I have to dock a star.
This place is so popular that going here can be hit or miss (it's sort of assumed that customers can go here at any time).
My wife was also lied to on 5/4.
My wife has a Honda CR-V.
For months, a buzzing noise could be heard on the right side (it was tricky to pinpoint because it was only heard at certain times when the car was going 35 mph or more).
We thought that a bad wheel bearing might be the cause (we also wondered if the noise had something to do with the dashboard).
Early on, we thought that some work done at America's Tire was behind the noise.
They did a tire adjustment for free when we went back to them, but the noise continued to be heard.
Going here about two months ago was a waste of time because it was raining.
The technician couldn't hear the noise when driving the car.
On 4/27, going here was a waste of time because the mechanics were all tied up.
The guy who talked to my wife really didn't care, and he just kept telling her to return here on a weekday first thing in the morning (appointments can be made, but not for everything).
5/4 (Saturday hours are 7:30 am-3:30 pm):
We arrived at around 7:15, but it was raining again (we groaned because we knew that we would probably have to make another trip here).
It didn't really cost us, but a young woman entered the office and was helped a few minutes before 7:30 (I glared at her a little, but I knew that we should have gone in before her when we had the chance).
The technician who helped my wife was friendly and thorough, but he lied (to be fair, part of what he said simply had to do with a wrong assumption).
We were here for over 70 minutes, and no work was done (this turned out to be a blessing).
My wife was given two estimates (the one for new rear brake pads was for over $600, and the one for a new wheel bearing was for over $700).
Labor: $225/hour.
This is largely why both estimates were high.
My wife was told that the rear brake pads were at 10%.
Nope.
They didn't need to be replaced at all.
A new wheel bearing wasn't needed either.
The technician wanted us to return here so that it could be determined if the left or right wheel bearing was the issue.
Sigh.
My wife called our mechanic (Mike).
She regretted not contacting him earlier.
On 5/20, the source of the noise was finally discovered (it had to do with the windshield molding).
My wife going to Quick Quack regularly probably played a role (car wash brushes can cause some damage).
Some other work was done too, but Mike only charged $590.95 (when he was testing the car, a tire got punctured by a small blade that was on the road, or the total would have been $491.13).
He charges $175/hour for labor.
In terms of Castro Valley Tire Pros, Jeff is very friendly, and customers easily open up to him (on 5/4, a few people basically told him where they live).
The atmosphere is casual, but that's kind of an issue (I mainly blame customers for this, but so much chatting goes on that it makes wait times a little longer).
I understand why there are a lot of loyal customers, but my wife will probably not go here again unless it's absolutely necessary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qqhc9Id-Os&ab read more