Negative experience with Vinam Auto Repair, 07 ls460
01-28-20, 01:09 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Negative experience with Vinam Auto Repair, 07 ls460
tl:dr - took my ls460 to Vinam for brake fluid flush and tranny fluid drain and refill. Toh did NOT use techstream, messed up the bleeding process, and insisted that I replace the actuator and accumulator/pump assembly. Took it to another shop and they cleared the codes for me, and my car is now running fine. Transmission fluid was also a little over a quart low.
I bought a 2007 ls460 last March and figured it was due for some preventative maintenance. Decided to give Toh at Vinam a call due to his overwhelmingly positive reviews here. His quote was the most affordable by far so I made an appointment with him immediately. Failed to do my due diligence on the phone by not asking if he used techstream in advance. After finishing and leaving his shop, I started noticing a squishing noise when I stepped on the brakes along with a soft-ish bite during the initial ~5mm of brake pedal travel. No dash lights before or after the brake flush, but it bothered me so I gave him a call after the weekend. He asked me to go back so he can take a look and troubleshoot. After 2 hours of troubleshooting, he tells me that my car is throwing 2 codes (C1345, C1256) and that the linear solenoid calibration is failing. He shows me the techstream readout (i know i said he doesn't use techstream, continue reading plz) and then demonstrates the failed calibration process. The brake warning lights were on full display at this time, and the brake pedal felt incredibly stiff. He then asked to keep the car so he can do some research and more diagnostics.
He called me later that night and told me what I had been dreading all along, failed actuator. On top of that, apparently my accumulator/pump assembly had failed too and needed replacement. He called me back the next morning and quoted me a little over 4k for parts+labor (which was actually the same as the quotes I received from two separate Lexus dealerships). By this time, I had reach out to the clublexus community and gotten some highly informed suggestions and even step-by-step instructions to clear memory/reset codes using techstream. I asked Toh to park my car on level ground and to remove the negative battery terminal so that I can do some troubleshooting as a last resort when I get there late afternoon.
When I got to Vinam, I asked to use his techstream to troubleshoot, and he said that he only uses the SnapOn Solus Edge at his shop. Confused, I asked about the techstream he used during my second visit, and he said that he had borrowed it from a friend so that he can run diagnostics on my car. I told him what I had learned from the forums (that techstream is mandatory for brake flushing and tranny fluid servicing), backed up with explicit instructions from the service manual. He insisted that the Solus Edge is a better tool and can do anything that the techstream can, and that he had never run into issues with it. He also continued to claim that my issues were due to hardware failure. I told him I needed to talk it over with family (really just wanted to buy some time while I find another shop) and left my car there for another night.
The next morning, I decided to follow a fellow member's advice and towed my car to another shop. I asked for the new shop to try clearing the codes and bleeding my brakes using techstream, and then to check my transmission fluid levels. My car got there late on Friday, and the guy couldn't get to it until Monday (that was a very long weekend). I call on Monday and was told that my brakes are fine, and that my transmission fluid was a little over a quart low so they filled it for me. I've driven about 300 miles over the past week, and there has been no dash lights, odd noises, weird vibrations, or any other high strangeness.
I got a full refund from Toh for the work I paid for at his shop plus the towing fees incurred when I moved my car to the new shop. In my honest opinion, I think that Toh is actually a very cool person, friendly and easy to engage with. I paid for his services with cash and forgot to ask for an itemized invoice, but he promptly wrote one for me even after learning that this might snowball into something serious. At the end of the day, though, I wouldn't trust him to work on my cars. Even as a person who only does very basic services on my own cars, I appreciate how important it is to use the correct tools. I don't understand how he could work on so many Lexus's and Toyotas without the right software. I also don't like the idea that he was blaming hardware failure, which could have cost me a lot of money. His mistakes could have, and may continue to, cost many less fortunate people large amounts of money, regardless of his intent.
Anyways, I'm very thankful that my issues were resolved. I understand that this negative experience may be an anomaly in Vinam's excellent track record, and that this may simply be an isolated event. Regardless, I encourage you all to take some time to consider the pros and cons of getting your car serviced at Vinam. I'm providing the link to my SOS thread here in case anyone is interested. I left out the name of the second shop that I towed my car to in order to avoid coming off as a shill for them. Feel free to pm me if any of you wants to know where I went!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...d-flush-2.html
I bought a 2007 ls460 last March and figured it was due for some preventative maintenance. Decided to give Toh at Vinam a call due to his overwhelmingly positive reviews here. His quote was the most affordable by far so I made an appointment with him immediately. Failed to do my due diligence on the phone by not asking if he used techstream in advance. After finishing and leaving his shop, I started noticing a squishing noise when I stepped on the brakes along with a soft-ish bite during the initial ~5mm of brake pedal travel. No dash lights before or after the brake flush, but it bothered me so I gave him a call after the weekend. He asked me to go back so he can take a look and troubleshoot. After 2 hours of troubleshooting, he tells me that my car is throwing 2 codes (C1345, C1256) and that the linear solenoid calibration is failing. He shows me the techstream readout (i know i said he doesn't use techstream, continue reading plz) and then demonstrates the failed calibration process. The brake warning lights were on full display at this time, and the brake pedal felt incredibly stiff. He then asked to keep the car so he can do some research and more diagnostics.
He called me later that night and told me what I had been dreading all along, failed actuator. On top of that, apparently my accumulator/pump assembly had failed too and needed replacement. He called me back the next morning and quoted me a little over 4k for parts+labor (which was actually the same as the quotes I received from two separate Lexus dealerships). By this time, I had reach out to the clublexus community and gotten some highly informed suggestions and even step-by-step instructions to clear memory/reset codes using techstream. I asked Toh to park my car on level ground and to remove the negative battery terminal so that I can do some troubleshooting as a last resort when I get there late afternoon.
When I got to Vinam, I asked to use his techstream to troubleshoot, and he said that he only uses the SnapOn Solus Edge at his shop. Confused, I asked about the techstream he used during my second visit, and he said that he had borrowed it from a friend so that he can run diagnostics on my car. I told him what I had learned from the forums (that techstream is mandatory for brake flushing and tranny fluid servicing), backed up with explicit instructions from the service manual. He insisted that the Solus Edge is a better tool and can do anything that the techstream can, and that he had never run into issues with it. He also continued to claim that my issues were due to hardware failure. I told him I needed to talk it over with family (really just wanted to buy some time while I find another shop) and left my car there for another night.
The next morning, I decided to follow a fellow member's advice and towed my car to another shop. I asked for the new shop to try clearing the codes and bleeding my brakes using techstream, and then to check my transmission fluid levels. My car got there late on Friday, and the guy couldn't get to it until Monday (that was a very long weekend). I call on Monday and was told that my brakes are fine, and that my transmission fluid was a little over a quart low so they filled it for me. I've driven about 300 miles over the past week, and there has been no dash lights, odd noises, weird vibrations, or any other high strangeness.
I got a full refund from Toh for the work I paid for at his shop plus the towing fees incurred when I moved my car to the new shop. In my honest opinion, I think that Toh is actually a very cool person, friendly and easy to engage with. I paid for his services with cash and forgot to ask for an itemized invoice, but he promptly wrote one for me even after learning that this might snowball into something serious. At the end of the day, though, I wouldn't trust him to work on my cars. Even as a person who only does very basic services on my own cars, I appreciate how important it is to use the correct tools. I don't understand how he could work on so many Lexus's and Toyotas without the right software. I also don't like the idea that he was blaming hardware failure, which could have cost me a lot of money. His mistakes could have, and may continue to, cost many less fortunate people large amounts of money, regardless of his intent.
Anyways, I'm very thankful that my issues were resolved. I understand that this negative experience may be an anomaly in Vinam's excellent track record, and that this may simply be an isolated event. Regardless, I encourage you all to take some time to consider the pros and cons of getting your car serviced at Vinam. I'm providing the link to my SOS thread here in case anyone is interested. I left out the name of the second shop that I towed my car to in order to avoid coming off as a shill for them. Feel free to pm me if any of you wants to know where I went!
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...d-flush-2.html
01-31-20, 08:41 AM
#2
Op, I am sorry for your experience with Toh, I have been using him for the past 12 years. I take all of my cars, my families cars, friends cars, coworkers cars and refer him to everyone and have had nothing but exceptional work and praise from everyone that has used him. He has never, not in the slightest let me down or his work was in least bit subpar. I am very glad to hear that he did the right thing and refunded the money and paid for your towing, that is something that 99% of shops would not do. I wholeheartedly trust him and will continue to take all my vehicles to him now and in the future. As a matter of fact I just picked up my mom's 350z last night from getting the power seats fixed. It seems to me this was an isolated occurrence and in the very least you know you are dealing wit ha reputable person who is a stand up guy and stands by his word and work (or else he could have told you to pound sand and not refund your money or pay your towing). Again sorry for your experience, but I encourage everyone to try him out.
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Chris4.3 (03-29-20)
01-31-20, 05:55 PM
#3
Glad he refunded you as well as cover towing to the other shop. That's unfortunate this happened.
Had at look at Snap-on's site for this. Would seem that the Snap on variant had an issue/s even though it is supposed to have this capability.
https://www.snapon.com/display/1068/...e_NA_FINAL.pdf
Had at look at Snap-on's site for this. Would seem that the Snap on variant had an issue/s even though it is supposed to have this capability.
https://www.snapon.com/display/1068/...e_NA_FINAL.pdf
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CharSu (02-08-20)
02-05-20, 02:37 PM
#4
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Glad he refunded you as well as cover towing to the other shop. That's unfortunate this happened.
Had at look at Snap-on's site for this. Would seem that the Snap on variant had an issue/s even though it is supposed to have this capability.
https://www.snapon.com/display/1068/...e_NA_FINAL.pdf
Had at look at Snap-on's site for this. Would seem that the Snap on variant had an issue/s even though it is supposed to have this capability.
https://www.snapon.com/display/1068/...e_NA_FINAL.pdf
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CharSu (02-08-20)
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