J&J Car Specialists - Meineke Car Care - Salesman: Joe Miller - Mechanic: Harry Greedy, Dishonest, Unprofessional, Sleezy Hawthorne New Jersey
Be aware of Meineke Car Care Center in Hawthorne NJ. They have put a $1,000 price tag on their customer's life.
This report is based on the fact that Meineke - AKA J&J Auto sold parts and installed them on my car without notifying me of the irreversible rust damage to the strut towers. This type of damage makes the car not usable and more importantly unsafe to drive. It would be impossible for the struts to be mounted to the car without having to work around the rust in the strut towers.
The conclusion brings me to believe that Meineke's reason for keeping this information from me was simply for financial reasons. Had they notified me of the damage I would not have spent $1,000+ for new struts, shocks, and labor on a car that is not drivable. Instead, the car is useless, sitting in a parking lot with brand new shocks and struts.
After discovering this problem I spoke with the salesman and owner, Joe Miller. I gave him an opportunity to explain how he could let a customer drive away from his auto care center without notifying them about a fatal structure problem. He said he had never
heard of such a thing and and that I had to take it up with the manufacturer.
Joe Miller, his mechanic Harry, and Meineke's decision to withhold information from me was not only dishonest, expensive, and disappointing, but it has also put the lives of me and my family at risk.
Rusty nissan
New York, New York
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Rusty nissan
New York,New York,
U.S.A.
Response to ConsumerComment: Friendly Help SC
#3Author of original report
Thu, March 27, 2008
Thanks for your interest Friendly Help.
I DO perform a monthly under-hood check. The original text was not fully clear and I cant change it on this site, I apologize.
The car was making a thumping sound shortly after the struts were replaced
so I brought it in to a local shop where the rust was discovered. The rust had spread all the way through the frame rails.
Everything looks sort of ok, like it has a little rust, but once the shop started screwing they could see the full scope of the rust problem. Which is the reason why I feel that Joe Miller and his hack crew really should have told me about it.
On the "fatal" note: I have had 2 separate professional opinions that I trust and both have said that it's not worth fixing. Even if weld repaired they couldn't guarantee the car would be safe. It is likely opening a can of worms for more repairs and problems down the line. It's actually an SUV Pathfinder 1999.5 which was the first generation of the new Pathfinder bodies and I am told that this model and the 2000 have had a lot of problems. One of the problems being that Nissan used too much recycled metal. So technically it would be considered a "fatal design flaw". The 2002 and on had most of these issues worked out.
Hey friendly help I am curious why you asked if I DO perform a monthly under-hood check considering that YOUR 1981 Chev Citation and 1981 Buick Skylark rusted out so bad. Was your problem as hidden as this problem? Did you see it happening during your monthly under-hood check and choose to wait until 1989? or were those cases the reason why you started performing your monthly under-hood check?
Friendly Help
Anderson,South Carolina,
U.S.A.
How did YOU learn about your 'fatal rust problem'?
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, March 24, 2008
The rust would likely be 'fatal' if it had fully perforated the affected tower(s). You should have been able to see fully perforated tower(s) during your monthly under-hood check. You DO perform a monthly under-hood check, don't you?
Severe body rust CAN be weld-repaired. The floors of our 1981 Chev Citation and 1981 Buick Skylark had rusted out badly enough by 1989 that the front seat mounting rails were protruding below the remains of the cars' floor pans. The steering wheels were also 'getting higher'. I had steel plates welded in for $200 per car and this completely corrected the problem. The only requirement is that the vehicle be supported so that it is 'square' before welding commences.
If you have your towers weld repaired, spray the entire repaired area with CRC Heavy Duty Corrosion Inhibitor (Marine), CRC#522D. Figure at least 1 can per tower, at $10/can.