This Service Department is reckless and purposely endangers the lives of their customers. I have brought my car here several times for the same problem, air conditioning not working properly with a strong super-glue like odor coming from the vents.
On each visit, they do the exact same thing, park my car out back for a couple of days (while they do the commission-paying jobs first) then call me to say, "We topped off the refrigerant and did a software update, there's nothing wrong with it." A few minutes after I leave their shop the smell returns and the A/C still malfunctions. I take the car back and they do the exact same thing again. A 2019 newly purchased vehicle should not require having the refrigerant topped off repeatedly. If that is the case, then obviously there is a leak.
This disgusting odor has been in my car for the past 5-6 months. The odor that they claim they never smell has made my family and me physically sick. My five-year-old daughter has vomited in the car because of the smell. My family and I have experienced headaches, sore throat, burning eyes, cough and pain in the chest (probably lung issue), dizziness, nausea, and a strange taste remains in our mouths from inhaling this poison.
On 3/22/22, I took my car back and met with service advisor, Omar. I tell him how disgusting the smell is, how it is affecting me/my family and how long this has been going on; this is what he writes on the Service Order "Customer states A/C has a faint smell coming into cabin" (see attached picture). He purposely minimized my concerns so that his technician would put in the least amount of effort to find the problem. Then he has the nerve to tell me, "This time we will do a thorough inspection." Meaning what, that the previous times I took it in they did not do a thorough inspection?! So you wasted my time on previous visits and blatantly lied to me?!
Omar did not hesitate to say in an annoyed tone of voice "if there is a leak in the evaporator, it is an 8 hour job." If that is what it takes then that is what they need to do! No, not this place. If it does not involve a cash-payment, they will invest little time in finding the problem. I also overheard one technician say to another just a few feet away from me, "we don't make money off of warranty work." I could not believe what I was hearing. These people are only concerned with the repairs that will benefit them than to ensure that a customer that paid 42k for one of their POS's is not being intentionally poisoned by a leaking chemical.
Omar calls me on 3/23/22 to tell me that there is nothing wrong with my A/C, the technician does not smell anything and no refrigerant was added. No surprise there as that is what probably caused the leak to begin with, constant overfilling of refrigerant. They could care less that they are intentionally poisoning people. However, he had no problem telling me that they can spray deodorizer in the vents to mask the smell, but I would have to pay for it. Yes, why not make a few extra bucks off of someone even when a serious problem persists. Amazing!
I told Omar that if the chemical odor is still present I would not accept the car until they fix it. Without telling me, he has the technician spray deodorizer (this time at no cost) into my vents so that I would not leave my car there. Now, I am inhaling baby-powdered scented poison. Why would he have the technician spray deodorizer if there was no odor? I also asked Omar if they checked the A/C with a "Sniffer" (device goes into the vents and tests for leaks) and he again had the nerve to tell me "they DID NOT use the sniffer because they found no reason to use it." Are you kidding me??!!!!! They will BS people until the warranty expires and THEN they will be able to diagnose the problem for a couple thousand dollars. Unbelievable!
I opened the hood of my car and that natural layer of dust that forms over the engine compartment was completely untouched as if no one bothered to look under the hood. Yet Omar claims that they checked the HVAC system, sensors and all this other BS yet my engine compartment is completely untouched. Again, proof that they did absolutely nothing to diagnose the problem.
My wife and I have decided to have our family examined by Kaiser for chemical poisoning and any physiological damage. I have had a sore throat for approximately six weeks. My wife and daughter no longer ride in the car and if I need to run the air conditioning, I have to roll down the windows. I will be looking to speak with an attorney and will be filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau, The Bureau of Automotive Repair, Consumer Affairs, and The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Automotive Fraud Unit. If they want to play with the health and safety of my family, then I WILL make every attempt to expose their deceptive practices and if need be, pursue legal action. read more