DON'T EVER BUY OR HAVE YOUR VEHICLE SERVICE BY TYLER AUTOMOTIVE IN NILES, MI. This whole fiasco started in July when I bought a used AS IS 2006 Dodge Laramie with 35.9K miles on it. Before buying it my wife mentioned the tires look like they need replacing. We were assured that the tires still had a lot of wear on them and we should not be concerned. Also, a Service Mgr said he personally checked out the truck and it is a heck of a deal.
About a week later I was returning from a trip to Detroit with my grandkids when a car swerved in front me causing me to hit the brakes a little harder than normal. The whole truck shook like crazy. I thought then, it must be the rotors. Now I am not a mechanic but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to that conclusion. It took me about another 2 weeks to get it into to Tyler Automotive. I dropped the truck off at 7:30 and they had it almost the entire day. I picked it up late that afternoon. They ran thru nearly a half tank of gas but then said they found they had to replace the rear rotors and a fuel line. That was interesting, but what was more interesting is that they refused to give me any paperwork on it. I should have known then something was wrong. Well, I took the truck back and drove it for another few weeks. Most of my driving is local so I don't go over 60. You don't notice it as much until you are driving over 60. Anyway, I was up in Kalamazoo when a similar thing occurred. A car darted out in front and I hit the brakes. Damn, if the same thing didn't happen. The truck shook like crazy. Well, by now of course we were over the 30 day dealer warranty.
I called and got the truck in last Thursday 9/19/2013 to Tyler Automotive in Niles, MI. I dropped the car off and they had it the whole day. I called about 3:00 and asked about the truck. I need the truck for work on Friday. He laughed and said they had it apart and needed more time but it will take them til almost quitting time to put it back together. But, they still could not find anything wrong with the truck. They ran thru nearly a half tank of gas again. Now for me, a half tank of gas is bout $50 - $60.
Today I took the treuck into my mechanic who is well respected in the community. He had it for less than 6 hours. He changed the oil, and came up with this diagnosis. 1. The transfer case seal needed replacing. 2. The front brakes need replacing and the rotors are warped. 3. The tires which my wife tried to get the dealer to look at were wearing, rounding and rotting. they need replacing by Winter. Items 1 & 2 are costing a little over $300. Tires, my research tells me could cost upwards of $800 for the set.
So today I called the General Manager Scott Tyler and explained all this. He was sorry to hear how disappointed I was and that its possible his mechanics may have missed the problems found by my mechanic. But, he has 2 of the best GM trained mechanics in the area. When I told him his mechanics suck as they had the truck twice, cost me a tank of gas and still didn't fix the problem, well they would be glad to take another look at it at my expense of course. When I told him that I could not trust his mechanics to fix the problem because they couldn't even find the problem he told me that if my mechanic replaced the rotors and brakes and the problem is still there, my mechanic not only sucks but he ripped me off. Also, my wife and I totally misunderstood the meaning of AS IS. My understanding was that there may be minor problems with the vehicle but it would start, run and be safe to drive. We could have been killed on that highway that day if those brakes locked. He didn't care. AS IS is just that AS IS. If there are problems, you inherit them. The phrase AS IS just means that the vehicle starts and runs. If there are any mechanical problems, Oh well! This dealership does not care about your safety or the publics safety of those you encounter on the road. When that truck shook after pressing on the brakes, I thought the whole damn thing was going to come apart. I could have easily lost control of the truck and flipped it or hit another vehicle. The dealership takes no responsibility for their inept actions. If I knew I could, I'd sue the pants off of them just to prove a point about public safety. read more