ComplaintsforTri Star Engines and Transmissions

• Initial Complaint

  09/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  A Engine and A transmission purchased in august ***** of 2022 and was installed by paid by ***************** for *************************. The engine and Trans begin leaking. We were directed to reach out to Tri star and Tri star suggested ******************* dealership check it They determined no new tags so a new engine or transmission wasnt installed . The engine needed a timing chain and still was no good and so was the trans no good.I cried because I had been fooled .I was doing rentals back and fourth Tri never accommodated me. I kept at it until finally in February of ******************** take it back into ******************* and agreed to take care of it for me . I spend a lot of money on rentals they agreed to cover it they never sent an engine or trans as agreed upon .My car remained down. I kept on fighting until *** told me to bring it into ******************* again on July 30th2024 were my car remains. They have never sent an engine or transmission . they kept on playing this game until the warranty has just ran out. . Now Im Told to have the engine and trans took out myself and send it to them and they will send me a refund . This is pure insanity .I never received what I paid for . They never honored there merchandise .There latest is abc auto was the customer and been reimbursed .who are we ? This is some Shady business Im tired of the round and rounds this company is very unprofessional ****, ***** ,all of them could care less about there customers . They play on your intelligence ! No one does anything about anything and feel as if you wont be able to get them in trouble. They sent me a ****** dollar check for rentals on this last claim theyve cost me thousands and I never received a dime back on rentals for my others claims .Never paid me back or resolved the issue .please help me get a full refund please And my rental fees claim numbers are. Wc188005 engine wc188391 transmission and wc ******** and the contact person for ******************* located on 9400 s ****** is ************************

  Business response

  09/06/2024

  We first want to apologize for the issues that **************** is experiencing with her remanufactured products. Based on notes from the warranty claims that **************** referenced in her initial correspondence to the BBB, we show that the units in question had been in service for nearly a year and a half and 20K miles when the claims were opened in February of 2024.  With that amount of time in service, there are many factors that could be the leading cause(s) of the issues she is experiencing.  Based on the document that **************** provided (IMG_0918) which was a diagnostic inspection performed by **** Chevrolet, the vehicle in question seemed to be in quite the state of disrepair, with multiple trouble codes for items that are not included with our product but could certainly cause the issues being experienced.  This document also makes it clear that this vehicle severely lacked basic preventative maintenance even on safety related items such as brakes, tires and suspension components.  On the claim for the engine (WC188005), the vehicle was taken to a different shop (****** Auto), where it was discovered that there was an internal issue with the timing components in the engine; we worked directly with **** at the shop to coordinate the needed repairs and paid ****** Auto directly on 03/07/2024, per the terms of the warranty.  Now 6 months later we have a new claim (WC211526) on the engine, where the new reported issue is that the engine is burning oil.  We have authorized a replacement to be sent per the terms of the warranty, however **************** does not agree with the terms of the warranty and feels that we should pay the entire amount of labor that her shop wants to charge for the removal and replacement.  Regarding the transmission claim (WC211526), it is unclear why ****** Auto did not provide the needed details to finalize this claim back in February, but as of 08/05/24, this claim has also had a replacement authorized, but again, **************** does not agree with the terms of the warranty and wants us to cover the full labor on this as well.   A copy of the standard warranty and the No Fault Warranty plan that were purchased on both products has been attached for review.  Per the terms of the No Fault Warranty plan, *************** is eligible for replacement units and labor reimbursement up to $70.00/hour based on the ALLDATA labor guide; she is responsible to the shop for any additional labor amounts beyond that. The No Fault Warranty also allows for 10 total days of rental car coverage at $35.00/day; we have already reimbursed **************** $350.00 on 08/22/2024 on check number ****** per the terms of the warranty.  We are working within the terms of the warranty that were purchased on the products and have replacements ready to ship to Ms. ******* preferred shop, but **************** is not willing to accept the warranty terms.  At this point, any further delays and/or fees incurred by **************** are all the result of **************** not accepting the terms of the warranty. 

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased engine from this company on 7/20/2020 was delivered middle to end of September 2020 with full 2 year warranty. Engine installed in classic car May of 2022. Engine was started and never ran correctly. Run hot smoked rattled and basically run terrible. Tried new water pump radiator fan t-stat. Pulled sparkplugs from engine they gapped wrong from the purchase. Also head gasket was blown out. Called TriStar said the gap was wrong. Made warranty claim # *** **** July-August 2022 before warranty was up. Still had the problems into 2023. Didn't use the car for the reasons stated. May 2023 Spoke to **** representative of TriStar was not very informative on what to do at first. Then **** decided to let me ship engine back to TriStar for a look over. Witch at the time I thought was fair. **** called me end of July said engine was ready to be sent back to me. I ************ what they did to the engine what did they fix. He had no words said he didn't know! (Really?) So I ************ can I talk to guy that looked it over? His words were I don't know where he is right now. REALLY????!!!!! So the engine was shipped back to me and installed in my classic car with in the week. Another new radiator $400, another new high volume water pump $100, another t-stat and new hoses $50-60. And no avail engine still runs hot cant cool it to operating temperature. Talked to engine builders in my town said engine block is junk probably been rebuilt to many times. I have not been able to enjoy my classic car plus all the extra money I've been out. I've tried to contact people in the company but no returned calls. You would think that a company that been in business as long as they have would not be like this. Its like they have my money and they don't care. Therefore I am seeking a FULL refund of my $4595.00. I have contacted an attorney already he has sent them a letter stating my wishes. They have not responded as of now. It would of their best interest to settle with me before court proceedings. They need to be aware of the laws in ********. thank you

  Business response

  01/24/2024

  The engine was purchased and sat for almost 2 years before being installed. No wonder it had a problem. After being out of warranty by almost a year, we still offered to rework it at no charge. I told him that a complete rework of the engine took place and that virtually all internals were replaced, and he wanted a list of all steps taken and parts replaced, and I told him I do not have that information but it is reworked to the original specs. We charged him nothing for an out of warranty rework, paid round trip freight of $300 each way, and the issues he has now have nothing to do with the build. If he wants a refund, we will entertain that. We need the engine back first. He can reach out to our ******************* at ************ and schedule a pickup when it has been removed, drained and palleted, and we will get it scheduled back to us. 

  *******************
  Tri Star Engines

  Business response

  01/25/2024

  I would like to submit a follow-up to my initial response yesterday to Complaint 21190077.
  
  I do not think I was clear that we will honor a refund for **************. If he ships the engine back to Tri Star, we will refund him the $4,995.00 for the engine once check-in procedures are completed.
  
  Before responding to his BBB complaint, I had reviewed his August 2023 Claim in our system and copied some of the conversation(s) he and I had into my response. I re-read my response this morning and I think the tone of it may have been construed as antagonistic. I want to apologize to ************** and let him know that was not my intent. He took the time to contact the BBB, and I needed to take the time he deserves and do a better job in my response. Again, I apologize.
  
  As for the input from ************** regarding the engine block, I will absolutely have our Quality Control Team analyze the engine block when it arrives. I want to thank ************** for his input. Feedback from our customers only helps us get better.
  
  Thank you,
  
  *******************
  Tri Star Engines

• Initial Complaint

  09/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dont bother with tristar engines if you expect them to stand behind their warranty! We followed everything to the * new oil cooler and all with all documentation,pics and videos. Motor didn't even make it **** miles before it spun rod bearing. *hey claim debris in oil. only debris in oil was their spun bearing. I sold the customer on this ******************** because of their so called warranty. Now im out the labor and fluids and all for 2nd engine. i had to eat that because customer was told by me to go with tristar for the warranty. I stand behind my work unlike tristar. I will steer everyone i can away from these guys. in person or internet. Never did it cross my mind that they'd flat out deny warranty claim. Run away if you're thinking you'll have labor warranty

  Business response

  09/25/2023

  Please call me directly for assistance. I need to find your order in our system. Please email me ************************************** or call me **************************** and I will review it ASAP.

  Thank you,

  *******************
  Sales Manager
  Tri Star Engines

• Initial Complaint

  03/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have an engine warranty with Tristar Engines. I had to file claim number ***** as my engine failed.I am to get a $100 reimbursement for towing which is confirmed through Tristar. On February 24, 2023, ****** Auto charged me $280. for towing charges which are on the receipt, I have attached and paid for.******* is telling me ****** submitted the towing charges to them against my claim/my warranty and Tristar will be paying ****** $100 and not me. I have already paid for the towing charges and the reimbursement is due to me and not ******. This is my warranty, not ********. I am not getting a resolution from either party.

  Business response

  05/02/2023

  We sent her a check for the amount she was asking for and she cashed it on 3/28/23. We have made several attempts via email and phone to get a hold of her asking her to reach out to you and close this claim. without success. Please close this claim.

  Thank you,

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

   

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Our 5.4 liter engine in our 2012 **** Expedition failed.Using competent mechanic's resources we bought a new 5.4 liter engine at Tri Star Engines/3 yr warranty.After engine installed, mechanic used directions that came with the engine,the"check engine"symbol came on.Our mechanic,***********************, *******,Wis, used his ******************** mechanics tracking down the issue.The 1st advice and the easiest one,was that it was possible old battery wasn't giving strong volts to start the engine.With our permission he put in new battery.No luck so he went to 2nd advice which was to replace original starter it maybe wasn't strong enough to properly start engine.With our OK again,he replaced starter.No luck.So he went to the next piece expert advice- dis-assemble engine parts, remove valve covers,previously installed.The advice said 1 of the "relucture ring" fingers that signal the engine to perform properly could be bent.Finding 1 of the fingers 1/16 inch bent he bent finger into alignment with other fingers,re-installed the valve covers and the other parts. Upon starting the engine, the problem disappeared.We had previously properly filled out the required warranty form, signed it, and sent it to Tri Star Engines. While they acknowledge that our warranty is in place properly, after we wrote them a long explanation of what had transpired and the additional ****************************** that it cost us, which we paid the mechanic for, they declined warranty. After we wrote them a number of emails-we have copies,they still declined warranty. The reason was that warranty states that we must "call them" previous to solving the problem. I re-read the ************* says that. Obviously, the 1st & 2nd advised steps wouldn't be warranted. But proceeding to the 3rd step was logical & it found their defective part. Calling them 1st was not on our, nor mechanics minds. Tri Star is hiding behind that phone call issue. We ask ONLY for them to reimburse the labor that was needed to fix THEIR defect.

  Customer response

  03/31/2023

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 

  Today I received an acceptable amount ($280) of warranty money from TriStar Engines.

  
  Regards,
  
  *****************

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  i bought and new engine from tri star the day after i got it running it started leaking anti freeze from the back of the intake manifold. i text them and they wanted me to find the problem and i did they gave me a bit of a run around so i fixed it myself.it ran fine. after just 864 miles later the engine messed up ,it broke a lifter and chewed up the ****** talked on the phone with their warranty ***** his name is ***. they wanted me to pay them to fix the motor we argued some but they would only replace the parts i had to do the work myself. now after just one day it is doing the same again.which i told them it would happen because once a motor get metal particles in an engine you just can,t get them all out. it will eat bearing and seals. now i think a valve is bent witch i told them from the start and oil pressure is low below 20psi but they would not listen to me. i do have the e-mails saved in my e-mail. i think this engine was not put together very well, i believe it is as they say a lemon.

  Customer response

  12/15/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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 spoke to the engine place about my complaint they say they will fix my engine at no cost including shipping the only cost would be an upgrade if i want one

  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My truck broke down and I was told the engine needed to be replaced. Mechanic bought a Tri Star engine from Advance Auto. New engine from Tri Star lasted 500 miles before needing repairs. After the repairs I drove another 200 miles and had more engine problems. Took to the ** dealership and they said there was so much wrong with your "new" engine that you're better off getting another "new" engine. They went through Tri Stars ridiculous warranty process and got another engine sent. They refused to pay the labor to install the new "new" engine even though their warranty pamphlet at Advance says they cover labor. So I paid the $1200 difference to put in another new engine. This one lasted 200 miles before leaking oil profusely. I took the truck back to the dealership and was told it was due to a faulty gasket from Tri Star. After going back and forth with Tri Star they admitted to sending a faulty gasket and said they would cover some labor. Then the dealership calls me 3 days later and says now Tri Star refuses to cover any labor.

  Business response

  08/17/2022

  Business states this has been resolved. 

*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. ↩