2013 Power steering rack failure and replacement

[loopless]

@huntergreen asked earlier, and I must have missed it if you answered, but

were there any steering related symptoms prior to them swapping in the "new" EPS unit? Did they change it solely because of the apparent leak?

Does that mean that there's a dumpster out behind some shady-ass auto shop somewhere with a perfectly good 2000$ EPS rack in it?

I had no steering related problems before I took it in. So yes, they removed a perfectly good EPS rack. I suspect they probably sent it for a core exchange credit.
I am going full legal on them. This was a firestone franchised shop not some backyard mechanic so I had some level of trust.

 

[huntergreen]

Do you still have a fluid leak ?

 

[huntergreen]

Also, if you payed by credit card, you should the cc company involved .

 

[Daw14]

Sounds like their name should probably be shared , so in case anyone lives close and has thought of using them is warned.
This was not a mistake, but an intentional rip-off.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I wish you very good luck @loopless

It sounds like there are a lot of elements to this situation, and you
will want to get them all covered from your end.

You can try to get some sort of boiler-plate letter from your local
dealer stating your trucks VIN shows you have an EPS and not an
HPS. They might also be willing to state that their professional
inspection reveals that you currently have an EPS installed in your
truck and NOT the HPS they claim they installed.

You can try small claims, or get an attorney. I would also be livid
and would be going full war on these people.

Again, good luck!

 

[loopless]

Yup, I have sent a certified letter of demand to the shop, taken my truck to a RAM dealer for check on whether the rack is OEM and to do a full diagnosis and written report. I will pursue a charge back on the CC , and send a letter to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. Then I guess small claims court.

I am pretty sure that to rub salt into my wounds they used a Dorman rack , but charged me for OEM.

First picture is of a Dorman rack from NAPA web site - note the small round head bolts with green marks.

Second picture is from my car after these crooks did the work - I would say it's pretty damning , when I look at OEM racks I do not see these ( also confirmed by another poster)

 

[Ken226]

Yup, I have sent a certified letter of demand to the shop, taken my truck to a RAM dealer for check on whether the rack is OEM and to do a full diagnosis and written report. I will pursue a charge back on the CC , and send a letter to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. Then I guess small claims court.

I am pretty sure that to rub salt into my wounds they used a Dorman rack , but charged me for OEM.

First picture is of a Dorman rack from NAPA web site - note the small round head bolts with green marks.

Second picture is from my car after these crooks did the work - I would say it's pretty damning , when I look at OEM racks I do not see these ( also confirmed by another poster)

View attachment 577018View attachment 577019

Yup, I have sent a certified letter of demand to the shop, taken my truck to a RAM dealer for check on whether the rack is OEM and to do a full diagnosis and written report. I will pursue a charge back on the CC , and send a letter to the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. Then I guess small claims court.

I am pretty sure that to rub salt into my wounds they used a Dorman rack , but charged me for OEM.

First picture is of a Dorman rack from NAPA web site - note the small round head bolts with green marks.

Second picture is from my car after these crooks did the work - I would say it's pretty damning , when I look at OEM racks I do not see these ( also confirmed by another poster)

View attachment 577018View attachment 577019

Does your invoice state that they installed an OEM rack? Or are you assuming that they charged for OEM based on the price.

Given their behavior thus far, if the invoice doesn't state OEM, then it isn't beyond reason that a 120% markup on junk parts is their norm.

 

[loopless]

The shops has always stated to me that they only use OEM parts.
Anyway, not surprisingly the invoice is light on details of that part.

The shop has been very reliable in the past, but I noticed some new faces , it may be that they quietly sold the business and the new owners are unscrupulous.

 

[garycarrick]

EPS stands for Electronic Power Steering.

There are no bubbles because there is nothing for there to be bubbles in. It's electronic.

You got a bad rack. Have them replace it with a new, OEM Mopar unit, and use the part number that I recommended in the thread you linked above.

I would think if there was power steering fluid on the ground, probably not eps.. but yes if it was eps, flakes.. and new needs to be programmed to the vin.

 

[loopless]

I would think if there was power steering fluid on the ground, probably not eps.. but yes if it was eps, flakes.. and new needs to be programmed to the vin.

The oil on the ground and on the rack was engine oil, not power steering fluid.
The rack is without doubt EPS. I have been the victim of an unscrupulous shop.

 

[BLUEDERANGO]

Your first move should be contacting the Firestone shop, talk to the manager, explain the situation and demand instant reimbursement.
Second move should the first fail, Call the California Bureau Of Automotive Repair, the really love these situations and will see to it you are reimbursed fully and will probably fine the shop big bucks. (They actually do shut down these types of operations, I am sure Firestone is already on their Radar)

 

[crazy jerry]

you were scammed.
post the shops name.
get the law involved as likely you werent the first or last victim

 

[Dusty]

I had no steering related problems before I took it in. So yes, they removed a perfectly good EPS rack. I suspect they probably sent it for a core exchange credit.
I am going full legal on them. This was a firestone franchised shop not some backyard mechanic so I had some level of trust.

I was going to chime in and guess it was a national chain type repair center. Unfortunately, this kind of incident is often prevalent with this type of business.

Regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33-gallon fuel tank, 18” wheels. Build Date: 3 June 2018. Now at 143421 miles.

 

[Marshall]

There use to be a couple good firestone dealers, shops in this area yrs ago, But I have not seen one in 15-20 yrs
One is still a good tire shop, but has nothing related to firestone.
Maybe in the big cities there are still some, but I try to stay away if possible.

If I where getting something like this done and don't know anything about my truck, I would be checking with the dealer as well, The ones I know don't do really stupid stuff like this.

My son started in the trades ( after trade schooling and upgrades) working at this kind of shop and upsell was the #1 job they where suppose to do, if it needed front brakes, backs and shocks also must be done. And mufflers and structs of coarse.
He got out of that yellow chain crap shoot fast.

 

[Jacob Maguire]

Loopless, Curious if there are any updates to your situation?

 

[loopless]

Loopless, Curious if there are any updates to your situation?

I took the truck to the RAM dealer to get an official report
They confirmed that the part installed by the indy shop was a Dorman 601-903
They can't calibrate it with OEM tools.

Truck drives like crap on 65-70 mph. It feels like I have an aggressive "Lane Keeping Assist" taking the wheel. I would not let my wife drive it.

Not using an OEM rack ( by CA law they are supposed to advise the customer and document non-OEM use) was just the cherry on top of their fraudulent behavior. I found the 601-903 on Napa for immediate delivery at $650 under what they charged me.

Now I have all the documentation, I will be talking to the owner soon to discuss my letter of demand.

Remember, I brought the truck in for an oil leak, not any issues with my steering.

- Replaced a perfectly functioning EPS steering rack by claiming it was leaking power steering fluid.
- Documented bogus charges for "power steering fluid" and "power steering flush"
- Used a non-OEM steering rack
- Leaving the truck in an unsafe state.

It sounds so absurd that any shop would try something so blatant, but there you are.

 

[loopless]

So there has been an acceptable resolution to the problem.

The owner of the shop ( who is not normally onsite) met me and personally apologized. He basically threw the tech "under the bus". There are still so many questions but I guess I will never know the whole truth of how this went down as it's hard to believe a tech could be so incompetent without multiple people involved.

But they refunded the full invoice amount , the cost of my independent inspection and sourced a guaranteed OEM rack to replace the POS Dorman part.

I suppose if there is a lesson here it's to keep your cool , document everything, and be firm with a strong letter of demand that they make it right with threats of escalation if they do not.

 

[Ken226]

So there has been an acceptable resolution to the problem.

The owner of the shop ( who is not normally onsite) met me and personally apologized. He basically threw the tech "under the bus". There are still so many questions but I guess I will never know the whole truth of how this went down as it's hard to believe a tech could be so incompetent without multiple people involved.

But they refunded the full invoice amount , the cost of my independent inspection and sourced a guaranteed OEM rack to replace the POS Dorman part.

I suppose if there is a lesson here it's to keep your cool , document everything, and be firm with a strong letter of demand that they make it right with threats of escalation if they do not.

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