Thanks for all the kind words and advice guys. His attitude threw me for such a loop that it really made me question my wife and I reaction...

 

As far as verifying his work, I've personally checked that all 4 ball joints were replaced and that the front brakes at least were done...I've argued with him about the ubolts looking old and his shop manager swears he torched the old ones off....of course he also swore the rear brakes passed inspection even sprcifically mentioning that the slide pins moved freely until I showed them the pics...

 

Overreacting? Seriously?

There's no way those brakes should have passed inspection. Unbelievable... That's a safety issue. If he didn't want to do the other stuff, that's just laziness. Not doing a proper inspection of the brakes is negligence from where I sit...

 

I know here in CA they have the Bureau of Automotive Repair that oversees auto repair shops. In your state hopefully they have the same. I'd call them today and find out how you can get them to take a look at your rig, then show them the receipt he gave you of the work and fill out the complaint saying you asked them to do a full inspection.

At a minimum they'd be fined, and possibly charged with fraud.

Absolutely NOT overreacting...they literally put your life at risk and committed fraud by billing you for services they did not render.

 

I just wanna add in the future when going over your tickets for repair work, ask a lot of questions. If the salesman doesn't mention aspects of the work you requested done, demand answers. Physically inspect the vehicle and all areas you requested to be inspected with the salesman. Address the issues before paying. Not blaming you for what happened at all, just constructive criticism. We must hold people accountable for their actions especially companies and individuals that want our business, money and trust.

 

...and ask for the used parts back...you can always 'change your mind' and have them dispose of the parts, but it's a way to see that they actually changed the part vs. just saying they did.

 

That's all good advice and something I definitely should've done. There were some red flags in hindsight which I definitely ignored. I'm going to pickup the truck shortly. Apparently they didn't notice anything wrong during their inspection and the owner said he personally took it for a drive and didn't hear the noises I described.

He asked if I would drive him around to point out the noise but at this point I really feel like there's some definite integrity issues at this place. I just remembered last night that when he first spoke to me he said his shop manager claimed that he personally checked the brakes and that the slide pins moved freely....yesterday he admitted that they only "examined " them visually while the Ex was on the lift with the tires were still on...and the worst part of the customer service was his son who tried to justify their actions then shouted "Jesus christ" when my wife said we wanted to speak with the owner/manager rather than him....

 

Well he needs to fire his service manager then because any tech or former tech knows that wear on the rotor is a problem and is usually indicative of a frozen piston or slide pins, or at least failing pad material. These people are incompetent or just liars. Either way they shouldn't be working on the most important system of a car, it's brakes.
What kills me is the tech could have fed his family for 2 more days if he had just sold the work. What an idiot.

 

Yes, those u-bolts a new... My *** they're new, that's why there's a ton of rust and road gunk packed into the threads. On a side note, how did those u-bolts get torqued? There is no way a socket fit over them with that much threaded section hanging over the top of the nuts, unless a crow's foot was used...

Visual inspection doesn't do **** for brakes, especially the slide pins. Those require removal and inspection and greasing, not just a once-over with some eyeballs.

If something fails on the brakes, regardless of what corner, all brakes go bye-bye. I just had to throw away my favorite shorts a few weeks ago when the left rear caliper shattered both pistons while coming to a stop behind traffic at a red light.

Shoddy workmanship, questionable integrity, and a lazy attitude sound like perfect keywords for that shop. I would personally demand some free repairs and/or reimbursement for expenses you incurred due to a complacently given 'fit for duty'. If it comes to it, file a complaint with the BBB. Places tend to get their shiz together real quick when big dogs start knocking on their door.

 

I just picked up the truck and explained to the owner that I essentially didn't trust them and that any issues with their work would be taken care of elsewhere. He just smiled...

I fully intend to plaster my pics and story over yelp/Google/bing etc and will also file a complaint with the BBB.

 

Were they certified by any agency? Like ASE, etc? Might be a good call to contact the agency and let them know what kind of shoddy workmanship is happening under their certification.

 

Here the "BAR" has teeth as the over riding authority and can fine the shop if they determine it is warranted. I don't think the BBB has any bite in their bark. I would try to find out who is the authority, maybe licensing agency, that can hold them accountable.

 

Well finally found some time to check out the front lower shock bolts which wouldn't completely tighten. Discovered that a single small washer was all that was used. Now both bolts need to be replaced as the threads are worn away from movement

 

Unbelievable – Well not really, but still…

 

Exactly. I took my V10 in for a smog check and was told it was rejecting for "sensor not ready" codes...he asked if I had swapped the battery recently and told me to drive 1000 miles then bring it back.

Did so, brought it back, still getting the 'not ready' codes...told me to do it again.

Left scratching my head, took it to a Ford dealer who before I could finish the story said "he's using the wrong test". Explained that the 2000 V10 in CA is an OBD 1 truck and he was using an OBD 2 test.

Contacted the shop by phone and they said "no, your truck is OBD 2" I found the paperwork from BAR that stated it was OBD 1 and took it back, pulled the manager and the tech out and had them look under my hood...

Me: "see any sticker saying 'OBD 2' on this truck?"
Them: "no, but it could have been removed"
Me: "removed? really? What's this decal here? If it was OBD 2 it would say right in that box...so no genius, the decal wasn't removed. Per this document 'if a vehicle has an OBD 1 decal or no indication on the factory decal, it is considered OBD 1'...and see THIS document where it lists the 2000 V10 as an OBD 1 test in CARB law?"
Them: "Even if your truck is OBD 1, the computer won't let us override it and the computer is programmed by BAR"

A call to BAR to file a complaint against BAR for mis-programming their test machines - they tell me BS you can easily override the system. Call the shop back and they say "no, when we override, we get nasty-grams from BAR saying they'll fine us if we do it again". ANOTHER call to BAR and they say BS, there is no provision in BAR to send out warning letters - they show up in person and consult. I file a complaint while on the phone this time against the shop.

The next day the owner calls me and asks why I filed a complaint against him. I explained that I wasted $100 in gas, had to get a third smog test done, plus wasted my time and mileage because his techs were too lazy to look up and read.

He whines that now he's gonna have 'points' on his shop and that his guys aren't supposed to smog 'heavy duty' trucks anyway...an a week later I get a check from the shop for $150. Can't wait for the next time I go there for a smog test and they do this again.

If your state has something similar to BAR, by all means, use them - your tax dollars fund them, so why not utilize their services when a shop tries to scam you. These guys will send in an undercover agent and go to town on them for fraud.