On Tuesday, May 24th, I took my vehicle to Sal's Auto Repair to have my car checked since my check engine light came on. I have managed to maintain proper vehicle maintenance, so I had no idea what the issue could be.
I asked Sal if he could complete a diagnostic test to determine what was wrong with my vehicle and focus on primary areas of concern. Sal called me later and mentioned four significant issues that I agreed for him to take care of if they were the only issues of concern due to the considerable price for service.
Two days later, I went to Sal's shop to pick up my vehicle. At the time, I was told that my car was in great condition and that it should continue to run well with proper care and maintenance. The next day, I attempted to start my car, but it would not crank. After trying again, my car started, but the check engine light was back on. I immediately called Sal asking what the issue could be, considering I had just picked up my vehicle from his shop. He told me to return my car and assured me that the issue would be handled.
After not hearing back for a couple of hours, I called to find out what could be wrong with my car. I was told that there was a cracked head gasket amongst other things. I asked Sal why the MAJOR issue was not mentioned before spending $800 on the less severe problems. He responded that "these things happen".
I went to the shop to discuss how we could resolve the problem without being dismissive and leaving me in a complicated situation. When I arrived, Sal attempted to hand me the keys after saying, "I'm sure you're not happy." I asked that we speak about this problem. After a lengthy discussion that seemed redundant, Mike- the mechanic that worked on my vehicle, mentioned that HE DID NOT THOROUGHLY CHECK MY CAR. He stated that he only focused on the cords because that's the first thing he noticed, and he had seen most Camry's have similar issues.
I responded by stating that overlooking this major issue led to me spending money on services that could have been taken care of later. Sal said he would get a better-equipped mechanic to look over my car and figure out a solution. Mike also said that he would add the sealant "blue devil" to the head gasket since he didn't thoroughly look at it before.
On June 1st, Sal called to tell me that I would need to pay an additional $200 for the sealant to get added to my head gasket. I was under the impression that the mechanic would add the sealant at no additional cost since he offered the service and admitted to overlooking the issue.
Because I had already spent a significant amount of money on the other repairs, I could not afford for them to apply the sealant. In addition to the extra costs, the lack of transparency and dishonesty led me to take my vehicle home until I could find someone to provide the proper repairs. Since bringing my car home, it has not started and seems to be in worse condition than before.
I trusted Sal's Auto Repair because I was referred to the company by AAA and had gone to the shop before for minor repairs. Considering the financial strains, I would have prioritized fixing something significant before settling to work on something meaningless in terms of having a working vehicle.
Sal, please focus on being more open to listening to your customer's grievances, acknowledging your mistakes, and providing the service that you would want to receive.
Respectfully,
Unsatisfied Customer read more