To complaint:
Finding reputable and reliable automotive service for one's vehicle has never been easy. The auto repair industry is notorious in general for charging high prices, providing substandard service and sometimes seriously damaging an individual's vehicle to make more of a profit. Having said that there are exceptions to this rule of mechanics who take pride in their professional work and providing excellent service to customers.
As a person of modest financial means I had relied on my 1968 4-door Dodge Dart to get around. I had purchased the car from a friend and it only had 42,000 miles on it. For a long time it had been kept in storage by previous owner.
I've had to replace the brakes, tires, pumps, etc. On the vehicle but the transmission and engine were in very good condition. Recently, I made the mistake of taking it to get an oil change at Jiffy Lube located at 17390 on Route 1 in Dumfries, Virginia. Jiffy Lube "specializes" in changing the oil and other fluids in a vehicle.
Despite telling the Jiffy Lube service attendant I only wanted an oil change he persisted in trying to sell me numerous other services which if I had purchased would have cost me hundreds of dollars. I told him I wanted just an oil change. The service person than told me I had a leak in a gasket and it was leaking transmission fluid. I told him I had experienced no problems whatsoever with my car and if I did I would take note of it.
I got my oil change from Jiffy Lube and the next day my steering wheel became hard to turn. So, I took it to Quantico Service Station located at 18434 Jefferson Davis Hwy.in Triangle, Virginia which is in Prince William County. A friend of mine had gone to Quantico Service Station once before and received expensive but satisfactory service. On his recommendation I took my vehicle to Quantico Service Station.
The Service Advisor Bud Ritts called me a few days later and told me the problem was fixed. I just had a loose belt and the charge would be around $70.00. As I paid for the repair Mr. Ritts informed me the Jiffy Lube I had previously went to had overfilled my automatic transmission fluid and Quantico Service Station had been good enough to drain it to normal levels. He also asked me how much I paid for an oil change at Jiffy Lube and I told him. He informed me Quantico Service Station provided oil change service at a much more reasonable cost and to bring my car there for oil changes.
The Service Advisor Bud Ritts then walked me to my car and wanted me to make sure the steering felt better. I told him it did. Less than a mile away my transmission began to give out.
I had to push my foot almost all the way down on the pedal in drive gear just to get the car to move and it was straining to do so. Soon after smoke began to come out underneath the hood and finally my car would drive no longer. As I pulled over on the side of the road I tried one last time to drive my car and it started to roll backwards as I accelerated in drive gear.
The transmission in my car had been permanently damaged. Although I had never had any previous problems with the transmission in my vehicle and it ran very smooth because it was an old vehicle it would make it more difficult to make a civil suit against Quantico Service Station they destroyed my tansmission. Besides, I don't have the money to hire a lawyer to try sue this service station.
After walking from my ditched vehicle back to Quantico Service Station I confronted Service Advisor Mr. Ritts and a few of the other mechanics. I told them what had happenned to my car and that they were incompetents if they didn't tow my car back to the station and repair what they had damaged free of charge. Eventually, Mr. Ritts told me to get out of his store and he felt about ready to hit me. I told him if he did that I would return the favor.
Mr. Ritts called the Prince William County Police. I left the premises and shortly afetwards an officer spotted me and we talked. I explained the situation to her. The officer went back to Quantico Service Station and the station was agreeable to towing my car back to their place and looking at it.
A few hours later I receive a call from Mr. Ritts informing me my car has been checked out and the problem was a hole in the transmission line. I go to pick up my car and I ask if its possible they can go with a test drive with me to make sure the car is running okay. The answer is no. I inquire if a ticket had been written up explaining what the problem was and again the answer was negative.
I knew as soon as I pulled out of the lot I would know they had done nothing to fix the car. And sure enough I was right.
The auto repair industry needs to clean up its act. Many of the stores operate like a mafia like network. You take your car to one place and they may fix your problem but they cause another mechanical problem so you have to take your vehicle to another place. Vehicles are expensive enough as it is to maintain with normal wear and tear without a bunch of sheisters and incompetents damaging your vehicle.
Due to Jiffy Lube minorly damaging my car and Quantico Service Station destroying my transmission either intentionally or through sheer incompetence I no longer have a vehicle and probably won't for awhile.
Michael
Title of report: Auto repair industry like the mafia
Names of Rip-Off businesses
Jiffy Lube 17390 Jeff Davis Hwy. Dumfries, Virginia (703) 221-7621
Quantico Service Station (listed as member of International Automotive Technician Network)
18434 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Triangle, Virginia 22172
Michael
Triangle, Virginia
U.S.A.
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