Cannot recommend you take ANY Vehicle to this shop.
This is not a consumer friendly shop; I have the sense that they won't hesitate to vary proper car repair guidelines a and hold your car ransom to line their pockets with your hard earned money; even getting physical with a customer. Ref. Police. Report #13-19498
In summary, a shop should listen to the customer and look at a car briefly to make an assessment and provide a proposal of work (describing the DIAGNOSIS and what is included, what is to be diagnosed, how much) & get your approval in the form of signature (you don't want to be charged for more diagnosis if proposal already covered/charged for this work). The diagnosis should determine the problem within context of your authorization. A valid diagnosis, should be paid if authorized, and should give reasonable cause for vehicles failure and form a basis for repair; none of the above was done, details follow:
I took my SUV into this shop and spoke with the service "technician." This shop had been positively recommended by another shop (s/h been my first clue, I think). A problem with the pass lock system, had been identified that the first shop couldn't fix (system that protects someone from unauthorized starting - stealing) and described to "technician" at Safety Center, Concord on Detroit. The owner, technician said confidently, he'd charge 1 hr for pass lock system problem described. As I was there, he started his mumbo jumbo about how these things can get ugly fast (suggesting more time - MORE MONEY before even attempting to try and start the SUV and experience the "Pass-Lock System" failure!). To safeguard against unnecessary diagnosis. I asked that he try starting the car to determine it is as I had already been told it was, a "pass-lock system" failure (it starts momentarily and stops repeatedly). The technician agreed that would indicate a "pass-lock system problem. I feel a proper diagnostic would include analysis of the steering column components to locate the failing component; not merely acknowledge the symptoms.
So, the "technician" calls and says, he needs two more hours to further analyze the problem to know what to fix. Bewildered, I asked, what he thought it was? He said, its the pass lock system and needed to dismantle the steering column to know what it is. So in spite of agreeing on what to fix and using $125/hr for diagnosis of steering column, he chose to, charge diagnostic for something we walked through the door telling him -"Pass lock system" problem . He responded, as a matter of fact, "You'll pay $125 or I will "Lien Sale" your car.
So you know, once he begins this process, you have to go to court to fight it and mean hile, the shop begins charging you for storage ($40/day?, $50/day?, whatever the going rate is). So, you'll most likely end up paying more in storage than in paying what in this case is considered, "highway robbery" - There is no argument about what needs fixing, we both agree it's the "Pass-Lock system" but his technique of telling one, he'll "look at it" and in turn tells you what you already know and wants to be paid for this, telling one that he had to diagnose the problem.
Challenging that he had completed a thorough analysis (worth being charged $125), I asked the owner (technician) if he was able to furnish the diagnosis findings in case I wanted to go ahead with the work later or elsewhere. He then said, that's why he needed a couple (2) hours more ($250) to determine what is wrong with the SUV. We both agreed that I don't want him, Concord Safety Center, to perform any more diagnosis or work.
I had tow truck arrive at his place. He turned the tow truck away telling him to leave his property (perhaps to do a diagnostic that had not been completed - to justify the charge - but we showed up before he could complete this step) We arrived and I went into the office where he, owner, wanted us to sign a work order providing permission and agreement for the charge of $125 diagnostic. We declined and he said he would not release the car unless we signed. Lacking this as documentation that we had agreed to the diagnostic charge in advance, he reentered the SUV to connect his computer scanner up to the vehicle. Clearly, he could not demonstrate that had done a proper diagnostic on the car and was determined to obtain some error codes to justify having charged for a diagnostic since we wouldn't sign the Work Order, Proposal he presented when we arrived to pick up the vehicle with a tow truck.
I approached the owner, "technician" who was in the car, and asked him to leave the car. He refused. He later admitted that he wouldn't leave the car because he was collecting the codes, as he is a nice guy, and wanted to be able to provide us with the information needed in the event we wanted to know what was wrong with the car and went elsewhere to fix it. I am certain that he simply was getting information to justify having claimed we owed him . read more
