Wilmington Tire & Auto Middle Sound Loop Road — Local services in Castle Hayne

Carefully and continuously aware of any and all the variables in the condition and performance of my car, before delivering my Porsche 911 for service or repair, I inspect the car in detail from top to bottom. I should have done the same in the presence of the service manager at the time I delivered the vehicle, and in detail stipulated the condition in written form and with photographs, as I strongly encourage you to do. The exterior had been in nearly pristine condition before I dropped it off for brake service, sunroof drain clearing and a window regulator. There were no driveability issues or any performance concerns. When I picked the vehicle up, black gouges into the middle and right side of the painted silver front bumper fascia were evident. The insurance estimate to replace, paint and install new, $1223.33, as repair is not a viable option to match its design contour, blend-to-match paint, and structural integrity before deformation. The top of the right front fender is visibly creased. The upper right side of the bumper is displaced upward against the lower right side of the fender. Suspension & steering are irregular, requiring the expense of evaluation to determine if the vehicle is safe to drive, and to assess necessary repair costs. I pointed out the obvious, new front bumper fascia damage to the service manager the day I came to pay for the work, only to receive a dismissive, "That could have happened anywhere". It could have, but it did not: I was under the right front bumper area checking radiator fan actuation with an assistant the day I brought the car in (something Rackley's checked at my request while in possession of my car) and it was free of any discoloration, scrapes or damage. I drive cautiously, and would immediately discern an impact sufficient to cause this damage. I paid Rackley's $375 for the rear sunroof drains to be cleared, as these were clogged and draining into the interior. After the work was completed, I then injected distilled water into these drainage tubes to test their function, and the water did not proceed to flow through them and out below the rear wheel wells as intended & designed. Rainwater & debris remain somewhere inside of the tubing where it inevitably continues to drain into the car's interior. I was erroneously informed the rear bumper had to be removed to clear the rear sunroof drains, as Porsche Service did not confirm this to be the case: The two drain outlets are accessed by removing the rear fender wheel well liners, behind which are the drainage port grommets; removing them will allow trapped rainwater and debris to be released from the bottom of the wheel wells to the ground. Time required, maximum 30 mins per side. Although I've inquired via text to the service manager's cell about Rackley's double-checking the drains, no response. Their 1-year warrantied replacement of a defective, URO brand, made-in-China & known poor-quality window regulator required three weeks to install, and its new replacement did not function properly. But an Original Equipment Manufacturer regulator I purchased from Porsche Wilmington for the other side & installed by Intershop (Mauricio) functions flawlessly. Despite my text message notification to the service manager [I verified through Porsche] my regulator issue was not window-motor-related and I did not want to replace anything but the window regulator, when I did speak with him on the phone the next day he was in the process of sourcing for purchase a new window motor: Unnecessary and expensive. Know how your car operates, because knowledge and self-advocacy will be your best allies, and very necessary if you are willing to pursue being made whole in the effort required to ensure work here is done, and correctly. Service should never be this difficult, and you should get good results for your money, not expect work done improperly at best nor suffering loss at worst. $500 for rear 255/40/17's. Got 275/40/17's, 20mm too wide, 7/8" too tall: The Speedometer & Odometer now read less than actual speed and actual...

I guess the old saying is true... "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". I reluctantly took my classic car there after many years of refusing due to poor quality and neglect on a previous vehicle, but caved due to lack of quality options in the area, and because zac assured me things were different there now. Well, they are different...for the worst! I took my classic car there to have an overheating problem resolved, brakes checked, and transmission repaired. zac said a month... I told him it was my every other day driver! 1 year and 4 months later it is worse than when I dropped it off. It still overheats, transmission is clunky, and now the freshly rebuilt (not by Rackleys) transfer case is ruined, due to using the incorrect fluid. The transfer case has a tag hanging on it that says what fluid to use!! How ignorant and/or lazy and irresponsible do you need to be to ignore the blatantly obvious tag?

They lost parts, broke parts. I would have pulled it out on month 3, but they had pulled the drive train and disassembled the car. The parts were spewed all across the shop. When I would visit, hoping that would show my desire to get this done, I would see my parts all over, many broke, and they couldn't locate rare, precious parts. The Vehicle sat outside in the natural element for the whole period. Tires flat, vehicle rotting away. I asked on multiple occasions to put the sun protector on the dash to protect the dash pad, they never did it. Finally, I went there and put the visor in the window. I had to replace/order parts for them because they are too incompetent to read a manual (I provided) and/or search the Internet for parts. They claim the parts are impossible to find. I located in less than 3 minutes. I gave them my parts sources. I had 3 mechanic turnovers during this debacle, exposing they can't keep mechanics due to poor management.

zac is the problem, no doubt, and I think he has the owner fooled that he knows what he is doing. zac lied to my Credit card company about MANY things when I filed a claim. Blatant lies. He told the credit card company it would cost x had I chosen to rebuild the freshly rebuilt transfer case. I told zac, and the mechanic, on many occasions that it was 8000 miles into a fresh rebuild by a competent mechanic, and there were no problems with it prior to them touching it. If they got a second service manager, it might help. But, not sure that would work with current employees.

When I picked it up when they said it was ready, I told them it leaked, it was not shifting correctly, the transfer case was making noise and it didn't before, and that it was still overheating. They said to drive it, and it will work itself out. What?!!!!

Throughout the 1 year and 4 months I called many times! Texted them, called the owner, left voice mails with the owner , all ignored. I would call from another number, and the phone was answered immediately. I confronted the owner, stating it has been here over a year (at the time). He just laughed it off. I am now going to take them to court to resolve this. I think they should be ashamed they took my money. Clearly an open shut case. I have 45 pages of text to and from zac, and an expert mechanic stating all that I am here is true.

THE WORST,...

I think everyone should know who they are dealing with in town. Its hard enough to trust companies in Wilmington to not screw up even on a cheeseburger order.

I may be a little picky about who touches my truck, I do all of my own work, external of the engine block. The Clutch on my 4X4 was to much for my driveway jobs...

I called everywhere to get pricing and ETAs on the CLUTCH REPLACEMENT of my 1991 Toyota extended cab 4X4. Rackleys Automotive was not the lowest price or the highest price. The ETA on the truck drop-off was 2 days even though they had lots of work already, which in my experience, most shops usually turn you away (totally understandable) so they do not bury themselves. I got alternative transportation for Wednesday, and was told as long as they did not run into any problems, I could possibly get it back on Thursday lunch - late afternoon.

I dropped it off as planned, nervous as hell that everything would be put back correct and the job would be one of quality. They took their time and did it all correct.

The Service Writer "Zach" was very down-to-earth and not full of crap. He was straight forward and blunt about everything to protect his rear-end and the well being of the shop he is running. He never made any promises. Very smart

I picked it up late Thursday and was so happy, but I was not convinced until I got home and got under it with a fine-toothed comb and a Mag-light. Everything looked great! I know your thinking.... its just a clutch job.... NO its not. Takes alot more to remove braces and all out of the way on this truck. It is a real pain..

I now have a trust-based relationship with these people. I hope if anyone has a good experience at a local-owned company in Wilmington to please leave a post. Everyone never hesitates to leave negative info on a company...so take the same time if you get a good experience.

THANK YOU Rackleys Automotive -Gerry F. Special thanks to Zack and David for the...