At Oceanworks II, serving is our business and quality is our standard. For over 21 years, we’ve been providing the Berkeley area with prestigious service in all aspects of automotive repair.
Our services include full-service auto repair, engine work, transmission repair, and brake repair. With a combined experience of over 50 years,
At Oceanworks II, serving is our business and quality is our standard. For over 21 years, we’ve been providing the Berkeley area with prestigious service in all aspects of automotive repair.
Our services include full-service auto repair, engine work, transmission repair, and brake repair. With a combined experience of over 50 years, our mechanics are knowledgeable and able to identify problems with your vehicle quickly. Give us a call today and we'll help you find what you're looking for. We’re here to get you back on the road quickly and affordably!
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I called Oceanworks because my 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid began to overheat when I drove it on the freeway for approximately 40+ minutes, at which point a red warning light would come on and it would say "stop safely now" and no longer accelerate, which as you can imagine is unsafe on the freeway. I went there in-person and explained my problem very clearly to Chris, their service advisor, and the other guy at the front desk I believe his name was Brian, and trusted that they would be able to diagnose and fix it. They called me over the phone and said that they had diagnosed it and gave a large list of potential repairs to be done. I told them that I only wanted the repairs necessary to address the overheating problem such that I could drive my car again without it breaking down. I never went in to sign any estimate in person - which I've read may be legally required on the part of mechanics - but I did authorize them to fix the problem over the phone. They called me on May 31st and said they were waiting on an original part from the manufacturer to arrive and that it would arrive on Friday, June 2nd, and that they wouldn't have the car ready until then. They then texted me on Thursday the 1st and said that they were all done with repairs. I paid them $1,107.17 on Thursday June 1st.
On Thursday June 2nd, the very first time I drove my car on the freeway after spending the $1,107.17, my car broke down in the exact same manner as it had before I went to Oceanworks for repairs; after about 45 minutes, the red warning light came on, the dash said "stop safely now," and I could no longer accelerate. I was very nearly rear-ended on the freeway, as I did not expect this sudden loss of acceleration, and I pulled over and had to leave my car in Milpitas for the weekend. After pulling over I took a video on my iPhone to prove that I was having the exact same issue. I was able to get my car back to Berkeley that Sunday - Yet once again on the drive back it overheated and I had to pull over, pop the hood, let it cool for 20 minutes or so, and resume.
I went back to Oceanworks the following week and explained that in spite of their expensive repairs the problem had not been fixed, I had almost gotten rear-ended, and I still did not have a functioning car. I showed them the video I took. They tried to gaslight me and told me that I had not adequately explained the problem the first time around. I asked if they could take another look and actually fix the problem. They immediately said that there would be another diagnostic charge but that "we would be able to work something out." I assumed that they would offer either a cheap or free diagnosis/repair the second time around, seeing as their initial fix did nothing to solve my problem and had nearly gotten me rear-ended.
They called me later that day and said that after further diagnosis they found that my car needed a new MECS hybrid cooling pump. They told me over the phone it would cost $831.65 to fix. I asked them a couple times if they would be willing to discount it or meet in the middle somehow given the circumstances, and they said the best they could do is an $80 discount on the second diagnostic charge. I told them over the phone that I would think about it.
I ended up returning to them in person on Friday June 9th and demanding my car back. They admitted in-person that they had made the wrong initial diagnosis/repair but did not offer a discount on the second repair nor any sort of reimbursement for the initial repair. They waived the second diagnostic fee and gave me my keys back.
I returned on Thursday, June 22nd, to ask again if they'd be willing to offer a discount on the MECS Hybrid Cooling Pump replacement. Chris said that he would talk to the owner and call me back. He called me back shortly thereafter and said they were not willing to offer a discount.
Evidently the exact problem that I'm experiencing is very common problem with 2007 Ford Escape Hybrids and that Ford issued a recall, although my VIN was not part of the recall.
I don't know all of the intricacies/legalities regarding these situations, but it doesn't seem like an autoshop should be allowed to charge you $1107.17 without fixing your problem, and then attempt to charge you another $700+ to actually fix the problem.
I'm not overly upset about the erroneous/extraneous initial repair, as people make mistakes - Moreso that they made no attempt to compensate for it and behaved in such an obnoxious and disreputable manner, which surprised me given the generally positive reviews online. I've dealt with shady autoshops but have never been quite this furious in light of a recent experience. Avoid at all costs.