My mother, an elderly woman in her 60's who suffers from anhidrodis and is unable to drive in hot…read moreweather without air conditioning came to Parker Automotive to have her Subaru serviced to hopefully have her air conditioning restored and the vehicle inspected, exterior/interiorly. The mechanic, Rachel informed my mother that the A/C compressor was bad, and that fixing the compressor would restore my mother's air conditioning. Additionally, the mechanic suggested a muffler and battery replacement.
My mother agreed to have the work done under the premise that the air conditioning would function after. The repairs were done, my mother was never quoted a price and ended up owing over $1,800. The attached repair invoice stated that leaks were sealed, the muffler was repaired and the air conditioning was functional. My mother payed the amount of full in cash, taking from her life savings only to receive the vehicle back with no functioning air conditioning once the vehicle was driven.
The vehicle did not have a new muffler installed as was promised and instead a weld job was performed after Parker Automotive outsourced my mother's vehicle to Penn Muffler, which the mechanic Rachel could not even provide documentation for supporting the work that was done.
My mother, concerned about the vehicle's performance asked me to look over the vehicle the next day. Upon inspection I noticed coolant leaking throughout the interior of the interior engine compartment. The muffler, which my mother paid over $600 for was rusted and barely held together. The battery, which my mother paid over $300 for, ($110 for installation?), appeared used, and Rachel could not provide a receipt for the battery. Additionally, my mother's glove compartment box was broken.
In the invoice, which is provided as a picture, the mechanic Rachel states that coolant was noticed, but that it was an engine cap failure, despite my mother reporting smoke coming from the engine.
The following Monday I went to speak with Mrs. Rachel with my mother to gain clarity on the work that was performed. My mother pulled her vehicle into the shop, and the mechanic on duty told my mom that she could park her vehicle inside the shop. Rachel was out so we waited. When Rachel arrived she immediately yelled, yes yelled at my mother for parking her vehicle inside the shop. I intervened and asked if we could speak politely, stating that Rachel's mechanic granted us permission to park there. I then asked Rachel about the work performed, starting with the coolant leak. Rachel immediately started yelling again stating that my mother caused the coolant leak, and that the leak was only recently formed. This was on Monday, the 19th. I informed Rachel that I noticed the leak a day prior on the 18th, just 2 days after final work was performed on my mother's vehicle. The vehicle had almost no coolant. Rachel did a pressure check and stated that my mother needed a new radiator, $700 in parts and labor. I questioned why that wasn't noticed prior, despite the invoice mentioning a coolant leak.
If I hadn't noticed the leak my mother would have continued to drive under the impression that the vehicle was properly serviced, overheating the engine and possibly causing failure. Rachel proceeded to yell and tell me that my mother was difficult to deal with. I apologized on behalf of my mother's confusion, but stated that she was elderly and did not understand. I asked if Rachel could please speak to me calmly, as I was a neutral party and only wanted information on the repairs, or lack-thereof. Rachel said my mother needed an additional evap sensor to repair the A/C, and that it would be over $1,100 I asked why information wasn't provided provided during the initial A/C diagnostic test, which my mother paid $180 for. Rachel responded with "I don't check for that." I asked why it wouldn't be within Rachel's moral compass as a certified mechanic to inform my mother that additional work might be needed to repair the A/C PRIOR to charging my mother $900 for a compressor replacement and informing my mother that her air conditioning would work after. Rachel responded with "that's not my job. Your mother should know that." Rachel also stated that she "never has to explain that stuff to customers." After Rachel proceeded to yell and berate my mother and I, yelling over me, not even allowing me to speak, I asked Rachel if she felt satisfied with her work. Rachel said yes and told my mother and myself to leave. I obliged, wished Rachel well and managed to snap some pictures of my mother's car's coolant splattered all over Rachel's shop floor, 3 days after Rachel was paid over $1,800. My mother has almost nothing to show. My mother had no air conditioning, a large coolant leak that was overlooked by a professional mechanic, and a broken glove box.
