Mtn View Chevrolet

Mtn View Chevrolet responded

Papa Doc, this review contains serious personal accusations against members of our staff, yet you have provided no information that allows us to identify you as a customer or investigate an actual service experience. If you have a legitimate grievance with Mtn View Chevrolet, we absolutely want the opportunity to address it. We ask that you contact our management team directly, identify yourself, and provide the details of your visit—including the vehicle, date of service, and specific concerns—so we can review the facts and respond appropriately. We take legitimate customer complaints seriously. However, anonymous personal attacks and accusations against individual employees, without information that allows us to verify or investigate them, are neither constructive nor something we can meaningfully address in a public review. If you were a customer and believe we failed you, please come forward and give us the opportunity to investigate your concerns based on the facts.

Mtn View Chevrolet responded

Ken, we understand your frustration, especially after your Enclave had already undergone significant A/C work elsewhere and the system was still not operating properly. When your vehicle came to us, Firestone authorized and paid for the initial diagnostic inspection. Our technician confirmed the system was low on refrigerant and used electronic leak-detection equipment, but no external leak was identified during that testing. At that point, additional diagnostic work was recommended to determine whether the leak was coming from the rear evaporator or potentially the front evaporator. That next step required removing interior components for further inspection and would also involve the additional expense associated with evacuating and recharging the vehicle’s R-1234yf refrigerant system. Unfortunately, authorization was not provided by Firestone or by you to proceed beyond the initial diagnostic work. Without performing those additional steps, we could not responsibly tell you that the rear evaporator—or any other specific component—was definitely the source of the leak. Recommending replacement of a part without completing that diagnosis would have been exactly the kind of “throwing parts at the vehicle” that you understandably wanted to avoid. We regret that the process and the time involved left you dissatisfied, but we do want to clarify that our technician did perform the diagnostic work that was authorized and outlined what would be required to take the diagnosis further.

Ken parham responded

I just call and asked for a quote on the up charge a diagnostic for rear evacuator core $1535. No, charging $1,535 just to check a rear evaporator core is not standard procedure.While paying an initial $150 to $250 diagnostic fee is normal at dealerships, a subsequent $1,535 quote sounds like the labor cost to completely dismantle the interior or replace the core, rather than properly diagnosing it.1. What a Standard Leak Check InvolvesTechnicians do not need to tear out the interior just to check whether an evaporator core has a leak. A qualified shop uses non-invasive methods first:Electronic "Sniffer" Probe: Technicians place an electronic refrigerant detector into the rear HVAC vents and the evaporator drain tube. If refrigerant is leaking, the probe detects the gas immediately.UV Dye Inspection: If UV dye was added during the initial service, the tech can inspect the rear drain tube or remove an access panel/inspection port to check for glowing dye with a UV flashlight.Borescope Inspection: A small flexible camera can often be fed through the blower housing or blend door ducting to view the core directly.Charging several hours of teardown labor before verifying a leak through the vents or drain tube is poor diagnostic procedure.2. Why the Quote Is So HighTear-Down Labor: Dealership labor rates often run $180 to $260+ per hour. A quote of $1,535 suggests they are billing 6 to 8 hours of labor simply to pull rear trim panels, third-row seats, or ductwork just to look at the component.Replacement vs. Diagnostic Confusion: $1,500+ is typically the ballpark cost to replace an evaporator core (or lines), not simply test it. Verify whether the service advisor quoted you a full replacement estimate rather than a diagnostic inspection.