Opinions on Shop SNAFU

[004Gunner]

I took my Runner in to a Sears for an alignment yesterday afternoon and was told it would be 45 minutes. I came back 45 minutes later and was told by the service rep that he was just about to call me because they were unable to do the alignment. He said that the inner and outer tie rod ends were frozen on both sides. I asked him if they sprayed some penetrating oil on there to try and free them up and he said they were too rusted. When I said ok I'll just take the keys to the vehicle then, he tried to hit me up with a $16 service charge. I hesitated for a minute and said ok, I'll pay that but I want the technician to show me all the rust and tell me how he tried to free up the tie rods because I did not believe them. The service rep told me the name of the tech and I went out to the shop floor to find my vehicle sitting on a completely flat driver side rear tire. I called out the tech's name since I saw no one around and out popped a disheveled tech seemingly hiding from me behind a near by tire balancer. I asked him, loudly, why my vehicle was resting on a flat tire. After I yelled at the tech and the sevice rep, I got a BS story that was clearly half cocked and not a single employee thought to put my spare tire on, much less jack up the vehicle so it wouldn't be resting on the flat. I changed the tire myself in their shop while my fiance was on the phone with the manager. The manager asked what he could do and I told him we can start with a new tire since I have no idea why it went flat (I was told the tire would not hold air) and that he should train his employees to tend to a customer's vehicle when it is in the shop's care. No resolution was set upon. Last night I decided to look for signs of an attempt to break the tie rods free and I saw no penetrating oil or tool marks but instead found the driver side rack boot torn! :ybrick: I'm meeting the shop manager tomorrow and have a flat and deformed tire that is no longer manufactured (Michelin Cross Terrain SUV) and a torn driver side rack boot when all I wanted was an alignment. Right now I think I would be fine with an alignment, rack boot replaced, and 2 new tires (I will not accept just 1 tire, it has to be at least a pair for safety reasons). How would you guys resolve this and what would you expect?

 

[LINY4Runner]

sounds like you're on the right track...new tires, rack dust boot and an alignment...all for no charge...and ask to have the shop foreman do it

 

[MikesToy]

How would you guys resolve this and what would you expect?

Take pics and videos and put 'em all over the internet. :keyboard:

 

[004Gunner]

sounds like you're on the right track...new tires, rack dust boot...

Do you think it would be alright to patch up the boot temporarily with duct tape and zip ties? It's completely torn off from the outer clamp and I don't think I could bring it in for repair until Friday (assuming that they don't have the part when it's there tomorrow). If you have a better suggestion to replace the duct tape idea let me know. In the Marines we say: "If you can't duck it, f*ck it"

 

[LBeard87]

I think you are on the right track. voice your complaint and make it known you were unsatisfied with the way they handle the situation. I think what you are asking for is very reasonable. Also, try and be out on the shop floor while they are doing it. Hopefully that will put them on their best behavior.

Had you ever used this shop before? Do you have any ties to this shop at all? ie: friend, family or something like that who works there? If not I would recommend not using them anymore and persuade anyone else you know not to use them as a maintenance facility. There are plenty of reputable shops all over the place so get the heck out of there once they rectify the situation.

 

[004Gunner]

Take pics and videos and put 'em all over the internet. :keyboard:

My girl has the pics :cheers: I really like The Consumerist web site and prior experience has shown Better Business Bureau to be worthless

I think you are on the right track. voice your complaint and make it known you were unsatisfied with the way they handle the situation. I think what you are asking for is very reasonable. Also, try and be out on the shop floor while they are doing it. Hopefully that will put them on their best behavior.

Had you ever used this shop before? Do you have any ties to this shop at all? ie: friend, family or something like that who works there? If not I would recommend not using them anymore and persuade anyone else you know not to use them as a maintenance facility. There are plenty of reputable shops all over the place so get the heck out of there once they rectify the situation.

I used the shop before for an alignment and I like the detailed printouts you get showing the specs for each wheel :nerd: But I don't have any friend or family ties to it at all. I was going to have my fiance take it for an alignment at another shop while I am at work today but then I found the torn boot and didn't want to complicate the issue. And yeah I defnitely want to be watching all the repairs. I have no faith and no confidence in that shop now

 

[004Gunner]

So I finally got everything taken care of today. I had to bring the vehicle back in on Sunday 2/21 for them to look at the torn rack boot and I had them repair the tire. It would have been nice to get 2 replacements but my next tire is going to be the Michelin LTX AT2 which is not similar enough to my Cross Terrains. The manager was not working with me at all and only offered to replace the 1 tire. I chose to have the tire repaired instead of rolling around on 1 brand new tire (in a model I didn't want) and 3 tires with 60k miles on them. I was planning on having everything finished on Thursday 2/25, but we had a big snow storm which delayed it until today. I had to wait for the rack boot to come in since the shop manager would not order it until he saw the vehicle on 2/21. The guy was a real douche and a telephone tough guy. He had little attitude when I dealt with him in person, but everything was handled by me. I agreed to let the tire be repaired instead of replaced. I informed them that they had damaged my rack boot. I brought the vehicle back for them to inspect the rack boot and repair the tire. I brought the vehicle back again for them to replace the rack boot. I insisted the tie rods could be loosened and they were. I requested that the alignment be done at no charge. Fortunately I happened to get a Lexus tech working on the vehicle when I brought it in the second time, and wouldn't you know it, he was able to loosen both tie rods! So after bringing my vehicle to Sears for an alignment: I got a flat tire and torn rack boot on the 1st trip, a repaired tire and confirmation of torn rack boot on the 2nd trip, and an alignment and repaired rack boot on the 3rd trip. All of this at no charge! :violin:

 

[LINY4Runner]

glad all that bullshit got straightened out for you man:thumb3:

 

[maine runner]

While I am glad it worked out, lesson learned. Find a real shop with trained mechanics that specialize on Toyota's.

While some may scoff at an independent shop, using a national chain does not guarantee quality work.

 

[JeremyH]

So, what caused the flat tire?

 

[004Gunner]

While I am glad it worked out, lesson learned. Find a real shop with trained mechanics that specialize on Toyota's.

While some may scoff at an independent shop, using a national chain does not guarantee quality work.

I agree that a national chain does not guarantee quality, but an independent shop is just as susceptible to shoddy worksmanship. It's nice to have a brand specialist though, even if it isn't necessary.

So, what caused the flat tire?

I have no idea! The puncture was significant enough to be felt by the hand and was losing a pound of pressure per minute at the least. I think something was run over in the shop. The leak was too significant for me to say it happened while I was driving it.

 

[Ron Helmuth]

tie rod ends do however freeze up

Glad to hear you got what you feel is satisfaction for what occurred.

In their defense- I will say that my own passenger side tie rod (outer) was froze up with salt corrosion (my ride lived on coast of Oregon for some time before I got it). I did watch mondo huge tech wrench on it, even take a blow torch to it and eventually it had to be replaced outright.

The fact that yours was later able to be wrenched apart properly is cause for suspicion of course....good point about the penetrating oil residue not being there.

For alignment I recommend Firestone as they and Tires Plus (an outlet for Firestone) are the only places I know of that still sell lifetime alignments. Meaning you pay once (around $129) and can have it done regularly at no additional charge. National chain again-but they see more Runners than I ever will. At some point you are going to have to trust someone....

I would not have had your fiance get involved in something like this-just my opinion. You likely put them a bit on the defensive having some 3rd party rant about something they were not even present for. Uncertain how you thought that would be helpful and likely made a tense situation that much worse for all of you-the shop and you.

You are the guy and you had your wife to be call them? Try to see that from their point of view. Or you are the gal and had your husband to be call?-same scenario....fiance or fiancee? if you see what I mean.... no offense intended sir or madam.

Can you truly be sure Sears caused your flat or your boot tear? I know my ride pretty well but I rarely check underneath it when I turn it in for service.

At a bare minimum they should have called you immediately if they noticed a boot tear or had trouble with any adjustments. The fact they did not do so makes me think they 'slipped' while wrenching and caused the boot tear.

Lesson learned and it sounds like you got it settled to your satisfaction.

 

[Jed]

Well, at least you got your issues worked out. But I have one "rule" that I always follow:

Never bring your vehicle to Sears for ANYTHING except a new battery. And even then, buy the battery and install it yourself. Years ago I used to work at a Sears Auto Center and there wasn't a single guy there that I would even let change my oil. I've heard that's pretty much the case for all Sears Auto Centers...they don't pay a decent salary, so they don't get good mechanics.

There might actually be a good mechanic working for Sears somewhere out there, but I think that he would like a needle in a haystack. :bigok:

 

[azcowboy]

... All of this at no charge! :violin:

No charge? How about you time and the gas you had to expend for 3 trips? you might consider a nasty-gram (letter) to Sears Corporate outlining the situation as you did here. Name names. I won't guarantee that they would actually do anything, but in the current economic environment - it's possible.

Customer service has become a tragedy nowadays. If you don't let the corporation know how poorly their employees performed, it will never change.

Just an aside: I always take my vehicles to the dealership ( '08 'runner, '10 Tacoma). I know it's a lot more expensive but you know what? After the service I always get an email from Toyota asking me to take a survey on my service "experience". I always fill it out. The good and the bad.

 

[004Gunner]

For alignment I recommend Firestone as they and Tires Plus (an outlet for Firestone) are the only places I know of that still sell lifetime alignments. Meaning you pay once (around $129) and can have it done regularly at no additional charge. National chain again-but they see more Runners than I ever will. At some point you are going to have to trust someone....

I've heard a lot of people on here referencing Firestone and their lifetime alignment. Looks like I'm going to have to find one near me

I would not have had your fiance get involved in something like this-just my opinion. You likely put them a bit on the defensive having some 3rd party rant about something they were not even present for. Uncertain how you thought that would be helpful and likely made a tense situation that much worse for all of you-the shop and you.

My finacee actually should have never been involved, I agree with you there. I demanded to speak to a manager and went back into the shop to put my spare tire on. When I finished and walked back in, I found her on the phone with the manager. No one told me that the manager wasn't there, and one of the employees should have put me on the phone with him.

Can you truly be sure Sears caused your flat or your boot tear? I know my ride pretty well but I rarely check underneath it when I turn it in for service.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on causing the flat tire, but they had a responsibility to inform me of the flat, which they did not. As for the rack boot, yes they absolutely caused the tear. I had been under my runner the day prior replacing the rack bushings and part of that process involved inspecting the entire rack. That was actually the reason that I did not believe them when they said both tie rod ends needed to be replaced.

Well, at least you got your issues worked out. But I have one "rule" that I always follow:
Never bring your vehicle to Sears for ANYTHING except a new battery. And even then, buy the battery and install it yourself.

That makes at least two of us!

No charge? How about you time and the gas you had to expend for 3 trips? you might consider a nasty-gram (letter) to Sears Corporate outlining the situation as you did here. Name names. I won't guarantee that they would actually do anything, but in the current economic environment - it's possible.

Customer service has become a tragedy nowadays. If you don't let the corporation know how poorly their employees performed, it will never change.

Yeah I think they forced my hand on this one. On the rare occasion I have to criticize a company and fault them for a lack of professionalism, I like to balance it out by complimenting a company for great service. I'm going to bash Sears and pending the arrival of a recent order, right a glowing letter to Conicelli Parts. I happen to have a recording of a phone conversation I had with the shop manager of Sears. If the situation were reversed, I would pay money to ensure the recording did not make it to my boss.