AAMCO is a freaking joke

[CycloneRulzzz]

Ok I'm really ****** off. My coolant light came on my car and took it to AAMCO because of hearing about them on kxno about how they diagnose something for no charge. Well it was bad news as my gaskets needed to be replaced and that is labor intensive. The total bill with tax was a little over $900. So I pay and drive home only to have the *******coolant light come on again. This is ********. Anyone else get service like this.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

I would wait to see how they respond to the issue before you get to worked up over this.

 

[Boxerdaddy]

I went in after hearing them on the radio for their brake special... Not impressed at all with them. I told them I knew that I needed new rotors and brake pads but that I had a caliper that I thought was dragging and asked them to inspect it. So took the car in...they had it for a day and came back with..you need to replace your rotors and brake pads and we couldn't look at the caliper... So they did exactly nothing and were going to charge me 300 dollars to replace them when their "special" was for $99 because my 4 cylinder dodge avenger is "sporty" and not the car they were doing the special on. What a crock. Will never use them. They just gave me the vibe of the shady mechanic. Again just my opinion so take it for what it's worth.

Google dodge avenger...seriously...it's an economy 4 door sedan...What a joke.

 

[burn587]

About 5 years back I had a work truck that had a transmission and transfer case go out in Oskaloosa. It was under warranty for previous work in Des Moines with AAMCO so I had it towed there. This kind of work should take a week and a half TOPS but considering they are transmission specialists it shouldn't take more than a few days. It took a month! First off they lost the key and called me up and asked if I had an extra and I told them no, at which point they told me they couldn't work on it without a key so I told them that they better damn well have another key made then. They finally got that done two weeks in and it took another two weeks to finish the work.

When they called me to tell me the done the service manager told me to come pick it up quick because he didn't want it on his lot anymore. I told him that they dicked around with it for so long that I could give a **** if it sat on their lot another damn month. If that had been my personal vehicle I would've gone psychotic on them. Unprofessional and terrible service.

 

[jdoggivjc]

Sounds like "Double A (honk honk)-M-C-O" is just as bad as Tuffy, if not worse. Lots of horror stories with them...

 

[Klonz]

6 years ago or so had a Chrysler Town & Country minivan tranny replaced at the Euclid Ave in Des Moines shop. Took at least 10 days, I think more. Then within a week or so was driving back from Omaha in the winter time and the tranny goes out.

They tow it back to the same shop, tranny is bad again. So I made them pay for a rental van until they got it paid for - which was horrible customer service and I had to write letters and all this to "corporate" to get it paid for - which they eventually did.

Took just under another 10 days to get the replacement tranny fixed.

Then a short time after that - I had a puddle of tranny oil on the floor of the garage.

Called the Hickman store and - fortunately after hearing my story the store manager agreed to take a look as they originally didn't want to do the work but he was friendly about it.

After looking at it and fixing it, he told me it was only partially hooked up as bolts and other connections were not tightened.

He fixed it all and no problems afterward.

So... AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!

 

[ISUAlum2002]

About 5 years back I had a work truck that had a transmission and transfer case go out in Oskaloosa. It was under warranty for previous work in Des Moines with AAMCO so I had it towed there. This kind of work should take a week and a half TOPS but considering they are transmission specialists it shouldn't take more than a few days. It took a month! First off they lost the key and called me up and asked if I had an extra and I told them no, at which point they told me they couldn't work on it without a key so I told them that they better damn well have another key made then. They finally got that done two weeks in and it took another two weeks to finish the work.

When they called me to tell me the done the service manager told me to come pick it up quick because he didn't want it on his lot anymore. I told him that they dicked around with it for so long that I could give a **** if it sat on their lot another damn month. If that had been my personal vehicle I would've gone psychotic on them. Unprofessional and terrible service.

Damn. That's a pretty ballsy thing to say to a customer after you've had their freaking vehicle for over a month.

These stories are exactly why I do all my own vehicle repair work. Can't rely on anyone else to get the job done right, or at a fair price, anymore.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

Sounds like "Double A (honk honk)-M-C-O" is just as bad as Tuffy, if not worse. Lots of horror stories with them...

Beat me to it. It always makes me think of that Curb Your Enthusiasm episode now.

 

[ruxCYtable]

I would wait to see how they respond to the issue before you get to worked up over this.

I disagree. They have his money (a lot of it) and his car's not fixed. I think it's time for him to blow his stack.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

I disagree. They have his money (a lot of it) and his car's not fixed. I think it's time for him to blow his stack.

It could be something as simple as needing to have the PCM reset to remove the code. The engine itself is likely "fixed."

 

[flynnhicks03]

Ok I'm really ****** off. My coolant light came on my car and took it to AAMCO because of hearing about them on kxno about how they diagnose something for no charge. Well it was bad news as my gaskets needed to be replaced and that is labor intensive. The total bill with tax was a little over $900. So I pay and drive home only to have the *******coolant light come on again. This is ********. Anyone else get service like this.

For a $900 repair, I probably would have gotten a second opinion.

 

[CyCrazy]

It could be something as simple as needing to have the PCM reset to remove the code. The engine itself is likely "fixed."

Correct, My engine light comes on frequently and its just a stupid code that needs reset. This happens now a days with computer type stuff in cars. Not a big deal.

 

[bowlfan912]

any good mechanics nowadays?

 

[Clonedogg]

Damn. That's a pretty ballsy thing to say to a customer after you've had their freaking vehicle for over a month.

These stories are exactly why I do all my own vehicle repair work. Can't rely on anyone else to get the job done right, or at a fair price, anymore.

Diddo, do my own work too, I'm cheap and fair:yes:

 

[RING4CY]

This is why I go to a small town mechanic. If he and his business do ****** work and/or community service, the word gets around and the guy is out of business in 5 minutes.

 

[ruxCYtable]

Correct, My engine light comes on frequently and its just a stupid code that needs reset. This happens now a days with computer type stuff in cars. Not a big deal.

I have a feeling if it was your $900 you might feel differently.

Could turn out to be nothing but if I was the OP I'd be a little more than slightly irritated right now.

 

[isuno1fan]

Ok I'm really ****** off. My coolant light came on my car and took it to AAMCO because of hearing about them on kxno about how they diagnose something for no charge. Well it was bad news as my gaskets needed to be replaced and that is labor intensive. The total bill with tax was a little over $900. So I pay and drive home only to have the *******coolant light come on again. This is ********. Anyone else get service like this.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

I disagree. They have his money (a lot of it) and his car's not fixed. I think it's time for him to blow his stack.

This. when I shell out $900 I expect it to be fixed. I went there because of all the pub it got on KXNO but come to think of it I can't remember the last time I heard there ad on that station. Should of taken that as service has gone to ****.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

This is why I go to a small town mechanic. If he and his business do ****** work and/or community service, the word gets around and the guy is out of business in 5 minutes.

This was I should have done, but there is a downside to the small town guy I go to is he gets to it when he gets to it so you get a cheaper price but have no idea when it will get fixed.

 

[Jambalaya]

Car repair, dentists, chiropractors.

A 'diagnosis' means a couple things

1) get a new customer into your place and try to earn instant and repeat business

2) 'diagnose' for 'free' and find multiple things wrong

buyer beware.

I was SCREWED ny AAMCO in CR in the 80's as a youngster. Rebuilt tranny? $800-900, alot of $$ back then for a young guy.

JIFFY LUBE the same deal. They'll come out to their small lobby in front of other customers and show you your differential fluid and how 'dirty' it is, opposed to a clean sample

A big SCAM to sell extra service. That is their main goal