I've had been having trouble finding a reliable mechanic for over 8 months, knowing that I had at…read moreleast one engine oil leak, how bad I had no clue, but then I started to lose a quart of oil every week, so I knew something was wrong. I knew there was quite a bit wrong with my high mileage 2001 Pontiac Grand Am, but one step at a time with priorities. I love my car and have had it for 15 years now and don't plan for it to slow down any time soon.
I came across their name under Overall Services Inc. in the North Valley of Albuquerque. One of the mechanics thought I was looking for a different shop down the road when I mentioned their name, because apparently, he only knew it as Wayne's Automotive Inc.
I somehow came across their page with their number, probably using google, they had good ratings, gave them a call. Lisa answered the phone and she was delightful to talk to. She actually listened to what you were concerned about instead of the million other things she could have done, but she didn't.
We talked, set up an appt. for Friday at 8:30 in the morning. When I met Lisa, the first thing I thought from not listening to her, but watching her actions. You could tell she was a busy person. Still, she treated me with the upmost respect and courtesy AND she actually listened to everything I had to say. I gave her a sheet of paper listing all the concerns that I had with my car and the parts that I had bought prior to showing up to their shop. She made copies of the sheet right away and gave it to the mechanics. The mechanics looked it over.
They started to work on my car on Monday morning. It took them one day to make an estimate and I brought it back the next day, Tuesday. The car ended up having 3 oil leaks and not only did they install my oil pan gasket that I brought, they did a complete oil change with the oil filter, oil drain plug, and 5 quarts of high mile oil that I had bought. They added the Prolong engine treatment into my engine like I asked. They installed a new thermostat that I had. Put back on a plastic "Engine under cover" shield with two bolts. Figured the manufacturer put it there for a reason. They flushed my radiator with Dex coolant that I provided. With all that said, they did not charge me a Single PENNY for any of the parts that I brought and listened to my concerns and did exactly as I asked. Which should always be the case, but unfortunately these days it's hard to find.
The only unexpected charges were the timing cover gasket set and extra labor hours for the oil leaks. But you want quality repair, right? Well you got to pay for that specialty.
Not only did they do everything I asked, they went above and beyond. Let me explain why. For 1., I had an air filter in the trunk of my car, I was going to replace it sooner than later. Only takes 4 minutes. But they put it in for me with no charge. Not only did they replace my air filter. The day before I had to bring the car back to the shop, I accidently broke my driver's side mirror, which was actually just replaced like 2-3 months ago because my sister smashed my original one with a truck door. I had no expectations of them fixing it. I figured me and my dad could smash it out with a drill and a few bolts and nuts. Nope not needed. It was done, again, with no charge. My mirror was fixed!
Expect some time for your vehicle to get settled into the shop and diagnosed or looked at and then for them to finally start working on your car. My intuition tells me that they are not trying to blow anyone off, if they ever give off that vibe, they are FOR 1. A very Busy Shop and it does take some time for them to figure out what's going on exactly. They don't want to give you bad information, so you have to wait longer. Lisa also goes out of her way to call multiple places trying to find the lowest price on parts you don't provide yourself. For instance, an issue that you weren't aware of and needs to be addressed. AND 2. Since they are a very busy shop, that most likely means they are good at what they do and get a lot of business, so if you want that same treatment, you have to wait in line, and Pay Mechanics for their specialty.
Building a relationship with your car is important, you know what has and has not been done with it. I will be going to them for jobs that you have to have a mechanic to take care of from now on. Again, Highly Recommended. Yay! My engine got some loving, tender care and no more leaks! Hopefully, I prevented bigger expenses and extended the life of my engine! I think I'm only going to start using synthetic engine oil from now on and eventually pay for higher quality gas after a fuel system cleaning because it's an older car.
Thank you, Wayne's Automotive Inc.!
