Customer ReviewsforDon's Garage Inc.

We took our car in for a repair on the brakes system. While they were fixing the system, they broke the car's engine, and it needed an entirely new engine. After negotiating with the manager, we were able to have them install a new engine with a decent warranty, the least they could do after breaking our perfectly good engine. The replacement has taken over a MONTH, and the shop has not offered us any compensation for our inconvenience. Insinuating we should be grateful that they are replacing the engine (that they broke) for free. Do NOT take your car here, they do not care about their customers AT ALL.

The customer had their 2018 ***** Malibu with a 1.5L engine towed to Dons Garage. Their complaint was that the ************ Reduced light had come on and they were unable to accelerate. The brakes also locked up at the same time. Upon inspection of the vehicle, it was found that the vacuum pump had locked up and broken the end of the exhaust camshaft (the camshaft drives the vacuum pump). This caused the cam chain to jump time on the cam sprocket. This improper cam timing caused the engine to go into reduced power causing a limitation in acceleration. The lack of vacuum assist caused a very hard brake pedal, possibly causing the brakes to feel like they were locked up by the customer. This is a common problem for this vehicle. The broken camshaft and vacuum pump were replaced, broken pieces and debris were cleaned from the engine, and the cam timing was set to specification. Associated gaskets and seals were replaced to complete the repair job. Following these repairs, the vehicle was test driven multiple times and was determined ready for pickup. On the morning the vehicle was scheduled to be picked up, we were warming up the engine when the vehicle quit running. Upon inspection of the vehicle, it was found that a valve had broken and dropped into the cylinder, locking up the engine. It is difficult to tell why one valve snapped off and there were no others. We have done several of these jobs and have never had this issue. Was the valve already fractured? Did the valve crack when the timing jumped after the vacuum pump failed? Unable to determine the exact cause and effect, Dons Garage replaced the entire engine with a used unit that had less miles than the vehicle has. Dons Garage honored the original repair estimate price. The replacement engine alone cost the garage more than the original repair. The new parts were installed on the used engine to prevent further issues.This is an issue on several GM vehicles. Supporting documents can be found at NHTSA.gov or through a simple ****** search of the following documents:TSB 21-NA-268 PIP 5598C PIP **** While this was an unfortunate circumstance for both us and the customer, we did apologize for any inconvenience the customer experienced, and feel as though they were treated fairly.