Smithtown autohaus
Auto Rip Off - Lies - Dangerous

There are numerous issues with the purchase of a 2000 Ford Explorer with 116K miles on it. At the signing of the contract there were several things I requested to be fixed...
Gear shift adjustment
Door handles, Good cleaning, Console latch, Brakes squeak, Few scrapes on body, Bumper on back need adjustment, Problem opening hatch, Wires in back, Change all fluids, Rear passenger in door rusted, 2 Cracked rear tail light (1 real bad), windshield crack, Fog light out

From the above list all that was done was repaired 2 door handles (scratching car door in the process), cleaning, removed the wired in the back and possibly changed or added some fluids.

I had my doubts about any of the work being done especially since the washer fluid was empty. I was assured there was a 147 point inspection done and it was inspected by an independent third party. I asked for a list of the 147 things that were checked. When they couldn't provide it to me, I asked them to tell me what was checked. They wouldn't but assured me it would never have passed inspection if there were any issues.

I then questioned the discrepancy on the Inspection Sticker and the date of the certificate. The sticker shows and expiration date of Sept. The inspection was done 10/7. Expiration should be Oct.

The car was supposed to be ready for us on 10/7 at 2 pm. It was not ready until late on 10/8. The salesman did not return calls and kept changing the time and date of the inspection. Actually he changed his information frequently.

I was very concerned with the safety of the vehicle since no one was talking straight to me. Stories kept changing. So I brought it to my local Ford Service Center, whom I have done business with for over 10 years. They did a full check f the car for me. They found several minor issues, that I expected. But they brought to m attention 2 major issues. The lower ball joints were completely worn. There was a great possibility of the wheels falling off the car. They also said the brakes were in very bad shape. The car should never have passed inspection.

I contacted the company who did the inspection Pep Boys (spoke with the manager LuAnne). They insisted that they would never jeopardize their NYS license for anyone. They also stated that they initially had concerns on the validity of the inspection. Perhaps someone did it fraudulently with their license. They also suggested that there is a possibility that they made repairs enough to pass inspection and then changed it back. They have had issues with Autohaus in the past.

After numerous calls, I finally spoke with the owner of Autohaus, Dumitru Ungureanu. He said he would have made all the repairs based on the 30 day warranty they gave me. I told him the car wasn't road worthy. It could not have been brought to him and I didn't trust him since they already had lied, mislead and avoided me. He insisted that it was Ford who ripped me off and that I was sold a good car. His arrogance was disgusting. He even said to me I should come there and hug and kiss him because he sold me such a great car. That would never be said to a man. How dare he make such a comment.

My repair bill at Ford was over $1300. I only asked him for $700 for the repairs to the lower ball joint and brakes. Again he insisted I was ripped off. I said to him... Put the money to the side. This is a safety issue. Let's say they charged my $100 for the repairs. Would you reimburse me? He said absolutely not. He offered to negotiate by providing me service but REFUSED any offer of payment for reimbursement. I would never let them touch any of my cars. He was so busy blaming Ford and Pep Boys and the rest of the world that he refused to accept any responsibility.

The car wasn't safe. Simple as that. It should never have passed inspection and should never have been sold in the condition it was. Someone could have been seriously hurt or killed.

Company: Smithtown autohaus
Country: USA

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