Complaint Review: Fabrication Systems Auto repair - haYWARD California

On 2/7/2010 I went out to my car to discover a leak after investigation under the hood I saw it was coming from the radiator. I decided not to drive the car and called off from work. I called around and came across James Auto Repair online. I talked to Roko over the phone and told him I think my radiator is leaking and could he look at it. He told me to come in to the shop. I came to the shop on 2/9/2010.

The shop was only 2 miles away from my location and my car was not overheating, just leaking from the radiator.  Upon arriving, I discover that this auto shop's name is actually Fabrication Systems. I went and found the man I had spoken to on the phone which was Roko Smilijanic Jr. He accompanied me to my car to take a look under the hood. He confirmed that it was the radiator that was leaking.

I asked him was there any other problems and after a brief look under the hood he said the only issue was that I needed a new radiator because it had gotten old and most likely had a crack in it causing it to leak. He gave me an oral estimate of 175 for labor and 125 for a new radiator. He also gave me an estimate of half a day for the repair time. I agreed and left the car in his possession. This was all around 9 am. He said he would give me a call later that day. Around 4 o'clock I called and asked him about my car and he said that he hasn't ordered the parts and it would be ready lunch time the next day.

The next day which was Wednesday I called around 1pm and asked about my car and he said it would be a couple more hours and that he would call. I called around 4pm and he told me he would call me back in an hour. I waited and did not receive a call. The next day I called at 10 am and was told that my car was ready and it gave him a hard time. I asked was there any other problems in my car besides the radiator. He said no other problems, no blown head gasket, no other issues. I went to get my car at around 1pm 2/11/2010. He told me that when he drove my car it was running a little hot but when he hooked it up to the computer the temperature was fine. He also informed me he added some stop leak to the vehicle. I did not understand why he added that to my vehicle when I just had a new radiator installed. Nevertheless I continued.

I got the receipt and it showed a charge of 166 for a new radiator and 105 for labor. This was also odd because all the radiator quotes I got for my 1995 Dodge neon were under 140 for a brand new one. Since it still ended up to be just under 300 dollars which was my budget I didn't dispute it. I cranked up my car and preceded to leave the shop. I immediately noticed my car was not running as usual. It was squeaking and whistling and not accelerating as normal. The acceleration was off but it was still driving. I assumed it was because new parts were installed. 2 miles later, my car overheated and I immediately pulled over. My car had never overheated before so I was very confused at this point. I called Roko and told him it overheated as well as asked him did it over heat when he drove it. He said it had not and he said he'll order a new cap and to wait 20 minutes and drive it back to him. I waited 30 minutes and tried to drive it and it overheated again. I pulled over again. I noticed a chocolate milk substance leaking from the car. I called Roko again and informed him of this. Now he said its probably something major probably. My stepdad which is a lawyer called and inquired about things. This angered Roko and he sent a tow truck to come get me with him paying the bill for it. I sat there for 3 hours in my car.

The tow truck came and brought me back to the shop along with my car. Roko immediately said it was a blown head gasket and that it had came to the shop with a blown head gasket in the first place. He said he would look at it overnight and verify it in the morning. He also said most likely he would give me a refund for the radiator. I had to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I caught the bus, Bart,Amtrak,taxi and asked for rides all weekend because I worked 40 mins away. I have a job that requires me to drive different places each weekend. I ended up spending over 60 dollars just on getting to work between giving people money for gas and the other methods. People were being laid off at work so I had to be there. I called Roko with no answer Friday.

I finally got an answer Saturday where he said it would be 400 dollars for the blown head gasket and he would not be giving me a refund because he is expecting a lawsuit from my dad. My car stayed there over the weekend as I sought ways to work. On Monday I contacted another mechanic in which I told the story to and he agreed to have a tow truck come take my car to his shop. After inspection from this new mechanic: John Cooper from Cooper's Auto Repair, I was informed I did not have a blown head gasket but the radiator that was installed was faulty causing the oil to mix with the coolant and get into other components. They flushed it out and installed a 3rd radiator which totaled 387 including tow truck fees. We then took the radiator back to Roko and informed him.

He said the best he could do was send it in for a new one but he would see what he could do about a cash refund. We left the radiator there. At this time my car was driving but with the whistling sound that happened after I took it to Roko's services. My new mechanic then informed me that I should go back and get the radiator from Roko because we called Roko's supplier and found out their policies. I went back to get the radiatior and found that Roko had the faulty radiator sitting near a different car with the hood of that car propped open. I took the radiator and left. I proceeded to go to work Friday.

I drove nine miles and my car stopped accelerating. My new mechanic had it towed back where he informed me that the faulty radiator had gotten into important components and did bigger damage which. I would most likely need a new transmission which would be 1700 for my car.  I left my car at the shop and that is where it still is.

The receipt from Roko says at the bottom that I was entitled to warranty on parts and labor which I did not receive because he did not check my car to know that it was the radiator that was faulty and not a blown head gasket. I had to take it somewhere else to get the same job done again all because of Roko's negligence. Roko refuses to reimburse me for anything even though his shop ruined my car and cost me over 700 dollars as well as 1700 worth of damage and the possibility of losing my job by having no transportation. He did not even fulfill his one year warranty agreement. I had to take it to another mechanic.