Review: On July 17th 2013 I went to Don Wallence Auto Sales looking to purchase a vehicle. I test drove a 2004 Chevy Malibu with my father when I noticed the steering wheel starting to shake excessively in the front left and I applied the brakes. We were only 1/2 mile up the road and quickly turned around and went back to the dealer. The sales associate [redacted] was informed and took the car for a test drive to see what we were talking about. When he returned he stated that he felt it was the front left caliper that was causing the issue. [redacted] said, "If we get this issue fixed how serious of a buyer are you?" I said, "Very serious." At that time my dad asked [redacted] since the car is being sold as is and we have an issue would the dealership back the issue at hand. [redacted] stated, "That Don has been in business since 1976 and that is how he keeps his customers happy". [redacted] stated he would call me when the car was repaired and ready to be picked up.
Jul7 18th 2013, [redacted] called me at 11 AM and stated the car was ready to be picked up. My dad and I arrived at the dealership by noon to purchase the vehicle. I said I wanted to test drive the vehicle to make sure the problem was taken care of. We test drove the car approximately 3 miles around Spring City and it appeared to be ok. Around 6 PM that evening my girlfriend drove the vehicle because she is mechanically inclined and works on cars. I wanted her to drive the vehicle to make sure it was taken care of properly. While we were driving approximately 5 miles away from our house the car was driving like it was in low gear. We went home and I asked her to call the dealership in the morning so she could explain what was going on with the car. She called first thing in the morning on July 19th and left a voicemail for [redacted] notifying him that the front end still had an issue and the gas gauge failed and we almost ran out of gas. We were not asking them to repair the gas gauge but wanted them to look at the front end since it was supposed to be repaired the prior day. [redacted] called back around noon and asked us to bring the car in to be looked at. Me and my girlfriend work an hour away from the dealership and could not make it that day. I called [redacted] back that afternoon to schedule an appointment to have the car looked at., I also mentioned to [redacted] that there was excessive brake dust on the wheel. The soonest they could get us in to have the car looked at was Weds July 24th at 9:30 AM.
On Tuesday July 23rd me and my girlfriend dropped the car off and spoke with [redacted] in regards to what we felt the problem was. My girlfriend stated to [redacted] that it was driving like the caliper was dragging and squealer came on indicating the brakes were worn down to nothing. We also told him about the gas gauge and [redacted] said they would look at it and let us know what was going on.
On Weds July 24th [redacted] the mechanic called me and informed me that the caliper was stuck and wore the brakes down to nothing and the hose was bad. He told me that is was going to charge me $250 to fix the caliper. I told [redacted] that I had to speak to my girlfriend because I didn't understand what he was talking about and I needed her input. My girlfriend called [redacted] to find out why we were being charged $250 to repair the caliper and brakes that wore down because the job was not done properly and he said we bought a as is car and that there is nothing they could do. [redacted] told her that she needed to speak to Don the owner about the situation. I understand after speaking to my girlfriend that Don was out right rude and treating her like the money we spent on the car was nothing and after arguing back and forth he agreed to sell the parts at cost but refused to do anything else. She was very upset how she was treated because Don was making reference to the money we spent for the car you can buy a refrigerator for that. Around 4 PM [redacted] called Barbra and told her the car was ready and the bill would be $154. She informed him they would pick it up after work.
Weds evening at 6 PM me and my girlfriend went to pick up the car and had a discussion with [redacted] about the situation and through the discussion [redacted] stated to us that this isn't the first time their mechanic messed up and this is the second time he didn't repair the car properly. I left there wondering to myself why are we left with a bill of $154 for a repair that apparently wasn't done right the first time. There is no way the car broke down to that degree after 5-10 miles of driving.
Also, the website which I will enclose below clearly states that EVERY car they buy goes through an inspection and is taken care of. The car I test drove was not safe to drive and they wouldve been able to sell it in that condition. It was a hazard.
http://www.donwallenceautosales.com/
First, and most important, Only Don and [redacted] Wallence purchase the inventory. Every vehicle then goes thru our on site service center to perform all maintenance and diagnostic needs. After a professional detail only then will we offer our inventory for sale to the public. Most vehicles come with a free warranty which can also be upgraded to three years at an affordable price. We will also discuss with you our service records and an AutoCheck car fax when you call or arrive. We guarantee a pleasant and memorable experience.Desired Settlement: I want to be reimbursed for the $154 for the repairs that were not done properly the first time.
Business
Response:
Complaint ID [redacted]
Inboxx
2:36 PM (19 hours ago)
to me
Dear [redacted],
Per our conversation today (08/15/2013) on complaint [redacted] concerning [redacted], we want to establish the vehicle purchased from us was sold to him AS IS. Before he purchased the car for 2200.00 we repaired a front caliber. Around five days after the sale they brought the vehicle back in for a front end brake issue. The problem was not the caliber we replaced it was this time a brake hose that went bad. We called him to inform him we can replace it and also put on front brakes since the bad hose caused the brake pads to wear down. We told **. [redacted] we would fix the issues for our cost to him which was 154.00 and he said yes to fix it. He came in a wrote a check for the repairs. This repair is a separate issue from the original caliber problem and since the car was sold AS IS it is **. [redacted]s responsibility. Please send responses via mail correspondence. Thank you, [redacted] Wallence
Consumer
Response:
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Review: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
The dealership told us they were going to fix the issue before it was purchased and there is no way it broke in a night. We called the very next morning as I reported in my complaint. The bottom line is the dealership should've covered the cost of the repair.
Regards,
Consumer
Response:
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Review: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: I don't understand why documents are attached about BMW pricing and questions in text that have nothing to do with my vehicle. I reject the response as I stated before because I was told the problem would be fixed up front. I have mechanics in my family and there is no way in a night of driving less then 10 miles the car would fail if it was fixed properly the first time. There own salesmen [redacted] admitted to me and my girlfriend when we picked the car up that there mechanic made a repair to another car recently and it wasn't done properly. He was going to wait and address it with [redacted] the owners son. Why would he tell us that if he didn't feel they were at fault?
Regards,