So the dark lady went in for a 60k mile check up about a year ago (April 2013). During that service, they noticed the right front rotor was scored badly and recommended resurfacing the rotor and replacing pads. As a matter of habit, I have never liked the idea of cutting rotors (thinner, faster to heat, easier to warp, etc.). So, I asked them to simply replace the front rotors entirely. Now I've been back to the dealer for regular service six times since then and each time, the supposed checks they did came back as all green with the last visit being December.
Well yesterday was the first time I was there outside of the pre-paid maintenance contract I had with the dealer (long story, won't do it again). No biggie, pay them for the 85,000 mile check up. Not having much of anything else to do, I wander around the dealership and end up seeing my truck on the lift. Shit goes down hill real quick from here. First, I notice these guys using an impact wrench to remove the access panel on the skid plate. That quickly turns into removing the entire skid plate. I see them drain the oil and install a new filter, then button everything up and drive the truck around to the waiting area for pickup. They page me to say the truck is done but, curiously, this time around, they tell me my front pads are down to 2mm and that the rotors are scored again. I go to look at the truck and realize that the right front rotor looks to be scored EXACTLY like it was a year ago (I have a weird thing for recognizing patterns and right angles). This wouldn't by itself be totally out of reason except for the fact I've only put 25,000 miles on the truck since new pads and rotors were supposedly put on the truck. But, the work history on the truck says the rotors were not replaced. Instead, supposedly the right front was resurfaced.
Now the service advisor calls the techs to ask if they actually measured the pads and confirms they were measured at 2mm via guage...Mind you that as recently as December (5000 miles ago) those same pads were at or above 5mm (green). Still, the service advisor tells me that since the rotors were resurfaced last time around, they'd recommend replacing them this time and that I'd need to drop $531.25 (2xrotors@$125each, pads@$100, $150 shop fee, tax) for them to do it.
The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up but, brakes are a safety issue so I decide the best course of action is to do the work but, I don't trust the dealer to do it at this point. So I go back to the parts department to buy the parts because the guy has already confirmed they have them in providing the quote. Buying the parts over the counter saves me $75 vs the prices the service department quoted. So now I'm debating between taking the truck to a trusted friend or home to do the brakes myself. My blood pressure was a little high at this point but it was going to get a hell of a lot higher in short order.
Decided to take the truck to my friend's auto shop thinking that this moment didn't need to be the first time I did a brake job on this truck myself. I trust him and his techs for my other vehicles and I'll save another $50 over the $150 shop fee at the dealer. So up the truck goes on his lift. The first thing I notice is my skidplate access panel is missing three bolts and the fourth is stripped...That's why they took off the entire skidplate for an oil change! Now off come the wheels and it really looks like the right front rotor has never been touched by anything other than the pads that are on the truck. So we take the pads off...They measure 7mm, not 2mm. Overall condition suggests they are the original factory pads...They look like they've got 85,000 miles on them. We take the right front rotor off...Scored as discussed but, run out is in spec and thickness mics within 0.0005 of the brand new rotor. Same story on the other side. And now I'm pissed.
Went back to the dealer. My service advisor has gone home in the 90 minutes since I left to install the new parts that I really didn't need. So I ask for a manager and demand that someone fix the skidplate...NOW! I'm struggling to avoid being the loud, angry, black dude because that won't go well with the local PD. Continue on to tell the Service Manager I think he's got a thief and a liar among his techs as I'm told the guy who supposedly did the brakes last year is "the veteran" guy. Well, I've got a rotor and pads that suggest whoever looked at the truck yesterday is a lying little shit hoping to get a brake job in by saying the pads were at 2mm rather than 7mm and the guy who supposedly resurfaced a rotor last year is likely both a liar and a thief because I'm not convinced he would have replaced the rotor and then claimed to have resurfaced it. Instead, I think he just claimed to do, and charged me for, work that was never never done.
The service drive manager made the guys replace the hardware on the access panel. He then asked to take my pads to show them to his boss and I guess the boss of the techs who worked on my truck. He took my name, VIN, a copy of the truck's work history, and my cell number. I had other appointments to make and I sure as hell wasn't leaving my truck there so as soon as they got the skidplate fixed, I had to split. My thing right now is I'm trying to decide where to go from here. I certainly will never trust them with the truck again but, I'm trying to decide if I just try to address this with Autonation or do I file a formal complaint with the state. I don't want money out of it but, it seems like someone's head or heads need to roll. I'm all for bowling with said heads but, I'm pretty sure that if I did that, the popo might take issue with me lopping off the heads of a dealership full of people over a fake brakejob.
Well yesterday was the first time I was there outside of the pre-paid maintenance contract I had with the dealer (long story, won't do it again). No biggie, pay them for the 85,000 mile check up. Not having much of anything else to do, I wander around the dealership and end up seeing my truck on the lift. Shit goes down hill real quick from here. First, I notice these guys using an impact wrench to remove the access panel on the skid plate. That quickly turns into removing the entire skid plate. I see them drain the oil and install a new filter, then button everything up and drive the truck around to the waiting area for pickup. They page me to say the truck is done but, curiously, this time around, they tell me my front pads are down to 2mm and that the rotors are scored again. I go to look at the truck and realize that the right front rotor looks to be scored EXACTLY like it was a year ago (I have a weird thing for recognizing patterns and right angles). This wouldn't by itself be totally out of reason except for the fact I've only put 25,000 miles on the truck since new pads and rotors were supposedly put on the truck. But, the work history on the truck says the rotors were not replaced. Instead, supposedly the right front was resurfaced.
Now the service advisor calls the techs to ask if they actually measured the pads and confirms they were measured at 2mm via guage...Mind you that as recently as December (5000 miles ago) those same pads were at or above 5mm (green). Still, the service advisor tells me that since the rotors were resurfaced last time around, they'd recommend replacing them this time and that I'd need to drop $531.25 (2xrotors@$125each, pads@$100, $150 shop fee, tax) for them to do it.
The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up but, brakes are a safety issue so I decide the best course of action is to do the work but, I don't trust the dealer to do it at this point. So I go back to the parts department to buy the parts because the guy has already confirmed they have them in providing the quote. Buying the parts over the counter saves me $75 vs the prices the service department quoted. So now I'm debating between taking the truck to a trusted friend or home to do the brakes myself. My blood pressure was a little high at this point but it was going to get a hell of a lot higher in short order.
Decided to take the truck to my friend's auto shop thinking that this moment didn't need to be the first time I did a brake job on this truck myself. I trust him and his techs for my other vehicles and I'll save another $50 over the $150 shop fee at the dealer. So up the truck goes on his lift. The first thing I notice is my skidplate access panel is missing three bolts and the fourth is stripped...That's why they took off the entire skidplate for an oil change! Now off come the wheels and it really looks like the right front rotor has never been touched by anything other than the pads that are on the truck. So we take the pads off...They measure 7mm, not 2mm. Overall condition suggests they are the original factory pads...They look like they've got 85,000 miles on them. We take the right front rotor off...Scored as discussed but, run out is in spec and thickness mics within 0.0005 of the brand new rotor. Same story on the other side. And now I'm pissed.
Went back to the dealer. My service advisor has gone home in the 90 minutes since I left to install the new parts that I really didn't need. So I ask for a manager and demand that someone fix the skidplate...NOW! I'm struggling to avoid being the loud, angry, black dude because that won't go well with the local PD. Continue on to tell the Service Manager I think he's got a thief and a liar among his techs as I'm told the guy who supposedly did the brakes last year is "the veteran" guy. Well, I've got a rotor and pads that suggest whoever looked at the truck yesterday is a lying little shit hoping to get a brake job in by saying the pads were at 2mm rather than 7mm and the guy who supposedly resurfaced a rotor last year is likely both a liar and a thief because I'm not convinced he would have replaced the rotor and then claimed to have resurfaced it. Instead, I think he just claimed to do, and charged me for, work that was never never done.
The service drive manager made the guys replace the hardware on the access panel. He then asked to take my pads to show them to his boss and I guess the boss of the techs who worked on my truck. He took my name, VIN, a copy of the truck's work history, and my cell number. I had other appointments to make and I sure as hell wasn't leaving my truck there so as soon as they got the skidplate fixed, I had to split. My thing right now is I'm trying to decide where to go from here. I certainly will never trust them with the truck again but, I'm trying to decide if I just try to address this with Autonation or do I file a formal complaint with the state. I don't want money out of it but, it seems like someone's head or heads need to roll. I'm all for bowling with said heads but, I'm pretty sure that if I did that, the popo might take issue with me lopping off the heads of a dealership full of people over a fake brakejob.
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