ComplaintsforVan's Auto Service & Tire Pros

• Initial Complaint

  09/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 27,2024 I came into the shop to have a set of step bars installed on my vehicle,(2013 GMC ******), which the service writer assured me their "Top Technician" would be able to install without issue. After he broke off a body nut that holds the body on the frame(because he did not follow the instructions included in the kit about how to remove these particular bolts without stripping the welded nut's that have thread lock on them), they told me that the bolts were rusted,( which they are not), and could either take a chance with the other bolts, or cut a hole in the frame and reweld the nut back into place(how do you weld a rusted portion of the frame?),to re-secure the bolt which I told him to do without causing any more damage to my truck. I feel because he did not follow the instructions included with the kit about how to get the thread lock loose without damaging the body nuts, I should not have been charged $215.66 to repair the damage that the" Top Tier Technician "did by not following the instructions to begin with, it was his negligence. Not including the damage that he did to my vehicle by cutting a hole in the frame to reweld the nut in place, but then painting over it so you could not tell how much damage was done by his negligence, I feel the job was never done, but I was still charged for his mistake, and the non-rust on the frame surface of my vehicle can be seen with the naked eye. I understand that $215.66 does not sound like much to some people but with the business that I have given this company in the past, being retired, and working with limited funds, and trusting they would do the right thing I feel they should have been honest with me and told me they did not have someone that could do the job properly without damaging my vehicle by not following the instructions that came with the kit initially. ** ******

  Business response

  09/11/2024

  Hi ***********. Thank you for reaching out. I was able to speak with the technician regarding the details of your visit, and wanted to respond to your concerns. First, he was very well aware of the specific instructions regarding the process of removing the bolts attached to the body and frame. They recommended to use a ratchet instead of an impact gun, and recommended to pre-heat the bolts to help them break free more easily. Even with following those instructions, we had a bolt that bound up as it was passing through the threads. The body of the vehicle and the frame itself were not overly rusted, but the end of the bolt was. There are holes that allow water, dirt, debris, etc. to reach the bolt, so it's natural to rust over time. I have a picture attached that the technician took while working on the vehicle that shows the condition of the bolt and piece it's threaded through (it's date / time stamped so you know that it was legitimately from your vehicle). Unfortunately, that plate is simply tack welded in place, so it doesn't take a ton of force for it to break free if the bolt binds up. As soon as this occurred, we called you back to the shop and showed you what had happened so we could discuss the best way to move forward. You agreed for us to weld that plate in place, that way the bolt wasn't rattling around. That conversation also included the fact that we noticed the vehicle had been undercoated, so after doing the repair, we offered to use a rubberized spray to re-coat that area when we were finished. We understand that situation can be frustrating, but it wasn't due to negligence or not following instructions on behalf of the technician. Sometimes things happen that just could not have been prevented. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to the store and we can discuss things further. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My car was supposed to be serviced by Vans Auto Service. They charged me $1800. After I picked my car up I realized they didnt do ANY of the work they charged me for. My headlight wasnt replaced, my oil wasnt changed, my rear light wasnt fixed and my suspension wasnt done. They blatantly stole my money from me. When I called the business ******* said oh, we forgot.

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  Hi ******************. Thanks for speaking with us on the phone yesterday. I was glad to hear that the oil change and suspension repairs were, in fact, taken care of. That being said, I do apologize that replacement of the headlight bulb and resetting your maintenance light was originally missed. You mentioned that you had already stopped back into the store and were able to remedy both concerns, but I understand that it was an inconvenience. Per your conversation with ***** yesterday, we processed a refund check for the cost of replacing the headlight and sent that out this morning. If you have any other concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought my car to Van's on Canton Ave. to have the rear driver side bushing and control arm replaced and amd an alignment. After I took my car home I noticed it wasn't driving right. I took it back in to have the alignment checked again and they said they fixed it. Again, my car was not driving right and I brought it to Van's in Wadsworth and they also said they fixed the alignment. My steering wheel is tilted to the left and it has been this way since they "fixed" it. I took it to another business today because my car was getting louder and I had to have all 4 tires replaced, that I bought just 3 years ago, because they were severely unevenly worn. They said it appears that the alignment was never done and they know this because the front was rusted and difficult to adjust. It was fixed and my car is no longer loud when driving. I want my money back for the alignment that they never did.

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  Good afternoon, *****. Thanks for reaching out regarding your recent visits. I apologize that you've been having trouble. I was looking back through your invoices at the stores, and I don't see that we charged you for an alignment on your initial visit to our Canton Rd store. The trailing arm is a rear suspension part and, without looking at the vehicle, I'm not 100% sure whether there are any adjustments directly tied to that part. If not, they wouldn't have necessarily required an alignment when performing the repairs. However, if the vehicle didn't seem to be driving quite right after the repairs were performed, I can certainly understand your frustration, and obviously we wanted to correct the issue for you. That's why we performed the alignment at no charge when you visited our Wadsworth store. I was able to pull the alignment paperwork from that visit and verify we made adjustments to the alignment at that time. I have the printouts attached for your reference.
  
  All that being said, even though we never charged you for the wheel alignment, I'd be more than happy to issue you a refund for the alignment you ended up having performed at the other shop. If you can just send me a copy of that invoice, we can take care of the refund for you. Please reach out if you have any other questions. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  03/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I had my car towed to this establishment on December 18, 2023, My car was there for two and a half weeks for an insurance repair. When I picked up my car it was damaged under the driver's side door. I have been trying to get the information to file a claim and no one will give me the insurance information. I have been in email contact with ***** * at the ********* store and he will not respond to my request. They said they took a picture of the car when it came in and can see the damage but it is not visible from a picture. They blame the tow truck driver but I witnessed the driver loading and unloading the car with no incident. I requested to contact the owner several times with no response.

  Business response

  04/01/2024

  Dear *********,

  I'm sorry you're having issues with your vehicle. When we had your vehicle in, there were no incidents that would have caused any damage as mentioned. As we discussed with you previously, we feel that it's highly likely that the damage occurred from the accident. The impact on that same left front area of the vehicle was serious enough to cause damage to the tire, wheel, and multiple suspension parts - all of which we had replaced as part of the insurance repairs. When we talked to your insurance company, they agreed with us and did not believe that we were at fault for the damage. We stand behind the work we do, and if there's ever an issue that we feel we were the cause of, we're more than happy to take care of the costs and make it right - that's part of the business. And if we believed we had caused the damage in this case, we would have done the same. We would suggest reaching back out to your insurance company so the vehicle can be inspected by a collision shop and addressed from there - it should be covered as part of the original claim. If you have any questions, or if we can be a point of reference when the vehicle goes in for repairs, please let us know.

  Customer response

  04/09/2024

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I have been working with my insurance company and have gotten estimates.  This is the reason it has taken so long to contact BBB.  My insurance company has advised me that the damage was not due to the accident but from a force from underneath the car.  I would like for your insurance company to look at the damage.  I was told by your employee **** that there is supposedly a picture of my car when it was brought in which showed the damage which could not be true because the damage cannot be seen clearly from a photograph.  My car was  at your business for two and a half weeks. 

  Customer response

  05/16/2024

  My car was repaired on 5/15/24.  ****** ******** owner of Van's Tire Pros has agreed to pay for these repairs and I am awaiting payment.  Mr. ******** reached out to me and listened to my complaint and agreed to fix my car.  I am truly grateful for his integrity and promptness of response to me.  I am satisfied with this claim and I wish to thank everyone involved especially ****** ********.

• Initial Complaint

  01/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  on 11/0221 I took an 2011 Audi Q5 to this facility for a check engine light. upon their diagnostic, I was told the vehicle needed a water pump and a thermostat. they said that they could replace it on the vehicle. it would be no problem. Additional, I was told I needed struts and other parts on the vehicle that later I found out was just maintenance. I was misled. unfortunately a month later the engine light came back on and the car now is leaking coolant. I call this facility but I don't take my car back because I just spent money that I didn't have to for maintenance repairs that I wouldn't have had done there. I take it to another facility that works on Aldi's and they tell me I need a water pump and a thermostat and that this facility cracked my engine head. I'm asking for my car to be repaired at the dealership due to 40 services from this auto place. they did not know what they were doing when they worked on my vehicle. they also mislead me when they sold me on maintenance issues that I would not have had done at their place of business.

  Customer response

  01/16/2024

  I have been contacted by the business. The business is willing to look at the vehicle. My concerns is that the vehicle has been leaking coolant 2 years. The vehicle was looked at a 2nd time by Van  Auto  shop  mechanic in June, 2022. It was not a a thorough inspection. At that time , I was told there were no issues. However, there is still a coolant leak. Now a possible engine issue diagnosed at another repair facility that repaired the The thermostat in January/2022.

  I just want my vehicle repaired correctly. 

   

  Business response

  01/25/2024

  Good morning. I wanted to give a small update on this, because I know we're around two weeks since the original complaint came in. As she mentioned in her update, we reached out to the customer to see if she was able to bring the vehicle back in for us to inspect, and then assess what needed to be done. She agreed, but was waiting until we had a courtesy car available for her to drive. We called and left a voicemail last Friday to let her know we had one set aside for her, and then again this morning. We still have not been able to reach her. Do you need us to post a public reply, or are we able to wait until we have more information?

  Business response

  01/30/2024

  Hi *******. We were hoping to resolve this concern with you directly, but since we haven't been able to reach you, the BBB has asked us to respond here.
  
  I first wanted to address your comment about the suspension work. On your 10/26/21 visit, we replaced multiple control arms as well as the rear shocks. Control arms are never recommended as a point of maintenance - we only recommend those when they are worn to the point of showing movement/play. The rear shocks could be considered a maintenance item, because they won't necessarily turn into a safety concern. However, as they wear out they can still affect things such as tire wear, vehicle handling, and stopping distance (in addition to causing things such as noises over bumps, rough or bouncy ride, etc). It's our responsibility to make you aware when these items are due to be replaced, but it's always up to you whether or not you'd like to have the work performed.
  
  Secondly, I wanted to address the subject of your coolant leak. We replaced those parts on 11/2/21. A few months later, when you made us aware that there was possibly still an issue (or that the issue may have returned), we asked if you could bring the vehicle back to us in order to inspect. If it was an error on our part, or if there was a part failure, we would have happily taken care of it - that's what our warranties are for. You decided you wanted to take it somewhere else. The other shop said that we cracked the engine block because we "used the wrong type of sealant" when replacing those parts. Not only do those parts not need sealant at all because they use rubber gaskets/seals that come with the parts, but it would also be highly, highly unlikely that we could crack the engine block even if we did use some sort of sealant. 
  
  We reached out hoping we could bring the vehicle back in, do a thorough inspection, determine exactly what was going on, and figure out the best way to resolve the issue from here. After speaking on the phone, you said that you would allow us to do so once we had a courtesy vehicle available for you to borrow. We left a few voicemails for you over the last week and a half saying we had one set aside, but haven't heard back from you. We still want to help out in any way we can, so please reach out to the store whenever it's convenient for you and we can talk further. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  10/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I initially contacted them due to a noise issue in my car's front end, which had occurred after hitting an object on the highway. I brought my car in for an oil change and inspection on October 13th, during which one of their technicians diagnosed the noise as a brake issue. They quoted me $799.71 to replace both front brakes, the sway bar link, disc rotor, and stabilizer bar end links. I then received an unauthorized call from one of their technicians, who offered to do the same work at a lower cost off the books. This incident made me uncomfortable, as it wasn't the first time a technician at this location had inappropriately accessed my personal information and contacted me. Upon getting my car back the noise had returned even worse the next day. I reported the issue on Wednesday, October 18th, and was scheduled for Friday, October 20th. I informed **** about the technician's inappropriate behavior and expressed my concern for my safety. Afterward, ****** called to inform me that the technician who had contacted me had been fired. He acknowledged that this behavior was illegal and advised me to block the technician's number and consider filing a police report. I still continued to receive inappropriate texts on my Apple Watch, which created a fear of retaliation. During this time, ****** informed me that I needed two new sets of struts, initially quoting $800 plus the cost of an alignment. However, due to driving my car after the supposed repair, an alignment was necessary, leading to a negotiation where the lowest price they could offer was $500. I found this unacceptable as my initial problem remained unresolved, and the misdiagnosis and subsequent repairs had left me in significant financial distress. Their request for positive reviews and claims of "bending over backward" were disheartening, as they failed to take responsibility for their errors. The invoice revealed that the "discount" was merely a coupon for the amount ****** said he couldn't reduce.

  Business response

  10/25/2023

  Hi ******. Let me start by saying that we sincerely apologize for the employee that reached out to you from his personal cell phone. As our store manager mentioned, that type of interaction is against company policy and the employee was terminated immediately after this was brought to our attention.
  
  As far as the repair work performed on your vehicle, I was able to review both visits with the team at the store. On your initial visit, we heard two noises when taking the vehicle out for a test drive. First, a slight noise out of the front-end steering/suspension (which was along the lines of what you were describing), and second, a little bit of brake noise. During the vehicle inspection, we saw that the vehicle's front sway bar links were worn/loose and that the front brake pads were very low. Those items were replaced on that visit and we thought the problem was resolved.
  
  On your next visit, you let us know that the noise was still present when driving the vehicle. It was at that point that we discovered an issue with the strut/coil spring on the left front of the vehicle. We agreed that this was likely missed the first time we inspected your vehicle. With that in mind, although the sway bar links were in need of replacement when we first saw the vehicle, we knew that you had ultimately decided to replace them because you were trying to address this noise. Since it had not resolved the noise, we said we would refund you the cost of those repairs (a total of $284.14, labelled as "warranty" labor and parts on your second invoice). Additionally, understanding that it was an inconvenience to bring your vehicle back a second time, we agreed to discount the repairs further (a total of $246.70, the last two discount lines on the invoice), resulting in the invoice total being $500 with tax. You had agreed to this price, you picked up our courtesy vehicle so that you had transportation over the weekend while we worked on the vehicle, and we completed the repairs.
  
  There was nothing recommended or repaired during those two visits that wasn't needed. However, for our failure to catch one of the problems on your first visit, we ended up crediting you a total of $530.84 toward your repairs. At this time, we feel that we have already done our part to resolve this issue in a fair way.

• Initial Complaint

  08/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 7/31/23 I dropped off my 2016 Nissan Sentra to have the brakes inspected because of noise they were making. While it was there, I requested an oil change since they were going to be working on it. The girl at the counter advised that they would contact me with a quote prior to doing ANY work because it could be extensive. The brake work totaled over $1600 and the recommended even more work to be done. I spoke with the tech who emailed me the quote to look over line by line. I emailed back and advised that I was not authorizing any of the charges on the quote and that my son would be to pick up the vehicle. I decided to trade my car in (which I did and hour after it was picked up). The quote had the brakes AND the oil change on it. My son went to retrieve the car and they forced him to pay for a $70 UNAUTHORIZED oil change to release the car to him. I have PROOF that I did not authorize this. I called and spoke to the manager **** who tried saying that most people who come in for an oil change and brakes, still want the oil change. I did NOT as I had decided to trade it in. Why would I pay $70 for something I am getting rid of? They NEVER asked about the oil changed, they ASSUMED. **** stated he would look in to it and call me back... which he NEVER did. I sent an email to **** since he didn't call back on 8/1 and NOTHING. I am filing a complaint and want my son's money refunded.

  Business response

  08/09/2023

  Most of what Ms. ****** described was completely accurate:

  She brought the vehicle in to look at a brake noise and to get an oil change done. Once she realized how much the brake work was going to cost, she decided that she didn't want to move forward with the work, and instead, trade the vehicle in. That's not a real common scenario when a customer brings their vehicle in, so more often than not, we feel comfortable pulling the vehicle in, starting on the oil change, going through the full vehicle inspection while the vehicle is in the air, and then presenting the repair quote of whatever was found. When she declined the estimate, we assumed she was just declining the brake work (not to mention, at that point we were most likely finished, or on the tail end of the oil change). Just a misunderstanding.

  Our store manager attempted to reach back out to Ms ****** by phone a couple times, and I'm not sure whether we may have had an incorrect phone number on file, but ultimately we were not able to reach her. When I saw the BBB complaint come through, I asked out store manager to send an email instead. We were able to get ahold of her and processed the refund for the oil change. At this time, I believe the situation should be resolved.

  Customer response

  08/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Drop the truck off Wednesday night 5/3/23 to have - idler arm -inner and outer tires rods -pitman arm replaced and an alignment had to be done after all work was done. In total the services costed $1600. I picked the truck up on Friday 5-5-23 and i was told everything was done and good. Over the weekend I noticed the truck was not handling correctly and went in Tuesday 5-9-23 and was told to bring it in Saturday 5-13-23 to get the alignment redone. When I went in Saturday I was told the alignment was not done there and had to go to east market st location. They told me they did not do the alignment either and it was taken to Medina with out my approval. Went back to Ellet location and they stated they would pay out of pocket for another alignment shop to get it done. In that time of the alignment not being done the front tires went completely bald and needed to be replaced. Got tires ordered and ****** the manager stated they would put the tires on before the alignment appointment which soonest was over a month out on 6-22-23 which we could not drive the truck till then. We dropped the truck off at vans on Sunday night 6-18-23 to get the tires on. They did not touch the truck till Wednesday 6-21-23 an hour before closing and told us they were not able to mount the tires so we missed the alignment appointment and found a shop that could mount the tires and ****** said they would pay for them to be done. He also made me aware in a conversation the truck was never aligned from the beginning which is an huge liability. After getting the bill for the tire mounting he argued with me saying he would not pay it. Finally came to an agreement that he would pay it and the when I picked up the truck they made me aware the drive side wheel barring was bad & parts were not fully tight that were replaced by vans. I made vans aware and they told me to buy the part and they would put it on for free. I wrote a note stating it was to go on the front driver side and after picking it up I found they had put it on the front passenger side.

  Business response

  07/20/2023

  I spoke with Mr. ****** on the phone yesterday and we were able to come to an agreement on how to resolve his complaint, due to his poor experience at our shop. We are taking care of the cost of an open invoice he had with us for four tires, and we're refunding him $1000 for previous repairs made on his vehicle. He's coming by our office later this afternoon to pick up the check. If there are any other questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Thanks

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing this follow-up letter to express my disappointment and frustration with the service I received at Van's Auto Service & Tire Pros in ***** **********, ****. The issues that I have encountered have caused a major threat to my livelihood and financial stress, resulting in me having to buy a vehicle hastily and borrow over $3000 from my son. Here are the main issues: • On November 7, 2022, my 2019 ***** ***** over-heated on my way to work and required coolant system repairs costing $1088. • On November 23, 2022, I noticed two large puddles under my car in the parking lot at work, one clearly coolant and the other oil. After repairs costing $1292, I was assured that everything was checked and that there were no more problems. • On December 5, 2022, I noticed a large puddle of coolant under my car in the parking lot at work. The result of the third diagnosis was that the oil cooler was bad, and it over-heated after a minute or so, so we were back to the original problem. If this had been taken care of the first time, it could have saved me time and money. The repairs were quoted at $932. • On January 9, 2023, I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau resulting in Van's agreeing to repair the coolant leak and overheating issue at no cost to me. Mid-January, I took the ***** back to Van's to be repaired. • On January 28, 2023, I picked up the ***** after the repair, and the technician assured me that there were no leaks. However, after about a week, the ***** started overheating and leaking coolant. I called Van's, and I was told that the turbo is cracked, which is a common problem in these cars. If this is a "common problem" in these cars, why wasn't this "common problem addressed November 7, 2022 when the ***** was brought in the first time?

  Business response

  02/28/2023

  We spoke with the customer on 2/20 and 2/24, after which she agreed to bring the vehicle in for us to repair. On 2/24 we found that the thermostat, which we had replaced previously, had failed. We replaced this part again under warranty, and that corrected the issue. We went on a number of test drives after the repair, including one with the customer, to ensure no further issues. The customer was satisfied with the repairs and picked up the keys for the vehicle over the weekend. I believe it was her intent to reach back out to the BBB and verify that the situation has been resolved

  Customer response

  03/01/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I am satisfied the ***** is finally repaired properly, but I am not satisfied with the financial trouble this situation has put me in over the last 4 months waiting for my car to be repaired properly. I have had to purchase a new vehicle that does not allow me to have funds to make this car payment. So I believe that there should be some money reimbursement for all the hardship this has put me through. reimbursement would allow me to at least make this car payment until I am able to sell this car which has not been able to happen due to the car not being repaired properly. 

  Thank you 

  ****** **********

• Initial Complaint

  12/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I took my car to them because engine light was on.They said it was misfiring and needed a tuneup.I agreed and spent$1600 on the tuneup.They said the car was ready and pick it up.I paid and drove out of the parking lot and the light immediately came back on.I took it back immediately and they reset the light to go off.I drove it off the lot again and it came back on.I now have paid $1600 for a procedure that didn’t fix the problem.I was told to bring it back the next day and they would look at it again.I thought whoever had test drove it had to know the light was going to come on as soon as I left the shop.Nobody said that it might not be fixed and don’t pay until we get it fixed.I take it back the next day and they put cleaner into the car.I was told to keep driving it even if the light came on. As soon asI left the shop it came on again.I drove it for 100 miles and called back as to what they were going to do.I took it back and they said you need new fuel injectors and it would cost another $1600.Did I need the initial tuneup and would the new fuel injectors have been the correct repair initially?Why did I pay for a repair that didn’t solve the problem?Why was I given the car back and told it was fixed when I returned 3 times the engine light immediately came back on?Did they know it would come back on immediately because the test drive would have shown this?I reached out about my concern to****. He listened cordially and said they would get back to me. It has been a week and no reply.

  Business response

  01/13/2023

  We are currently speaking with Mr ****** and have come to an agreement to resolve his complaint. We're issuing him a partial credit on his repairs, and in turn, he said he'd be happy to remove the complaint. Hoping to have everything finalized before the end of today (1/13/23)

  Customer response

  01/13/2023

   Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.I am very thankful for the kindness and professionalism of Vans in working with me to find a common ground solution.**** and staff were understanding my concern and worked diligently to allow me to voice my concern and understand my views.I am thankful and blessed to come to an agreement for all. Thanks so much and God Bless ***** ****** 

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩