This place did me wrong on both accounts for a vehicle repair, then rejected my request for a refund months later after I finally figured out how to fix one of the problems and what would likely be causing the other, then took the bother of requesting my $174 back. I took the trouble of asking because I could use the cash and because it just feels right. Add to that how I also had to pay a decent shop for the work that did get done properly. Therefore, I paid twice to an extent.
So when looking just now on Yelp (which is sort of new to me) and finding this many positive ratings (11 of 12 at 5-stars), it took me by surprise. Alas, after doing the numbers myself, turns out:
1. - 9 of the 12 are talking about a new car sale, which is completely unrelated to auto repair. 8 of those were impressed with nice salesmen. The other one, not so much. People are easily impressed in our world by a smile. That's how many corrupt politicians get elected and many uncaring service workers or salesmen keep their jobs.
2. - 1 of the 12 named the wrong business, not Oroville Ford. That leaves 2 for evaluating the repair shop.
3. - 1 of the 2 visiting the shop got fluid refilled and tires rotated. He was happy they got him in the same day. We are not talking any kind of skill level though. And the same-day availability might be viewed as a negative. It is common for good operations to be 3 weeks out. That said, tire rotation is a quick task.
4. - Number 2 of the 2 had an electric window repair taken care of. Electrical repairs are tricky. Corrosion can cause resistance leading to an issue that is rectified merely by unplugging the terminal and putting her back in. But your typical mechanic will simply buy a new part. And even he may never realize if it was needed. Just putting the part in solves the corrosion buildup. At any rate, the diagnosing is minimal.
So I am reading zero reviews about troubleshooting a malady that isn't already obvious.
Mine fell into such a category. The cruise control failed to engage on my then recently purchased Mercury Villager (Nissan Quest clone) minivan. Oroville Ford asked for another hour of labor after failing to diagnose during the first hour. I refused because he offered no clue and no details about why no clue had turned up yet, like narrowing down possibilities. After later taking classes and actually bothering to look on All-Data and Mitchell for possible causes, turns out the tech may not (I got few details) have even been looking in the right direction.
Problem two was no cold air from the AC. The service rep (Duane,I think) offered a repair of ripping out the existing R-12 system (pre-1994 or 1995) for around $1100. What the heck! We're talking compressor, hoses, evaporator and - if done right condenser too. Doing my own questioning of instructors at a nearby college auto department, one of them recommended a former student who opened his own shop. That guy got me going for $280, perfectly operational AC with all existing parts.
And it could have been cheaper still as it turned out. That guy didn't realize (or neglected to tell me) one could purchase old cans of surplus R-12 (new cars use R-134a) for around $30 each at the time. So he sold me cans from his dwindling supply at $80 each. Yeah, exorbitant. Yet compare $280 to $1100 for an inferior product.
Either way, I have cold R-12 AC (which is, I learned, superior to R-134a) for one-quarter the price Oroville Ford would have zinged me. The system was leak-checked and good to go. Without leaks, one should almost never need an extra can. That car was 20 years old, however. Instructors told me so much age could easily lead to dissipation of the refrigerant minus a leak. Upon learning of the eBay cans, I purchased extras, though have yet to need any. Consequently, I sold two back just this week for $32 each.
Anyway, with my trip back to speak with Duane and ultimately the manager brought out by Duane ,I was told they don't do R-12 refills. Okay, but how about telling me that SOMEBODY MIGHT? That in contrast to merely offering the $1100 repair.
The cruise control remains with an intermittent problem, the scourge of the auto tech world because they often are unable to duplicate the condition. Only in this case, the tech told me he could duplicate it. I have yet to fully repair. It works most of the time. All-Data offers about three different possibilities. I checked one with my instructor, another on my own. The third is more bother.
Bottom line, I still want a refund for crappy costly advice on one account (AC) and an incompetent failed diagnosis on the other. But they said not one dollar will be refunded. Shoot, if I owned a shop (and I have been thinking about opening one), no way would I let a person walk away so miffed after my mechanic and I failed him in every way. How could the money be worth burning a local or any at least half decent person at all? One star only because zero is not offered. read more