West Highlands Auto Repair, CO. West Highlands Auto Repair, CO promises to fix a car and leaves is undriveable but demands payment for service! Denver Colorado
I take my 1988 Chevy Blazer to West Highlands Auto Repair, CO. (44690 W. 29th Ave 303-433-9233) last Thursday, Oct. 9th because the gears are stiff.
They tell me that they need to replace the Master Cylinder and the Slave Cylinder. The cost is $375. I say do it. I didn't sign anything. I ask if the clutch needs repair and they tell me it does not. They keep the car overnight.
The next day they call and tell me I need a clutch: $798 in addition to the first cost. But they ask me to come in.
I go into the shop, they take me under the car that is elevated and show me all they did (I don't understand what they're showing me). They then lower the car and ask me to get in, start the engine and put it in gear. I cannot. They tell me the car will no longer go into gear because of a part they replaced that is too small. I ask them to put in one that will work.
I even call my father (who's an engineer) to have him speak with the head Mechanic, and I believe owner, Osvaldo. Osvaldo tells my father that it will be working. That they will change the part to the right one. They keep the car over the weekend.
On Monday afternoon, I go over to see if it is ready. The car is parked outside. They tell me it does not shift into gear. They want me to pay them for what they did and hire a tow truck to take the car away.
I try to reason with them and ask them how they can justify me paying them. I ask them to put the old parts back in the car and at least it will shift then (even if stiff) so I can drive it somewhere else. They say it will cost $220 for the labor to do that. There were words exchanged.
Andrew
Denver, Colorado
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Osvaldo
Denver,Colorado,
U.S.A.
Some people can't be reasoned with
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, October 17, 2008
Customer Came in complaining about how clutch pedal was hard and that the clutch has no hydraulic fluid and he had to top off the fluid.(1987 Chevy Blazer V6 2.8Lt)
We told him we would diagnose the problem and see what is going on. We found the the Clutch Master and Clutch Slave were leaking fluid and were the reason why there was no fluid. (NOTE:the vehicle would drive if you had it in gear and started it, this is how the customer bought the vehicle) When driving the clutch friction disc appeared ok.
Customer did call and approved the estimate $375.00 at 11:05 AM on 10/9/08 over the phone
So clutch hydraulics (clutch master & slave) were needed to remedy leak , Its an older vehicle and anything is possible but we were hoping we could replace hydraulics and he could drive it away. It wasn't the case.
We had installed Dorman parts, we thought maybe something wrong with parts, so
We purchase Daiken clutch parts,re-bled system, reinstalled and clutch pedal would stiffen up and push clutch slave push rod at least 2 inches which according to Mitchell auto repair program is plenty for pressure plate to release and to get into gear with engine running.
We explained situation to customer and his father and told them we would try and Third set of Clutch master and slave from LuK clutches, since we've never had a problem with LuK and wanted to fix vehicle. To no avail it still would not go into gear.
We determined there was something wrong with clutch pressure plate, clutch fork or fork pivot which are all inside bell housing which means transmission would have to come out. Customer became unreasonable, yelling and screaming obsenities insulting my dead mother and clearly not in his right mind. We went ahead and removed new hydraulics and re-installed customers old parts as per his request, charged him labor consider it diagnosis since vehicle still needs new hydraulics, clutch kit, clutch fork and or pivot pin.
Now we have three sets of clutch master and slave cylinders which we can't return, since there is nothing wrong with them, I also posted a help request to my fellow technicians on IATN to see if there was anything different I could have done and majority said I did everything as they would have. These are professional technicians from across the country and Canada.
....
This person has been posting signs and slandering my name with current good customers and future customers.........there are always two sides to every story, and this is my side....I believe in Karma and always stay on the correct side of it.
....We are a small family owned business been in the community for six years, doing honest work for honest pay.
Thanks for giving us a voice
Osvaldo 303-433-9233