!!!MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE BECAUSE OF THIS MECHANIC!!!
TL;DR: My car caught on fire about an hour after receiving service from Noah. The fire originated where he was working on the car (front end). He is refusing any responsibility and insisting that it is my fault that all of this happened. He offered me no refund and is refusing to cooperate since he left me with no option but to pursue legal action in retribution of the money and tip I gave him for his "services."
I found Noah on Yelp in December of 2023, he told me to text him my name, vehicle make and model, and suspected problem. Nine days later he texted me back for a diagnostic. 22 days after that, I texted him to ask if I could add an oil change to my services, he said yes and that he would come in a couple days at 2pm (text message and photos attached). He ended up canceling last minute and didn't give me a reschedule date until I asked. It wouldn't be until a full week later that he finally came to service my car.
On Monday January 29th, 2023, he arrived ten minutes late and worked on my car for about an hour. He asked me to pull my car forward in my parking spot so he could work on it at a better angle. After about an hour, he told me he was done and to turn on the car to hear how it ran. It sounded sputtery and loud, but I figured it would calm down when I warmed it up to drive it. I didn't end up driving the car before it caught on fire as my friend picked me up to go get food (you can see in the photos my car is still pulled up in my spot as it was when I left). I'm grateful I never drove the car as it could have easily been a more dangerous situation if I had been driving it when it caught on fire.
My friend dropped me off after lunch and I went inside my apartment, about thirty minutes after getting home my neighbor frantically knocks on my door to inform me that my car is on fire. By the time I get down there the police and fire fighters were hard at work at remedying the disaster. The first question the police asked me was if I had any work done on the car. I told them Noah "fixed" my oil pan gasket, changed my oil, and worked on my snapped ABS harness. Noah arrived to the scene and acted astonished to the problem. He said he was completely clueless how anything like this could have happened. He never mentioned a refund or asked how he could remedy the situation, he only asked if I was going to pursue legal action.
At first, I wanted to give Noah the chance to reimburse me for the damage, instead he sent a formal letter insisting that it was "disturbing" and "non sensible" that the fire started how I said it did, even though there were multiple witnesses to the situation. He is now insisting that I provide detailed pictures of the car to him if I want to proceed with legal action.
Noah referred to his auto services as a "side hustle." You do not deserve a mechanic who does not devote his integrity into his work. You do not deserve a mechanic who will falsify information and contradict himself in a formal response given a week after the initial incident. You do not deserve a mechanic who is going to destroy your car and leave you in a lurch after doing so. You do not deserve a mechanic who is too immature to notice and accept responsibility in a situation multiple witnesses saw and police took report of. You do not deserve a mechanic who is going to waste your time and finally come to "fix" an issue he diagnosed almost a month prior. You do not deserve a mechanic who is not professional, intelligent, or lacking expertise. You do not deserve a mechanic who is looking for a quick buck and is willing to put you and others in danger to receive it. You deserve someone better than Noah Osmon. read more