Walt's Auto Service Plus Walt's Auto Services Plus, Inc. Didn't completely fix my car AND recommended unnecessary head gasket replacement Topeka, Kansas

As far as my behavior is concerned, it's nothing that needs to be explained. I am the paying customer, not the one making money. I am not the one representing myself as a competent mechanic. I am not trying to sell anyone anything in this transaction. I do not advertise auto repair services using the words "honest deal."

I do not sell, or attempt to sell, unnecessary head gasket service. On that note, my head gasket is fine. I had a mechanic check it, and I have his invoice. I also did my own coolant gas chemical test, which failed to react (meaning that any bubbles are not CO2).

I once worked with customers, and I still do on occasion online. I don't lose my cool with the "bad" ones. I certainly don't post their names or where they work or insinuate that their character caused another to criminally victimize them. I don't keep a database about them, either.

One more thing...I didn't accuse anyone of lying without evidence or good reason, nor did I accuse anyone of lying with evidence or good reason that he was being truthful.

As for shutting the front door, after responding to that first rebuttal, I did so...to the Kansas Attorney General's office. Now, this matter is in their hands.

You say that what you want is honesty.

Lots of unanswered questions about your behavior:

Why did you not show up for your agreed upon appointment?
Do you not think it would be in your best interest to give the shop a chance to correct any possible wrong doing?
Why do you not mention that when the bad tires were replaced with good ones thumping tire noise went away.
Why did you come into my shop to begin with?
What caused you to leave your last shop.
What was the reason for another shop to say something bad about my shop, not very professional. I would have refered you back to the original shop that did the work. i hav anation wide warranty for my repairs.

You say you would have been more convinced with a combustion gas leak test or a cooling system pressure test, but those were never offered. I wonder Why you would say this? The answer is simple is that you never ask me to.

My test is simple and does not cost the customer any money Free!!!

You like to put down my video, simple test that others on the internet show with different variations.
I guess all the people are dishonest also.

Just had another vehicle 2008 Chevy HHR with 32000 miles that was covered under warranty, I went and visited with David Johnson the service director Ed Bozarth Chevrolet and discussed the bubbles in the cooling system and showed him my youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAJLMd46ySU I also like this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoi4h8EZPr8&feature=related less mess. He agreed with me and thought it was informative. He has seen many head gaskets issues in his position as well.
 
Simply speaking bubbles test easy simple and free. When we spoke on the phone you told me the reasons the bubbles were in there was because you drained and refilled the antifreeze last year. when I put the funnel on your radiator and fill it with water if there was any air pocket the water level would drop. It did not, once you get your thermostat open and the entire cooling system flowing if c02 gas bubbles come out you have a bad head gasket.
 
But lets get down to brass tacks.

If you want and are willing to pay for my time, I can perform a proper combustion gas chemical leak test, a cooling pressure test, and a cylinder air pressure test to isolate which cylinder(s) is leaking to put this issue to rest.
 
I would even video it to make a great youtube training video.
 
I am so confident of diagnoses that I would even refund your money for your tires and wheel bearing repair.
 
Time for you to shut the front door.

I'm not out to destroy this business - only to demand the "honest deal" sung about in the advertising.

Before I went to this business, I saw the online reviews were mostly positive. I hope they truly have so many satisfied customers, since happy customers are vital to any business. I also relied upon their 10% discount, Chamber of Commerce membership, website and TV advertising to think, "Hey, maybe this will be a good shop in Topeka that I can trust."

However, I went for wheel work and left with two new tires, an estimate for a head gasket repair with engine work and an attenuated knocking in the rear that I fortunately caught before this snowy weather.

At first, I believed this shop and was nervous about needing this repair, since it is about a month's net pay. I am happy to be fortunate enough to earn what I do. However, there are those out there who do not. Had they received the same diagnosis, they would be even harder pressed to think about how they could afford it. Therefore, a head gasket diagnosis shouldn't be made lightly.

I am sure that I would be a "good customer" had I not done my research and just played along with the allegedly necessary head gasket repair. However, I was fortunate enough to receive a recommendation for a different shop. Furthermore, I also did my research and found the flaw in the case for replacing my head gasket.

After being told by that shop that the head gasket was okay, hearing from other people with similar experiences, no one personally saying a good thing about this shop to me, Mr. Pursell making a follow-up call and continuing to push the head gasket, and doing my homework, I felt it to be my ethical obligation to get my report out there online. That way, someone similarly situated as me could see the Internet reviews and judge for themselves. If they go to this shop, that's fine. If not, that's their decision.

No, I was not forced into the head gasket repair. However, I did feel like my anxieties were played upon, and it was emphatically recommended to me as something necessary.

I know I was taking a risk by getting my story out there. However, Mr. Pursell explicitly made it personal. As difficult as it is, I tried hard not to explicitly call him a liar, cheat, or anything like that. Rather, I chose to state the facts, point out when the evidence demonstrated that the head gasket recommendation was not necessary, and draw upon an analogy similar to the one used in this shop's pitch: the doctor. The reader might probably draw some of those unfavorable conclusions of the shop and Mr. Pursell, but I didn't come out and state it.

I truly regret that Mr. Pursell chose to make it personal, call me Jimi and Will, and make personal attacks. I am neither of those people who reviewed this shop on Google. I do claim to be Big E, and I did say so. The only link between those reviewers and me is that we did not review this shop favorably.

I invite him or anyone associated with this shop to contact Google to try to get any evidence to prove that I am either Jimi or Will. I look forward to obtaining evidence to prove that I am neither of those users.

Eric Benavidez of Topeka, AKA Big E, Jimi, Will I'm sorry to see you have such a negative perception of our services.
When you brought your car in, your complaint was that your car had a thumping noise coming from the front and then After you had your tires were rotated, the thumping moved to the rear. You asked us to find the cause of that noise. We raised your car and found flat spots on your tires, and damage to one of your wheels.

You confirmed this by stating you skidded your tires on I 70 and you knew you ran over something. I recommended replacing, mounting, and balancing your rear tires, and you approved that work. The next day, you called saying there was a whining noise in the rear of your car.

We never heard the whining noise over the thumping sounds the tires were making. By taking care of the tires, we assumed we fixed the problem, because that was the only problem we knew to look for.

While speaking on the phone with you, we set up a time for you to bring your car in the next day. You never showed up. The following business day I followed up with you.

You explained you took your car to another mechanic, who found a wheel bearing making the whining noise.

Like I mentioned earlier, there was no way we could have heard that over the thumping noise. Since that thumping was your complaint, we thought the problem was solved.

Regarding your head gasket, my test is simple and easy. If the water bubbles up, it means your gasket is not sealing and leaking. You have a bad gasket that needs to be replaced before other parts of your vehicle are damaged. Get someone else to test it if you don't believe me.

I'm glad you have taken an interest in your car. An informed driver is a smarter driver, and the life of your car will be extended because of that.

What you did not say was that there was no charge for my test and I did not pressure you into any repairs. I went over the other inspections I performed at no charge to you. - 1st we scanned your vehicle for any codes, current, history and pending, none were found.

we checked your dash for any warning lights and to make sure you check engine light works. we checked your reverse, tag, head, turn lights to make sure they are operational. we checked your windshield, wipers, mirrors and horn, for safety reasons.
we checked your coolant tank level and inside for any oil residue- we found yours to have some oil film inside, sign of a head gasket leaking. We also check the inside of your radiator and then perform a C02 gas bubble test, which failed on your vehicle. I also noted that a salvage yard motor was installed at one time.

We made a recommendation to change your manual transmission fluid per mileage.
We checked your oil level and noted that it was clean and full. We also noted that your air filter was new and clean.

Your acc belts were ok but your pulleys for the belts were worn.

Your vehicle has a timing belt which we did not know if it was changed or not, no replacement sticker was present and it Is a salvage yard motor, checked your hoses ok, checked your battery voltage, it s/d around 12.5 volts and it tested 12.4 658/575 cold cranking amps and was purchased 2/2011, we checked your alternator to make sure it was recharging your battery properly s/b around 14 volts- tested 13.74. made notes that the vehicle had new tune up parts installed and that the fuel filter was non serviceable because it was in the gas tank, we looked thru your wheels and noted that the front pads had approx 80% left, we inspected your ball joints and tie rod ends for play and found none, we inspected your struts for any visual damage and any signs of leakage and found none, we inspected your front and rear wheel bearings for any play and did not find any (you can have a bad wheel bearing that howls or whines but does not present any movement.) to finish it up we looks at your exhaust system for any parts that are rusted thru on hanging loosely. For the record I charged hour to diagnose your complaint of VEHICLE MAKING THUMPING NOISE IN LEFT REAR- STARTED AFTER COMING TO A HARD STOP ON INTERSTATE- CUSTOMER ROTATED TIRES AND NOISE WENT FROM FRONT TO BACK- POSSIBLE FLAT SPOTED TIRE, CHECK ALL TIRES.

After finding the tires with flat spots in them I called you and recommended that you replace both rear tires to get rid of the thumping noise. The charge for that was 20 minutes of time plus the parts. A sum total of 50 minutes of time. Were you get the notion that you were ripped off I have know Idea. I did not over charge you for any time and I had a minimal % mark up on your tires.

I did not over charge you in any way, almost forgot that  you forgot to mentioned you received a 10% discount for working at Blue Cross. You told me that someone stole your tires and wheels at one time. I wonder why someone would be upset at you. Hmmm go figure.

Since you like to do all this internet research I would have that you would have been more prudent before you oked the work to be done and the fact that Dodge Neons have many postings of head gaskets issues and that the head gaskets have been redesigned multiple times.

You have been on the internet trying to hurt my reputation by creating a dust storm of speculation, opinion,  lies and half truths. People often say it is hard to find a good honest mechanic. I say I know lots good honest mechanics. It is hard to find a good honest customer. We need a website that rates our customers so other will know what is in stored if they do business with said individual. Good information to know during an interview. I hope you get your car taken care of. -Sincerely, Walt