Tune Up and Lube Pays Fine in Consumer Fraud Cases

Tune Up and Lube Centers, which was discovered charging its customers for unnecessary repairs and returning cars in an unsafe condition, has paid $65,000 to help settle a lawsuit brought by the Orange County district attorney.

Based on consumer complaints, the state Bureau of Automotive Repair investigated Tune Up and Lube locations in Tustin, Cypress, Westminster and Anaheim. Undercover drivers were charged for repairs that were not done or were sold unneeded repairs, the bureau reported.

In one case, the undercover driver was sold new front brake pads, calipers and grease seals that the car did not need, the district attorney’s office said Tuesday. The car was then released in a dangerous condition, the office said, with an improperly installed master cylinder and with inoperable brake lights. Those items had been in working order when the car was brought in.

The company’s lawyer did not return a phone call on Tuesday afternoon.

The district attorney’s office said that David Kalb and Evan Bank, owners of Tune Up and Lube, did not admit wrongdoing, but agreed to pay an undisclosed fine and to pay the $65,000 cost of the investigation and adhere to terms of the settlement. The terms include on-site inspection, notice to employees of the settlement and regular reports to the Bureau of Automotive Repair.

Tune Up and Lube Centers, which is based in Laguna Hills, has six service and repair shops in Orange and Los Angeles counties.