Caravan Bad, Jim Pattison Dealership Horrible

[babeskin]

I actually believeDodgemakes a reliable work horse: the Caravan. But the brakes do not work! And Jim Pattison Chrysler Dodge is a rip off organization. Less than one year ago, I purchased our eleventh and twelfth Vancouver cars (both Caravans) in three years from the Jim Pattison Chrysler. They are located at: Jim Pattison 15340 - 104th Avenue North Surrey, BC V3R 1N6 Tel: 604.581.7022 Fax: 604.581.7079 Twice I personally drove the first vehicle for about 40 miles to the dealership (it takes a half day of lost time driving both ways, traffic jam and the service time) but I felt I must do so because there was a noise from the drivers’ side brake that concerned me. This problem started at around 4,000 miles and then I took in in again at 9,000 miles. I was told the car is new and there is no fault with the brakes. On both occasions the car was briefly looked at in the car park but never taken in for a proper mechanical check. On 14 March 07, the noise from the brake suddenly became alarmingly loud and I drove to the dealership again. The service rep who tested it agreed there was obviously something wrong with the brakes, put it on the hoist and found that the driver’s side metal disk was visibly worn down whereas the passenger side disk was fine and there was still some pad left on it. He showed it to me. I asked if the repair was covered under warranty and the answer was no. 1-On both occasions when I had previously taken the car for the brake noise problem, there had been no entry made into our customer file. No one in Jim Pattison Chrysler will now believe my claim that I had visited them twice for the same problem since purchase. The service staff’s laziness to note the service visits and complaints results in their customers being perceived as dishonest. I am not. 2-The service adviser stated to me that the repair was not under warranty because the problem was “normal� wear and tear and shockingly: both sides were “evenly worn out�. That was an outrageous dishonest comment and insulted my intelligence. The Driver’s side metal disk was worn right down prompting him to write: “the car was unsafe to drive� on my service order and the passenger side had no problem at all. Do they really think people are all uneducated and stupid? 3-Feeling unhappy, and alarmed that we had been driving an unsafe vehicle without knowing it, I decided I would not give my repair business to them. He then charged me $24.36 in labor because he had removed the tires. I paid the small amount of money but I felt cheated. I wish to advise the residents of BC not to purchase vehicles from Jim Pattison and not to take their cars for service. They are less than honest and careless and lazy and these can cost you at best financially and at worst case scenario, the life of your loved ones. I spent $300+ getting my brakes repaired elsewhere and I believe at around 12,000 miles of usage no car should need to get a new set of brakes and new driver’s side disk. My company and I will never deal with Jim Pattison Chrysler or with any Jim Pattison dealership, for service or for purchase of new cars again.

This ad is not displayed to registered and logged-in members. Register your free account today and become a member on Dodge Forums!

[HemiMan02]

Just thought I would let you know that if one side is severly worn and the other is not that there is a good possibility that the caliper is stuck which means that the brake pads are not backing off like they are supposed too do. This will result in uneven wear.

[babeskin]

Thank you. You are 100% correct,I believe. This uneven wear is evidenced by the fact that an independant service center looked at the vehicle, andchanged one disk whilst the other disk is perfectly fine and not worn. It cost me about $350 to fix the car but the service adviser at Jim Pattison Dealership told me the disks hadbeen worn EVENLY when I saw the disk with my own eyes and it was so obvious that they were NOT even in any way. Hegave me a quote on fixing the one disk! I ameducatedand I hate it when some uneducated service adviser assumes every customer is a fool and that he can take us for a ride. In this case, I limited their ability to take my money and I will never give them my business again and I am hoping other readers will not either. My problem is not so much with the car: mechanical problems can happen to any vehicle. The problem I have is with dishonesty of the service department at Jim Pattison.

[chopper]

Not to defend a service deptartment that could very well be crooked,but some people are educated in things that other people are not.The service manager might know a lot about vehicles and you know a lot about your area of expertise.Unfortunately the educated in the car repair field can put you at their mercy at will and the dishonest ones can educate their children at the finest Universities so that they are educated also.
I have been an advocate of educating oneself about the mechanical mysteries of the car you drive for years,just to keep things like this from happening.One thing that will get you taken advantage of the fastest is talking down to "an uneducated service advisor" or anyone else for that matter.These guys are educated in one field while you are educated in another while I am educated in a totally different line of endeavor.That doesn't make me,you,or the service advisor any less intelligent than the other just differently advantaged.

[babeskin]

Dear Chopper, Thanks for your email. Firstly by nature I'm not given to talking down at any one. I have read what the Holy Bible says about humility. Secondly I have rebuilt two cars myself (in my younger years: an Austin Mini and a Ford Fairmont) and I used to own a Corvette which occupied most of my free time with repairs and upgrades which would have been too expensive for me in those days to take to the dealer.

So: No I am not a mechanic, Yes I am educated, Yes I am a humble man, and No ...stupid I am not.

That said, one does not need to be educated as a mechanic to know that if one brake disk is fully worn away such that it needs to be replaced whilst the other side is intact, in a car that has not yet completed its first year on the road,that there must have been something wrong with the brake system.

I respect your mechanical accumen and would be much obliged if you can let me know whether you have any other explanation for why the driver's side disk would be gone as the other one sits in perfect condition?