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.
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.