Last year, I dropped my aunt's car at Keith's garage, because the engine would spew white smoke on startup, and unexpectedly shutdown while driving, and the computer would give off a fuel pump error. Also the battery would quickly drain if I tried to restart the engine more than 5 times within 30 minutes of the shutdown. We also needed to have the valve cover gaskets replaced, and brought the kit along. I explained all these details to Keith. We were assured that the shop would diagnose the car and would be able to get the work started.
After weeks not hearing anything from the shop for a few weeks, we call to finally find out that the fuel pump needs to be replaced, and the gasket work was not done.
I bought a new fuel pump and sent it to the shop, but unfortunately it was the wrong one. It turns out the car year and model had two engine variations, and I bought the pump for the wrong type. We found out from the shop again weeks later, after calling them. My fault, but weary from the lack of responsiveness, we decided to cut our losses, pay for the gasket replacement work, and take the car to have it serviced elsewhere.
Upon arriving home, I popped the hood. The engine cover was missing a large chunk of the front part, and was fractured in multiple places. I opened the trunk and whoever worked in there left a mess, and never bothered putting the panels back on.
I immediately returned to the shop, showed the damaged cover to Keith, and asked him to have it replaced with an OEM part. I also showed him the state of the trunk in the back and remarked that the shop staff was unprofessional for returning the car in the state it was. I was upset, but was neither nasty, nor yelling. It was the only time besides this review that I expressed my frustration with the shop. Keith replied (emphasis on -lied) that he actually gave us a special discount for the gasket work performed over a couple of months, tried to gaslight by accusing us of delaying the repairs by bringing him the wrong pump, and that I had no business calling them unprofessional in spite of the obvious proof on display right before his eyes. All the possible "f**k you" excuses he could come up with. He added that there was no way he would replace the engine cover with a new one. I said I was fine with it, so long as it was OEM and in the same mint condition I brought it in. We agreed that I would call the next week on Wednesday, because he'd have to order the part. When I followed up that Wednesday, I got one of his workers on the phone. Keith would not talk to me. Instead I could hear him in the background telling his employee to relay that he did not have it and they would let me know when the part arrived. As I expected, that never happened. Keith's word is cheap. It's not a insult, but a conclusion backed his actions or lack thereof. I can afford the engine cover. It costs about $121 brand new. But can Keith really afford to lose customers by showing lack of principles? Time will tell I guess.
Meanwhile, I called the boys at M-Spec Performance in Middle Village. The day after I dropped the car there, Phil Manzo's tech sent me a detailed diagnostic report with pictures and detailed explanations of the issues found in the car. It turns out that the problem was a defective battery. It could not hold enough charge to keep the fuel pump working reliably. The difference in the level of service was like night and day. Now that's what you call professional and proactive. They definitely set a bar that Keith's shop is far from reaching anytime soon.
I don't like writing bad reviews, but at the same time I have to throw caution to the wind, so that other potential customers could avoid buying disappointment instead of service. Hopefully this review will compel Keith and his shop to reevaluate their standards and change for the better. read more