Where do i begin, I needed the car back the same day and so we coordinated a week in advance. I dropped my car off at 7am on Wed and they didn't call me until noon. Then said they couldn't finish it until tomorrow... okay whatever.
I picked up my car at 5pm. After paying for my repair we exchanged pleasantries and I went on my way. About a mile down the road my display begins to beep and flash "Check Engine, Check Coolant" so I pull over and pop the hood. I look at my coolant reservoir and notice it looks completely empty. I unscrewed it and you could hear the pressure release however, the reservoir was bone dry. by this time, it was 5:12pm, I immediately called the repair shop, but no one was there. I left a (polite) message letting them know i was stuck on the side of the road and that the car had no coolant in it. I called a friend to pick me up and we got some coolant from Autozone for $20. Went back to my car and low and behold our Mechanic Steve (with Crystal in the passenger seat) was there! I was surprised to see him and glad he could confirm first hand that it was missing coolant. I showed him the reservoir and we poured two quarts of coolant in. Started the car and monitored it. Everything seemed to be okay, so I drove home.
The next morning, I started my car and before I could finish backing out of the parking space, the display began to beep, and the check engine / check coolant lights began to flash on again... I thought oh great, here we go again! I popped the hood and again the coolant reservoir was empty. I filled it with the remaining 2 quarts and the lights went off again. I drove 25 minutes to work and everything seemed okay. I thought I would let Advanced Automotive Performance know that they it happened again, but I wanted to be sure it wasn't a leak and indeed just low on coolant. So, I let the car sit from 7am to noon. I checked it on my lunch break and the reservoir was still full, no leaks under the car. At last, it seems we solved the problem. But, why did I pay $44 for coolant that was never put in the system?
I called Advanced Automotive Performance and told them that the work they did was great, the belt and pump are working fine however, I was just frustrated that I paid $44 for coolant that they were supposed to provide and I wanted to give them the opportunity to make things right. They obviously seen me on the side of the road stranded and they obviously know it was because of a lack of coolant they were supposed to provide and I never even once heard them say "I'm sorry, we screwed up" No admission of guilt, no apology!... nothing! As a matter of fact, when I called Crystal and started to tell her I was disappointed in the service she got agitated with me. I told her I just wanted to give them a chance to make things right and that's when she raised her voice claiming she had cameras in her shop and she knew they put coolant in my car. Honestly, the problem is that they didn't finish the job and left one of their customers stranded with not so much as a "Sorry" After explaining that, Crystal said they 5 quart bottle of coolant and poured that in and she could verify it on camera. When I asked her how much coolant the car takes she told me 5 quarts and said that's what they put in all their cars. I told her it takes 9.5 quarts and she quickly changed her tune. She now said she put 5 quarts of full strength in, then put 4 quarts of water in so it shouldn't have been low. Then she became rude and simply said "we don't warranty customer provided parts"... um... what does coolant you provided have to do with a customer provided part? I had no problem with any of the parts I provided... I as a bit confused.I had been left stranded on the side of the road, paid for services that weren't rendered (where's the coolant I paid for?) Rather than take responsibility for the situation she continued to deflect and put blame on me or say their could have been an issue with the car before. She said there could have been a leak, but that's not possible, there were no puddles under the car and if it was missing 2 to 4 quarts (which is what it was missing) over the course of a mile of driving you know there would be coolant everywhere and smoke pouring out. The following day, I also checked the reservoir tank on my lunch break at work, no leaks there either, still full! Then she blamed my thermostat saying it could just not be opening however, how did I drive 25 miles to work this morning without it overheating? I don't know how I kept my cool with her because honestly she was demeaning, refused to listen to reason and wouldn't take responsibility that she absolutely knew was their fault. She ended the conversation by saying there's nothing I can do for you and I'm frustrated and don't want to talk to you anymore, then hung up! Avoid the headache and use someone else. If I could give them 0 stars I would! read more