These guys are damned miracle workers. Period. You won't catch me going anywhere else.
As somebody who drives a 13-year-old, "nothing fancy, gets me from A to B" kind of car, I was DISGUSTED when I took it into Canadian Tire and was told that the strange sounds I was hearing were because my entire exhaust system had "dropped out" and that they wanted me to spend $1,300 to replace everything from the exhaust pipe and muffler to a couple other pieces I (as a non-car person) had never heard of. I even checked with Minute Muffler who wouldn't even give me a full estimate but said the muffler alone would cost me almost $900.
That's when I was given the number for Double J by a coworker and told to specially ask for Rod. I did so, and he quoted me right over the phone that he would expect they could do the same work for "just over half of that", assuming he had to replace everything (telling me he could easily put in a $100 muffler instead of the $4-500 one CT was trying to sell me or the $900 Minute Muffler mentioned). When I expressed concern over towing costs, he gave me the number of a local company he frequently works with and had the car towed over (for which they paid the upfront, so I could pay for everything at once later). Already, I was loving this guy. The friendliness, customer service and even the quoted prices told me I'd found a diamond in the rough... but things only got better.
Canadian Tire has estimated 2-3 days in the shop. Double J didn't get my car until after closing that day (a delay on the part of the towing company) and Rod called me back the next afternoon to tell me I could come pick it up... and what's better is he had managed to save my muffler (and the part I'd never heard of) and only needed to replace the pipe. Furthermore, he'd gotten the pipe for about half of what Canadian Tire was quoting it at. All in all, the tow cost me $90, and the total bill came to $380 (so $290 for a job originally quoted at $1,300).
My only complaints came when I went to pick up the vehicle. This place is NOT easy to find. Even with a GPS in hand I wound up twice as far as I needed to be down the wrong road... and even after calling them and getting directions, and letting them know I'd be there in a matter of about 30 seconds, I walked in the door and waited.... and waited... and waited. Nobody was at the desk. I waited for probably about 10 minutes, even opening the door a couple more times hoping the door chime would alert someone and send them out. Still nothing. It wasn't until I was about to walk out the door and into the service bay to ask if somebody could be called to help me that Rod himself came out of the back. (This was especially surprising as not only was my key - and those of all the OTHER cars they were working on in plain sight where they could easily be grabbed, but so was over $100 in cash, sitting on the desk. A less honest customer could have simply left with their vehicle and actually MADE money in the process).
Then again, when a guy does a job in 1/3 of the estimate time for 1/4 of the price, waiting 10 minutes is hardly a price to pay.
I can't recommend these guys enough. The service level, even despite the wait time in the office, was unlike anything I've ever experienced, and they saved me so much money I almost felt like I was ripping them off. I now feel like it's almost my DUTY to find them as much business as possible... so if you have any vehicle problems, I'd urge you to at least give Rod a call and see what he can do for you. You won't regret it. read more
