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East Coast Auto Mall

Englewood Cliffs, NJ

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Frank of Old Tappan NJ (2/18/03):
I am writing due to problems I have in getting my daughter's car repaired. She has a 1999 Volkswagen Passat, which is a certified Pre-Owned vehicle. My car has (2) major problems that have not been corrected.

First the transmission seems to slip, happening mostly on cold mornings. When the car is shifted into drive and I am accelerating, the engine revs, but it is not moving. After rolling a couple hundred feet the gears seem to engage and the car finally will move. The second major problem pertains to the braking system, specifically the distance the brake pedal travels in order to stop the car. In stop and go traffic the pedal goes to the same spot in order to stop the car. The problem is evident on highway driving. Traveling on a highway after driving a minimum of 5 or 6 miles and then having to apply the brakes, the brake pedal sinks much farther than normal, to the point of almost reaching the floorboard. Believe me, traveling at highway speeds this is a very nerve wracking experience.

More importantly, are the brakes eventually going to fail, causing a serious accident with injuries or possibly a fatality?

East Coast Auto Mall had my car a total of 4 weeks on three different occasions. In December it was there a week and a half. January they had it for two weeks, and in February they had it for another three days. As I write this letter they have not fixed my car and both problems remain. Back in December they charged me $169.00 to reset codes on my transmission. I paid this, but I feel this should be covered under my warranty. Fred Gates, the service manager refuses to reimburse me, stating that whenever they reset codes this is not covered by the warranty. If my transmission was fixed I would not have complained about this charge, but the problem still persists.

Another time they replaced a brake light switch which they claim was a possible problem with the transmission. Each time they called me and said the car is ready. Obviously it is not!

Back in December 2002 they said they didn't notice a problem with the distance the brake pedal traveled, and told me to pick up the car after having it 1 1/2 weeks. Still not happy with the brake pedal, I brought the car back to them in mid January and asked them to please re-check the car. After the car was there for a week a service advisor called me and said they still can't find any problems. At that point I got furious and asked to speak with their service manager. I spoke to Fred Gates and he agreed to drive my car. He determined there was air in the brake line and decided to change the brake fluid. A few days later when I picked up my car upon driving home I noticed the car was not repaired. I called Fred as soon as I got home that night and asked him a second time to take a ride with me so he knows what I am talking about. Again he refused to go with me and claims he knows what I am talking about. He commented to me that solving this problem is "like finding a needle in a haystack."

I took the car back for a third time on February 3rd. I was told that they replaced the master cylinder, and that three different people drove it, and they all believe that would solve the problem. When I drove the car home that evening and the next day, the brake pedal did seem fine. Thinking the problem was corrected, I drove the car to Boston on Saturday February 8th. Prior to reaching the N.Y. Thurway I was driving a short distance and applying the brake, and the pedal distance was good. I drove across the Tappan Zee Bridge and nearing the toll plaza I applied the brake and to my dismay (and near panic) the brake pedal didn't stop at the higher point, but rather sank down to again almost reaching the floorboard. I drove to Boston and back with this condition, always worrying that the brakes will fail.

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