Firstly, it's sort of funny that three auto centers take up this facility. One is for collision, the other is for auto and tires -- just like Minh's. This is a very busy place, so it is recommended to park outside on Valley Blvd, and talk to one of the mechanics before bringing your car in. My visit was for a simple oil change, but boy did I get so much more.
You know the mythical air conditioner element, fluid level toping, and other goodies you pay the extra $10 at other oil changing facilities you're supposed to get, but can never verify while they are doing it because you aren't allowed to enter the garage? Well, after checking it after I leave, I rarely ever get those extra goodies. However! At Minh's, they let you stand next to the mechanic as he does his thing. This is rare and VERY valuable as I will explain in a bit.
I didn't get minh, but I got someone else, they all looked friendly except my mechanic =\, however, he opened up after a little chit-chat. He's a bit scary, as he smokes while doing an oil change. He keeps it safe though :). Here's where the valuable part I was talking about. While the oil was changing, he pointed out that my brake tire pads needs changing in the front (verified last week when another mechanic took off the tires and looked at it). "Needs changing, but it can wait a few months, so save your money." I was awed by his honesty. If he was a cut-throat greedy mechanic, he would've lied and said "change asap." Another valuable aspect is he actually gave me a few tips while driving to make those pads last even longer!
Okay, oil done draining and filter's on. Time to add the oil and for me to go away right? Nope! The service continues! While the battery was added, I was confused when he actually opened the air conditioner element to check on it as I've never seen this done before. It didn't look that dirty, so no replacement was needed; BUT he went to the back, got condensed air and started cleaning it anyway! After that, he asked if I minded if he tested the battery. Why would I? After his diagnostics, he notified me that I was well below average (265 CCA vs. 460 for normal). I'll edit this post once I find out if this is false or not, but I am still awed he would go that far for me, even though this shop does not sell batteries and would not make any profit in running the diagnostics.
One final thing he asked before I left: "did you re-do the timing belts yet? I only ask because your car is above 135,000 miles now." Ah-Ha! So their trick was to make me feel friendly with them then try to make me get a repair much more expensive than previously mentioned? Turns out, I was wrong with this theory. He called over Minh to see if it has been done yet (I got this car from my brother, so I have no idea if he did it or not). He started feeling around and concluded "it is very LIKELY it was done. Go double check with your brother! You see, people who do timing belt work have to remove everything and usually they break a few things here and there. This car has this, that, and this screw broken." That guy is a god. He can diagnose just by looking and feeling around for 30 seconds, because I called up my brother and he got it right. It was done.
Their final diagnosis was "next time you get your oil checked, that might be when you need your brakes replaced. Get this done first. I know there's still a battery issue, but brakes are more important than batteries. Anybody can jump start you if you get stuck. I want you to be safe on that road out there!" That last sentence is what will make me come back to them forever instead of anywhere else.
So here's where I got worried. All this service had to be expensive right? Damn I love being wrong now. $18! That's $10 cheaper than most oil change companies will charge you who don't go through this extra 100 miles to keep you safe. Now I refuse to go anywhere else, because Minh and his crew kept in mind about my safety before my paycheck. read more
