back to my friends a few blocks away. I told her what was going in and she said let's go for a ride to see if I can feel it.

I told her she couldn't feel it unless she drove. She didn't want to drive but we drove to the store. She said she couldn't feel it but she could see me trying to keep it straight and said I never used to struggle with the wheel like that. I went back in the morning and the top mechanic went for a rude with me. Louis was there but the owner Rick was not going to be there till around 9. They were polite and helpful. The mechanic that rode with me was not the one who did the work. 

We got back and he told Louis that the van was all over the road. It never should have been returned in this condition and that it was unsafe and I quote "I'm even afraid to drive it". They put it on the alignment rack and realigned it and were trying to make it right until Rick showed up. 

I was on the phone and he comes and yells Kandy. As soon as I walked up he began yelling at me telling me he saved my life and would not let me say anything. When I tried he kicked me and my van out. I tried to drive it and whatever they did before Rick got there seemed to help a little bit but it still is unsafe to drive. I pulled over and called triple a to get it towed. I am now without a vehicle and I can't do anything about it because Rick got all the money I had for this month. 

There is no way a steering gearbox can just instantly go bad when you fix other parts of the van. It is not even directly connected to any of what they worked on.