I took my Ford F350 diesel to Schmidt's for a new engine and transmission, $14000 worth of work. I specifically instructed them to repair or replace ANYTHING ELSE they found that was old, worn, or broken, as I did not want to have trouble later. They told me it would take 2 weeks after the parts were received. 7 weeks later, we picked up the truck, and immediately had trouble starting it, and had a hot engine light even though the engine was cold. We also had a vacumn hose that was cut too long and had rubbed against the serpentine belt, rubbing a hole in it. They cut the hose to the proper length, but could find no cause for the engine light or starting problem. We left to go to Florida for the winter. We soon noticed that neither the cruse control nor the transmission temperature gauge were working, apparently not hooked up at all. Then we discovered what was causing the hot engine light. Turns out that the new wiring harness had a new type of connector to the coolant temp sensor, so they had just crammed it on, instead of replacing the old sensor so it would fit. Not getting a signal from the sensor, the truck properly turned on the hot light. The sensor then shorted out just north of Elizabethtown KY, blowing the fuse that pumps the diesel, and we were stranded. After getting the fuse replaced and disconnecting the sensor, we continued on, only to be stranded the next morning when the truck would not start at all. Turns out the neutral switch had been damaged or knocked out of adjustment during the repair. We found out how to bypass it and made it to Florida, where we had the neutral switch adjusted twice, with some improvement in starting. We also replaced the wiper motor--the burned out motor had not been detected during the repair Later, we noticed the front brakes suddenly started making a loud grinding noise and discovered that Schmidt's had not even bothered to take a wheel off and even glance at the brakes--the calipers were so old and rusty that both front ones seized up and broke the rotors. We wound up getting an entire new brake system from the master cylinder on down, except for one hose. Later, while in the boonies outside a very small town, the serpentine belt came off. The truck was towed to the only repair shop in town--it seems that the AC pump assembly had been put on with 2 of the required 3 bolts, causing the 2 to break, loosening the AC pump and causing the belt to come off. I have pictures of the paint on the new engine INSIDE the threads of the hole for the 3d bolt, which means it was never put in. Further down the road, we were back in a brake shop when the seals on the rear brakes leaked all over the brand new brake pads--again, Schmidt's had never even bothered to check them. So we had that fixed. We spent $3000 just to repair the truck well enough to get home, then took it back to Schmidt's, where they supposedly have fixed the remaining issues. They did not charge for this work, they said, because they value me as a customer. I pointed out that they wouldn't have had to do it at all if it had been done properly in the first place. They refused to refund the $3000. It may yet wind up in court. I have had a great many car repairs done in my day, including rebuilding other vehicles in the same manner as this truck. While some of those repairs have been less than stellar, NONE have been as completely incompetent, bungling, incomplete, and totally shoddy. I have since talked to dozens of people about this situation, and ALL who have had experience with Schmidt's have found them to be as unsatisfactory as I did. Avoid Schmidt's at all costs.
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