- Jurisdiction
- California
On March 15,My daughters car enroute to work 2011 camry) stopped,so it was towed to my regular mechanic.An hour later, she was there and the owner right away said,it needs new engine.My initial reaction was to decline because its an old car & new engine is expensive esp that its ACs been out for several months.But they insisted to give me a good deal. A few days,they offered $2500 and 400 for AC.I still said no because what if other major repairs like transmission or timing belts occur.I then asked if they have other used cars (ive bought a good used car from them before), they said yes we have a couple. So the next, my daughter and I drove to the shop, unfortunately, one car was sold,the other was pending. Then they convinced me again,mentioning i just registered this car in January,if i buy another used car is no guarantee plus i have to get it smogged then register to my name, extra costs. So i asked again,about transmission and other major repairs,ive asked a few friends and they all mentioned these parts as i know nothing about cars.Their reply was " After the engine changed, it will run for another 4-5 years with just minor repairs like brakes or tires, transmission and timing belts are all good!".That sparkled my daughter to just do it because she just graduated from college last year and was just doing a temp job, she wasnt ready for a newer car with her student loans.The next day, my daughter went back with their $ 1T required deposit.She recieved a paper that says , Estimate dated March 15, below has a first line for $75 -check & report, test drive, no oil indicated, lift up visual check dated March 25 @ 11 am. Next line $ 2500-engine replaced, $ 1T , my daughters signature @ 6 pm. The next day i asked about $75 and i was told, a diagnostic fee, which will be removed after the job is done.Few days later, they called saying "AC blowing very cold air,new engine is good,but transmission is bad!". I was schocked! I said " oh no , ill just cancell the order then, thats a pricey repair, You assured me , the transmission is still good "!..They said, don't worry well give you a good deal ( their famous line ) came back with $ 1800. I said, now this will cost me almost $5T, money i dont have. They refused to my request and want to keep my car and my deposit. I called the corporate office but was instantly shot down.I seek help with Business Bureau which took over a month. The whole time,we went through crazy schedule of uber and helping my daughter to get to work and back.First,they lowered the transmission to $ 1200 then finally $3500 for everything.By this time, my daughter got hired with a better job and decided to get a newer car plus I didn't trust what type of job will result after the issues.I offered to just get $ 500 and i will write off the car to them,they still declined. I wanted to file to small claims court but they beat me with a mechanical lein on my car. I know if ignore the lein, ill be in trouble, as of today, i only have 3-4 days to reply to the DMV.Can i get legal assistance here please if i have a case or they are right that the job is done i have to pay, or i can argue that i feel violated for not informing me that a transmission cannot be evaluated unless engine is running ( this is their argument) which was not disclosed to me not to mention the fact that i did ask about this.I wont pay for just the engine and AC knowing that the transmission is bad. As a mother I would never put my child's life in danger and as a human being , other peoples lives too. Please help.