Complaint Review: Brian Hoskins Ford - Coatesville Pennsylvania

First and foremost to "Stop and think" I would like to say that this economy have no room for cheats and liars. I don't care what year, make or model a car is the point is most Americans are holding on to there cars longer and if that means someone taking there older vehicle in for inspections or repairs "so be it". Maybe auto mechanics need to get real also, in knowing there will be more true and extensive repairs on later model vehicles, and show there true talent and not look for an easy ride on newer vehicles that does not really require extensive work. Instead of being a liar earn your pay honestly! P.S Mike I am in the market for a new car and that is what led me to this report. I will not consider this dealer for my purchase. I'm just say'in

I am an subcontractor for Brian Hoskins Ford. I am in there on a fairly regular basis. I know the techs there. I know the management there. I know the service writers there. NONE of what you say sounds even close to being believable. You mention repeatedly that you do your own work. Then why are you not an ASE Technician? These techs are held to a high standard by the dealership, by Ford Motor Company, by the state, and by ASE. To defraud a customer can do more than cost them their job. They can lose their State Inspection License (each tech must maintain and PAY for their own license) AND can receive considerable fines for fraud. Not only would they be risking their jobs, but their financial well-being as well as their future. Maybe the work you did (you took the tranny out and worked on it? Axles? Clutches?) was the cause of low clutch fluid. It also does not matter what the dealer charges for the inspection, even if they offered to GIVE it to you free, the tech gets paid PER JOB. If he/she does the job, they are paid a specific number of hours, measured in tenths, for that job. It doesn't matter if a job that pays 2.3 hours takes them 1.5 hours or 6.3 hours to do....they STILL get paid 2.3 hours. There is no reason for them to turn work away UNLESS they truly feel they or the dealer may in some way be unsafe, or compromised in anyway. To the rest of the public. . . Rest assured that Brian Hoskins is a safe, equitable, and fair dealer (more than fair, in my opinion) with which to do business. And always remember, treat others the way you wish to be treated. Yelling and throwing a fit, and asserting that YOU know better because YOU did ALL the work on YOUR vehicle does not help anything. We are all still human, and NO ONE appreciates being treated badly.

Ali, My complaint was definitely not a misunderstanding. I went there to get a vehicle state inspection and was treated like a piece of trash. The week prior to the inspection I spent maybe $900 on parts for my truck and did all the work myself. I removed the transmission, replaced clutch plate, pressure plate, pilot and throwout bearings, installed new drive shafts, six shocks, all brakes, painted most rust underneath on the frame, etc. Your so called honest mechanic knew that I did all this work myself and did not want to bother wasting his time. Any B.S. reason for failing the inspection would not gain him anything because he knew I would do the work myself. Furthermore, when I left the vehicle the night before I left a note that this vehicle did not require an emissions test (just the sticker) because it was driven less than 5,000 miles. For the $25 safety inspection plus $20 for the emissions sticker he would essentially be working for free. We all know (should know) that mechanics do not make much if anything on straight salary. They make their income on commission. I received a call the next morning that my truck could not be inspected because the clutch did not work. Ha. If it could not be driven then why was it parked in a different location from where I left it. Besides bleeding some fluid from the clutch slave cylinder somebody also putzed with the idle speed adjustment and turned it to full RPM. So then I could not remove my truck from their lot without calling for a tow truck. When I complained the service rep totally supported what the mechanic said, that nobody touched my truck because it could not be driven. Total B.S. With all that you have the audacity to claim that those mechanics are honest. Get real and stop trying to convince the public otherwise. I do not in the least feel sorry for any of them. In the end cheaters ultimately pay the price. If they are hurting, good, time to pay the piper.

Mike, It is very understandable that you are upset. I am a wife of one of the Technicians at Brian Hoskins Ford, and know all of the Technicians very well. First of all my husband is one of the most honest men you could ever meet and he has been working there for 12 years. He would not work anywhere he believed was ripping anyone off. I also know the other Techs. would never do anything shady to any of their customers and they very much value their loyal customers. It is very aparent that there was a big miscomunication between you and the staff. You are angry and I can appreciate that. I wanted to let you know that it is not the big guns your are hurting very badly, but it is the blue coller workers with families that are getting hit the hardest with your complaint. I would like you to think long and hard about wether this was truely a miscommunication. You also know how old your car is and you failed to mention that in this report, I am not saying that it changes your anger, just be honest with youself. I would like you to consider the fact that my family as well as others that are being affected by your report are struggling becuase of your report. I would greatly appreciate your consideration and removing this report for those of us who do not deserve this. Maybe you could speak with the staff and solve this problem in a more focused manor instead of making such bold statements about people you do not know. Thank you. Ali

In response to Nate, I am so glad that you and other mechanics are so considerate in keeping me and others on the highway so safe. How could we sleep without you. I feel so safe now. I guess the amount of safety we acrue is directly proportional to level of your service bill? Secondly, I never claimed a conspiracy and never gave repair advice. Read what I wrote not what others responded. I gave advice to stay away from people like you plain and simple.

I have to call Mike out on a state ment he made: "I have no recourse. I cannot go to a state inspector and ask him for his opinion. I must either let the mechanic do what he wants or take my vehilcle and go somewhere else." Actually Mike, you have alot of recourse. The state safety inspections are regulated by the local Highway Patrol. You can ALWAYS ask for a second opinion if your car is failed by a station. They can even issue renewals so you don't have to go back to that darn mechanic. That person who cares enough about keeping his job and keeping your ignorant self safe on the road to tell you about your vehicle's problems. Your conspiracy theory is as credible as your repair advice.

"You drive on to a brake dynamometer, hit your brakes, they check your lights, do an emissions test and out you go. No fees to pay, no dealing with mechanics, no BS". You missed a big preceding step here mike. And that is: You wait a real long time. When I lived in Jersey, I happily paid a local shop 60 bucks to inspect my car by appointment rather than wait around with suckers like you. I'd be in and out. Pack a lunch and bring a good book. It's going to be a long, long day. And BTW, it really isn't free, it's just buried in the registration fee.

My sales and profits more than tripled when I stopped doing inspections in NC. Idiots like you would get mad because I would fail them. "I know my exhaust is dragging the ground. Just put a sticker on the windshield". Sure. "I have good brakes". this was always the mantra of someone who you could hear stopping down the street, and had smoke pouring out from the wheel wells. You have a nice Thanksgiving there genius. My cars are all safe and reliable...just as my customers have.

So you are moving so you can drive an unsafe pile of junk on the highways, eh? You seem so happy the mechs are not going to bother checking to see if you have brakes or not. What a guy! FYI, I eat very well down here. I also eat very well when I am at my home in NC. NC does inspections, and all of my cars have NC plates on them. And no, I do not do my own inspections in NC. I got tired of dealing with idiots like you and gave back my Inspection License.

Just to inform you, Delaware and NJ have state run inspection stations. They do not pull wheels, etc. You drive on to a brake dynamometer, hit your brakes, they check your lights, do an emissions test and out you go. No fees to pay, no dealing with mechanics, no BS. You then walk into the DMV office, pay your registration fee and home you go. If Florida had that type of inspection system guys like you would starve to death. You would probably move to PA and start your monkey business all over again.

I am sure the mechanics in delaware and New Jersey all work for FREE so you can get your sticker for FREE. Everyone knows good honest mechanics work for FREE.

You indicated "The state says what can be charged, and what must be, for the car to pass inspection". Well, PA does have codes for inspection and defines what does not pass, sort of. Did you ever see those codes posted in the garage waiting room? There is a lot of wiggle room for the mechanic. What do I do if the mechanic says "you need new radius arm bushings" or "your tires have dry rot" or "your pinion seal is leaking". Do I stand there and argue with him. Try winning that one. I have no recourse. I cannot go to a state inspector and ask him for his opinion. I must either let the mechanic do what he wants or take my vehilcle and go somewhere else. Do you deny that a lot of work is done unnecessarily? I do not ask these garages to only charge $25 but if that is what they do to compete with other shops that is their problem. Make your money on the unknowing and accept your loss from folks like me. That is all I ask. I could tell you a dozen stories about crooked mechanics, outright sabotage, lying about what is wrong with the vehicle because they thing you are unknowledgeble, etc. The next time I go to a garage for an inspection I will tell them my name is Ben Dover. I think they believe everybody goes by that name.

In response to you creepy mechanics out there, I said "oil" because I was writing my report to the general public, not idiotic mechanics who want to see "DOT 3" brake fluid, yada, yada, yada. You want me to explain in detail the bleeding procedure also? Get a life and stop ripping-off the public. It's creeps like you who rip-off little old ladies because it is so easy to do!!! The state requires me to go to you creeps for an inspection. I do not willing go but that is the law. Good time to move to Delaware or New Jersey where I can get a good honest inspection from the state without all the BS here in PA.

"Their mechanic did not want to inspect my truck because he would spend more time to do it than it was worth to him". That's a real shocker. The mechanic doesn't want to waste time on something that doesn't pay anything to him. Do YOU work for FREE?! Of course not. "The service fee for the inspection is only $25 but that is just a come-on". Of course...charging the exact same amount as every other state inspection facility is a "come-on". Get a clue. The state says what can be charged, and what must be, for the car to pass inspection. "People do not realize that mechanics make most of their money from commissions not their straight salary". What YOU do not realize, is mechanics don't get a salary at all. They get paid off the ticket, or an hourly wage. Hourly workers aren't even mechanics. They change oil and sweep the floors. "I do all my own work and just completed a lot of repairs". "I bled it, and refilled it with new oil and it works fine again". I think the second sentence explains the first. Oil? Good job. Get ready to replace more parts. Her comes more of that "alot of repairs" thing. Guys like you are a nightmare for guys like me. It's always the fault of the mechanic. In reality, it's ALWAYS the fault of the person NOT having a clue about how to properly maintain their vehicle. You fit the latter.

If you put oil in your hydraulic clutch instead of brake fluid, there's no need for the big conspiracy theory of why it quit working. On state inspections I like to say "Don't fix anything without calling me first," this leaves them the impression that I may be willing to pay for some repairs.