Beware of bad Truck Repair Shops

[ols1932]

This is a heads up in the event you ever need truck/motorhome transmission repairs done when you are in or near Blythe, CA. Do not take your vehicle to Olson's Transmission & Auto Repair in Blythe, CA. They do not stand behind their warranty and their workmanship is very shoddy. In December, 2004 we had a tranny failure and Olson's replaced the tranny with a rebuilt. In October 2005, it failed again. After five weeks of waiting, they repaired it again (after we paid to have it removed and shipped to them from Texas) only to have it fail again in May 2006. They wouldn't stand behind the second necessary repair and still owe us for the original removal/replacement. They will not answer any communications: not mine, not Trailer Life's, not Highways, nor BBB queries.

Orv

[Glenn and Lorraine]

You learn by your mistakes and believe me I have been there and done that. No way would I want to be shipping my tranny back to the selling dealer. Pay a mechanic to remove the tranny, pay shipping both ways and pay to have it reinstalled sounds a bit costly to me.
This is precisely why I take my GMC to a GMC service department and insist on GM replacement parts. Doing so I rarely have a problem finding a GMC or Chevy dealer to take care of my problems no matter where I am traveling. Dealing with the GM dealer sometimes may cost a bit more but the peace of mind is priceless.
Of course my GMC is still under warranty but even long after the warranty expires I will still be taking it to a GM dealer.
After being in the tire business, both retail and wholesale and many of our best wholesale accounts were independent garages. Some were excellant mechanics but poor businessmen and more often than not they were in it for the money and could careless about service after the sale. Many times we had their customers coming to us for warranty work because the dealer either refused to help them or just didn't have time available until sometime next week or next month. After years of this I learned to trust no one but the vehicle manufacturers servce departments.

[DONnANNIE]

I agree with Glenn. It aint cheap but I think it is the only way to go.
Plus I have extended warranty on my Silverado and Monte.

[ols1932]

That's what I finally ended up doing. When we broke down in 2004, the towing service took us to the nearest facility which happened to be in Blythe, CA. We didn't have to pay for the shipping of the tranny; that was covered by the repair shop. But the inconvenience of having to wait 5 weeks for turnaround really got to me. When it broke down the second time, we took it to a Ford dealer in Oregon. Everything's fine now except I can't get my money back. Lesson learned!

Orv

[trukdoc]

Which brings up the other topic. Try to not let the tow company "Recommend" a service. There is usually something for them on the other end besides helping you find a reputable shop.

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by trukdoc

Which brings up the other topic. Try to not let the tow company "Recommend" a service. There is usually something for them on the other end besides helping you find a reputable shop.

You're probably right. It'll never happen to me again. Which reminds me, also don't go to AAMCO.

Orv

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Double A M C O! Boy could I tell ya stories about that sorry outfit.