Chevron Service on Artesia St. and Norwalk Ave.
03-21-09, 03:14 AM
#1
Chevron Service on Artesia St. and Norwalk Ave.
A couple years ago when I purchased my first SC it was having some problems and the CEL came on. My dad took it to the Chevron on Artesia and Norwalk to their service center to get it done. After charging $200 they fixed the problem and the CEL was off. Or so it seems. The car still had problems so after another mechanic looked at the car, it was determined that the guy working at Chevron had charged us $200 to take my instrument cluster out and remove the LIGHT BULB that was the CEL. 
This year I got my '99 SC400. Back in the middle of February I just brought it over from CO and I needed to get it smogged. I went to a place near my house but ended up was recommended to go to that Chevron. I didn't want to but I figured whatever it was just a smog check. The guy working there was pretty cool, although kind of condescending about my car. He let me pass the visual with the SS headers I had on acting like he was doing me the biggest favor in the world. I went on my merry way.
So recently I've been smelling gas from my car. I rarely drive the car but recently I have had opportunity to take it out. I tend to drive with my windows down and every time I was just idling, the smell of gas was overwhelming. I popped the hood earlier today to find a perfect hole in the fuel line coming out the left side of the engine. All over my engine cover there was dried gasoline that was sprayed out from the damaged hose. This explained the gas and my crappy gas mileage. Anyway after getting over the fact I am EFFING lucky my engine did not catch on fire, I sealed up the hole.
One thing I should note, this car was taken care of meticulously by the previous owner. There was no reason for that rubber fuel line to go bad. It was not dry and hard or brittle, and the damage to it was too perfect to have happened from anything else. After analyzing it thoroughly, I realized the only person to have had access under my hood without my supervision ( I was standing outside the garage) was this Chevron tech guy. I have reason to believe he purposely sabotaged my car in hopes of me going back to have costly repairs done. While I had talked to him while getting the smog done, he kept telling me the car probably wouldn't pass smog and that it was *****ty, etc. My car had passed with flying colors, VERY clean emissions, so it could have been personal along with the fact I've already had a shady encounter with another mechanic.
Anyway, I don't to officially badmouth this place. Just wanted to place fair warning out there for those who have considered going to this place for any services. I also wanted to know if anyone else out there has had any personal experience with this place whether positive or negative.
I do not wish future damage to be done to any fellow car owner simply because that establishment wanted to make a few bucks.
Sidenote: Last time at EZ lube they tried the whole "your radiator and tranny fluid are low ( even though these were just replaced)" on my dad's car, but I chose to ignore it since there have already been so much coverage on that scam. At least they didn't sabotage my car.
before all nice and clean
now, faded engine cover, and leaky fuel line
This year I got my '99 SC400. Back in the middle of February I just brought it over from CO and I needed to get it smogged. I went to a place near my house but ended up was recommended to go to that Chevron. I didn't want to but I figured whatever it was just a smog check. The guy working there was pretty cool, although kind of condescending about my car. He let me pass the visual with the SS headers I had on acting like he was doing me the biggest favor in the world. I went on my merry way.
So recently I've been smelling gas from my car. I rarely drive the car but recently I have had opportunity to take it out. I tend to drive with my windows down and every time I was just idling, the smell of gas was overwhelming. I popped the hood earlier today to find a perfect hole in the fuel line coming out the left side of the engine. All over my engine cover there was dried gasoline that was sprayed out from the damaged hose. This explained the gas and my crappy gas mileage. Anyway after getting over the fact I am EFFING lucky my engine did not catch on fire, I sealed up the hole.
One thing I should note, this car was taken care of meticulously by the previous owner. There was no reason for that rubber fuel line to go bad. It was not dry and hard or brittle, and the damage to it was too perfect to have happened from anything else. After analyzing it thoroughly, I realized the only person to have had access under my hood without my supervision ( I was standing outside the garage) was this Chevron tech guy. I have reason to believe he purposely sabotaged my car in hopes of me going back to have costly repairs done. While I had talked to him while getting the smog done, he kept telling me the car probably wouldn't pass smog and that it was *****ty, etc. My car had passed with flying colors, VERY clean emissions, so it could have been personal along with the fact I've already had a shady encounter with another mechanic.
Anyway, I don't to officially badmouth this place. Just wanted to place fair warning out there for those who have considered going to this place for any services. I also wanted to know if anyone else out there has had any personal experience with this place whether positive or negative.
I do not wish future damage to be done to any fellow car owner simply because that establishment wanted to make a few bucks.
Sidenote: Last time at EZ lube they tried the whole "your radiator and tranny fluid are low ( even though these were just replaced)" on my dad's car, but I chose to ignore it since there have already been so much coverage on that scam. At least they didn't sabotage my car.
before all nice and clean
now, faded engine cover, and leaky fuel line
Last edited by Hil; 03-21-09 at 11:07 AM.
03-21-09, 10:17 AM
#2
Pit Crew
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ow damn. i think i wont be thinking to go there. scboy what is ur car look like. i think i havent seen it around cerritos? just wondering cuz im new to cl and havent really met any members
03-21-09, 10:32 AM
#3
Let me know if you want to meet up and work on cars or something haha, I have much to do this week
03-21-09, 10:58 AM
#4
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damn that really sucks hil. yeah fuel lines dont just rupture like that. especially on a car like yours. i would have driven back to the station and cracked that guy in the skull. thats an extremely dangerous thing to do. like you said, what if it had burnt to the ground.
on a side note, if your car had that ruptured line like that it wouldnt have passed smog. if theres any kind of leak like that it fails. so im definitely sure that he popped a hole in there.
on a side note, if your car had that ruptured line like that it wouldnt have passed smog. if theres any kind of leak like that it fails. so im definitely sure that he popped a hole in there.
03-21-09, 11:09 AM
#5
damn that really sucks hil. yeah fuel lines dont just rupture like that. especially on a car like yours. i would have driven back to the station and cracked that guy in the skull. thats an extremely dangerous thing to do. like you said, what if it had burnt to the ground.
on a side note, if your car had that ruptured line like that it wouldnt have passed smog. if theres any kind of leak like that it fails. so im definitely sure that he popped a hole in there.
on a side note, if your car had that ruptured line like that it wouldnt have passed smog. if theres any kind of leak like that it fails. so im definitely sure that he popped a hole in there.
I'm not sure how to go about this situation. I don't have evidence backing up my claim no matter how many arrows point to this guy. Any advice? For sure I will be making a complaint to Chevron
03-21-09, 11:52 AM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
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well short of putting a cam under your hood i cant really help you on the evidence part. id say report it to the bureau of automotive repair. file your complaint with chevron. dont bother with the better business bureau, those guys can suck it.
03-21-09, 01:40 PM
#7
that's terrible. another reason why i only trust a very few select individuals/service centers with my 2is.
as automotive repair/testing locations and their respective technicians must be certified (CARB, ASE, EPA, etc.), contact the certification agency and file a complaint with them regarding this repair shop. make sure you have everything properly and thoroughly documented, and explain in clear, simple logic the reason and legitimacy of your claim.
i hope your issues get resolved. keep us updated.
as automotive repair/testing locations and their respective technicians must be certified (CARB, ASE, EPA, etc.), contact the certification agency and file a complaint with them regarding this repair shop. make sure you have everything properly and thoroughly documented, and explain in clear, simple logic the reason and legitimacy of your claim.
i hope your issues get resolved. keep us updated.
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03-22-09, 01:10 AM
#9
One good habit you can probably pick up from me, is that whenever I go to a shop like the one you mentioned, I like to keep a close eye and physically watch what they're doing at all times. That way, if anything happens after they're done with it, It'll be alot easier to pin the blame on them.
03-22-09, 09:35 AM
#10
One good habit you can probably pick up from me, is that whenever I go to a shop like the one you mentioned, I like to keep a close eye and physically watch what they're doing at all times. That way, if anything happens after they're done with it, It'll be alot easier to pin the blame on them.
better off w/ a trusted and reputable shop to take care of your needs. that way, you don't have to spend that kind of time.
03-22-09, 06:19 PM
#12
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If your headers arent CARB legal then you could really get him introuble for passing your car when it had them on, and for the leaking fuel line. just a thought haha 
03-30-09, 03:21 PM
#13
Geez, why would you take it to a mechanic at a GAS station though? That's pretty fcked up if he did do that, since you don't have hard evidence, you can't do anything about it. Take pictures of the car/engine BEFORE going to the mechanic. My 95 SC passes smog with flying colors, how come your 99 wouldn't?
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