I want to be very honest about my experience with this shop, because it may help others…read more
This is a father and son shop. The father is a skilled mechanic and has done solid work for me in the past. The issue is with the son, who is not a mechanic but runs the front end of the business. Unfortunately, he has been dishonest with me multiple times.
On my BMW, I once asked them to replace the harmonic balancer. The car sat at the shop for several days and nothing was done. I had paid $300. While it was there, my door handle broke. His father eventually fixed it, but it was my first red flag.
Another time, they did an undercarriage repair. This was part of a repair for many things which amounted to around $3000 invested in the shop. Later, the undercarriage literally fell off on the freeway -- very dangerous in hindsight.
On an oil change, I specifically asked about the oil filter. The son told me it was already installed. When I checked at home, he had lied -- no new filter had been put in.
Most recently, I took my Suburban in for an exhaust manifold leak. The son told me it would be close to $1,000, which I said was too expensive. I asked for a better price, and he said he would do it for $500. I assumed that meant he would actually repair the manifolds. Instead, he held my car for almost two weeks, never returned calls, and when I finally got the vehicle back after calling everyday because he held the car for almost 2 weeks, he said he had installed a coolant level sensor and fixed the noise coming from the manifold -- adding for a total of $540.
When I later checked, there was no new coolant sensor. The manifold issue was never repaired. The truck still leaks fumes to this day. If I hadn't asked for the receipt, I wouldn't even know what he claimed to have done -- the receipt listed 2 manifold gaskets and 1 coolant sensor. That's when I knew he didn't install new manifolds but simply slapped on gaskets which I believe were never installed on the passenger side. He told me he gave me a "great deal," but that was a lie. I can still smell the fumes.
And the part that showed me the most disrespect: this shop sometimes gives rides to customers. Twice, the son picked me up in my own car -- the same vehicle that was supposed to be in the shop for repairs. That's not just unprofessional, it's dishonest and insulting.
The lesson I learned: maybe if you can afford to pay a lot more, they'll treat you better. But the attitude, the dishonesty, and the way this was handled leaves me with a bitter taste I won't forget.
In short:
The father is good at his craft.
The son is the problem -- dishonest, evasive, and takes advantage of customers.
Because of this, I will never bring my vehicles back here again. If you do choose this shop, make sure you are dealing directly with the father, not the son.
P.S. (Update):
After posting this review, the shop responded claiming that replacing the manifolds was never part of the agreement and that the work was only for gaskets. Let me be clear:
The conversation was never framed as "gaskets only." It was presented as fixing the exhaust leak problem for $500. If the scope was limited to gaskets and the leak would still remain, that should have been said upfront. It wasn't.
Their own invoice lists "2 exhaust manifold gaskets" and "1 coolant level sensor." Yet no coolant sensor was ever replaced, and they now deny that was even part of it.
They also claimed I still owe a balance. That's false -- I paid $540 in full at the time I picked up the truck.
I did my homework -- I have the invoice in hand that lists "2 exhaust manifold gaskets" and "1 coolant level sensor." The sensor was never replaced, and the fumes are still present. Claiming I owe a balance is also false, since I paid $540 in full at pickup.
Telling customers to "do their homework" doesn't excuse failing to disclose that the repair being offered (gaskets only) would not actually fix the exhaust leak. That omission is exactly why I left this review -- and inventing a false claim that I still owe money only adds to the dishonesty.
The bottom line: He originally said replacing the manifolds would be close to $1,000 (because that's what he charged a previous customer). I told him my budget was around $500, and he said "fine, I'll do it." At no point was it explained that this cheaper "fix" meant just replacing gaskets -- and honestly, I don't even believe he replaced them.
For the record: I paid $540 in full ($250 cash + rest on card). If there was truly a "balance," the vehicle would never have been released. That claim is false. My issue isn't the cost -- it's that the fumes remain, the sensor listed on the invoice was never replaced, and the story about what was done keeps changing. Readers can decide who's being honest.
