How to handle dangerously bad work by a shop

[Mykl]

About 22k miles ago I paid a local, independent mechanic to replace the front passenger side wheel bearing on my Camry. The shop was well reviewed, was clean and professional in appearance, and showed no warning signs of being a place I should have avoided.

The 2007 Camry has the classic press-in type of wheel bearing/hub/knuckle arrangement. Earlier this week I had it on stands to deal with a screw the tire had picked up and I noticed the classic signs of a worn bearing, wheel play. I had to take the car to the dealership to take advantage of the extended warranty on the dashboard so I decided to let them look at it and get a quote. I don't have room for a hydraulic press in my garage, and I was too lazy to drive the parts somewhere. Lesson learned: don't be lazy.

What they discovered, which I now regret not looking for myself, was that the axle nut had backed off several threads, causing the whole assembly to bang around, which ruined the axle, bearing, knuckle, and hub.

So my question is, how do I approach the shop that screwed this up?

What I discovered after I authorized the work on the car that was on the dealership lift that I could not safely drive anywhere was that this problem fell within the warranty period for the work performed by the original shop. That said, my current idea is to approach them, lay this all out with my receipts, and ask them what they're going to do to make this right. I know it's unlikely that I'll walk out with a $1450 check to cover the damages, but that's my best case scenario.

Knowing that my "best case scenario" is highly unlikely, the next option is to leave negative reviews on the shop anywhere that will accept them.

Aside from Angie's List, Google Reviews, Yelp, and Yellow Pages, how else can I make people aware of this shop's terrible work?

Also, here's a rough draft of the online review I'd like to post, any feedback would be welcome...

Quote:
Facts:

1. My Camry was found to have a loose axle nut, causing damage to the axle, bearing, knuckle, and wheel hub

2. Xxxx Auto was the last shop/person to have applied a wrench to this specific nut when I hired them to replace a worn front wheel bearing

Speculation:

Xxxx Auto's mechanic did not properly secure the axle nut. While I cannot confirm it, the only way that nut could have come loose is if they reused the old nut and the safety notch failed, OR they used a new nut and didn't punch the safety notch that would have prevented the nut from backing out.

Emotional rant:

THIS COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF, MY PREGNANT WIFE, MY UNBORN SON, THE POOR SOUL WHO JUST HAPPENED TO BE IN THE WAY OF THE ~40 LB WHEEL/TIRE/HUB MISSILE THAT FLEW OFF OF THE CAR AT 70 MPH, AND WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BE IN FRONT OF MY UNCONTROLLABLE 3500 LB BRICK.

It cannot be overemphasized just how important this single nut is to the safety of the occupants of the vehicle. If it were to have completely backed off of the axle, there would have been a Final Destination-esque event as the wheel hub, which the wheel/tire is bolted to, backed out of the wheel bearing. There are few other, if any, nuts or bolts on a car that are THAT important and THAT CRITICAL to get right, and XXXX AUTO SCREWED IT UP.


If there are any technical inaccuracies or ways which I can state it more precisely, more sarcastically, or more insultingly, I'm very much open for input.

 

[RooflessVW]

Sometimes good techs/shops make mistakes. I would have called them before authorizing work at the dealer, but they may still try to make it right.

 

[demarpaint]

Well put. Good luck though since you did not return to the shop that screwed up the work odds are they'll deny it, or come up with some other creative way to dodge your allegations. Having said that I would do exactly what you're doing along with small claims court, with testimony from an expert. Preferably from the guy who made it right.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Sometimes good techs/shops make mistakes. I would have called them before authorizing work at the dealer, but they may still try to make it right.


Certainly, and I'm not throwing stones at any one specific person. As far as I know they had their best guy on my car, but he was overworked and missed something. Maybe they had their worst guy who wasn't overworked, and he missed something.

I don't know, and it's not my concern.

That said, you are definitely right. I should have called the shop before even leaving my own driveway with the car to go to the dealership. But I didn't, and to me, that sin does not alleviate them of their responsibility here.

 

[Mykl]

I want to state this in isolation so that it's clear:

I understand where I went wrong. I should have gone straight to the shop that did the original work.

I understand that because of this, my "best case scenario" is extraordinarily unlikely to happen.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Sometimes good techs/shops make mistakes. I would have called them before authorizing work at the dealer, but they may still try to make it right.


Certainly, and I'm not throwing stones at any one specific person. As far as I know they had their best guy on my car, but he was overworked and missed something. Maybe they had their worst guy who wasn't overworked, and he missed something.

I don't know, and it's not my concern.

That said, you are definitely right. I should have called the shop before even leaving my own driveway with the car to go to the dealership. But I didn't, and to me, that sin does not alleviate them of their responsibility here.


I'm not saying that they're not responsible, I am merely saying you should give them a call and give them a chance to make it right. They may not make you whole, but they may be open to at least paying for part of the damage. The last shop I worked at would have covered it completely if it was still within our warranty.

 

[turtlevette]

$1450 for a wheel bearing?

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
$1450 for a wheel bearing?


Axle, bearing, knuckle, and hub were replaced, per the OP.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I'm not saying that they're not responsible, I am merely saying you should give them a call and give them a chance to make it right. They may not make you whole, but they may be open to at least paying for part of the damage. The last shop I worked at would have covered it completely if it was still within our warranty.


Oh yes, absolutely. I wasn't going to start spreading anything about them without an attempt at a polite discussion about the issue and my concerns. My first step is to walk in and ask to chat with a manager. I'm sorry if I didn't make that more clear.

demarpaint's idea of taking this to small claims court would be great, had I done a better job of documenting this. When I left the car at the dealership I didn't have a complete idea of what it was that caused all the damage, like a dummy. I was so wrapped up in my head about having to pay $1450 the thought didn't come to mind that I should have taken a bunch of pictures, that could have been presented in court. I don't believe I could reasonably win with just the testimony of one mechanic.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
I'm not saying that they're not responsible, I am merely saying you should give them a call and give them a chance to make it right. They may not make you whole, but they may be open to at least paying for part of the damage. The last shop I worked at would have covered it completely if it was still within our warranty.


Oh yes, absolutely. I wasn't going to start spreading anything about them without an attempt at a polite discussion about the issue and my concerns. My first step is to walk in and ask to chat with a manager. I'm sorry if I didn't make that more clear.

demarpaint's idea of taking this to small claims court would be great, had I done a better job of documenting this. When I left the car at the dealership I didn't have a complete idea of what it was that caused all the damage, like a dummy. So I didn't ask to take pictures so that I could present that evidence in court. I don't believe I could reasonably win with just the testimony of one mechanic.


Often times a letter from a lawyer would be more than enough, should you have to go that route. What is the original shop's warranty? Ours was 1yr/12k.

 

[440Magnum]

Sometimes things go wrong, they might not have done anything incorrectly. You should approach them with documentation and ask about warranty coverage and if they're reasonable they'll pick up at least some of it. But get rid of the whole 'emotional rant' nonsense. Its worse than irrelevant- all that bad stuff could happen for 10,000 different reasons all more probable than a wheel falling off your car (which is rarely fatal anyway, despite how bad it might sound- think how many cars you've seen slid harmlessly to the side of the road after a suspension failure on one wheel). I'm not making light of the the risk, just pointing out that it could happen for many reasons even on a brand new car, and losing a wheel doesn't mean instant loss of control. The rant serves no purpose, its factually incorrect, and its silly.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

There is no reason to not get reimbursed. You had the work done because the problem was found at the dealer while having other work done. You were told it wasn't safe to drive so you had to have the repair done there.

Do you have the original paperwork? What is the repair shops warranty? Are you inside that warranty period?

If it were me, I would take all the paperwork to the repair shop and ask to be reimbursed. Don't be confrontational, be polite, explain that if necessary, you will pursue legal action. Hopefully, they will do the right thing. If not, then there are several options, but think positive.

 

[Mr Nice]

Another Flat Rate idiot bozo with zero pride in the quality of their work.

Go and speak to the owner and express your disappointment with their [censored] work.

 

[itguy08]

Definitely approach them in a nice manner to get reimbursed. Did you get the bad parts back from Toyota? That would bolster your case and help you either in court or in the owner's eyes. Be polite but firm and they should reimburse you.

It may be hard, as if it were me, I would have driven it to the other shop (it was fine for 22k) or called them and had them come get it.

I'd also leave the emotional stuff out. Whenever I read stuff like that I see "drama queen" and discount the review. The chance of the wheel coming off with a loose axle nut is pretty small and would give plenty of warning. I've had a front wheel bearing go before and it was RWD and took out the rotor. Flopped around there but the brakes held the assembly intact. Granted we were going 35 at the time but it was not a catastrophic OMG PLOP of the front end.

 

[Mykl]

Shop has a 2 year/24k mile warranty.

I do have the original paperwork and I am within the warranty period. I'll call the dealership and ask if they still have the parts. I regret not arranging that to begin with, along with all the pictures and videos I would have taken to bolster my argument.

440Magnum - the reason I threw that in there was to drive home the point home that this is a big deal. I'd like to include something to that effect, highlighting what could have happened here. Would you state it more plainly, and "matter of fact" rather than how I said it?

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
I want to state this in isolation so that it's clear:

I understand where I went wrong. I should have gone straight to the shop that did the original work.

I understand that because of this, my "best case scenario" is extraordinarily unlikely to happen.


Glad you understand it. Because IMO at this point all you can do is ask them politely. If I was this shop owner and I did not see how the allegedly bad wheel bearing looked like and was never even contacted about the issue prior to the fix and was presented with a highly inflated dealership bill, I would definitely look at this with great suspicion.
Even a small claims court may look at your case with suspicions because you never gave the original shop a chance to remedy the situations. There are a lot of scammers on the customer side.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Glad you understand it. Because IMO at this point all you can do is ask them politely. If I was this shop owner and I did not see how the allegedly bad wheel bearing looked like and was never even contacted about the issue prior to the fix and was presented with a highly inflated dealership bill, I would definitely look at this with great suspicion.
Even a small claims court may look at your case with suspicions because you never gave the original shop a chance to remedy the situations. There are a lot of scammers on the customer side.


Sure, and that's why I understand my only real option is to leave a bunch of negative reviews online and spread the word via every avenue I can.

Honestly, the money isn't even my primary concern, my emergency fund exists just for things like this (although getting it back would be nice). My primary point of anger is how insanely close I was to having a nasty wreck, that absolutely could have happened had the tire not picked up a screw and gave me a reason to check for wheel bearing play.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Glad you understand it. Because IMO at this point all you can do is ask them politely. If I was this shop owner and I did not see how the allegedly bad wheel bearing looked like and was never even contacted about the issue prior to the fix and was presented with a highly inflated dealership bill, I would definitely look at this with great suspicion.
Even a small claims court may look at your case with suspicions because you never gave the original shop a chance to remedy the situations. There are a lot of scammers on the customer side.


Sure, and that's why I understand my only real option is to leave a bunch of negative reviews online and spread the word via every avenue I can.

Honestly, the money isn't even my primary concern, my emergency fund exists just for things like this (although getting it back would be nice). My primary point of anger is how insanely close I was to having a nasty wreck, that absolutely could have happened had the tire not picked up a screw and gave me a reason to check for wheel bearing play.


If that's your goal then the shop can sue YOU for defamation. I know I would. Your emotional rant is nothing more than a rant. Why don't you rant about the original wheel bearing that failed? It could've cause a wreck just the same.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
If that's your goal then the shop can sue YOU for defamation. I know I would. Your emotional rant is nothing more than a rant. Why don't you rant about the original wheel bearing that failed? It could've cause a wreck just the same.


Why that tone?

How would you modify the "rant"? Would you include it at all? Would you state the possible outcome of the loosened nut in the first place? You're failing to see why I'm irritated, there's little to no reason why the axle nut, when properly secured, would back out. How would being upset at "somebody" over the original failed wheel bearing be productive?

I've plainly laid out all the mistakes I've made, and am asking for advice. I wasn't looking to be lectured to, so you can kindly leave if that's where you'd like to go with this.

 

[Vikas]

I am missing something here. You had a bearing replaced at the independent. You discovered worn bearing again before two years have gone by.

How in the world are you talking about being lazy or not having the press now? I mean I could have understood it if this was the first time you had a bad bearing on this vehicle.

Here is a question to the all of BITOG. How would *you* be able to verify that the guy who replaced the wheel bearing did it right afterwards? Is the answer do it yourself OR "always watch the mechanic like a hawk"? Doesn't that also imply you already know exactly how the work has to be done? There are very very few people who know all the repair steps but still having a mechanic do it. Rest of them don't know the correct steps.