So long story not short because it's long and annoying, I got a transmission rebuild and new clutch on my ax5 trans at cottman transmission shop in raleigh north carolina. They got it all done at an extremely high $2200 dollars later, I went in to get the car and it wouldn't go into any gear, the system needed more bleeding, they flipped the slave and I left, came back because it was still not completely bleed and my 5th gear was messed up. They bleed the system some more and it was fixed. Then I went back back because my 5th gear was still messed up, they "adjusted" it and said it needed to be broken in and that with 31" tires and 4 cylinders, I shouldn't need my 5th gear anyway. I left, still wasn't working and came back a month or so later. They finally fixed the 5th gear, turns out the synchro was messed up from the box, I had known that but nope I wasn't allowed to be right, only when threatened small claims court for not fixing it. There were a few other small issues, trouble getting into reverse and second was hard to get into. The reverse issue that still exists today is sometimes when I go to put the car in reverse, it won't completely go, it'll get stuck at that halfway point and wont go in. I have to them release the clutch pedal and re-engage it and then it will go in. They still haven't fixed this issue but anyway. After they fixed the 5th gear synchro I felt some weird feeling, noises from the transmission. Also, my clutch pedal engages when the pedal is basically fully released, maybe a 1/2 an inch from fully released. It's even harder to put the car in 2nd gear sometimes when driving, there's sometimes a thudding rattle type of noise but not always and just the other day before I brought it back to the shop because of all the other issues as well as it now being able to go into gear without the clutch being pressed. I got a very sassy call back today saying they couldn't find anything wrong with it, they did everything I said I thought I noticed when things would happen like stopping on an uphill, 2nd gear grind only when it's cold, and other things like that. They didn't address the issue in their voicemail of it going into gear without needing the clutch so I'm going to have to see if it still does that. What I'm asking is what should I do about this shop, small claims court, ask for my money back, i've wasted god knows how much gas going back and forth there and having to give my friend gas money to drive me there so many times since it's 25 minutes away from where I live. I don't know what to do because I've brought it there so many times and every time I get it back, one thing is fixed and something else is f***ed up. I need suggestions and help!
Transmission shop is being a**holes (Cottman Transmission in Raleigh, NC)
- Thread starter Chasitek
- Start date
There are two things you can do.
First off, did you pay with a major credit card? If you paid with something with a Visa logo (or similar) all you have to do is contact your bank or credit card company and file a chargeback. I’ve done this before many times and it’s very easy. They’ll ask you what happened and if you tried to get the business to make it right. You’ll explain to them what you explained to us, and you’ll get your money back. It might take a month, but you will get it back.
The other option (and I would do this one as well) is to take them to small claims court. If what you’re saying is true, any judge would file in your favor. These guys clearly did some very shady work at best.
First off, did you pay with a major credit card? If you paid with something with a Visa logo (or similar) all you have to do is contact your bank or credit card company and file a chargeback. I’ve done this before many times and it’s very easy. They’ll ask you what happened and if you tried to get the business to make it right. You’ll explain to them what you explained to us, and you’ll get your money back. It might take a month, but you will get it back.
The other option (and I would do this one as well) is to take them to small claims court. If what you’re saying is true, any judge would file in your favor. These guys clearly did some very shady work at best.
Everyone has told me to go to small claims court but every time I have brought it in they have called saying it's good to go but it seems they call from a different number every time they call me back and every tim eI have brought it in, it hasn't come with any paperwork and I've been told that as long as they are willing to continue to work on it, it will be hard for me to win in court and I can't afford to take them to court and lose as I am 19 and i'm in school, and I still owe my mom for helping pay for the rebuild in the first place. Everything I have said is 100% true minus the fact that I've taken it in way more times than i have mentioned. The only time something positive has come was when I left a review of their company through google and they read it and called me and said they would be happy to fix the issues and that I should have called them before leaving a review and I said I did, I had done even better, I brought the car in for you to work on and you kept giving it back broken, that's when they finally fixed the 5th gear synchro. what's better is when I had talked to them about the car not going into reverse every time (same time as bringing it in after reaching out to me after the review) they said they had already ordered a new master cylinder and slave cylinder for it and that they were going to fifure out the issue (which was before 5th gear was fixed). Got the car back with the fixed 5th sychro and they told me it got a new hydraulic system and that the 5th gear synchro was bad from the factory so they replaced it. I went home and I looked at the mast and slave, I KNOW they didn't put in a new one because before they fixed the 5th gear synchro they kept saying I was having issues getting into gear because my slave cylinder was leaking. I went under there to look at it and there's a crack looking thing but it isn't actually a crack and most certainly isn't leaking. Well after they lied to me and said it has a new hydraulic system, I checked again, it's the SAME f***ing slave. ALSO, when i brought it in i think the same time as the 5th synchro thing, i told them the clutch was engaging really high up, they told me they adjusted it but you can't adjust the clutch on a 97 so i don't know what they did, all i know is they made it worse. I have been back there so many times i've lost count and have forgotten what happened at which time. All I want is my jeep fixed and they keep being really sassy with me as if I'm making everything up. I'm going to get the jeep today or tomorrow and if it still goes into gear without the clutch engaged, I'll go to small claims court and if it's fixed, I know they're lying to me because they said they didn't find anything wrong. Also when I brought it in this past friday and was explaining what was wrong, he asked me if I had been offroading it since last time it was covered in orange clay (mud in north carolina) I said no I haven't ever since last time when it was brought in which is true, he said taking it off road puts a lot of wear and tear on my clutch and that if I keep doing that it causes things to break which isn't under warranty. I said I've never been rock climbing or anything like that in it, just mudding he said oh of course, it doesn't have the suspension to go rock climbing. (duhhh it's stock) so i said " mud shouldn't be breaking anything" unless of course it's getting into my transmission which it shouldn't be but anyway, after that he just said we'll get it all fixed and he'll call me when it's ready. I'm so done with this place.
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06TJ35's
TJ Addict
I have never heard of that but I will look into it. Also just to mention, I got the rebuild back in December, I believe a week before christmas, so this issue has been persisting for quite a while and the warranty only last a year or for 12,000 miles.
I hate reading stories like this. If what you are saying is true, they really don't sound like they really know what they are doing. And it seems like they are blowing a lot of smoke up your ass, (adjusting the clutch). Your trans doesn't need to break in. I mean it will sort of relax, but it shouldn't grind after a rebuild. It could be tight going into gear sometimes as things seat and relax, but there should be no grinding unless you shift like a Yeti.
It doesn't sound like taking your Jeep back to them is a good idea. It sounds like they are going to make it worse before they make it better. Seriously you shouldn't have to take it back more than two times, and they should be all over you trying to make it right. They do sound like assholes, but they also sound like they have no clue how to fix it.
Since you don't have any paperwork I don't know what you can do legally, but I would definitely bring up the case with the BBB especially because they did work without paperwork. You have a right to a written quote, and they cannot exceed that quote more than 10 percent without at least calling you. Paperwork is important as you are finding out. And it doesn't seem like they did you any favors by not giving you paperwork. It doesn't seem like you got any kind of a discount. You probably paid twice what you would pay here, but I don't know the standard of living where you live.
I don't know how to tell you to proceed with them legally, but I would stop taking the Jeep back to them. I might tell them that you have had some a hard time with them, and they can't seem to fix it to please give you some money back. Try to recover some losses. I would push for at least half the money back if you can. If you are mechanically inclined, you can try and fix it yourself? I rebuilt my first transmission at your age. I knew nothing and figured it out. It really wasn't that hard for me. All I had was some hand tools and a manual. YouTube is huge now in helping with things like this. Plus you have us now!
Sorry this happened to you, I wish I could do something to help.
Also I had been previously told to bring the jeep in and someone would ride with me so I could point everything out and their jeep specialist was only in on mondays Wednesdays and fridays so i went in on a friday it was 4 o clock and they close at 5:30, he said I had to come in earlier if I wanted to drive with someone because everyone had gone home. So I haven't actually gotten to show them what's wrong, some of the sounds are something you only notice if pointed out or if you know what it's supposed to sound like.
I have the original receipt from the first day I got it back and it was in the price range they gave me but was the top dollar, the quote they gave was $1700-2200 and it ended up being $2119. I just don't have any proof other than the calls they made to me about bringing it back in as many times as I did. After I had threatened small claims court he really reached out to me and even texted me and everything since I have tried to only text to have it documented in written form however it's so unprofessional to text a business so I don't like to. I will ask for some money back but it's hard as they really treat me like a kid.
Yeah I paid with a visa debit card and had to call my bank right before the transaction to move up the limit so I could pay.
Like @Chris mentioned, work the chargeback angle. Your situation is precarious in that your funds are limited, but nonetheless I would be trying to recover the money spent on the services you paid for, so you can take it somewhere else to be properly repaired. Who knows how much damage was or is being done with an improper repair job!
Also, don't waste your time with the BBB. They are a just a business and they do not seem to carry as much weight on the PR side these days as social media (especially Google reviews).
Also, don't waste your time with the BBB. They are a just a business and they do not seem to carry as much weight on the PR side these days as social media (especially Google reviews).
You should be able to do a chargeback then if you call your bank. Don’t wait any longer though, the more you wait, the worse it looks. I’ve done chargebacks numerous times. It’s always worked for me.
Also, as @jeep_boss said, don’t waste your time with BBB. That place means nothing anymore in this day and age. Leave the reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Make sure the review is long and detailed. That will hurt them!
Also, ...sorry if I might have missed it in a previous post, Contact your local District Attorney's Office for a Consumer Affairs Division (CA), or go there and talk with a CA attorney.
You may not be the only one taken for a ride. It will be your time spent, but may be worth it if they prosecute the shop for consumer affairs violations....maybe your case might be the one that completes the case file and determines prosecution. Maybe you would get funds back, maybe not, at the very least, it may prevent someone else from getting screwed. Just a thought....
Ray
You may not be the only one taken for a ride. It will be your time spent, but may be worth it if they prosecute the shop for consumer affairs violations....maybe your case might be the one that completes the case file and determines prosecution. Maybe you would get funds back, maybe not, at the very least, it may prevent someone else from getting screwed. Just a thought....
Ray
I an not sure how the charge back works like the others have mentioned, but if you don't get any love with that, since you do actually have paperwork, you do have a leg to stand on in small claims court. You don't necessarily need paperwork for when you brought it back, but it helps. The judge will ask them if you did, and they will answer yes because they repaired your 5th gear on a comeback. So one way or the other you have some recourse.
Ok I will try both the charge back and possibly small claims. For how many times i've been there and back I would hope they wouldn't lie and say I hadn't or that they hadn't fixed anything but every time I have been back I have brought my roommate/friend and once brought 2 friends and today when I picked it up brought a different friend. I am going back friday to drive around with their jeep "specialist" and we will see where it goes from there. I will say that the noise that was there previously is still there but not as bad or often. However it seems that every time I get the car back from the shop, it is better at first and then slowly declines.
If you do end up in court you can bring those friends in as whiteness to how meany times you returned. Start putting pen to paper now. Write down the date and what was done on each trip to the best of your memory. It may not be perfect but it'll be better than a few months from now.
—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
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There must have been a time
when we could have said no.
The first course of acrion should be to demand a refund from the shop. Tell them that this is the only resolution that you are comfortable with. It is non-negotiable at this point.
If they do not oblige, then the chargeback process is straightforward - call the number on the back of the card that was used for the service payment(s). Have the receipt, date and amount of the transaction ready. Tell them that you need them to initiate a chargeback for services that you paid for that were not rendered for what you paid for. You paid for them to do a repair and they did not deliver, and your vehicle is in disrepair as a result. Explain to them that you exhausted your attempts to have them refund your money to no avail.
Keep us posted and good luck
If they do not oblige, then the chargeback process is straightforward - call the number on the back of the card that was used for the service payment(s). Have the receipt, date and amount of the transaction ready. Tell them that you need them to initiate a chargeback for services that you paid for that were not rendered for what you paid for. You paid for them to do a repair and they did not deliver, and your vehicle is in disrepair as a result. Explain to them that you exhausted your attempts to have them refund your money to no avail.
Keep us posted and good luck
My biggest issue with that is I don’t have the resources or knowledge to do the swap. I can watch videos etc on how to remove it and such but whenever something goes wrong I immediately assume it’s my fault and with this being my daily. I cant afford it to be sitting.
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