Worked with Carlos to have a lift kit put on my brand new Ram 1500 Laramie. Price was reasonable so decided to go with them. Had appointment set for 8am but when i got there at that time Carlos told me he wouldn't be able to get to the car until after 10 so dropped the truck off at 10am. I never heard from anyone all day so called at about 4:42 PM and Carlos told the tech would need about another hour and they would call and let me know. I never heard from them so called again a little before 6PM and was told the truck was ready but there were two issues with the truck. Carlos stated the first issue is the front axle came out during the install but it would not impact the drivability of the car as long as it was on road but would create major problems if the car was used off road. Also, when the car is on a lift with the wheels hanging the axle would slip out. I explained to him that this does not sound correct and from the research I had done in preparation for the install found that no one who had installed a lift kit had these problems or would be limited to just on street driving. The reason lift kits are installed is to allow for off-roading. When I shared this with him his response was "those forum members install in their driveway with jack stands so they would not experience this but its normal". I told him that made no sense to be and I would need to see what he was talking about and scheduled to pick it up the next morning when he could put it on the lift to demonstrate what he was telling me. The next morning I arrived at the shop to discuss the issues and visually capture what he was talking about. He did not put the truck on the lift to show me the issue discussed and said the install was done correctly and not to worry about it. The other issue was he could not do the alignment since the truck was brand new. He agreed to subtract the cost of the alignment as I would have to take care of it on my own. I took the truck to a reputable repair shop who was able to do the alignment. While about to perform the the alignment the technician identified damage to the axle as there was tremendous amount of bearing grease that was pushed out of the axle boot. He, as an installer of lift kits, said this occurred due to the installation of kit being done incorrectly and explained that they didnt remove one part of the suspension correctly which caused the axle or axle boot to be damaged. There was grease on the entire lower axle and inside and outside the wheel. He wiped some of the grease from the area to inspect for damage to the boot, which he located. I called Carlos and let him know that the tech had seen the issue and told me the cause of the damage. Carlos told me he and I were not discussing the same issue and I told him I will be taking it to the dealership for them to assess the damage. I fully expect to be reimbursed for any damages once the dealership assesses the damage. I am very disappointed as the truck is a $66,000 dollar investment that I entrusted to Kelley's Performance & Kustoms since Carlos convinced me that he had the experience and would take care of the vehicle. I am nervous to hear the cost of the damage and knowing it will not be covered under warranty will be looking for the company to cover the cost of the damages plus any follow on work to get the vehicle back to new condition.
