Over the past eighteen months, I have been getting my brakes replaced by CarX on Lemay Ferry Road in Mehlville. The brakes needed to be replaced each time, but not due to normal wear. It was because the car mechanic was outfitting my vehicle with the wrong brake pads each and every time. This error has cost me close to $2000 in damage to my vehicle. I have copied the letter I sent to the district manager over the store I visited below. He phoned me tonight, one day after forwarding him the letter and supporting invoices asking him to reimburse me for the costs I would not have incurred if they had done my brakes correctly the first time. He claims that I have not proven how his mechanic shop's negligence created a larger issue. He suggested that I not know what I was talking about considering some brakes need to be replaced more often - mind you my brakes were just serviced for the first time ever (brake pads and rotors turned) at 51,000 miles. I have had my pads and rotors replaced twice in the last 21,000 miles. He initially told me there was nothing he could do for me since I didn't offer him the chance to correct the car initially. I took the car to the dealership considering they know their cars best and apparently CarX couldn't do it right the first several times. I advised him of this and he then offered to pay me $59.95 for the price of the lifetime brake pads on the rear axle. I advised him this was unacceptable and he advised me I would have to seek legal action to get anything out of him. I will seek legal action if necessary, but I was really trying to be diplomatic about the whole ordeal. I have never once been inappropriate or yelled at the employees of CarX; however, they refuse to work with me.
I am truly concerned. CarX is taking advantage of me and not righting the wrong they initially created. I have spent close to $2000 on my vehicle correcting problems they caused! This amount is not large in the eyes of CarX, but to a college student and a mother, it is a large sum. They're not being truthful about my brakes, so it didn't surprise me when they tried to get me to replace my shocks and struts claiming they were bad on one of my visits. According to the Subaru dealership, there is nothing wrong with my shocks or struts. My larger concern is that they put brake pads on my car that were the ones listed in their inventory system, which were obviously wrong. How many other cars are they outfitting with the wrong brake pads? The Subaru dealership informed me that if I waited much longer, my brakes could have seized altogether creating a potential accident situation.
Please help me make other people aware of this potential hazard!
Jackie K.
Letter sent on 6/16/08:
Scott Dunmann
CarX Auto Service
3560 Lemay Ferry Road
Mehlville, Missouri 63125
Mr. Dunmann:
As you have heard from the store manager of the Mehlville CarX, I have received some subpar repairs to my vehicle from this location. Over the course of eighteen months, my initial brake service has cost me an additional $1576.26. On December 9 at 51,514 miles, my rotors were resurfaced and my brake pads were replaced. Less than 6 months later, on June 6 at 58,620 miles, my rotors were deemed completely warped and needed to be replaced. Under the advice of the shop manager at the time, I purchased a set of rotors he picked out for me. I had the new rotors (Brembo rotors, drilled and slotted) installed and I opted to use the lifetime brake pads through CarX. Less than one year after I had the new rotors and pads provided by CarX installed, I took my vehicle in to Webster Groves Subaru-Isuzu-Suzuki on June 4 after hearing squeaking and smelling something burnt. The car had 72,540 miles at the time. The mechanics at Webster Groves Subaru-Isuzu-Suzuki determined that it was the brakes. When investigated further, the determined that the installed brake pads were too large for the vehicle and was causing them to bind against the rotors. They also notified me that my rotors were damaged by this and needed to be replaced. I had them replace the pads with the proper pads and advised them that I would have to wait on the rotors, as I do not have the funds this instant to replace the rotors. I do intend on ordering new rotors for the vehicle at the end of the month.
As stressed in the previous paragraph, each instance where I had the brakes replaced, CarX pads were put on the car. I had no involvement with choosing the pads. The mechanic put the pads on the vehicle - these were never after market brake pads. I have detailed a list of expenses below that I will need to be reimbursed due to the negligence of CarX:
Brake service from 12/9/06 $292.02
Brake service from 6/27/07 $224.89
Rotors for car on 6/27/07 $539.07
Subaru service on 6/4/08 $273.23
Rotors for car on 7/1/08 $539.07
Total $1868.28
In the list above, I am not calculating for taxes, shipping, rental car fees or the inconvenience of having my car repaired multiple times since the initial negligence on December 9. I feel as though reimbursing me for the costs above would be a minimal extension of customer service due to the inconvenience I have experienced.
If you need to reach me, you may contact me at (*) *-*.
Thank you
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