If you are reading this review, chances are you are either new to the area and wanting to find a place for preventive maintenance, or (more likely) you're stressed out because your car is having problems and you need an honest repair shop that won't try to rob you blind. If you're a woman, you're probably also trying to find one that won't talk to you like you have a vacuum between your ears, with either the John Wayne "there, there, li'l lady" or the sleazy "don't you worry your pretty little head, I'll tell you what you need" attitude. So I'll give you my honest review, from the single female perspective.
When my car developed a leak in the cooling system, I cried. I don't have tons of money right now to spare, but I also can't afford a new car, and driving with a major coolant leak is a good way to need a new car. So I searched Yelp, and read the reviews here: mostly positive, with the few negative reviews sounding like there was perhaps something more to the story. So, I took a chance, and I am VERY GLAD I did.
I showed up first thing in the morning, and they took me as one of the first customers, since I had to go back to work. While waiting, I had a lovely chat with longtime customers, some of whom have been customers for more than 20 years. I watched the owner and his son as they dealt with customers, many on a first name basis. I watched as they expertly dealt with multiple issues, and worked quickly and efficiently. I never, not ONCE, during the time I was there heard them try to inflate prices, talk someone into something they didn't need, or try high pressure tactics. Instead, I watched them juggle in customers around the customers' schedules, give accurate quotes, and even watched them DOWNSALE a customer who had a less serious problem than originally thought. For a small shop, they did an amazing amount of business in a short time, with a smile and a kind word for everyone.
As for me, my problem was more serious than I thought (aren't they always?). I thought I had a cracked radiator hose. It turns out it was my water pump. As soon as I heard those words, I knew I was in for an incredibly expensive, time consuming fix. So I took a deep breath, and asked how much. He quoted me a price, which was about $300 lower than I was afraid it would be. He told me it would take a bit of time, so I immediately thought "Oh my God, I'm going to be here all day, I'm going to have to try to figure out how to get to work, maybe it can't even be done today" and started to hyperventilate (okay, yes, I am a bit of a drama queen). Then he said "It'll be about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, I'm sorry." I've waited for an oil change for more than 3 hours before ... I can't believe he was apologizing for a major repair taking 2 1/2 hours.
So I waited, and kept thinking, okay, when's the upsale going to happen? When is one of them going to pull me aside and "explain" that this, that or the other thing just HAS to be replaced or your car will explode and you'll die a horrible death in a twisted wreck (it's happened before)? When he came back in, I braced myself, but all he said was that I also needed a belt and would it be okay if they replaced that as well? I was dumbfounded, and said yes, of course. Then a short time later, his son came in and said my car was finished.
My total bill was about 30 dollars more than originally quoted, because of the belt, AND they were done in almost exactly 2 1/2 hours, during which time they examined my car, talked to me, and replaced the water pump and the serpentine belt. I'm not a car expert, but I'm pretty sure the serpentine belt is the one that goes everywhere and is a huge pain in the rear end to replace. The last time I got a quote on a serpentine belt (another car, another place, about ten years ago) it was over a thousand dollars, and I was told it would take about 6 to 8 hours.
There was no scare tactics, no condescending talk, no huge inflations on the bill, no long drawn out repairs. Just honest, hardworking pleasant people who treated everyone with courtesy. Oh, I forgot to mention, there's also a 12 month warranty on the work. Who does that anymore? Most places you're lucky if you're warrantied until you drive out of the parking lot. I can see why people have been coming here for years. I guarantee as long as I am in the area I certainly will be. I am grateful to the other Yelp reviewers who helped me find this place, and I hope this review may help you when choosing an auto repair shop. read more