Complaint Review: AAMCO in Tuscaloosa - Tuscaloosa Alabama

On Wed. July 13, 2016 after dropping our son off at the University of Alabama our Ford Expedition would not move at a traffic light after pressing down on the gas and the check engine light came on. I was able to stop and start the engine and get it to an AAMCO. The manager's name was Rick and told me he could look at it in the morning. The next morning he told me that the problem was the transmission and that the cheapest and quickest thing to fix it would be putting in a used transmission. The cost was $2900 and it would be ready Wed. July 20.

We came to pick up the Expedition on Fri. July 22. Rick told me that it was running great but that it putted at a stop light. I told Rick that it should not have any issues since we got a new transmission and there were no problems with it before we had trouble at the light in Tuscaloosa. I asked for Rick to do a diagnostic to make sure everything was good before we left back for Nashville. A man named Angel did the diagnostic and showed me that it was reading misfires in all 8 cylinders. He told me it might need a tune up at worst it was a vacuum issue but that we were just fine to leave and drive home.

We made it to Birmingham and the Expedition lost power and the gas did not work just like before bringing it to AAMCO. I called Rick and he told me if we left it he could come get it some time. He was not specific, but if we could start it to try to make it to Nashville. We broke down 5 more times with the same issue until having to get it towed the final 50 miles. Rick would not let me talk to the owner. I called AAMCO corporate and the owner Steve Barley called me back. He told me it was a coincidence and that our car was fixed properly and we must have had something new go wrong 45 minutes after leaving their place. (Even though it was the same issue). Our certified mechanic in Nashville diagnosed and fixed the problem which was the fuel pump. He told me that they missed the problem and replaced a transmission that did not need to be replaced.

On Monday, July 25 I called to speak to Rick about the issue with our vehicle breaking down after they replaced our transmission. He told me that the diagnostic did not show anything directly wrong with the transmission. He told me that you look at two things when trying to find out what is wrong with a vehicle, the diagnostic and the mechanical side. He told me the mechanical side (test driving, taking apart the transmission) led him to believe that our transmission needed to be fixed and in our case replaced. I asked to talk with the business owner (Steve Barley) and Rick told me that he only comes in a couple of times a day.

I called back Tuesday morning to speak to Steve Barley and Rick told me that he was on vacation and would not be back until the next Monday. I called AAMCO corporate about my complaint and Steve Barley called me back that same afternoon and he did not realize himself that he was supposed to be on vacation. Steve Barley told me that he was a business owner and not a mechanic and that he trusted Rick's judgment and that it was just a coincidence that our car was fixed and 50 minutes later it broke down with the same problem in which I brought to them. He told me that our Expedition must have gotten a new problem with the engine after leaving AAMCO.