Bad Dealership Service!!!!

[FastFrank]

Hi all, I own 7 diesel trucks that I use in the towing industry. Two are brand new 2016 peterbilt 337's. I have recently started using Peterbilt of Atlanta's Kennesaw location. Had a shifter control pad issue that I had them fix. They charged me $1,400 in labor to fix the issue. I was charged $0 for the parts. They told me that the part was warrantied but the labor wasn't. This was just a taste of what was to come. I later took a 2007 ford f650 with a 5.9 cummins and an allison transmission to them for an issue of not running over 45mph. Peterbilt of kennesaw said it needed a transmission. $8,000 later I picked up the truck and it still ran 45 mph. Returned the truck to them and they said the starter wires were crossed. Truck still isn't up to full power. A new turbo was installed before they touched it. I asked them to check the turbo for actuator calibration as it smokes and the turbo u can hear in all ranges of acceleration. They said they checked it and all is fine. Then transmission light came on. Returned truck to peterbilt and they said they could not scan the transmission. What am I supposed to do if they can't warranty their work cause no scanner? Well I took it to W.W.williams in atlanta. They said it was giving the trans light due to the acm for the trans wasn't calibrated when the transmission was installed new. And it had to be replaced or it would tear up the transmission. So i paid $1,500 to wwwilliams for the repair. Now my question is who can I contact for reimbursement from peterbilt of kennesaw or peterbilt of atlanta for the $1,500 bill from wwwilliams who clearly stated it should have been addressed when the transmission was installed? Same dealership charged me a diagnostic fee to change out a window motor on my other 2016 pete! This dealership is a very dishonest group. Oh and not to mention $840.00 of the transmission bill was for an extra mechanic cause they said the primary one had to go to the hospital so another one had to finish the job. Help!!! Please.

 

[RVTRKN]

Take Kennsaw to small claims court for the $1500.00. Also I'm sure your State has a Bureau of automotive repair, file a complaint with them at a minimum, and see if they have security bond for settling disputes. As a California contractor, I have to have a $15K bond posted to help settle any disputes if the CSLB judges against me.*

 

[mwilson]

Don't take a run at them without giving them a chance...I won't knock another dealer without knowing the entire story first.....

I have suggestions...

A huge question for me is this..."Are they an Allison Certified Location?"

(1) The shifter issue...Do you have a copy of the work order?? If so is the shifter touch pad an Allison item or a PACCAR item?? Dig out your warranty and see what it says regarding coverage of electrical components, transmission controls, etc.....

(2) The F650 Transmission issue....back to my statement above..."Are They Allison Certified?"....if so they should have known about the TCM update. If they are not Allison certified shame on them for not researching it. In either case you should get the $1500.00 back.....

Going forward you need to ask for a quote before getting anything done. You also need to ask in the case of the Peterbilts if this is a covered repair before they lay a wrench on it. They can look it up by your vin before they begin. See what you are responsible to pay and what warranty will pay.

The Ford, you may need to start taking it somewhere else. If you have a WW Williams close by I would go there for Allison issues on any of your trucks. Ask if they can do the Petes (tranmission issues only) as well and recover warranty money when it applies. The Ford is a conglomeration of Ford, Cummins and Allison all living in the same body and you better have a facility that knows these types of trucks or you are simply paying someone to learn on your dime. So a Ford truck interfacing electronically using Ford wiring connected to a Cummins ECM and an Allison TCU......Do you see what I'm saying here??

Call the Service Manager once you find out if they are Allison Certified or not, either way a mistake was made and they should step up IF I HAVE THE WHOLE STORY HERE...if no joy from the Service Manager ask for the Branch Manager. If you still are getting smoke blown you know where go to the Branch Manager at the main location. If you still don;t get anywhere call the Peterbilt Customer Service Line. Stay calm, DO NOT LOSE YOUR COOL....work your way through the process.

Give the dealership as a whole (and I don't mean just the person you have talked to so far) a chance to make this right. Things go wrong on a daily basis, it's how they are handled that makes all the difference in the world.

Don't threaten any court action.....that shuts down all of the easy fixes...

 

[RVTRKN]

Yes, you should give the dealer a chance, I'll assume you have given them a chance or will at least talk to them before small claims court. The nice thing about small claims court is they can't bring an attorney with them. It's just you, the company rep and the Judge, and obviously you'll have all of your documentation with you. Also it's a good idea to have notes in chronological order with dates, times, and bank statements.*

 

[p-Bar]

Actually the bonding company is very quick to pay out even before it goes to arbitration. Documentation is very important I would even get something from the trans manf. regarding the calibration

Take Kennsaw to small claims court for the $1500.00. Also I'm sure your State has a Bureau of automotive repair, file a complaint with them at a minimum, and see if they have security bond for settling disputes. As a California contractor, I have to have a $15K bond posted to help settle any disputes if the CSLB judges against me.*

 

[FastFrank]

Thank you for replying to my plead for help, lol.
IDK if they are a certified allison dealer or not as I haven't asked that particular question. Probably not if they can't scan the transmission. I do have all the paperwork for work orders and such. I have wwwilliams work order to verify what the problem was. As far as the shifter pad they said "it isn't made by peterbilt. An outside source makes it". Which makes me wonder why was it covered then and labor not? I will try to find the warranty literature as there was no warranty book provided with truck, I believe I have to look it up on a website for peterbilt.

 

[FastFrank]

Also on a side note:
I have taken my other 2016 peterbilt 337 to this same dealership twice for the power steering giving up as the system gets hot through out the daily driving. Each time I have to pay a diagnostic fee for them to say they can't find the problem. Now that I am 600miles past warranty coverage the power steering has quit all together. So I have them trying to get it covered under the warranty and waiting for them to come back with an answer. I will not let them do the repair if not covered.

 

[mwilson]

Also on a side note:
I have taken my other 2016 peterbilt 337 to this same dealership twice for the power steering giving up as the system gets hot through out the daily driving. Each time I have to pay a diagnostic fee for them to say they can't find the problem. Now that I am 600miles past warranty coverage the power steering has quit all together. So I have them trying to get it covered under the warranty and waiting for them to come back with an answer. I will not let them do the repair if not covered.

Where there were two prior attempts to find the problem it should be pretty cut and dried. IF they say it is not covered politely ask for a meeting with the PACCAR DSM..(District Service Manager)..he will have the power to help. I don't believe it will get to that point though....

But the questions remain for me such as... "Why is it getting so hot"??? "Did something fail as a result of the heat???" "Or did a component failure cause the heat???" "Is the power steering cooler adequate for your duty cycle??" "Is there a dry kingpin???"

If you don't find the root cause it will just continue to fail.