My break and check engine lights both needed to be diagnosed. I originally went to another…read morereputable auto repair shop, but the part i needed was on back order for over a year. So I was referred to Starkey's Auto Repair. Starkey's was able to find me a refurbished part and resolved my break light being on. It was an expensive repair ($4k), but the price was comparable to what I would've paid at the original shop.
Next issue was my check engine light. They diagnosed it as electrical and were able to fix it fairly quickly. It costed about 1k. But then a few days later, my check engine light turned on again. I took it back and was not charged a 2nd diagnostic fee, but unfortunately, it was unrelated to the electrical issue. This time, it was my catalytic converter x2 and O2 sensors ($3k estimate). Mind you, my car is old. And my only goal for the repairs was to prepare my car to be shipped, but the cost of my repairs had already surpassed the value of my vehicle. So I kindly declined any further repairs.
At this point, I already spent about $6k in repairs including diagnostic fees, but my check engine light was still not resolved. Then why am I giving a 4 star review?
1. Starkey's did fix whatever parts were quoted on my estimates. From what they told me, sometimes not every issue will show up at once when the diagnostic is completed. Sometimes after fixing one problem, it's possible another issue will surface right after. Which is what happened in my case.
2. Excellent customer service! From the beginning to the end, every person who I interacted with, Jayden, Sheree, Reese was kind, friendly, and professional. I appreciated the ease of communication via text/phone and the promptness of their responses.
3. I needed a rental car while my car was being repaired. They were able to provide me with a rental car from Hertz at a discounted rate. Hertz provided me transportation to and from Starkey's to the their location.
4. Their wait area is very inviting, open, clean, and spacious. There are snacks, drinks, and coffee available for the their customers. It's also nice to see there is a large screen TV with the full camera system that shows the vehicles that are being worked on.
5. They provide a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty that covers parts and labor for all repairs they provide.
So why the minus 1 star? I had originally asked if it was possible to diagnosis my car before my breaks were being worked on. Knowing it was already going to cost me $4k for my break repair, I wanted to make sure the total cost of repairs wouldn't exceed my budget I was willing to put into an old car. But I was told my break repairs would be completed 1st before the check engine light would be addressed. In hindsight, if I had known it would cost $9k, and had known it wouldn't resolve the issue of my engine light being on even after spending $6k, I wouldn't have committed to these repairs. Although I know Starkey's is not at fault for my engine light issue not being resolved since the new issue was not part of the original diagnostic test, this experience left me very disheartened. I am grateful for all the services they provided, and i know it was my decision to approve the repairs, but I wish they would've advised me instead to sell/trade/donate my car since the repairs I had to do were already more than double the cost of the value of my car.
So would I recommend this business to anyone? Yes, I still would! They provided excellent customer service, very professional, friendly, with fantastic communication. They guarantee their parts, labor, and repairs. Plus, it was so convenient to have Hertz provide me with transportation from Starkey's to their location and offer a discounted rental rate for Starkey's customers.
My only strong caveat is if you have an older car like I do. Think twice or thrice if the repairs cost more than the value of your car, especially if it's a check engine light. You might end up going down a rabbit hole of repairs like I did since engine issues do not always show within the 1st diagnostic test until the immediate issue is resolved.
