In March 2024 I took my son's car into Autotek to diagnose and repair my son's Nissan 350z. Among other things, they diagnosed issues with the rear suspension. During the repair, they told me the bearings needed to be replaced. I paid them to do so. The total repair job cost around $4500. Five months later the bearings failed again. I brought it back in and they honestly diagnosed several issues stemming from the failed bearings and agreed to fix them via warranty. While repairing it, they also uncovered another issue that could have possibly been preexisting, but also could have been caused by the last round of bearing failure. As they didn't diagnose it the first time, it was difficult to say. After some back-and-forth discussions about this, they ultimately ended up repairing this issue too.
Although we did not see eye to eye at first, I found them to be reasonable after I thoroughly explained the situation from my point of view. Although Autotek is a business and therefore must turn a profit, from this interaction I believe they have an eye towards being in business for the long run by being trustworthy and honoring their word.
TG
Timothy G.
Austin, TX
10/23/2024
0
Extreme Reluctance to Honor Their Warranty - ChatGPT Called Out Their BS
In March I took my son's car into Autotek to diagnose and repair my son's Nissan 350z. Among other things, they diagnosed issues with the rear suspension. During the repair, they told me the bearings needed to be replaced. I paid them to do so. The total repair job cost around $4500. Five months later the bearings failed again. It should have been clearly been covered by the mechanic shop's warranty. After my son and I took it in, at first, though, they quoted me around $1500 to fix the problem. I then reminded them of their warranty. After this conversation, they agreed to fix under the warranty. After a half a day, though, they then told me that they started carefully scrutinizing the car for a problem and the cause of the bearing failure was due to a hairline fracture in the spindle, and it would cost around $1500 to repair it (it was amazing to me that this closely mirrored the original quote they issued when someone missed the fact it should have been covered by a warranty.) After a quick Google search, however, I found out that bearing failure could actually cause the spindle to be broken, and not the other way around. It wasn't until after I threatened them with litigation that they agreed to fix all the issues related to this.
If that would have been it, and they simply repaired it, I would be writing a good review for them. But when I reviewed their notes, they made very snarky comments about how essentially nothing was their fault, and I was being unreasonable; the only reason they repaired it was because I threatened them with "unjustified" litigation. These comments irritated me enough to write this review.
If you have an issue with them honoring their warranty, I hope you read these comments. I earnestly believe that their MO is to try to grasp at straws to find any reason not to honor their warranties as they did in my situation.
Out of curiosity, I put the first paragraph above into GPT with the exception of the last sentence about threatening litigation. I asked ChatGPT what its thoughts were on this scenario:
ChatGPT said:
It sounds like you're in a frustrating situation with the mechanic shop, and I understand why you'd be skeptical, especially given the sequence of events and pricing.
In general, bearing failure can lead to damage in surrounding components, including the spindle. When a wheel bearing fails, it can cause excessive movement in the wheel hub, which places stress on other parts like the spindle, potentially leading to cracks or fractures over time. However, the reverse—a hairline fracture in the spindle causing bearing failure—is less common. While a damaged spindle could cause misalignment and uneven load on the bearings, typically this kind of damage would have been identified earlier if they were thoroughly inspecting the suspension and wheel assembly during the initial repair.
Your Google search about bearing failure leading to spindle damage is indeed accurate, and your concern is justified. It sounds like the mechanic shop might be shifting the blame to avoid taking full responsibility under their warranty. Additionally, the fact that their new estimate closely mirrors the original repair quote is suspicious.
I suggest the following steps:
Request Documentation: Ask the mechanic shop to provide written documentation of the diagnosis, including how they concluded that the spindle was the cause of the bearing failure.
Second Opinion: Get a second opinion from another trusted mechanic. They can inspect the spindle and bearings and confirm whether the spindle was likely the initial problem or if the failed bearing caused the spindle damage.
Warranty Terms: Review the shop’s warranty terms carefully. If the spindle issue should have been detected during the original repair or is directly linked to the bearing failure, you may have a stronger case for getting it repaired under the warranty.
If their explanation doesn't hold up under scrutiny, you could consider escalating the matter by speaking to the shop owner, contacting a consumer protection agency, or even pursuing legal action if warranted.
FS
Fred S.
Dewitt, MI
04/06/2018
Best Lil Auto Repair Shop In Texas
Upon my daughter’s move to another state I joked to the guys at Autotek that they needed to move to her new state and city. Based on my decades of experience dealing with auto service and repair shops Autotek is one of the two best auto service and repair shops I have ever dealt with. (The other one is our local shop in Michigan.)
Upon our daughter’s arrival in Austin, TX, close to seven years ago, we had to go through the trial and error search for an expert service and repair shop that was honest, fair both before and after the repair work, personable, and centered on their customer’s needs and concerns. Luckily, we found Autotek six years ago.
One gets to learn more about a shop when in the shop’s waiting room for the completion of simple jobs, e.g., an oil change. When listening to the manner the Autotek staff work with each other, with customers both in person and on the phone, and with parts stores when placing orders, you get, I believe, a better sense of the ethos of the shop. And I believe Autotek’s is superior.
And, just as important as how one is dealt with by the service desk is the end result of whatever service or repair the guys “in the back” do on the car. The work was always completed when promised and done correctly with quality parts. Each “half” of the shop combined to be an outstanding business providing an outstanding customer experience.
Prior to driving to her new state my daughter and I took her car to Autotek in order to have them do a preventive maintenance inspection. Upon picking up the car and us informing the guys at the front counter that it was the last time we would be there due to her move they were very gracious and appreciative of my daughter’s trust and business with them and wished us both the best. In addition, they told my daughter to feel free to call them if she had any questions about her car or to use them for a second opinion to whatever a repair shop tells her in her new state.
As a father I really appreciated the crew at Autotek treating my daughter and I with respect, honesty, and fairness. I highly recommend Autotek and if your daughter or son move to Austin I believe you will not go wrong directing them to Autotek. And if you move to Austin, you will not go wrong with Autotek as your service and repair shop.
So, to repeat, and in conclusion, Autotek is one of the two best auto service and repair shops I have ever dealt with during the decades of owning a car while living in several states during my career.
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Although we did not see eye to eye at first, I found them to be reasonable after I thoroughly explained the situation from my point of view. Although Autotek is a business and therefore must turn a profit, from this interaction I believe they have an eye towards being in business for the long run by being trustworthy and honoring their word.