Well, where do I start. My husband and I moved up here on military orders, as he is in the Army. After I gave birth to our daughter, we were badly in need of a vehicle that would accomodate at least 6 passangers.
We went to Cal Worthingtons, as they were having "great" deals on their vehicles. They were so accomidating, seeming to fully understand our needs, found us the "perfect" vehicle. It was a used Dodge Grand Caravan SE.
More like the vehicle from hell! Soon after the purchase was made, we heard a sound like the tire was flat... It wasn't, and the tires were fine, but as I am the primary driver, my husband got all new tires for safety. The sound never went away, it just got louder.
Then, when driving at low speeds (all the time as we live on post), the van would start acting like it was going to stall.
Hubby brought it in for an oil change, and they discovered it was leaking what we thought was transmission fluid.
So we called Cal Worthington, as we had purchased a warrenty through them, and set up a time to drop off our vehicle. This was the end of September in Alaska. My husband was very detailed in our concerns, and what we wanted checked out (i.E. The weird flat tire sound, the leaking fluid, the almost stalling, etc.) We were contacted the next day and informed that our rack and pinion (SP?) was "gone", and they would replace it and have it back to us in a week.
Great, as it was getting cold, and I have 4 kids, two that go to school, and I was walking them to and from school everyday (along with a two year old, and at the time 9 month old).
We called them after two weeks, and we were informed that our van was ready, but the check engine light had come on, and why hadn't we informed them of this when we dropped it off? Um, perhaps because it wasn't on!!! The guy was really rude, and said that they would let us know the next morning what was going on. Ok, we have been without for two weeks, what is 1 more day?
Week 3: Still no van, and we have been calling, and nobody can tell us what is going on. When hubby finally gets a hold of someone, he is informed that it was dropped off at another dealership, as a code that they did not have came up when the van was tested.
We contacted the other dealership, and were informed that the throttle body and the throttle body sensor were bad, and would have to be replaced. They had already started working on the vehicle, and we would be called when it was ready (the weather has gotten cold, rainy and windy, and I am still walking, as we don't have another vehicle.)
Week 7: October 31st has rolled around. Mind you, it has already snowed several times now... Still walking. Finally, our van is done! Now, you would think they might be willing to wave the $200 deductable, and give us our van back, after all it has been 7 weeks.
NOPE. We are told they can pay half, but as it really was out of their hands (as the other dealership THEY brought my van to took so long), and we had to pay them to get our van back. We are a family of 6 living on the military pay scale in Alaska. Yeah, we have soooo much cash laying around.
When we did get it back, the weird tire sound was even louder than it was before we dropped it off. I called, and was informed that they did what they could, and the tire sound was never mentioned. But I was "more than welcome to being it in and they would have a look."
Are they kidding me? We are in winter here, and after the van was in their "care" for so long the last time, I am afraid to bring it back... I may never see it again!
I believe they sold us a van that they knew was unsafe and had some very serious problems. They are now refusing to acknowledge they had our vehicle for that long, and did nothing to make the time they had it any easier. Plus, they chose which repairs to make, and left the rest...
Chris, a VERY rude employee (Service Rep.) was really derrogitory towards me and said that perhaps I should speak with my husband and get more informed, and then call back.
We were screwed, help!!! What do we do? I am terrified to put my kids in this van, as I am not sure what that sound is (Worthington said to look for a rock or nail... Duh, did that before we brought it in!!!)
What can I do? Please help us. We really do not have the money to go out and buy another vehicle, but are looking anyway, because we feel it is a safety issue now.
Kristine
Fort Richardson, Alaska
U.S.A.
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