Complaint Review: Gulf Coast Transmissions

The first week of July 1999 my 1992 Buick Park Avenue began not
responding to pressing the gas petal and moving forward.

I took my car to Gulf Coast Transmission and they told me I
need a complete new transmission and the cost was $1900.
We paid the money up front (cash). We picked the car up
the next week, the car still drove a little strange ran
very high RPM's but it did drive/go. After a few days the
car died on us and would nt move forward, we took it back
to Gulf Coast and they told us a motor mount had broke and
leaked all the Transmission fluid out. They repair that and
filled it back up and I had to pay them another $190.00 to
do so.

A few days later I picked the car up and did my normal
driving routine to work, daycare / school for my kids,
grocery shopping etc and all seemed OK.

Then it acted up again less than one week later leaking
transmission fluid in my driveway etc. I was stranded
without a car and two kids and a job to have to try to get
to it was very difficult for me and my family but we
managed. I walked many places and it caused me to be late
for my job lose pay etc. While Gulf Coast took my car and
fixed it yet again and I was told it was the same problem
motor mount broke and leaked out my fluid.

I picked my car up again days later and drove around for 2
weeks around town and all seemed OK.

The next weekend I had to take my car to ST Petersburg
about 100 miles away on Friday evening to take care of some
business up there. When I arrived into St Pete, my car
began to again act strange and then it stopped altogether.
I was able to get it into a corner gas station and they
looked at it and told me the transmission fluid looked
burnt & low. It was 10:00pm so the next morning I called
Gulf Coast and spoke with the shop manager who told me he
would have a tow truck come pick it up and bring it back
to him to repair and that he would pay for me to rent a
small car.

I returned home to Cape Coral and picked my car up a few
days later
and found that my steering column had been taken apart as
if someone tried to hot wire my car, the shop manager told
me it came in that way.

I called the towing company that picked my car up in ST Pete
and they said when they dropped it off at Gulf Coast it was
fine. Together we called Gulf Coast and told them this, a
few days later Gulf Coast shop manager called me and told
me that it a couple of other cars had been vandalized in
his lot too so he would cover my damage since he must have
been mistaken about my car coming in that way (damaged).

My car died yet again on me driving around town and we
took it back asking for our money back and a full list of
parts he had put in they told us they had replaced ALL the
transmission parts complete. I know it is law that they
give us this detailed list but they will not. We have a
receipt for our money saying for transmission repair
$1900.00 paid in full July 2, 1999. that is all.

My husband Brian asked the shop manager if we could rent a
car while it was being fixed this time as it was too
difficult to get around without one and 2 small children (3
and 6 years old) He told us that was fine/OK.

When we went to pick up this time and give then the car
rental bill for a small car Gulf Coast told me they would
not pay for the rental!! They explained all they meant when
they told us it was OK for us to rent a car this time, was
that they did not CARE, they did not mean they would pay
for the car rental during this repair!! So we have paid
out the money for the money or the rental and all other
inconveniences and picked my car up and the steering column
is still not repaired from the break in at their shop (they
claim parts are still on order for it for the past three
weeks, we find that hard to believe) and my car is still
leaking transmission fluid and not driving correctly. We
have to keep adding fluid and riving around with a can or
two in the car with us at all times.

We need the money back from this shop so we can take it
somewhere else to be fixed properly. They refuse now to
even speak to us now!!

They know we are moving out of the area soon and they are
hoping we just leave and forget about all this but this is
our man car for transportation so we cannot just forget
about it.

Anything you can do to help us out will be GREATLY
appreciated in getting our money back and/or our car fixed
we are now broke from spending this money.


Thank you

Jackie & Brian
Mohr
thelehmans@mindspring.com