Was referred by a friend to take my 05 Tacoma to MobileTech for regular maintenance and repair so I gave them a try. First few visits for oil change and tire rotation were ok but when my valve cover gasket started leaking it was down hill from there. Dropped it off in the AM and 7 hours later got a call that it was ready so I went and picked it up, checked for oil leaks as it sat there and ran, paid and drove home. When I got home I noticed oil had puddled up on the valve cover, I soaked it up wiped it all down and that was that. Next day I drove to the hardware store was in there for 30 minutes or so and when I came out I noticed oil under the front of the truck so I popped the hood and sure enough oil was puddled up on the valve cover again. When I got home I soaked it up and got a flash light to get a better view and I saw there was white stuff around the bolt closest to the firewall. I took it back up there that afternoon to show them what I found and after the guy at the counter talked to the mechanic that did it he told me this "The bolt that holds the valve cover in place was stripped, our mechanic put welding putty on the end of the bolt, in the bolt hole, and at the head of the bolt to hold it in place as a temporary fix but eventually you will need to get it fixed" At this point I was speechless I wanted to know why they didn't tell me that when I picked it up, why they weren't going to fix it when clearly it was their mistake they tried to hide and NOT mention. I bought the truck brand new and this was the first time the valve cover had been removed. As expected no one wanted to admit to the damage, apologize for it or fix it. I offered to pay half the repair cost to fix it and make it right and still nothing. I have had several people ask me about taking their vehicles there and after telling this story they don't as they shouldn't. This all goes back to the old saying "you get what you pay for". If I could post pictures on this review of the damage I would.
Chris, I have little notes on this vehicle or history. Per car fax this vehicle has only been to my shop three times. I pulled car fax and can see it was purchased at 48,988 on 11/09/2007. I am having a hard time finding a few or any oil changes done here other then the one on 3/20/15, in fact that was the only one we had ever performed. I do however see in the CarFax the vehicle has had several repairs made by Rice Toyota as well as maintence and repairs including (spark plug removal) The vehicle brought in first to check for a a rattling noise on 3/14/2015 and which time the rattle noise was discovered to be internal to the engine, caused by no engine oil. At that time we discovered a massive leak at the valve cover gasket area, we added oil (3.5 qts) we charged you nothing for the technicians time or the engine oil. Guess this goes back to the other old saying, no good deed goes unpunished. The vehicle was picked up on 3/14/15 and brought back on 3/20/15 at which time the valve cover gasket, spark plugs and a oil changed were performed. They did make notes about the back bolt being stripped that he had tapped and added sealer (gray rtv) to it that it shouldn't be an issue. It was noted on your ticket that we found the bolt stripped. The vehicle was brought back in for a a oil leak on 7/20/15 at which time it was discovered that the bolt was again leaking. The technician again removed the bolt and added a sealant (gray etc) again. We never saw this vehicle any other time for any other repairs or services just the one time for the initial noise, again for the repair at the valve cover and the one and only change we performed and again when you had further leaking issues. However Rice Toyota had performed an oil change and cleaned the motor on 11/03/14 and noted oil leaks then. I'm terribly sorry you had issues and that you left feeling they were unresolved. That is never my intentions and as any of the thousands of repeat customers over the last 8 years will tell you we always stand behind our work. I believe my technician and my staff made every attempt to facilitate a repair. It's unfortunate the vehicle has been sold or I'd gladly make the repair personally at no charge. If you still have the pictures please feel free to e-mail me then at [email protected]. I always strive to right a wrong and if i can earn a customer back, I would certainly like to. Thank you for taking the time to give us feedback, it will go along way in how we approach issues on he future. Thank you. David Friend Owner/ASE Master Technician Master Hybrid Technician 910-250-4060
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