My nightmare started on December 30th when I purchased a 2005 Ford F-150 Extended Cab Pick Up from Texas uto brokers in Conroe, Texas. I went and made the purchase at around 7pm that night, my salesman told me all about the 150 point inspection done on each vehicle that came in and how closely the vehicle is looked over before it ever hits the lot... Blah, blah, blah... I knew I was paying way more than the truck was worth, but after my ex-husband has his way in screwing up my credit, I didn't have much choice. I needed an opportunity to rebuild my credit and figured I would be okay since the truck came with a 6K mile / 6 month warranty.
I drove the truck home and this bell/alarm periodically goes off in a steady sequence of 20 long annoying beeps, kind of resembling the door ajar noise. I looked and saw no warning lights and even pulled over and tried closing the door more tightly. I also noticed the car doesn't seem to shift (auto transmission) yet the RPM's stayed at 2. Was confused by it, but I never owned a Triton motor, so I had some research I needed to do.
Within days of my purchase, the transmission is slipping. When accelerating, the vehicle would kind of "pop" and the RPM's would go shooting up past 3 then drop. Didn't feel right. I called and spoke with Janae in service and was told it would be 4-6 weeks before they could get it in because their transmission bay was full and was booked up. I was told they would call me when they could "fit me in". It was also suggested I drive another vehicle in the meantime! Ok, so I am a single parent who just gave you $1500 cash and paid my first note of $420.00, but I'm supposed to magically pull another vehicle out of thin air and drive that around and continue to pay on the truck I just purchased until you have a bay available?
Needless to say, time goes by and I continue to call because now there is a grinding noise. I call the days immediately thereafter because now there is a noise and pounding that resembles a sledgehammer under the floorboard of the vehicle. This started happening at around 6:15 am when in route to taking my 15 year old daughter to school and getting myself to work. It was raining hard and we were traveling on a farm road (1489) which winds and offers no shoulder or street lights. The grinding and pounding became so loud that I pull off to the side of the road. Taking a flashlight, I look under the truck to see if I see any fluid leaking and there is nothing.
I continue down the road at about 60 mph (the speed limit), deal with the annoying beeping, and gripping the wheel listening to the grinding that was beginning so sound like shredding metal. My daughter and I grew frightenend and decided we would pull off the road again and call for help. As we come to a sharp curve in the road, the steering became very loose and when applying the brakes, they went clean to the floor! My daughter and I screaming out to God to spare us and skid into a church parking lot on 1489 and 1093 in Simonton, Texas until we came to a stop. My daughter is shaking and crying and the car is smelling like burnt plastic. I urge her to get out of the car and we leave it there to go call for help.
I got in touch with my 65 year old father who came to our aid. When calling Texas Auto Brokers to let them know what had happened, they didn't even offer to tow it out to their shop! There was no way in hell they did this "150 point" inspection before they put it on the lot! I had the car barely 3 weeks when all this transpired. I had to spend $450 to have it towed to Conroe where the vehicle sat for 3 weeks.in addition to the $1500 they got as the downpayment, I had to pay the payment of $420 to cover the note, my car insurance payment of $156, and the $552 on a rental for the 3 weeks the truck was in the shop! Three weeks into purchasing the vehicle and I had over $2600 in the truck and added expenses.
Speaking of the 150 point inspection, did I mention two of the tires they put on my vehicle had steelbelt showing through and that the spare was nothing but steelbelt? When I brought that up to Janae, I got lectured on how their guys are all individually licensed and how they have to sign off on their inspections and they wouldn't dare risk losing their license over such a thing! Are you people kidding me??? She said my tires would pass the state inspection!!! When I questioned her about the issues with my vehicle I was told the front wheel bearings were bad and had now been replaced and the transmission was slipping. Since they were giving me the run around, my dad went up there and made his presence known. He felt that they were trying to push me around being a single woman. They told him both were being taken care of the truck would be ready within the week.
So I miss three (3) hours of work to drive out there to drop off my rental and pick up my truck. I asked for copies of the repair work done and was told because it was warranty work and I didn't pay for any repairs, they don't give out copies of anything, per Ron's (the manager) instructions. Now wait a minute... Any reputable dealership whether it be Planet Ford or Don McGill Toyota, would give their customers an itemized list of work done to the vehicle whether it was under or out of warranty! What are these people trying to hide? That maybe they didn't do anything at all to truly fix the problem??? So next time I have to bring it in (and yes, there will be a next time) they can tell me it's something that's not covered or they never touched? Do I have stupid written on my face?
A verbal war of words insued and all I got was the run around. I asked to speak to Ron the imaginary manager, and he is no where to be found... He's either on the lot somewhere or he's in a meeting, etc. I asked who keeps his calendar and Crystal at the window tells me she does. I ask when he is available per the calendar she keeps and she says she isn't sure... He hasn't told her yet??? WHAT???
So I leave the dealership and three (3) days later, the popping and slipping of the transmission returns. I call Janae who insistantly leaves me on hold for 10 plus minutes probably hoping I release the line, but now I am beyond angry and I stick it out. That coupled with "accidental disconnections" has just about put me over the edge. I call and tell her and she says when can you bring it in? When can I bring it in? I just had it there for three (3) weeks... How about I pose a question to you, and the question is this... WHEN ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO FIX THE CAR CORRECTLY? Who want to pay $300 for this month's rental? Again, I had to miss work, spend $350 on another rental (and yes, they're still sucking the car payment from me too as it sits there in their bay) and miss work.
I called Monday for a status check on the vehicle and got told by Janae that the problem was the rear wheel bearings... Uh, no sweetheart! I'm not a mechanic but know what a slipping transmission feels like and know that bad wheel bearings don't make the RPM's pop and stick! Try again! So they look at the transmission and say it isn't the transmission, it's the rear differencial. What other ideas are they going to pull out of their magic hat?
Today I pick up my vehicle... Missed another 3 hours from work. Look at their bays and count 15 cars... Hmmm, are they in the automotive repair business or a dealership selling reputable cars? You do the math! Can't reveal my source but end up speaking to someone at a local business around Texas Auto Brokers and heard of a single mom they sold a lemon to that keeps having transmission problems, they fix it and then 3 days later, it does the same thing... Sounds familiar, doesn't it? After leaving the lot I notice over 100 miles had been put on my truck... Either that or someone turned the odometer reading ahead so it is officially OUT OF WARRANTY! Other than that I smell mildew in the vehicle and while sitting at the light, I turn and look into my back seat. Yesterday Houston had downpours and apparently some genius there decided to leave my back windows open... Yep you guessed it, my seats and carpeting are soaked! I called Janae and all I got was an "I'm sorry, I tell the manager"... in closing, the rat droppings on the back of my floorboard were a nice touch!
Do not use this dealership! They will lie, cheat and steal money out of your pocket and do nothing to help you! They could honestly care less! I will make it my life's work to expose these people for who they really are. This is just the beginning!
The are crooks!!!
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