ALPHA PLUS AUTOMOTIVE

On April 27, 2012, I had my ?98 Ford Contour towed to the Alpha Plus Automotive from Riata Ford.  The timing belt had broken and the deal wanted a large sum to repair it.  Robert Vicharelli, the owner/operator of Alpha Plus, agreed to for repair the timing belt and replace the water pump for $526.  After shopping around and I accepted the bid from Alpha Plus because his was price better and the fact that he had previously and satisfactorily worked on my vehicle.  I picked up the car on May 2 and paid  $526 (Mileage 198,799).
On the drive home, the engine light came on.  I called Mr. Vicharelli at Alpha and said to bring the car back in.  I drove the car back on 5/3/12 and car broke down on the way there.  It would not start and I had to tow it back into Alpha myself. 
On May 15, 2012 I picked up the car for the second time after nearly two weeks.  [Mr. Vicharelli had the car from 5/3 to 5/15. 
I live in Manor, which is about 15 miles from Austin; hence the round trip was 37 miles before the car broke down again (odometer reading 198,836).  Please see the work orders written up by Mr. Vicharelli for the odometer reading.]  It took Mr. Vicharelli two weeks to figure out what was wrong with the car and repair it again.   He informed me that the timing belt tensioner and timing belt idler needed to be replaced.  He refused to stand behind the initial repair.  I believe that these two issues should have been checked during the first repair and fixed.  Mr. Vicharelli insisted on charging and additional $90 for labor, plus another $180.78 for the cost for a new belt, the tensioner and the idler, for a grand total of $270.87.  He held the car hostage until I gave him the $270.87. 
When I picked up the car, I gave Mr. Vicharelli a piece of my mind.  I told him I believed that he had not performed the work properly and that he should have diagnosed the additional issues with the tensioner and the idler at the first repair. 
Before I left on 5/15, I popped the hood to check the repair.  I saw that there was a puddle under the car.  Mr. Vicharelli came
out and said it was the power steering pump.  He said he would fix it, so I left.  When I came back, he wanted more money before he would fix it.  I refused because it was not leaking when I brought it in.
On May 19, 2012, I took my car into Broken Down Automotive to have them fix the leaking power steering unit.  They could not find a leak.  It is very strange that there was a leak when Mr. Vicharelli looked at the car, but it was gone when Broken Down Automotive looked at it.  This repair cost a total of $20.
In the mean time the car began to not run properly and agrinding sound started coming from the side of the engine where the timing belt is located. 
On July 18, 2012 the car was running very rough and missing.  I took the car into Broken Down Automotive and they tracked down the issue to the fact that the battery cable was not re-tightened and the spark plugs had been re-gapped by Alpha Plus.  He corrected the issues.  He said the cost to diagnose the cause of the grinding sound from the engine would be very expensive, so I have not pursued it.  This repair cost $30.
On July 23, 2012, I took the car into Luu Auto Electric because the ?Check Engine Light? had lit up on 7/20.  Luu Auto Electric connected the car to the computer, which showed the issues as, ?P1381 Camshaft position timing over advanced B1.?  They indicated that there was a ?timing belt issue? and that the belt would need to be re-installed properly.  This repair cost $35. 
I contacted Mr. Vicharelli of Alpha Plus Automotive to inform him of the issues and to ask him to stand behind the repairs.  He has not returned my calls.
On July 25, 2012 I took the car into Broken Down Automotive and they re-installed the time belt correctly.  The cost was $185. 
I have contacted the Better Business Bureau about this issue.  They tried to resolve it with Mr. Vicharelli of Alpha Plus Automotive.  He has made statements that are not correct and are the opposite of what his work orders say.  The Better Business Bureau cannot pursue it further and the complaint is now considered closed and UNRESOLVED.
The vehicle has not run properly since Alpha Plus made the initial repair back in May 2012.  I am unemployed and cannot afford to spend any more money on the vehicle.