Complaint Review: American Engine Installations - Wichita Kansas

I took two vehicles to this business to have new engines installed, about 2 years ago. One was a '93 Olds Cutlass Calais, the other an '87 Mercury Grand Marquis station wagon. The Mercury, especially, was a problem. The price quoted me was $1700 for the job. When they got into the work, they called me and told me that there was some other work they recommended on parts that weren't actually part of the engine (water pumps, etc.) but that needed replacement. It would be less expensive to have them replaced at that time, as the engine was already off the car. I agreed and authorized the work.

When I picked up the car, it did not run properly. I drove it around the block and returned it to them. They fixed that problem and I picked it up again. However, the car ran terribly--jerked, cut out, engine revving and then nearly stopping, etc, at all speeds. I returned it to them, and they said they found some additional work that I would need to authorize before they could fix the problem. I was not happy, but did so. This pattern repeated itself several times without the car running any better.

At one point, the car was in their shop when they called and said that the transmission had gone out. I had the choice of authorizing and paying for transmission replacement or having the car towed away from their shop. Not knowing what else to do, I paid for the transmission. When I picked it up, it would not shift. They made some adjustments, and it sort of shifted, but not right. They said I needed to be patient. When it stalled in the middle of a busy street and I had to have it towed in again, they replaced the transmission again. The original problem, cutting out, jerking, etc., was still happening. Any time I told them that they needed to fix the problem, as it did not exist before they 'fixed' my car, I was told that I needed to authorize and pay for the work. When the new repairs did not fix the problem, I was told that it wasn't their fault, as they weren't primarily a diagnostic center.

The total cost was right at $4000, and the car never did run right. It died in Oklahoma shortly after that, where a local mechanic actually fixed the problem for about $120. AEI did offer to reimburse me for that amount. So far, nearly every repair that they performed on that vehicle has needed to be repaired again, and the transmission is currently out again.

The other car didn't have as many problems, but it did have several, and the same pattern applied. It is currently in another shop, having another of their 'repairs' redone and their parts replaced. None of the repairs subsequent to the engine replacement were done without more money, and they say that, since I authorized them (not wanting to tow the car away from the shop), I have no recourse.

I called their claims department (home office in Texas) and negotiated with them for some time, and ended with a $200 offer, which I declined. That department claimed that the receipt that I signed each time I picked the car up indicated that the work had been satisfactorily completed.

I have filed a report with the Better Business Bureau. I know I will probably never get any satisfaction out of them, but I hope I can help someone else avoid this company and this trouble.

Yolonda

Wichita, Kansas

U.S.A.