Avoid Co Op Transmission in Santee

In May of 2007, the transmission started going out in my 2001 Isuzu
Trooper. It started slipping in first gear. It had 85,000 miles on
it. I took it to a place that had been in business down the street
for 20+ years, Camino Transmission in Encinitas, California:
http://www.caminotransmission.com/caminotransmissions/

ATRA (http://www.atra.com) is the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders
Association. On Camino's website, they show the ATRA logo. On this
page of their website, it says they are an "ATRA-certified shop":
http://www.caminotransmission.com/ca...difference.htm

They inspected it and told me it basically needed an entire rebuild.
I said ok.

Ten days and $3600 later, I picked it up. It had a 12 month warranty,
as explained to me and written on the receipt. I assumed, not knowing
what type of paperwork to look for, that this was an official ATRA
warranty (it was not, as I was told later).

The day after I picked it up, I drove it only four miles and it failed
catastrophically; noise, smoke, cockpit lit up red, flashing like a
Christmas tree. I barely made it off the road into a nearby parking
lot.

They towed it back and got me a rental car while they fixed it. Well,
ok to that point. I picked it up a week later.

After driving it for a couple months I noticed a leak. I took it back
to Camino Transmission and what did I see? The place had closed shop
and was fully cleaned out. This after 20+ years in business.

After extensive internet/phone searching*, I found out some things.
The same person who ran the shop (I'll refer to him as MR) has another
shop near Santee, 40 miles away (Co Op Transmission). The shop he
closed (Camino Transmission) was incorporated (ETS Transmission
Systems, Inc.), and he shut down that corporation.

*[I called Encinitas Chamber of Commerce and found that MR had bought
Camino Transmission from the previous owners around 2006/2007. I
called the City of Encinitas Business License department and found
that Camino Transmission was a fictitious business name (DBA) of a
corporation called ETS Transmission Systems, Inc. I then searched the
California Secretary of State's website: http://www.sos.ca.gov in the
California Business Portal section, California Business Search, and
saw that the corporate agent for ETS Transmission Systems is MR.
Searching on his name obtained from the sos site, I found MR's myspace
site (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=11045503) and on that he states
he is the "Owner/Operator" of both Camino and Co Op Transmissions in
El Cajon, CA. (El Cajon is adjacent to Santee, and he had to move
down the road because of freeway construction - an unrelated fact). I
then went to the San Diego County Clerks website to search for Co Op
Transmission: http://arcc.co.san-diego.ca.us/arcc/...bn/search.aspx
and found that Co Op Transmission is registered as CTS Transmissions
Systems, Inc. Then from the sos site I found MR listed as the
corporate agent (verifying his myspace info). I then searched for Co
Op Transmission and found this site which lists their phone number:
http://www.ocautoservice.com/San_Die...nsmission.asp]

MR's shop near Santee, Co Op Transmission (CTS Transmission Systems,
Inc.), appears to be located in an unincorporated area in San Diego
County, so he can operate there legally without a business license.

I called that shop and the same front desk guy that was at Camino
answered the phone. I informed him who I was and told him I had a
slight leak. He said that they were "trying to take care of the
Camino customers", so I could bring it in.

By the time I got there, after 40 miles on the freeway, the
transmission started failing again, not engaging in first gear. I
barely made it into the shop.

Co Op does not have an internet site, but this website shows the ATRA
logo next to the business link:
http://www.ocautoservice.com/San_Diego_Transmission.asp

They had to keep it overnight, and I had to rent a car at my expense,
as they said this time "the warranty" doesn't cover car rental.

Two days later, I drove my rental car back out there to pick it up.
The first thing I noticed was a pool of transmission fluid underneath
it. I insisted that they actually fix the leak. I ended up waiting
all day while they did that. They said that the shifting problem was
just a band that needed slight adjustment.

I made it the 40 miles back home that day, but the transmission again
got worse. It started shuttering badly going into first unless I just
barely accelerated. I called Co Op Transmission a few days later and
MR told me to "bring it in". I said I can't, and that he needed to
send someone down to pick it up. His response was that at this point
they would not honor the Camino warranty.

After extreme due diligence, I located another, much more reputable
shop (Metro Transmission in San Marcos) and decided to take it there.
I barely managed to drive it the ten miles from my house. They took
the transmission apart and showed me the ugliness.

This is what Metro Transmission noted on the work order: "Inspected
transmission and found 1-2 band over-adjusted and burnt up, band went
metal to metal with the drum, 2nd clutch pack had stacked clutches,
planetary (O/D) pitted, all solenoids are original, during the removal
found bell housing bolts mismatched and one stripped, exhaust gaskets
torn and exhaust studs stripped." This after spending $3600 for a
rebuild a couple of months earlier.

It needed a total rebuild, again. I had to spend another $3700. My
rebuilt transmission was now up to $7300.

Metro Transmission seems to have done a fine job. I picked the
Trooper up 5 days later, it's been working well ever since, and they
gave me a "real" ATRA warranty (now I know what one looks like).
Metro seems to be an established, qualified shop.

I called MR and explained to him what Metro had found. I told him
that he should refund my money for a totally botched job. He
refused.

I asked what about the ATRA warranty, since his website listed them as
an ATRA-certified shop? He told me that "not every job gets the ATRA
warranty". So I guess that my $3600 rebuild was not enough to qualify
for the "good" warranty.

With Camino being a separate corporation (with no significant assets),
I can't get my money back by suing the corporation, I can't sue MR
since his is not personally liable, the BBB says their "hands are
tied" and can do nothing, the Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) also
says they can do nothing, and complaints made to ATRA have had no
responses.

So there is nothing that I can do to get my money back. All that I
can do is tell this story on the internet for the sake of anyone who
is considering taking their vehicle to Co Op Transmission and is
searching for information about it.

I have the vehicle, digital pictures of the worn parts that were
replaced (along with the actual parts), and the receipts (also scanned
as PDF's) from Camino and Metro.

In case any of MR's internet links no longer work or have been
changed, I have snapshots of them (taken on 8/29/07) also. I will
email anyone any of this documentation.

Hopefully this story will spare some other people from going through
the same loss.