My car received an air filter replacement and brake pad + rotor replacements on the rear axle among other routine services at Steve's Automotive in Sandy. When leaving the shop, the engine sounded incredibly loud accelerating at 3k rpm and higher. In the 2 miles it took me to arrive home, there was a burning brake smell. After driving to and from work once, the engine noise persisted and smoke was coming from one of the rear brakes. I brought my car back in to Steve's Automotive for the smoking brake and was quoted over $2.6k to have both rear calipers and brake fluid replaced. I took my car home without having the service done. Upon opening the hood to check for the cause of the noisy engine, I found the air filter housing hanging open at the bottom but snapped closed on the top. I declined the offer for Steve's Automotive to reattach it, as another round trip with a bad caliper sounded unappealing for something I could, and did, correct on the spot myself. Although requested, I was not provided a refund for the air filter replacement by Steve's Automotive. Because I have no intention of returning, the offer for a free future oil change is immaterial. 100% customer satisfaction guarantees shouldn't hinge on the customer providing an indefinite number of chances to get things right. The brake issue was fixed by the dealership for $840 ($1.8k cheaper than the fix quoted by Steve's Automotive). I don't mind paying extra for high quality work and convenience, but that is not what I received at Steve's Automotive. Instead, this experience has cost me a large sum of money, an unplanned day off of work, and my own time correcting their work. Better quality control practices could have prevented this.
Lindsey, first of all, please accept my sincere apology for the experience you had with our shop. If I had an experience as you described I would have undoubtedly been just as unhappy, if not more so. Although we get it right most of the time it's obvious we didn't in your case. I know you won't believe it now, however, we have a team of really good people who will stand behind their work and will do whatever it takes to make things right. I agree with you that better quality control would have helped avoid this entire situation. We have a great process in place and are investigating to determine what went wrong. Finally, regarding your comments about the price you paid the dealer. The dealer didn't do $2.6K worth of work for $840 and we'd be out of business today if we charged $2.6K for $840 worth of work, so we're missing some very important and material information regarding these numbers and the scope of work they represent. I know you won't be returning, however, I would still love to resolve this so we can part ways as cordially as possible. Please call me at 801-694-7936 and let me know how we can fix it, thank you! - Richard (Owner)
- Steve's Automotive Specialists - Sandy