Cross post from:
https://www.sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74081
I feel I need to write about my experience with Linden. I am quite upset at the moment but will try to keep this as factual and objective as possible. Just to be clear Linden has not done any work to my van so this is more about our initial interaction and what I feel is very unprofessional behavior.
To start from the beginning, I have approaching 15 years diesel mechanic experience under my belt, mostly during my time in the US Army but also a few years of tech school and achieved multiple ASE certifications. I have built and repaired engines in the past and have a popular build thread over in the VW TDI world (
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=392822) Just trying to say that I am not just your everyday backyard DIYer. I live full time in my van and I try to do most repairs myself but I am getting to the point where it’s just not fun anymore and quite difficult to perform the more major jobs on the road.
Back in March I noticed a head gasket leak and broken exhaust stud on my van. My background leads me to being very diligent about any issues that need to be repaired. I decided that this was just not something I was willing to tackle on the road in someone’s driveway and would prefer to pay a Sprinter expert who has done the repair before to do it; that would be well worth the money to me. I spend most of the year in Golden, Colorado (home to Linden as well) but I just so happened just started my 2.5 month stay is Las Vegas. I was recommended through this board to go see Franks European service. I can’t speak highly enough of those guys. They are EXTREMELY professional, with a spotless, clean, organized shop. The service writer greets you and is super friendly and walks you through the whole process. They even take pictures of everything they are doing along the way and will even give you a loner car while your vehicle is being repaired. This was the kind of place where I thought I would be paying premium prices just because the service is so top notch. Anyway the quote I get from them is $2800 if everything goes according to plan but they added a $1000 buffer just in case they run into any issues. Ok I get that, totally understandable. I don’t really have $3800 to drop on my van right now for a slow head gasket leak but I have an idea of what I’m looking at.
Earlier in this thread you can see Linden replied to my question if $1500 is still an accurate quote as I have read in other threads him quote $1500 for the head gasket job. He said it is depending on “parts consumption.” Great! I’m thinking in my head what another $500-$1000 at most? Still way lower than Franks quote and closer to my budget. So I call Linden to set up an appointment. I ask the receptionist to verify that $1500 is an accurate quote for the job and she says yes the last one they just did a few months ago ran $1500. Awesome I’m in! I’ll limp the van for the next 2 months until I get back to Colorado.
Fast forward to yesterday: I arranged an Airbnb to stay at for a couple days as I have nowhere else to stay and luckily was able to borrow a car from a friend for the time. I drop my van off in the morning to get the job done. The receptionist says they will call in a few hours to let me know exactly what they are looking at and to confirm the repairs. 2 hours later I receive a call from either the mechanic or service writer letting me know that I am looking at a $4000 job if the head is good and $6500 if they need to replace the head….WTF!? I proceed to tell him that both Dennis and the receptionist quoted me $1500 so how does it jump to 4k? He said the labor alone was over $1500. To his benefit this guy was very professional in answering my questions. I asked to speak to Dennis. I asked Dennis the same thing and I was very unimpressed with his response to me. He proceeded to tell me that the when he said $1500 he meant just the labor. Since when does asking for a quote simply mean just the labor? When a customer asks for a quote that means what am I going to pay out the door. He proceeds to tell me “This isn’t Africa where you can pay a mechanic in beans; this is the United States. I wouldn’t make a living if I charged you $1500” I was appalled by that answer and decided right then and there that this guy is never getting a dime of my money or touching my van. Needless to say I promptly went to go pick up my van.
So now here I am wishing I would have just went ahead with the work with Frank which in hindsight would have been a much better value (Frank also offered a country wide 1 year - 25,000mile warranty on their work). I am pretty bitter about this experience and will not be recommending Linden to anyone. I now have to figure out if I am going to try this repair in someone’s driveway or just let it ride. Maybe I will wait until I am back in Las Vegas this fall and let a professional handle it.