AutoSmith Services - Aitkin MN 56431

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Jamstrxc ᛃᚨᛗᛋᛏᚱᛪᚲ

⚠️ Technician Alert: Unjustified PCM Intrusion Heads up, vehicle owners This shop told us 1 or 3 months ago not sure exact date they don’t install PCMs and don’t work on computer systems. The visit started as a basic O2 sensor check. Later, we asked them to look into: - Cruise control failure (steering wheel buttons stopped working) - A speaker issue—both tied to prior dashboard work They were the last ones in the dash for the speaker. Cruise was working when we dropped it off. It wasn’t when we picked it up. We mentioned the cruise issue at drop-off—because the PCM install was still pending at another shop. That shop didn’t complete it, so I installed the PCM myself—clean, documented, and fully functional. No signal loss. No fault codes. No symptoms. Despite all that, this shop went into the PCM harness. Their excuse? > “We had to test if it wasn’t getting signal from the PCM.” --- ? Why That Excuse Doesn’t Hold If they truly suspected PCM signal loss: - They could’ve used a scan tool via OBD-II to check cruise switch inputs and PCM output logic - They could’ve verified subsystem health without touching the harness Instead, they: - Untaped a documented resistor spoof - Broke a functioning wire - Left physical damage behind - Handed over a $470+ bill, including a diagnostic fee, for an O2 sensor job—caused by their own off-scope intrusion We won’t be back. They charged us a fee but didn’t fix the wire they knocked loose. Shame. At least they did the O2 correctly. --- ? Trust Cuts Both Ways They didn’t trust my PCM install But I’m supposed to trust them? After a prior mechanic spliced 12.4V directly into the battery temp signal wire—burning it out and causing persistent faults—I stopped handing out blind trust. That’s why I started documenting everything, tagging wires, and validating every fix myself. This shop ignored all that. They went into a sealed subsystem, broke a working wire, and handed me a bill for their own intrusion. Trust isn’t automatic. It’s earned. And when mechanics treat your work like junk while leaving damage behind, you learn to stop giving them the benefit of the doubt. --- ? Visual Proof - Before: Clean install. Tagged spoof. No exposed wires. - After: Untaped harness. Frayed wire. Physical damage. The photos speak for themselves. This wasn’t “diagnosis”—it was tampering. --- ?️ Owner’s Reality Now I’m the one fixing everything—because the shops up here? Scammy. Sloppy. And allergic to accountability. If you’re dealing with the same, tag your wires, document everything, and don’t let them near sealed subsystems. Because once they guess, you pay.

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Jenny Schuett

Exceptionally helpful in getting my car in quickly & repairing the steady leak in my tire. They are ALWAYS kind & knowledgeable about what needs to be done.

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John Carlyle

Austin picked us up and towed is easily They fixed our Van the next day outstanding service from this company