Jon Petty

Review of Wackerli Auto Center

Due to recent events, I feel forced to tell you ab...

Due to recent events, I feel forced to tell you about my experience with BA Wackerli GMC/Subaru in Idaho Falls.
I saw a 2008 GMC sierra on their used lot that I liked and wanted to learn more about its history before I purchased it.
During this process I asked if the ball joints were in good condition because I know, from experience, GMC/Chevy truck ball joints can be quite expensive to replace.
I was assured by my salesperson and a service writer, the ball joints were in good, working condition. I also told my salesperson if the ball joints needed to be replaced, they could add this amount to the purchase price of the truck but she assured me they did not need to be replaced.
The check engine light was also on in the truck so I asked that they diagnose and fix the problem so I could purchase the truck. I was contacted a few days later and was informed they had "fixed" it and the truck was ready to go.
During this process I also learned their service department had "gone through" the 5.3L engine in the truck in the spring of 2014 because of valve problems. I was then told the engine would come with a 1 year warranty from the date they replaced the valve train.
So after all of this, in November 2014, I decided to buy the truck because I assumed they had been truthful about the trucks history. I do take partial blame for taking a used car dealership at its word but let's be honest, they should tell all customers the truth about their vehicles.

Almost immediately I found a set of custom wheels and tires for my truck. While at Big O tires I asked them do an alignment on the truck so I did not chew up my new tires.

This is when the surprises started.

I was shown by my good friend at Big O, 3 of the 4 ball joints were so bad they couldn't even align the truck. Great.
I went back to Wackerli to see if they could explain the lie they had given me about the ball joints. I was informed they did not know why I was told they were in good condition but were eager to replace them for well over $1,000.
I went back to Big O tires where they replaced them for less than $800.
2 weeks after I replaced the ball joints the check engine light came back on so I went back to Wackerli to see what the cause was. I then learned the oil pressure was so low in the engine it had caused the check engine light to come on. I also learned this is the reason the check engine light was on before I bought the truck.
The service dept associate assured me they had "checked it" and the oil pressure was "fine".
This answer did not make me feel good about my purchase so I went to a reputable mechanic in Idaho Falls where I learned the oil pressure was indeed low and as we know, low oil pressure causes catastrophic engine problems.
When I went back to Wackerli (within 1 month of my purchase) and talked to the service department about my "engine warranty" they told me low oil pressure was not covered because they did not look at the oil pump or bearings when they "went through" the engine.
Great customer service so far right?

After I paid a good mechanic to truly go through the engine we found faulty bearings and a bad oil pump to be the culprits.

I do want to add that during this process Wackerli did Mail me a check for $100 because of all the lies that were told to me.

Then in spring 2015 my brother in law looked at a used Subaru Forester at Wackerli Subaru. I told him about my experience but he ignored my advice as family usually does ;)

The car had just over 100,000 miles and he was assured by his salesperson the timing belt and water pump had been done by a "certified Subaru tech" within the last 15,000 miles. My brother in law then decided to buy this Subaru Forrester from Wackerli.
He has now had the car for just over 8 months and all of a sudden his car started to leak coolant so he took it to Wackerli Subaru for diagnosis.
Surprise, the water pump is bad and the timing belt is dangerously close to failing. When he asked about the salesman who sold him the car, he was told "he does not work here anymore because of reasons like this"