Meineke Car Care Center Repeated Catalytic Converter Replacement Problem Hickory North Carolina

This situation takes place between June 20, 2007 and September 5, 2007. Our vehicle is a late model 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.1 Litre 4 door sedan.

We were having problems with loss of power on our vehicle and the local shop we used stated it was related to the catalytic converter and recommended we go to a local "exhaust expert" Meineke shop, which we did. At first, they seemed very responsive to our situation and did some diagnostic tests and said our catalytic converter was plugged up and told me I had 2 options. I was told there were 2 converters for our car; either the universal converter they utilize mostly that carries a 2 year warranty, or the manufacturers OEM version which would cost me a few hudred dollars more. I asked what the difference was and the manager (Jeff) said nothing except the OEM would cost much more, and the version Meineke uses is just as good if not better. Since we weren't going to keep the car for 2 more years anyway, I told them go ahead and use the universal converter you install mostly. While I had it there I did have them perform a transmission flush too as part of routine maintenance while they had car in the air. After I paid the bill the car seemed fine and had power restored and we drove away.

A few days later we noticed this red "service engine" light come on and go off at various times and ignored it at first. About a week later, it was nearing my inspection anyway, so I drove back to Meineke and told them to do an oil change and inspection and mentioned this red light coming on and off periodically. Everything seemed to go well as we waited, until the manager came out and said the inspection failed because this red light came on and they could not put the inspection sticker on. I paid the whole bill at this time and asked him what the problem was, as we recently put about $1500.00 in other routine maintenance and tires, brakes, tuneup, etc on this vehicle just a couple months prior. He said their handheld tester showed a fail code related to the catalyst system, and said he reset it, and told me to drive 100 miles then return and he would put our inspection sticker on, stating it might have been simply from excessive carbon deposits from the bad converter.

After 100 miles, we drove back to Meineke, and right as we turned into their lot, this red light came back on again. The manager put the car back on the rack and stated he didn't want to cause us more monies than he knew we already invested in the car and said his mechanic would look under the car, and came back saying where they welded the new universal converter, there was a small leak, so they patched that and said it was the reason the rear O2 sensor told the computer and this red "service engine" light came back on. We were told to drive 100 miles and return, and then he would put our inspection sticker on.

After 100 miles we again returned to Meineke, and as we turned into the drive this darn red light came back on again! The manager started to give us all sorts of reasons he felt and told me everything related to the catalyst system and had his mechanic pull the original O2 sensor behind the catalytic converter they instaleld weeks prior. He said it has a lot of carbon build up and was because of the original converter failing inside, and so, concinced me we needed a new O2 sensor at a cost of a few hundred more dollars. They reset the red light again, said this should fix the problem and told me to drive 100 miles, and return for our inspection sticker finally.

We again came back after another 100 miles and about 1/4 mile from the Meineke Shop, this red light came back on again. I was getting upset by this visit to the same Meineke only weeks before we had a new converter installed as well as oil & transmission changes and a simple inspection, but still did not have the inspection sticker on because the manager (Jeff) stated he could not put it on until their emissions computer tester showed a "pass" and allowed them to print the sticker... Anyway, this time, Jeff stated since they replaced the O2 sensor, it must be a defect internally in the new converter, and so, cut the converter off and installed another brand new converter, resetting the red light again, and told us to come back after 100 miles and see if this does it so we can get our inspection sticker.

What do you think happened after about 100 miles? Yep, darn red light came back on again. I am now getting upset and demanding some answers why their diagnostics is saying one thing, yet the car is in excellent shape mechanically and nothing wrong, except this red light coming on again. The manager said he made calls to his suppliers and so forth and told me it must be because our car is a California emissions LED style engine which meant nothing to us. We live in NC I said, not in CA! The car came from Virgina and we were second owners... Since they now have replaced the same converter twice and installed a new O2 sensor, Jeff said he had no idea what was going on, but now said his mechanic thought the engine was running "rich"... What the #$#$#%#& I said. We just invested about $1500.00 prior to ever coming to Meineke for car repairs that included a total engine tune up with new wires, plugs, etc.. The car was fine and ran fine. Jeff said the diagnostic test they ran originally was a basic one to determine the faulty catalytic converter and not the in-depth testing one he wanted to do, but would have to charge us $75.00/hour to do so to find out why this was happening. Then he went on and said "we do not ordinarily get into electrical stuff here".

So Jeff hem hawed back and forth and I said, what do I do, take it to a dealer now to figure out why this light keeps coming on? We need the car inspected, as it now was after the deadline and we had no sticker on our car and it effectively is illegal on the highway now. We can't move or sell this car unless it has current inspection!!! So Jeff told me to take it to a Pontiac dealer and call him back with what they said as he was confused. I immediately went to a 42 year old Chevy/Pontiac dealership here and I told them of my repeated demise at Meineke and costs to date and still no inspection sticker because this red light came back on and they had no idea why after replacing the whole catalytic system under our car.

The dealership actually felt bad for me, and they had their mechanic put the car up and did a full electrical/emissions diagnostic test (which Meineke stated would cost me $75/hour) and after about 1 hour or so, the service manager and that mechanic called me back. They told me the car was in impeccable mechanical shape and nothing was wrong with the engine or electrical systems or anything except one thing. I said what was that? The dealership's mechanic stated that the "universal catalytic converter" Meineke put on our car (twice) was the wrong one. They stated that for our car, all models from 1996 to present cannot have the universal converter installed and MUST have the OEM version installed, or it will cause the rear O2 sensor to react as a fault and cause the red "service engine" light to come on. I was mad of course and said how can they do this and not know this spec about our car or this converter when they are supposed to be "muffler/exhaust experts"??

So, the dealer offered to do the work and correct this and get us an inspection sticker, but agreed with me, since Meineke is really at fault, they should make this right for us. So I called Jeff at Meineke and told him what the dealership found, and he said he had no idea and never ehard of this before. He also told us they never replaced a converter on our type car before which to me is a very common vehicle on the roads everywhere? He told me he would make this right and order the part from their supplier and call me when it comes in.

Now it is today, Sept. 5th about 1 week after I left the dealership and Jeff calls me saying he has the part and it is in Alabama, and told me to get it here would cost them shipping but they would eat that in our case. He then went on and said to remove the twice replaced universal converter and install the new OEM required version, it would cost us $460.00 additional!!! At this time I lost my patience and words with him on the phone as he tried to patronize me and talk around me and said he would not order it until we gave him OK we wanted them to do the work or take it back to the dealership! My wife immediately called Meineke corporate in Charlotte about this, and all they would say is each Meineke is independently owned even though they collect franchise fees from them, and the corporate offices had nothing to do with our situation. They also went on and said really the only time they would ever respond to a customer complaint would be in a legal situation in court. My wife hearing this now getting mad herself, told them "this might very well happen now" and hung up phone. Since I was fit to be tied from stress dealing for weeks wiht this Jeff and trying to do my work as it were, my wife called Jeff back at Meineke and tried to reason with him, and he said everything they did was justified, and even though they had no idea about the converted problem to our model car, it was not their problem nor should we expect compensation or such, and that they would put the correct OEM part on but we would have to pay $460.00 for them to do that, and then reset the red light, and put our inspection sticker on our car FINALLY!!

I NEED some answers from ANYONE here as this all is wrong how we have been treated, loss job time and incomes to go to Meineke repeatedly, and weeks of stress and now to still pay $460.00 more for Meineke to install what they should have in the first place!? If this manager was skilled and knowledgeable about vehicle emission/exhaust systems, should he have not known that my make & model car from 1996 to current must use the OEM type and not the universal type Meineke welded on their in the first place as the Pontiac dealership mechanic informed us about?

We need our car "legal" and Meineke wants to do this Friday and we should NOT have to go to the dealer and pay them when we already have paid monies to Meineke and now more to fix what they screwed up, and Meineke should fix this at their cost after all they have put us through for weeks. In my prior businesses, I NEVER treated anyone like this, and how can Meinekle act this way when their own people have bene incompetent and are makign us look like we are problematic now when they have created this when we only needed a simple oil change and inspection weeks ago.

Steve
Hickory, North Carolina
U.S.A.