Cass St did a 'tune-up' on my daughter's 2008 Prius that cost $2500 for their recommended brake and…read moreaxle replacement. As she drove home, she heard a new clicking noise. When she tried to get them to look at it on her day off, Jade refused and had her make an appt on a work day. After bringing it in, he said that the new axles had failed and they'd replace them tomorrow ... or later, 'he didn't make guarantees.' She asked if she could drive it home and back, since she'd been driving it for two weeks. He said no, but if she came a minute after 5, he'd be gone. No apology for not test-driving the car and not prioritizing a problem they caused. And when she picked it up, the click was still there.
She managed to contact the owner Randy, through whom my ex had set up the work. She brought it in and they had her drive a mechanic around to point out the noise. He heard it. Two hours later, she gets a call to drive Randy around. She comes back and a thunderstorm lets loose when he gets in the car. He pats her on the head and says that's just how Priuses sound and recommends $4000 more of work.
Meanwhile the brakes fail and catch twice on the same hill, and it loses control on the roundabouts, with the skid indicator going on in dry weather. I drive my Prius to SD and have my ex call, since they don't seem to take women seriously. I take it to Mission Hills, also owned by Randy. As I drive it there, the thumping through the floorboards is making me nervous. The service manager promises they'll do a thorough inspection but calls later and says Randy wants to look at it himself. Randy calls later and says the ABS is failing, it will be $3000 to replace it. And there was never a problem with the axles, that Jade didn't need to re-do.
When I pick it up, I ask for the paperwork on what Jade replaced and Randy sends me to Cass St. While fumbling at the keyboard, Jade says, "Just so you know, your daughter was drunk when she came to pick it up. I could smell it on her, I could see it in her eyes, she was slurring her words. I shouldn't have given her the keys. I should have called 911." I burst out laughing and said, "You mean coming from her job at a law office at 4:50 so you wouldn't leave? Thanks, I will put that in the review." He said, "Well I'll put that she was drunk in my review of your review. What else are you going to write?" I wait for the paperwork.
To conclude, we've now replaced the ABS, which can fail due to a faulty brake bleed if debris is pushed into the solenoids. That was the mechanic's theory and can be verified with a search. But the clicking was still there. A third mechanic said there was play in the axle and the boot was leaking.
On my last visit, I took it back to the second mechanic to check out. As they put it on the rack, the axle telescoped right out of the transmission! It was so fast, they didn't even catch it on camera. It had never been locked in. If that had happened while she was driving on the freeway, it could have been fatal.
I've filed a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repairs. But my complaint isn't about the work, it's about the gaslighting, harassment, demeaning attitude, insults and dismissal of my daughter. If she had been more easily intimidated out of her own experience, if she hadn't had parents with resources and tenacity, this could have ended tragically.
A man hearing a new sound on the way back from the repair shop is an attentive owner. For a woman, it's in her head, psychosomatic, hysterical, irrational. Probably looking for attention. Maybe trying to get money. Or perhaps just drunk.