This review gives me no pleasure to write given that in the past I have written an excellent one.
I have spent many thousands of dollars at Aaron's Autowerks repair shop over the years, and my last few visits were financially damaging. Things changed after Doah left the company as manager. He used to make sure that everything was completed well and properly as promised.
My Range Rover is hard to adjust. Some are. That is not my fault. I have repeatedly had to bring it back because of quirks not corrected or, more commonly, because certain final adjustments were forgotten by the mechanics time and time again (resetting things such as the idle speed). Usually they took care of such things immediately but I had to get rides for some things or take extra time to deliver the car and wait. That was frustrating. It happened repeatedly.
A year ago I spent great deal of money to fix a fair number of problems, most of which were handled well (faulty electric windows, etc). However, I had to bring my car in several times to fix a power assist vacuum brake problem that made the 3 ton SUV dangerous to drive. Multiple times I had to have Aaron's fix an air suspension valve problem ( see below), and, strangely an expensive Xenon headlight bulb that supposedly went out while in their care with the new one seemingly less bright than the old. Within a number of months it too went out. It is still out. Only rarely were there apologies, usually from the ex-manager or the mechanic both of whom are very nice. I was made to feel like a 'problem' customer at times despite always being polite correct in finding their errors. I did not appreciate that either.
Where the suspension issue was concerned, Aaron, the owner, knowing how much I had spent on other repairs kindly found me a used air suspension valve at the car facility next door, taken off an old Range Rover that had sat outside unused for years, and he put it in without asking me first or making clear to me any warrantee issues.
His motivation for that, however, was good: he was trying to save me $400. However, it immediately went wrong and after at least five failed electronic resettings and a refitting, he would not stand by the product or work and told me that a new one was the only way to fix it and that it would exceed $1,200 (installed) after I had already spent $800-$900! He then steadfastly refused to look up or find out from others if my car was still safe to drive given that I had a permanent dashboard computer warning regarding the suspension fault. It affects handling, gas mileage and towing. It has yet to be fixed.
Several attempts were also made to find a persistent drain on my battery. Eventually, a fuse was removed to a faulty headlight wiper motor. That did not fix the drain. So, between the multiple visits for failed brake assist vacuum line work, air suspension repair, and the battery drainage problem, not to mention the years-long lasting Xenon headlight bulb being replaced which subsequently went out again within a few months, I have been unable to drive my car at night, unable to tow my trailer, have had to drive slowly by day not knowing if my suspension is safe, and I was dismissed rudely from the store without any support at all for the clearly faulty air suspension valve that had been put in in good faith but without my prior permission and which had never worked!
I have been a customer of Aaron's Autowerks for years, spending thousands of dollars there. We had never before had a disagreement nor has there ever been a rude word spoken in either direction. I was and remain extremely disappointed in the way that I have been treated. And I have held off this review because I genuinely like them as people.
I have since been directed to other high end mechanics, although I have not yet been able to double pay on these still persistent malfunction issues that have already been paid for. Needless to say I am very disappointed in the quality of work and their attitude although I do like everyone who works there, including the owner.
Jeremy Goodwin, MS, MD read more
