It is funny, but everyone has their own experiences of taking their auto's at this place for repair. I read that some like working with this business, taking their cars there and loving it. But, if you are like me, I had a bad experience and even though it happened at least 5 years ago, I never will forget it and I will not recommend this business.
I have a Ford Excursion with a diesel motor in it. I needed an injector replaced and I called Dave's friendly service and they said they could do the repair. I asked them for an estimate of repairs and they quoted me about $400 dollars. I went ahead with the repair and what was supposed to be a one day repair, in and out, took almost a week and it cost me $1,400 dollars! Each time I called them, they gave me a story about how this and that was wrong with my excursion and each time the price authorization they kept asking me to accept went up. At some point, you are screwed. You can't say, stop and just bill me for what you have done, because the work isn't finished and the auto is not fixed. So, you are at their mercy and you suck it up and deal with it. Since that time, I have had to replace other fuel injectors and I go to a shop that charges me a bit more per hour, but they do the same repair for about $500 dollars or less. When I complained to the front office guy who runs the books, schedules the service, etc., you could tell that this was their money making strategy. They low ball the repair estimate and then, bill you through the nose for items that now require additional attention. I asked them to replace the injector, but they noted and tried to get me to fix an oil leak, get new brakes, flush out my radiator, and the list went on and on. Please, don't nickel and dime me and look to upselling me on additional work. Watch out on this one!
I am a fan of taking your auto to STS tires in Phillipsburg. Danny is the manager and he's friendly to work with and they can do a lot of routine maintenance things, plus they have a good selection of tires. I have had them do a lot of repairs on my cars at STS and I have found them to always be fair, fast and "friendly."
Do not go to Dave's Friendly Auto. Be aware. Oh, and to the other reviewer that said they like the ability to log on and check the status of their car, let me ask you, "Who do you think is paying for that service? That's right, you and me. And, I personally don't want to log on and read the status of my auto repair. I have too many other things to do with my day than check up on my auto repair. I prefer to have them call me when it is ready and just have it fixed and be close to budget. Anything else is over kill and just the type of something that is not necessary! read more