I spoke to Stefin an employee at Meineke Car Care and Econo Lube #4130 in Stockton CA, 6970 West Lane, 95210, at 209-473-4503 concerning my 1997 BMW 740i. I told Stefin that I was on SSI and I wanted to fix my car the cheapest way possible he said ok he would work with me because Im disable.
I told Stefin that my front lift side tire was wobbling. Stefin wrote the work order up as the front end shook, that is not what I told Stefin I told Stefin my drivers side front wheel wobbles and the passenger front side wheel is ok and it do not wobble or shake, no problems with the passenger side front wheel.
Stefin wanted to take a diagnostic test. I paid $79.00 for a diagnostic test on my car that cannot be aligned due to steering/suspension failure, so the work order states that the failure of any part that cannot be aligned do to the (steering/suspension) failed to work, you will not be charged $79.00 and that fee will be waived (see attachment A-1-
a at the bottom of the page in memo, so I am supposed to pay $45.00 instead of $79.00. I am due $34.00 because my car failed steering / suspension test. Stefin said that rule did not apply to me and refused to return my $34.00. Stefin ran a diagnostic test for both sides of the front end of my car. Stefin called me on the telephone and told me the price for fixing my car would be ($1,519.00) (see attachment A-2) for both sides of the front end (Suspension). I would rather have the entire right wheel fixed first than to have to repair two problems at the same time.
If Stefin fixed the wheel suspension first I would not have had a problem with the center link or visa versa. I did not request to remove and replace the center link and replace the right front outer tie rod which was Stefin recommendations that I do replace these parts (see attachment a-1a).
I was taking Stefins advice by trusting Stefin with his knowledge and skills of being an certified auto mechanic. I did not know anything about center links and it`s parts nor do I know anything about suspensions and it`s parts until I have had this problem.
How could I request any parts to be replaced on my car when I don`t anything about whats going on underneath my car? I could not understand why the price was so high because I told Stefin I only wanted the drivers side fixed o I asked him how much was it to fix the drivers side front wheel he came up with $826.75 I agreed and thats exactly what I expected to be fixed. He did not tell me the price was for both sides until I asked him is that price just for one side to be fixed he said no it was for both sides. I had already told Stefin once that I was on SSI and no way could I pay that amount all at once. I asked Stefin why would you want to fix something that does not need fixing?
Nothing was wrong with the passenger front tire I told him again I was on SSI and I could not afford the price for both sides. I gave the shop my whole $800.00 SSI check for nothing.in addition, I told Stefin that I wanted only one side of my car repaired and that was the drivers side front wobbling tire.
Therefore, he came up with something else he said that my center bar needed to be replaced. The center bar did not need to be replaced because if the center bar was bad the passenger side front tire would have been shaking just like the drivers side, the center bar was not bad, and that should have told Stefin that the center bar was good because the passenger side front tire was not shaking nor wobbling. The half ass job Stefin done on my car made my front tire
wobble worse.
I took my car back to the shop the same day several times and they kept given me all kinds of excuses why my
tire was still wobbling. The same day I picked up my car I took it back to them and told them that the tire was wobbling worse. Stefin requested that I get my tires balanced, I had to pay separately to get my tires balanced $45.00 (see
date on wheel balanced) (See attachment AAA-), after paying $800.00 to get work done on my front end only to make it worse than it was when before I first brought my car to the shop. I would think that when you get work done on the
front end, a balancing of tires should be included to see if the front end stills wobble after getting work done on my front end, why wouldnt they include the balancing with the suspension work? And I had to pay to get my tires balanced. How would you know if the front end is fixed without the tires being balanced or aligned? That job should have been a part of the steering and suspension job.
I asked Stefin to put the old center bar that they took off my car in the trunk; I always keep my old parts that have been replaced with new ones so I could take the old part and get a second opinion to see if the center link is really bad. Stefin said he would put the center bar in my trunk, but he never did. When he let me look at the center bar he took off my car, that center bar was in good shape to me, it looked like new. Now they misplaced the part, or they cannot find it. That $800.00 was supposed to go toward fixing all the parts on the inside of my driver side front tire instead of doing a half as job, knowing that I will be bringing my car back to them so they could charge me $1,426.80 to replace just the front
lower control arm and the front radius lower arm which is less than a $100.00 from the price Stefin gave me to fix the entire front end for only replacing two parts for $1,426.80.
Stefin did a half ass job and they did not want to work on my car anymore. Stefin is responsible for doing a half ass job and Stefin knew that my car was not fixed because all the parts to the inside tire was not replaced, and Stefin intentionally set me up to spend more money on my car than needed because Stefin knew by replacing 2 part on the inside whell that my tire would still be wobbling after they finished putting on the two parts. Stefin refuse to tell me that my tire would still be wobbling after replacing the parts. Stefin had me thinking that my car would be working fine after replacing the part in the wheel. Stefin knew that I needed the front lower control arm and the front radius lower arm, but Stefin choose not to do the right thing by not replacing all the main parts on the suspension, Stefin knew that
replacing the parts he replaced was not going to fix the problem and Stefin knew I would be returning my car to them to have me spend more money at which Stefin is charging me $1,426.80 to replace the two parts (see attachment A-4),
and these parts was cheaper than the parts Stefin replaced
I would have had better results had Stefin replaced all the parts to the inside suspension like I asked him to do in the beginning instead of having me think I needed a center link because the only difference is when Stefin replaced the center link it made the wobbling worse. That was a bad call on Stefins part because Stefin is the certified mechanic and Stefin is supposed to know the things that makes parts fully work or not to work correctly. Stefin did a half ass job on my car by replacing only two parts on the inside tire that requires 4-6 parts to be replaced for the tire to stop wobbling.
Stefin put the center bar on my car which is one piece by itself the center bar did not need any other parts to make it whole and work correctly, the center bar did not need fixing any way. The driver front inside tire has 4-6 parts to make it whole and to make the tire stop wobbling, when you repair any part that requires a certain number of other parts to make that part whole and to make the part work right and correctly common sense would tell you to fix the entire part that has other parts to make it work right and correctly, you don`t just fix half of a suspension problem if you do you will still have the same problem. Why would they want to fix half of the suspension problem? They only replaced one of the 6 parts on the inside of the tire knowing that it takes all 6 parts to be replaced to stop the wobbling.
Therefore, they knew that my tire was still going to wobble when they only replaced two parts, and they did not even tell me my tire was going to wobble when I picked up my car. Now they want to charge me almost $1,426.80 just to replace the other two parts which is more than the first half of the job.
They took advantage of me getting money from me for work done on my car that did not need fixing. Also, if they fixed
what I asked them to fix my tire would be working fine right now. As a car mechanic they knew that I was going to have the same problem when they finished doing what they did, why would the shop even work on a problem when they know that the problem would not be fixed and not working correctly after replacing only some of the parts? In addition, they knew that the part would not work. Stefin also stated that the bushings have play and the passenger right side ball joints have play, if the ball joints had play like the driver`s side have play why the passenger side tire dont wobble? The front right side of my car wheel does not wobble or shake they never did, I have no problems on the front right side wheel of my car. Stefin made that statement, only to charge more money for something that don`t need fixing.
I also had Meineke replace my water pump and they broke the top part of my radiator vent hose fitting and they said that the top part of my radiator vent hose fitting was already broken and they wanted me to pay for they mistake, lucky for me I had taken several pictures of my motor and I took the pictures of the radiator vent hose fitting intact to the shop and showed them the part that they broke was not broken when I took my car into them. They looked at me and said oh you got pictures of that part. I said yes I do (see attached pictures of broken radiator vent hose fitting) (see attachment A-3).
Consequently, to clean up their act they said they would fix the part as a courtesy. That person Stefin is dishonest and he is a crock. Stefin does not need to be in a position to help people with their cars Stefin is dishonest, takes advantage of disable people, Stefin is no good (See attachment A-3 with 2 pictures) before and after. Also (see attachment A-3-1) where it states what they found on the cool diagnostic test, no findings of top of radiator broken and leaking during
diagnostic test as stated.
I also believe Stefin over charged me for the repairs of fixing my water pump. These 2 attached photos of the radiator
vent hose fitting and the water pump repair job are to show the dishonesty, unfairness, FRAUDULENT practices, unconscionable practices and unconscionable conduct of Stefin in auto shop repair practices. I 0also have a video CD showing the have ass job Stefin performed on my car. I had to take my car back and have them do the job correct. All the parts were loose and shaking (see CD). If Stefin is practicing all these wrong doings to me I know he must be doing it to other people or he is prejudiced towards me.
I just noticed something while I was high lighting the picture of the steering gear and the picture of the front suspension. I notice that the steering gear has several parts on it that could have went out, as we can see that it was not the center link that needed replacing because it made the steering worse and the tire wobbles worse, anyway
I believe that you would have to fix the entire wheel first to even check to see if the center link was bad because the tire has to be in excellent working condition to even check to see if the center link was bad. Stefin should have repaired one
problem at a time to find the next problem, how can you try to fix two problems at the same time to try to find which part is causing the problem? It does not make any sense unless it was for an ulterior motive to deceive me and take advantage of me because Im disabling. This is what Stefin was trying to do. To keep me coming back to spend more money on repairs that don`t need repairing, I have already spent over two thousand with Meineke already. Stefin really did not know what was causing the problems; the parts are conflicting with each other.
I paid over $800.00 to get one problem fixed and did not get anything fixed, and with the $800.00 I paid to Meineke I still have the same problem worse I had before I brought my car to Meineke by paying them over $800 dollars.
I also wanted to add that the shop had to remove the radiator in order to replace the water pump. (See attached
A-3-1), I also have a video of how they returned my car to me with the radiator vent hose fitting broke, very disgusting and unprofessional and is a major safety violation. I really would like for this video to be viewed by the public. So when Stefin made the statement that he repaired the radiator vent hose fitting as a courtesy he is a lie.
(See attachment AAA-) where Stefin recommended that I get all 4 of my tires balanced after the suspension was worked and not repaired correctly to see if that will stop my tire from wobbling. Stefin knew that by balancing all 4 of my tires that would not solve any problems that Im having with my front end suspension because it was not fixed correctly and that tire was going to wobble no matter how many tires tap weight they put on my car tires. This is another example of how Stefin used me to make money off of me fixing something that don`t need fixing. Stefin stated that I requested to get all my tires balanced. I did not request balancing my tires, even if I did request balancing
my tires Stefin was supposed to tell me that balancing my tires would not make my tire stop wobbling because of the faulty repair that was done to the suspension, do to not replacing all parts for the driver`s side front suspension.
CC To Meineke Corporate Office Headquarters
128
South Tryon Street Suite 900 Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 377-8855
Dennis E.L
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