Need help getting back at a shady shop!

Long story short, a shop did some shady work and I want to get as much of my money back as I can before I decide if I want to report them to the Bureau of Automotive Repair.
I need some help to determine the extent of their negligence.

(Long story, long)
I posted this thread about the shop leaving my center bearing support bracket loose on my driveshaft after they replaced the seal on my extension housing. They also replaced my upper and lower radiator hoses, the serpentine belt, and installed new front brake pads and rotors.

I had been hearing odd noise since they did the work on the truck as well. A loud clunk when going in and out of driveways, over speed bumps, and when braking and coming to a stop. I posted some videos of it here. I bought the truck fairly recently and had only had it a week or so before they did the work on it, when it made the noise upon picking it up, I assumed maybe it came with the truck and I had missed it before (I was wrong!).

I brought the truck back to them and confronted them about their terrible work with the driveshaft. They fixed it and agreed to refund the money for the driveshaft parts and labor.
I thought my story was over and I had a marginally happy ending.

But the plot thickens!
Now that I've driven the truck after they fixed their mistake, the noise from the wheel wells is also gone!

I have a meeting with the shop manager on Monday to get my refund for the driveshaft bullshit. I want to go in there and get my money back for the brake job as well since its apparent that they also went in and fixed some sloppy work they did their also, but I need some info about what could have been wrong that was fixed.

Were my calipers just bouncing around down there?
What could they have done to cause the issue and then turn around and solve it?

Can anybody help me out with this? What's the best course of action going forward?

 

Need some clarification. What noise from the wheel wells are you referring to? You kind of lost me.

 

Sorry, I was trying to be clear, but apparently I didn't do as well as I thought. There was a noise from the wheel wells referenced in this post. It would clunk whenever going down driveways, over speed bumps, when braking or coming to a stop.

Edited the original post, hopefully it's more clear now.

 

Your issues are repaired, you are getting a refund for the driveshaft work, cut your losses, walk away and never go back there.

 

The fact that they made the driveshaft right and offered to refund you for the work shows that a tech made a mistake but the shop is actually going above and beyond to make you whole and to do right by you. I think you are making a lot of assumptions and if you walk in and meet with the owner, manager or whomever you are with that attitude I suspect you won’t even get the money for the driveshaft back.
The reality is that they didn’t have to help you at all. If I discovered that a tech that worked for me had done shoddy work then I would go over everything that was done to ensure I protected my business and livelihood. If this is the case and they did make something else that was wrong right then you should be thankful that they appear to be doing all they can to insure you got what you paid for. To offer to fully refund you for the driveshaft is going well over what they are required.
I would go in. Take the refund. Thank them for making it right and be on your merry way.

 

Kind of hard to tell from the vid, but my guess is they installed the spring tensioners correctly on the pads. Again, it's just a guess. I have a hard time believing they did not tighten both calipers after doing the brake job. But distractions do happen.

If you don't have time to do the work yourself, you kind of have no recourse. Even great shops have bad repair outcomes.

I'd rather work with them to make the repairs satisfactory. You get to learn and they get to have a happy customer that will not bad mouth them, too bad.

 

Thanks Jay, Citron, koditten, I hadn't really considered that. Jay I guess I was feeling really pissed about the danger they put me and my family in with their mistake, but I admit you've got a point, they are trying to make it right. I do feel shitty about paying so much money for their poor work though, but your perspectives are definitely more reasonable. Thanks guys.

 

No worries man. I get it, I have been in your shoes with the same perspective. As a business owner I also understand how sometimes the people you employ can put you in a bad position also. It does not make the shop exempt of the responsibility they have by any means but also in this case it sounds like they are taking it as seriously as you are. You can for sure let them know how you feel and the concerns you have but they cannot change what happened. Unfortunately most of the time it’s not about the mistake but what is done to make it right and in this case it sounds like they are doing what they can to do right by you. Just take a deep breath before you go in.

 

Thank you for the advice. I'll remember the work they did to make it right when I head in there. Guess I needed to cool it for a bit and get my head on straight. Thanks man, I appreciate it.

 

I will give an example. I used to be a Ford Master Mechanic, so I know what I am doing. One day in the woods, I had a stick puncture the sidewall of some new Cooper ATs. While putting on the spare, a buddy was chatting with me. I put the spare on, set the truck off the jack, and due to the distraction, forgot to torque the lug nuts down. Driving home with a full load of firewood, I felt the back end start wobbling going around a hairpin corner. Pulled over and the tire had nearly fallen off, one lug nut was completely missing. Mistakes happen. Hope that helps.

 

It does help. This is a shop I've been going to for a very long time and I've got a good relationship with the manager. I guess I was too busy being pissed to see that they were trying to fix their mistake. Glad I was able to get some clarity on here first.

 

I've been burned by more than one shop with bad repairs. I find it's easier to let things go and move on. Sh*t happens, it's part of life. How you respond and deal with these situations makes all the difference.

 

You are completely justified in being upset. It was a terrible job by a shop or technician you paid good money to because you wanted the issue fixed and not have to worry about it again. I understand your frustration. That being said, go to them as you are doing and give them the chance to make it right, whether that means a refund or going over the truck again to correct the mistakes made by the mechanic who originally worked on it.

I also think there is nothing wrong with leaving a calm, professional sounding review that explains and details your experience. It could be helpful for people who are looking for local shops. There is no need to trash them, simply explain what happened and what they did to address the issue. If I were looking for a shop, I would find value in a review like that.

I have learned the hard way that fighting fire with fire is not worth it. As others have said, just do not go back. That is the best form of revenge you can get.

 

Thanks for weighing in tacokarl. The feedback on this thread has been really helpful in figuring out the best way to handle this situation.

 

At least you have an entity to go to with such problems. In NH, you're on your own. You can fight it out with a civil lawsuit or go to the news for help. NH - Live Free or Die (by accident).

 

Just one reason I always do all of my brake work. Pads, rotors, etc...it's all pretty straightforward work, and you're only exchanging time for money.

YouTube is a fantastic resource on how to do jobs! Recommend buying a set of metric (only) tools to start, then add additional specialized tools you need to do future jobs. You'll end up with a larger bank account, and you'll know the job was done correctly.

Now after watching the YouTube video you decide you don't want to tackle that job, then take it to a shop.

 

It's very possible your clunking was also driveshaft related, noises under vehicles when moving are notoriously hard to trace sometimes. A driveshaft slip joint sticking could easily make a clunk in the scenarios you describe.

 

Finding good mechanics is tough nowadays. The youngsters aren’t interested in this type of manual work anymore.

 

When you go in, since it appears they trying to do right by you, just ask the manager if they could put the truck on the lift and go over everything they did and to double check everything so you have peace of mind when you leave. The refund and that I feel is very reasonable ask.

 

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