Michael DeFreitas | Page 6

Lockwood Kia responded

Hi Justin, This is not a matter of "Big Shop" denying fault. We have no issues accepting fault where fault is made. That is why we provided you with a NO CHARGE rental and FREE alignment on your vehicle for your clock spring issue. Your tire feathering issue is a completely separate issue. There is no physical way that a clock spring replacement will cause your tires to feather. I urge you to get a second opinion on my comment from another mechanic. Your service 4 package was done is September of 2016 and over 30,000 kms ago. That's equivalent to 1 1/12 years of driving based on average drivers. You are a high km driver and your tires can feather very easily in 30,000 kms of driving. Our facility has no performed ANY maintenance on your vehicle since then ( 5 services should have been performed in this time ). You issue resides with your other mechanic NOT Lockwood Kia. If you wish to discuss this further please call me and I can easily explain this further. You do not have a valid reason to be De-faming our company publicly when your issue is a black and white case of POOR maintenance.

Lockwood Kia responded

Justin, We traced a wiring short on your vehicle. If you have any mechanical sensibility you will understand that tracing a wiring short has NOTHING to do with the alignment of your vehicle. Please get a second opinion as you clearly have no intention on believing us. Have a great day.

Justin Hawes responded

These continuous service issues is exactly why we don't use your dealership for routine maintenance, rather an honest a fair mechanic who takes care of their customers. This vehicle has been routinely checked and service, with alignments along the way. All of which can be proven. The tires have been used for less than 2 summer seasons and were placed on the vehicle just a few weeks prior to your technicians doing work to our vehicle. These tires had 0 feathering until the work was done on my vehicle at KIA and my vehicle at that point became out of alignment. The damage was caused during the following weeks from your service. Not to mention my mechanic was able to confirm the tires 1 week prior were balanced, and 2 days after your service were unbalanced. I don't expect you to accept responsibility as it is clear you refuse to do so, but let it be know people will be sure know of how you treat them.

Justin Hawes responded

Also please keep in mind that every time your staff has asked us to complete one of your service packages 1 - 4 we have done so. Further review of your website indicates that the regularity of these services should be based off mileage which was never told, rather just the services offered while we were in shop but non the less we have completed each service at the time in which it was offered. Should you take the time to review the notes from those services at no time was additional work required or recommended. So with this being said and the work I have completed to my vehicle either through your dealership or my personal mechanic I do know the demage to my tires only took place after your service staff worked on my vehicle.

Justin Hawes responded

Please keep in mind as mentioned earlier alignments have been completed just not by KIA. All of which can be proven through service completion froms by other mechanics. Regardless, you will not accept fault and that is fine, but the work completed to repair the air bag light issue is not the concern, it's the 3 days it took troubleshooting. Seeing on average a clock spring repair is quoted at 2 hours labour what was going on for the other time. Diagnosing. I was told 3 different issues before your service reps said they knew exactly what the problem was. So during this time any number of things could have been done to the vehicle. You must understand the faith we have can not be expected to be very much when your tech couldn't even align the steering wheel. Again this conversation is irrelevant as you've made it very clear you will not be taking responsibility for what your service team has accomplished, but other people still need to be aware of the service your dealership offers post sale of a vehicle.

Justin Hawes responded

Yet again returning to your same invalid argument. Should the replacement of a clock spring be completed properly you are correct that it should not affect our alignment, but remember you took 3 days making several claims that it was other issues prior to figuring out it was the clock spring. You are still not providing details as to what was done during that period which could have been a result of the vehicle not being aligned. You just claim troubleshooting or electrical diagnoses which is not entirely accurate. And again I can only say this one more time and if you choose to ignore it that is up to you, my vehicle had been maintained in accordance to the recommendations of my warranty, the only difference is I used a mechanic other than your shop. My vehicle was aligned prior to coming in as I had just had the front breaks completed and an alignment done at that time. You can not tell me that my vehicle came out of alignment in 1 week before entering you shop which is exactly why it was something your techs did. Should the work have been done right and your company just accept a mistake was made not just on the keeping my car without warning, misdiagnosing multiple times or anything else I would have no reason to publically say these things, but your company did what they did, so I am making people aware. Regardless of what you reply I am no longer wasting additional time with this conversation. It's only a matter of time poor service will be what your dealership is known for. Have a good day.

Lockwood Kia responded

Hi Justin, Our service records indicate inconsistent service intervals. I spoke to your wife yesterday and she said that you have never done a wheel alignment on your vehicle. Regardless of services performed I can assure you that a clock spring replacement does not affect the camber, toe, or cast angles on your wheels. This is what causes feathering on your tires and this is also why it's important to do annual alignments. If you wish to meet in person so I can educate you on a clockspring replacement I am happy to do so and prove to you that we are not the cause of your deleting tires. Your cause is a lack of routine maintenance.

Lockwood Kia responded

Justin, Electrical diagnostics is not an easy trade. It took three days to complete because it was not just a faulty clockspring that was causing the issue. Our technicians had to trace wiring throughout your car to find what was causing a short. We provided you with a free rental while your car was being repaired ( we paid for this, you do not have rental coverage under warranty) In regards to your steering wheel being left " not straight" we recognized that we made a mistake and compensated you with a free alignment on your vehicle. At no time did we ever alter the alignment of your 4 wheels. As I mentioned earlier this is a direct result of lack of maintenance. When I asked your wife if you have performed any alignments previously she said NO. Why are you now providing me with conflicting information? Please send me your alignment records and I am happy to review them with you. If your true issue resides with the clockspring issue than I believe we have fixed your concerns.

Justin Hawes responded

The conflicting information is a result of me not running every service that is completed on the vehicle with my wife. I have had an alignment each year when the summer tires have been placed on the vehicle. So again as mentioned before in terms of the alignment of my vehicle, proper precautions have always been taken from our end. Obviously this is a never ending conversation of typical big shop denying any fault as us little people have no means to really defend ourselves from this type of behaviour, so we can end this here. I have all records of service completed by KIA, as well as our regular mechanic and my vehicle has not had any alignment issues. Even after our service 4 package no wear was noted in that designated section of the report, again because our vehicle had be aligned properly. Also I do not need to be educated on my alignments or the service you have provided as I am not the idiot you are implying, the only reason I would waste my time going over them with you is to provide proof they were completed to show I am correct and you will replace the damaged tires caused by improper care from your technicians. If that is not the case, then no reply is needed from your end.