On the 2000 2500 4x4 we were experiencing wandering a while back. Took it in to be aligned. I was not impressed but thought it might need a bit of time to wear in. After a while of no improvement I took it back and told them to look at it again. They reported back that the steering box had been tightened to the end of the adjustment but needed more. A new box installed would be a bit over $600. I am too busy to mess with it now so I told them to go ahead. Got the truck back the next day only to find out it is a rebuilt NAPA. I brought the truck home, cleaned it out and up, and took it to the father in law so they could use it to pull their camper on vacation. We thought that a 2000 would be a bit better ride than his 93 CTD.
they made it to Michigan ( Macinaw) with no problem but he was complaining about wander in the steering. They and another couple took a day trip to Sault St Marie to watch the ship go thru the locks. When leaving the docks heading downtown, the freshly installed steering box fell out of the truck in the middle of an intersection. He had it towed to the dealer who was too busy to look at it, but recomended a shop a block away. They got to the shop just after 5pm. The owner stayed to look at it and called the owner of the NAPA store in to get more parts on the overnight truck. The inlaws got THE rental car to go back to their campers. The rentawreck had to be back by 10am the next morning because it was spoken for. The shop did a good job of getting my truck back in shape and even mentioned that this was the hottest CTD he had ever driven. (good feeling) The total bill with wrecker and rental was about $940.
When the inlaws got back with the recipts, the wife (who is cooler under that kind of circumstance) took the box, that had helicoils in all the mounting holes and smaller bolts than Chrysler had intended and all the other broken bolts, back to the shop that had put it in originaly. They will not say or do anything untill their Napa rep passes judgement. They wanted to keep the box but I had instructed her not to leave it unless they paid in full. I can just imagine that I will never get paid back, and the evidence (box) will get lost in someones system. I think that the shop should have made it right rightaway. They picked the part, they did the install with the undersize bolts. They should be the ones going to the Napa rep. The shop also wants to "look at the reinstall to be sure it was done right". I feel they had their chance. My father in law said the truck drove much easier with NO wander after the reinstall. I realize I had no real involvement with this mess but after listening to the inlaws and the shop in Michigan and seeing a broken steering box that has all the paint worn off the mounting surface, I think it was never tight with undersized bolts. We are talking less than 1000 miles to the "fallout". What would you do at this point? I need to be gone for a bit, but then when I get back I am thinking a lawyer may in order. Am I being unreasonable to think that the original shop should be paying for this? Why should it be Napa's call at this point?

Your thoughts?

FEELING$940POORERANDABITHOTUNDERTHECOLLAR.

 

NAPA has nothing to do with it. You were VERY smart for not leaving the box & bolts. Write them a letter demanding 100% reimbursement for the second job in 5 days. Take them to small claims court if they do not pay. You or you inlaws could have been killed.

In small claims court ask for rental car costs, time lost for work, loss of vehicle, loss of vacation time, and the entire cost of the second repair. If you state allows it seek punitive damages to the maximum amount of the small claims limit.

 

I thought there might have been a few more opinions............

 

The shop left a message that NAPA has paid in full. I was surprised by that I guess I need to get home to collect the held mail to see for sure. the shop is very much wanting the broken box back. They can just wait like they have made me do. I feel that the shop has found a way to pass the blame off to their supplier, I wish I had a way to do that in my business.

 

With that kind of work, I'd bet that NAPA didn't pay anything, but that is what they are telling you.

The ONLY way I can see NAPA being at fault, is if when the box was rebuilt, they heli-coiled it with too small a bolt size for the load. And even then, the mechanic putting it in should have questioned whay the original bolts were too big now.

 

I have been involved in the auto repair industry, and i feel it is one of the most crooked industries. You are lucky its being covered. Maybe your state has regs. concerning warranty of work. Here in N.H. anyone can hang a sign out front and charge money to repair vehicles, including brakes and steering. If the service was done poorly, there is no mandatory warranty of the service work. In other words, lets say a shop works replaces someone's brakes and forgets to tighten the lug nuts. The wheel falls off 2 days later. The only way the shop is liable for is if the vehicle was in an accident because of the bad work.

As for the parts, if you go through a 3rd party, you lose your warranty of the parts. Most parts are warrantied to the INSTALLER. In other words, if that Napa box was installed by a repair shop and it failed on the road, you would need to get the box back to the shop to get it covered. You couldn't bring it into Napa yourself for a raplacement. Also, depending on the state, part's store warranties don't usually cover labor costs. The shop I worked at used to have this problem with parts, including Napa. We had a Yukon come in for a bad fuel pump. We got one from Napa and installed it. It didn't work. We dropped the tank and got another replacement and put it in. Less than a week later the Yukon was towed in because the pump was bad. We had to drop the tank again, and this time we got a pump from the dealer. The Yukon never came back. Anyway, our shop had to eat the labor for the 2 extra pump installs.

Jim

 

NH Diesel, What would you suggest for a replacement box these days? I am looking at Red Head, Blue top bit both a bit pricey. Are there any re manufactured boxes that are worth putting on? I know Cardone has a bad rap, and that is what Advanced auto uses.

 

While I am not NHD I put a Redhead on my 01 years ago. It was still going good 125k miles later when I sold the truck to my BIL., No idea if they are still putting out a good product but based on my past experience I would buy another one.

 

Unfortunately, these are heavy equipment trucks and as such, require heavier, more expensive parts to keep them running....

I have found you get what you pay for and by using genuine Cummins parts and other top shelf replacements for my truck I don't experience these problems and have to revisit replacing "lifetime" parts....save your money. Buy once, Cry once.....

 

I would guess they are a part of the Napa Auto Repair Nationwide network( Napa Auto Care). If so, you have a 24 month 24,000 mile warranty. That's why they are covering it. I have a claim going with them now. I'm in Idaho