Short version: After going to them for approximately 2 years, they attempted to charge me ANOTHER $600 for a new radiator when I paid them $600 14 months prior for a brand new one. I denied to pay for ANOTHER new radiator because my family mechanic felt they were ripping me off. It has been ~7 months and over 3,000 miles since I denied to pay for a new part and there is NOT A SINGLE INDICATION (checked by numerous mechanics) my radiator needed to or needs to be replaced. Here is the long version of my story:
When I first came to Gainesville with my car Sophomore year of college (at UF), I absolutely loved Almond's Automotive. My first time using their services, I had my tires and oil changed. About a year later, while driving, I noticed that my engine's temperature gauge was at the highest temperature. When I took to them, they told me that I had a hole in my radiator and it would need to be entirely replaced for approximately $600. They stressed to me that this is a necessary repair and that I should not even drive my car off their property without fixing it. I was skeptical about how expensive the part and labor was so I contacted my family's mechanic and he said it was OVERPRICED but IF THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH, it's necessary. So I got it fixed.
About 14 months later (in June 2016), I brought my car back into them to check my AC unit because it was not working. They told me my refrigerant levels were low, which I figured, but ALSO (during an entire inspection of the car) that there was ANOTHER hole in my radiator and it was be around $600 AGAIN. I calmly alerted them to the fact that I JUST had a new one installed a year ago. The man found my information and told me that QUOTE "In that case, your radiator is definitely within its lifetime warranty because almost all of our radiators we get are If that is the case, you would only need to pay for labor. Let me verify this and call you back". I get a call approximately 10 minutes later with the same man telling me "I am very sorry to tell you this, but apparently the radiator we put into your car has only a 1 year warranty and it looks like you are 2 months out of that... So you would have to pay for a brand new one plus labor which would be approximately $600". Still calmly, I asked why the radiator I purchased 14 months prior was not a lifetime warranty like he led me to believe and he said "I honestly have no idea. It could be because we rushed the part for you". This annoyed me because at the time of the first repair, I never implied or said that this repair needed to be rushed. I began to explain to the guy that I am not willing to pay another $600 simply because they thought it was in MY best interest to rush the part when I could have waited however long. He proceeded to accept responsibility and offered to talk to his boss about lowering the price. After speaking to his boss, he told me that the lowest he could do was around $500. When I told him I am still not paying for that, he proceeded to give me a long speech about how this is a very serious issue and (AGAIN) he suggests I not even drive it an inch off their property without it being fixed. AGAIN, I called my family's mechanic and he told me that they were ripping me off and to not get it fixed this time around because they should HONOR their faulty work and services. My mechanic told me to check my coolant levels every day to see if it is leaking and if it is not, the next time I went home (to NJ) that he would repair it for half their price because he knew I was OVERCHARGED and UNDERVALUED as a customer.
Here is the best part... As of today (almost 7 months later), I have driven over 3,000 miles (including countless 300+ trips) and there has not been a single indication that my radiator has a hole in it. Still to this day, I check my coolant level before long trips and the levels have STILL NEVER dropped drastically indicating the radiator has a hole.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A STUDENT WHO DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT PART PRICING. THEY HAVE AND WILL TRY TO RIP YOU OFF. read more