GREENSBORO, N.C. — Darrell James and his wife were looking forward to some time away down in Florida. The couple was going to visit family and friends near the Tampa area.
Before hitting the road, James took his Chevy Sonic to a Triad dealership to have it checked out before the long drive.
The car was in good condition, so James and his wife headed out. They were in Florida for about four days when there was a problem.
“We had a check engine light come on,” James said.
The car was taken to a nearby shop. The mechanic made some repairs but couldn’t seem to figure out why the engine light was still on. He suggested James take the car to a local dealership.
“They (the dealership) said this is not a problem and we can have it fixed in a couple of days,” James said.
The car was ready two days later and James went to pick it up.
“We backed up (to leave) and the light came on,” James said.
The shop made some additional repairs and said the car was good to go. James was glad it was fixed but he was a bit confused by the $3,000 repair bill, after all the car was apparently in good condition before the trip.
“We made it about 50 feet before the light came on,” James said.
The dealership again made some repairs and called James to let him know he could come pick it up. The plan was to at least wait around in Florida until the car was fixed so they could drive it home.
“We picked it up Friday afternoon and drove it about nine miles before we blew a head gasket,” James said.
The car was again taken back to the dealership for repairs. James had to rent a car to get home while his car was being repaired. At this point, James was upset and wasn’t confident the dealership was handling the issue and treating him fairly.
James reached out to the corporate office and contacted the Florida Attorney General. James wanted to make sure he wasn’t being ripped off.
“Basically, all I was getting was the run-a-around, fill this out, fill that out, meantime my car still sitting (at the shop),” James said.
While he was waiting to hear from the dealership, James also decided to call WFMY News 2. He heard back from the dealership a couple of days later and was told more repairs needed to be made and it would again cost in the thousands of dollars.
“Everyone assured us they can fix the problem but (they were) not sure it wouldn’t cost more money,” James said.
James said he tried to negotiate with little success. A few days later, we contacted the dealership and spoke with the general manager. We confirmed all the repairs that had been made and the amount of money James had already paid.
We then asked about the current repairs that were needed and when the car might be ready for pickup. The GM said the repairs could take some time to get the necessary parts but considering everything James had been through, he would do the remaining repairs for free.
“We thank News 2 for everything they’ve done, really do, if anyone has a problem, I encourage them to give you a call,” James said.
James went back down to Florida about two months later to pick up the car. He said the car is working well but he may think about flying the next time he goes for a visit.