Ammco Transmissions, How Aamco destroyed my transmission Ashland Kentucky

Okay lets see, I took May 1998 Ford Contour SVT into AAMCO transmissions in Ashland, KY to have the shift tower bolt replaced. I spoke to Connie at first, she in turn spoke to Joe. It took some doing to at least get a ball park price. $500 to remove the transmission and replace the bolt. I would have done the work myself but I had just busted 2 ribs and was in no condition to so. Besides, AAMCO does this kind of thing everyday, so why be worried about taking your car to them. BE VERY WORRIED!

AAMCO had my car towed into the shop on Sept 22, 2008. Where it sat for 12 days. I went over to see what was going on as I hadn't heard from them. They hadn't even touched my car except to put it up on the lift remove the starter and a few bolts here & there. I spoke to Mark that day about what was going on with it and why it was taking so long.

He stated to me they were very busy and that my car had several rusted bolts that they were having a difficult time removing. Hmmmm, your in the business of removing transmissions on a daily basis and you don't know how to remove stubborn bolts? So, like a nice guy I went back home, the closer I got to the house the more heated up I got. When I arrived at the house I went in and phoned AAMCO and asked to talk to Joe, the guy in charge of the work on my car. I asked him what was taking so long? He repeated what Mark said about the bolts..I repeated what I said to Mark with a lil more umph this time. Well Joe yelled into the phone "come and get your Fu*^ing car" and hung up on me.

I called a tow service and met them at AAMCO in Ashland. We had to wait 45 minutes for Joe to put my car back together. Well at least part way. I received my car back with a box of bolts and the remaining parts (MAF sensor, air cleaner, starter) in a box. I said to Joe this isn't the way you received my car is it? He said to me that if it was going to another garage what's the sense in putting it all back together? Besides I don't have the time to mess with it now. Politely shook my hand and said no hard feelings OK!

Me still reeling from what had just happened and having busted ribs decided to fix it myself. I managed to get the shift tower off and replace the bolt. I started looking at what had been done by AAMCO.

Well first off they stripped the threads on my passenger side axle, so I had to go buy a new one. Both bolts had been broken off the steering rack assembly attaching it to the K-frame, they also stripped out several of the bolts that holds the K-frame to the car, which in turns holds the engine and transmission into the car. There was grease all over the steering wheel, carpet and driver's seat.

Well I was just happy I fixed my car. Or at least I thought so. I lpulled it out of the garage to warm the engine up. Washed my hands, hoped in it and started down the road only to end up 500 feet from my driveway with a banging and something hitting the clutch. I turned around and went very slowly back to the house. Pulled it back into the garage and wondered what had just happened. Now as I mentioned earlier I had a box of nuts and bolts. Well not all of them were accounted for. I was dreading what I was going to find.

I pulled the shift tower back off got a magnet and started fishing on the fluid side of the tranny. NOTHING not one thing, clean fluid, then I noticed the level off the trans fluid, really low, I was leaking trans fluid all over the garage floor. Well I thought about the thumping I felt when I depressed the clutch in. So I removed the starter. Kinda difficult to remove because the front bolt is in a tight place. So I grabbed my light and magnet and started fishing inside the starter hole. I found something all right, a 13mm Snap on tool swivel socket.

The next day I called good ol Joe and asked if he were missing anything. He replied NO. So, I asked him how a 10mm swivel socket got in my tranny. He stated "I'm missing a 13mm not a 10mm". Is it a SnapOn? Joe asked. Gotcha....He then disclosed to me that he usually places his tools on top of the motor when working on cars and it must have fallen in the starter hole. Thing's like that happen, you know that, you work on cars too right. So Joe told me not to worry they would take care of the transmission.

I called Joe on Thursday Oct 10, 2008 and left a message. No reply.

I called Joe today Oct 11, 2008 and got Mark. I asked Mark if he knew what was going on about getting a transmission for my car. Mark said WHO is this? I explained to Mark who I was and what had happened. Mark replied, He didn't drop anything into your transmission. I replied, He didn't, then why am I standing here holding a 13mm swivel socket that Joe himself stated, how, what size, who made the socket to me over the phone last Friday and that I recorded.

Well guess what.....I got hung up on.

Note: See attorney on Monday morning 10/15/2008

To be continued.....

David
Kitts Hill, Ohio
U.S.A.

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