Complaint Review: Aamco - Pasadena California

I Took car in for repair, because the engine light was on and a loud noise came on while driving.

FEBRUARY 20, 2017, CAR STOPPED AFTER I ORIGINALLY TOOK CAR INTO AAMCO ON JANUARY 2017 FOR

THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY QUOTED ME A HIGH $700 PRICE. AAA CAME TO TOW MY CAR TO AAMCO AND

ADVISED ME TO INFORM AAMCO OF THE PERSISTENT PROBLEMS. THEY TOLD ME TO TELL SADHU THE

OWNER. INSTEAD, A MECHANIC AND SADHU CAME WITH OIL IN HAND AND PUT OIL IN MY CAR AND DROVE

IT TO AAMCO.  SO MY CAR SAT FOR DAYS IN AAMCO'S PARKING LOT.

THEY CONTACTED ME AND SAID THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING (I.E. BATTERY, OIL LEAKS,

ETC.) THEY CHARGED ME $1795.16 WHICH MAXED OUT MY CREDIT CARD. HE NEVER PROVIDED ME WITH A

WRITTEN ESTIMATE, BUT QUALIFIED ME FOR AN AAMCO CREDIT CARD, OF WHICH I NEEDED A CO-SIGNER

TO REPAIR OIL CHANGE, IGNITION COIL, PVC VALVE, SPARK PLUGS, COVER GASKET, REPLACE VALVE AND

NEW OIL, NEW FILTER, COIL BOOTS AND LABOR. INSTEAD, MY MOTHER IN LAW, DONNA BLADES THOUGHT

SHE WAS CO-SIGNING.THEY ENDED UP PUTTING THE CARD IN HER NAME ENTIRELY. AFTER THAT, I PICKED

UP THE CAR AND NOTICED THAT ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IMMEDIATELY AND THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK.

I RETURNED IT TO THE SHOP AND IT STAYED THERE FOR DAYS, APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS. PHILIP, THE

MANAGER SCOLDED THE MECHANICS. FOUND OUT THAT THEY DID NOT REPLACE THE SEAL THAT WAS

CAUSING THE OIL LEAK.

THINKING MY CAR WAS FIXED, I DROVE OFF THE LOT AND STARTED TO NOTICE THE OTHER LEAKS. THIS

TIME THE LEAKS WERE WORSE THAN BEFORE. I CALLED THE SHOP SEVERAL TIMES TO REPORT THIS

PROBLEM. THEY KEPT SAYING THAT PHILIP WAS NOT THERE. THEN SADHU THE OWNER, TOLD ME TO BRING 

THE CAR IN. MY CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN IN 3 DIFFERENT TIMES.

 

(1) SADHU SAID IF I BOUGHT PARTS THERE WOULD BE NO LABOR CHARGE. HE DID NOT

KNOW HOW MUCH THE PARTS WOULD BE BECAUSE HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR.

 

(2) SADHU QUOTED THE PRICE OF $1200. THEN HE SHOWED ME THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE CAR AS THOUGH

SOMEONE HAD BEATEN THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR WITH A HAMMER.

 

(3) AAA CAME AND GAVE ME A JUMP AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE BATTERY INSTALLED IN MY CAR

WAS AN OVERSIZED FORD TRUCK BATTERY AND WAS EXPLODING ACID EVERYWHERE. AAMCO DENIED ANY

RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY CAR NOT WORKING. I PURCHASED A BATTERY FOR $139.00 FROM AUTOZONE

WHEN THE CAR STALLED.

 

(4) JUNE 13, 2017, SADHU TOLD ME TO LEAVE MY CAR AT AAMCO AND HE WOULD WORK SOMETHING OUT.

 

(5) SADHU TOLD ME TO COME BACK THE FOLLOWING DAY TO SPEAK WITH HIS MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC

SAID AAMCO STILL WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CAR. HE ADDED THAT WHOEVER DID YOUR OIL

CHANGE DAMAGED YOUR CAR. I HAVE TWO (2) WITNESSES WITH ME WHO HEARD HIM SAY THAT.

 

(6) MY CAR IS STILL WITH AAMCO SINCE MAY 31, 2017. I WENT TO AAMCO JUNE 29TH TO HAVE THE AAA

TOW TRUCK TOW MY CAR. AAMCO REFUSED TO ALLOW ME TO REMOVE MY CAR UNLESS I SIGNED A WRITTEN

RELEASE OF LIABILITY CONTRACT. SADHU SAID EITHER PAY $1600 NOW TO FIX THE ENGINE, NOT

INCLUDING LABOR; OR HE OFFERED THAT THEY WOULD REIMBURSE ME ONLY $500-$600.

 

(7) TO DATE, I HAVE SPOKEN TO MIKE AND SABRINA AT AAMCO CORPORATE OFFICE (PENNSYLVANIA)

THREE (3) TIMES AND THERE HAS BEEN NO RESOLVE.

 

(8) SADHU TOLD ME THAT I COULD WRITE AND WRITE CORPORATE AND ANYBODY ELSE, BUT NOTHING

WOULD BE RESOLVED. HE STATED THAT HE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT COULD REPAIR MY CAR.

 

(9) BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING PROBLEM, I HAVE RENTED A CAR FOR $375.00 FOR SIX (6) DAYS AND NOW I

AM WALKING TO AND FROM WORK 5 MILES EACH DAY, SINCE MAY 31ST.  

 

THIS HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS HARDSHIP FOR ME, MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, SINCE WE

DEPEND ON MY CAR FOR TOTAL TRANSPORTATION.

 

UPDATE: AS OF JULY 7, 2017  I HAD MY CAR TOWED BY AAA TO SARKS AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR, 1477 N.

LINCOLN BLVD., PASADENA, CA. NOBODY AT AAMCO CAME OUT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ME REMOVING MY CAR. I

DID CALL IN ADVANCE ON FRIDAY, JULY 7TH AND INFORMED ADRIAN  (AAMCO) THAT AAA WOULD BE

PICKING UP MY CAR FROM THEIR LOT AT 1:30 PM. MY KEYS WERE LEFT IN THE IGNITION. THE NEW

BATTERY WAS DEAD. AAA HAD TO GIVE IT A JUMP.

AAA STATED TO NEVER BRING MY CAR BACK TO AAMCO. THAT HE JUST TOWED ANOTHER WOMAN'S CAR  A

FEW WEEKS PRIOR FROM THIS SAME AAMCO LOCATION. SHE WAS IN TEARS. PARTS TO HER CAR WERE

MISSING AND THEN PARTS WERE THROWN IN HER BACKSEAT. SHE SPENT ALOT OF MONEY AND SHE NO

LONGER HAS AN OPERABLE CAR.  

AAA TOWED MY CAR TO SARKS AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR. AS AAA WAS RELEASING THE CAR TO THEM, THEY

NOTICED (1) THE COVER IS MISSING  FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE (2) THE SILVER CASING OF THE

EXHAUST COVER SHIELD IS MISSING (3) SARKS IS PERFORMING AN INSPECTION AND WILL PROVIDE ME

WITH THE DIAGNOSTICS.

ALSO PER FTC'S DIRECTIVES WE SENT A DEMAND LETTER TO AAMCO DAY BEFORE PICKING UP MY CAR.