>This is a local outfit that does repair and parts sales, but they will do
>mail-order with Visa/MC. They are courteous and knowledgeable. They are:
>
> Foreign Car Specialists
> 3127 Pacific Ave.
> Forest Grove, OR, USA, 97116
> (503) 357-7049
> Hours: 7:30 AM - 10:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday-Friday
These guys are fine for parts but I'll never let them touch my car again.
About a year ago I took my TR8 in for a front end alignment and to have the
fan belt squeak fixed. When I picked the car up they informed me that they
had broken a tie-rod end. They actually explained to me how they even had 2
people pulling on the nut trying to get it loose before it broke. They
said they didn't have the problem on the other side because they heated it
before removing it and it came right off. They informed me that my
fan belts were fine, they just needed adjusting ($60...it is a pain in a
TR8 with AC to adjust them). When they threw the bill down for me to look
at they had charged me for a new tie rod end and for the labor to install it.
I asked them why I should pay them for their breaking my car...they didn't
call me to ask permission to take the big hammer approach on the tie-rod end.
They wouldn't back off...they just gave me the owners name and said he would
call me. I paid them and said I'd never be back. The next morning when I
started the car the fan belts were squeaking again. I called back to complain
about it and they explained that multiple pulley type fanbelts almost always
squeak and if you put new belts on they would likely start squeaking in
10-15k miles. I asked again for the owner to call. I check the tie-rod end
price at TRF...they had charged me 2X the price from TRF. I called back
to complain about this and finally caught the owner in. He explained he
couldn't refund any of my money...and even explained that the reason they
had to charge so much for the tie rod end was because they could only find
1 supplier locally that had the part and they had promised the car to me
that afternoon. By this time I was on fire. To top it off, I got tired of
the fan belts squeaking and removed them myself. Not only were they the wrong
belts, they were so worn the rubber was cracking and separating. A similar
letter to this was sent to the better business bureau.
|