Complaint Review: Sanchez Auto Body Parts - Grand Prairie Texas

I purchased a salvage engine from  Sanchez Auto Body Parts (SABP) for my Hyundai Santa Fe. I also hired them to install the engine, and was promised the car would be done within a week, if not sooner.

My car was towed to SABP and I was told the repairs would begin the next day, and work on my vehicle would be complete.

Over the next few weeks I called many times about my car, the answered was always it's almost done

About three weeks later, Albert (owner of SABP) called & told me that the mechanic had damaged my AC compressor & a replacement  was on order. The following week I told they had ordered the wrong compressor and that the correct AC compressor had still not arrived, but that ALL other were complete & that the compressor would be quick work when it arrived.

Following week Repairs not completed per the front desk.

A week or so later, Albert (owner) said my car was ready for pickup; however, after paying the balance, I learned that there was one small problem to be  corrected before I left the exhaust pipe would be tightened up. The mechanic corrected that statement and told me it TWO repairs remained my new idler pulley needed to be replaced and a donut need to be installed on the manifold to engine pipe. My pulley was installed 03/12/12 & was in perfect condition. It was to be
moved to the new engine with the serpentine belt; however, they sold my engine before pulling all the parts they were asked to remove & reinstall. The Hyndai dealership told me my car did NOT use a donut and the original manifold must be used rather than the one that might have come with the replacement engine. As repairs WERE NOT completed, I was
unable to drive the car home.

The next week - The Mechanic said they were still waiting for the donut to arrive, and I let him know that per the dealership, there was no such part required or available for my car.  I was told by the mechanic that the original manifold was still in place, and that the water pump & timing belt had been changed as part of the repair.

WEEK 8 begins I called  Albert with SAPB, and his mechanic said repairs to a Malibu were taking longer than expected so my car was not being worked on.

10/13 Picked up my non-working car & took my car to a second repair shop. Cost $570 to repair damages caused by SABP. There I learned my NEW battery (purchased and istalled the day before the vehicle was taken to Sanchez Auto Body Parts) had been replaced with an old, used battery, as well as that the new timing belt, water pump, serpentine belt, idler pulley, AC condenser AND compressor, which were to be moved from my engine/engine compartment & reinstalled with the salvage
engine were all OLD PARTS, and not the new ones recently installed. I have a signed letter by Albert Sanchez stating the repairs were completed and the parts moved, however my mechanic said NONE of those parts were moved and the engine repairs and installation were not done correctly, if at all.

I have contacted SABP numerous times (over 75 cell phone, records are available, plus I made several calls from my work number) to check the status. I was told no less than 8 times, that repairs should be complete by the end of the day, only to call them & find out that that is no longer the case. Repeatedly I was told by John or Albert "There are only a few
nuts and bolts are still off" and that I should be able to pick up the car following day, only to call and be presented with another excuse. The reasons given for the repairs are not complete are extremely varied -the new oil and filters are on order, the mechanic's in Oklahoma for court, the AC compressor was damaged and a replacement is on order, the AC people sent
the wrong AC compressor, the oil and filters is BACK on order again,etc. You need to provide us with more parts for your car axel, serpentine belt, crank sensor, idler pulley

To date, SABP has not returned any of my call when messages were left, nor called me directly to discuss delays or issues with the repairs or missing parts. They contacted me only regarding the deposit and the damaged compressor. Albert, has become confrontational, verbally abused me, and has hung up on me twice, when I questioned the continued delays and requested a firm date for pickup. 

Texas Deceptive Trade Practices -

Consumer Protection laws states that it is illegal to state that work has been done or parts were replaced when that is not true. Additionally, I have written confirmation from an employee that SABP removed the new parts from my vehicle, and sold them.

It is also illegal to knowingly make a false or misleading statement about the need for parts, replacement or repair service. Repeatedly the required I provide them with additional parts, which were not damaged when the car was left in their care.

ALso, it is illegal to remove and sell parts from a vehicle without owners concent OR that by the DMV. Neither of which did Sanchez Auto Body Parts have.  After such run-around, I sincerely doubt the quality of SABP service and
the integrity of the engine and labor to install it. I will be contacting my mechanic for a careful inspection of both the materials
and workmanship when it finally picked up.

With this delay, I have had to borrow a vehicle, and for another job I have been required to rent a vehicle for work. This fee should be included in the amount I should be refunded. 

9/28 I was told by Albert that my car would be ready for pickup, so I went to pick up my car. Upon arriving, he and John confirmed repairs were finished and I could pick up my car, so I paid the balance. After paying, I learned that there was one small problem to be corrected before I left the exhaust pipe would be tightened up. The mechanic then told me it two repairs remained an idler pulley needed to be replaced and a donut need to be installed on the manifold to engine
pipe. My idler pulley was installed 03/12/12 so should be in perfect condition if pulled from the original engine; however, they sold my engine before pulling all the parts they were asked to move to the replacement engine. The dealership told me my car did NOT use a donut and my original manifold must be used rather than the one that might have come with the replacement engine.

10/1 - I was told they were still waiting for the donut to arrive, and I let them know that per the dealership there was no such part required or available.

10/3 - I took the replacement idler pulley to the shop and was told it would be done by the end of Thursday, 10/4. We were told that the original manifold was still in place, and that the water pump and timing belt had been changed as part of the repair.

10/8 (WEEK 8 begins) I called and was told repairs to a Malibu was taking longer than expected so my car was not being worked on.