Complaint Review: Webster Chrysler Jeep - Webster New York

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

I would like to lodge a formal complaint against the service department at the Webster Chrysler Jeep dealership in Webster, NY. The first time I brought my 98' Jeep Grand Cherokee into the Webster service department I spoke with Dino D'Aloisio and told him I think my jeep needs new battery cables as the stabilizer mount tab on the battery had broken off and subsequently when I turned the corner it would strain the already eroded battery cables. I assumed that that was the likely cause of the problem.

I explained this to Dino and he said Well, it could be a lot of things; you'd better let us run a diagnostic' on it. Not being an expert, I decided to let him run a diagnostic to solve the problem. Later that day I got a call from Dino letting me know that the car seems to be running fine and they may have inadvertently fixed the problem. And I should bring it back in if the problem comes back. So I paid the $130 dollars for their time and went on my way.

Not a few hours later the problem came back. I waited to see if it would act up more so I could bring it back in when it was totally acting up. Not a day or two went by and my car started to sputter and barely made it into the service department. The car wouldn't even turn off and was at a high rev when I dropped the keys off to Dino. Again later that day I get a call from Dino telling me that they're thinking it might be in the cluster. I said let me know.

He called back later and said it's fixed explained to me that they had found the problem and whoever had worked on my car before had not grounded the cables properly. That's right the battery cables. So what did Dino and his crack team replace..?The battery cables!! Only they charged me again for labor and all the time they spent looking for what I told them to fix in the first place.

So another $180 When I walked back into the service department I saw Dino and walked toward him to talk about the repairs. He saw me coming almost frantically pointed at the cashier and told me that she had everything I needed. At this stage I had paid over $360 for new battery cables and an install.

I wish I could end the story there but it gets better. About one or two days after that fun time with Dino, I noticed very loud clicking sound when I turned my tires. It had never been that loud or jerky before so I knew that there was a problem. I also found some bearings on the ground close to where I parked my Jeep. I looked underneath at the tire and upon closer inspection; I found a bearing sitting on the inside of the tire where the axle meets the tire (I forget the proper name). I then knew it was from my Jeep.

I only tell you this because this problem happened right after my trip to the Webster service department. You'll see a pattern in a second. Previously, my CV joints had torn boot which is a fancy way of saying the protective rubber cover had come off and exposed the joint to the elements. All of the sudden, I'm losing bearings hmm..

Even though I already knew of this and it was not disclosed to me after the free inspection. I was irritated at the prospect of having to go back to Dino but the dealership was so close that I thought I might give it a shot.

I called the Webster service department again for an estimate to change both of the CV joints on my Jeep. A man answered, whose name I can't recall, and I asked him what it would cost to have both the CV joints replaced. He put me on hold for a couple of minutes and got back on the line and said it will cost $200 a side ($400 total). At this I said okay and he said to bring it in on Monday. So I brought it in on the next Monday (12-1-2008)

I drop it off to Dino and explained to him my prior conversation with the gentleman on the phone. He asked me what my estimate was and I told him $200 a side, $400 total. He said Okay.

About twenty minutes later I get a call from Dino. He explained to me that the quote I got was from another Mechanic who was filling in and he gave me a quote for U-joints. I told Dino that I never mentioned U-joints and that gentleman had never mentioned U-Joints. Dino then went on to tell me that it would cost about $630 parts and labor. So all told, I would pay about $680 with tax.

I explained to him how unfair it was that they would do such a thing. He said he couldn't do it for $400. He then mentioned that his mechanic felt that the transmission was a little sluggish and they had found a leak; we'll need to check it out and find where the leak is coming from he said.

At this point I was quite upset and couldn't believe that the car that I had driven there, which other than the clicking, was all of a sudden having another problem?!? I told him Not to worry about the leak as it was a slow leak and it wasn't going to bleed out or anything and I would take care of it. The funny thing is I was talking about the slow motor oil leak (Very slow, mind you).

I tried to calm myself and see if some deal could be reached. I asked him how much it would cost per side and he said $315 a side. I asked him how much he was charging for the parts. He said they were $125/joint. Even though that price seemed inflated as I had priced CV joints online for much less, he explained he could guarantee the parts.

I did a little math and found

Dino's estimate: $630.00 Parts (125 x 2) $250 = $380/4 = $95 dollars an hour.

Dino's mechanics are the highest paid Jeep mechanics I could find in the U.S.

I told him that I knew it wasn't his fault and if he could ask his supervisor if they could do the job for $550; which I said through my teeth.

He called me back not five minutes later and said they could do the CV joints and half shafts for $550. I told him thanks for his help and told him to call me when he was done. Now Dino had so kindly saved me $80 dollars.

If you break it down for what he charged me for labor (listed on invoice to replace the left and right CV shafts - 4.0hrs), they earned $91.25 an hour; still the highest paid jeep mechanics in the US. The 4.0 hrs is on the invoice but must be a mistake as it took them two days to figure out that battery cables were bad so I wouldn't put too much stock into it.

When he called me later that day to tell me the job was done, I asked him to go over everything for me again. He said we changed the CV joints and half shafts out for the $550 + tax (of course). The other thing; uh leak, we just topped off the transmission fluid (also stated in invoice). No charge for that though. Another funny thing, they charged me $24 dollars for that No charge transmission fluid I didn't ask forHuh

I regrettably paid $594 this time

I do have to give Dino and his team credit! I recently had the Jeep inspected before I drove from Idaho. The transmission wasn't leaking then. The place where the Jeep is parked has had absolutely no transmission leaks for the 4 months I've been in the great town of Webster, but by osmosis, physic ability or just plain skill the highest paid mechanics in the US happened to find a leak at the exact moment it occurred. BRAVO! That leak is all over the previously transmission fluid free pavement; bleeding out.

Battery Cables and labor $360,CV joints,$594, A brand new leakPriceless.

TAKEN

Chris

Webster, New York

U.S.A.