I took my 1968 GMC 3/4 ton pickup here to have the transmission refreshed on October 2nd. I brought it here because a few coworkers said to go there. I spoke with the guy who handles our fleet services and he said not to go there because they're slow, but everyone else gave them great reviews, so I went here anyways.
I needed to have the transmission pulled, inspected, resealed, and reinstalled. Before I took it in, I removed the transmission hump, shift boot, clutch inspection cover, shifter, top cover, and I disconnected the drive shaft from the transmission. I gave them all of these parts and the associated hardware. I brought the truck in and asked to have everything reinstalled and to also have them locate a proper length speedometer cable and replace the reverse light connector, which had split because it's ancient. Adolf (the owner) told me that it would be about a week and a half to two weeks before they could get it done, which I said was fine. He also quoted me about $800, which I thought was high, but I needed the work done.
You have to stay on top of these guys. I called too many times for lots of They couldn't work on it until on October 28th I called and asked for an update. The response I got was that they haven't looked at it yet, but would have it done by the end of the week. I called back at the end of the week and they hadn't done it yet. Again, I was understanding because we lost power yet again this week. On Friday, November 1st I got a text from the shop that they haven't been able to locate a seal for the transmission. So wait a minute, they've had the truck for a month at this point and haven't even started looking for parts until today??? The text said that they'd have it done Monday.
I called on Monday around 3:00PM and was told that the seal didn't get delivered today, so it would be done tomorrow. I waited for a call on Tuesday and never got one. Wednesday I called at 2:30 and left a message (they never ever return calls here...) then called again at 3:30, 3:45, and 3:50 and I finally got someone to pick the phone up. They said that they would have it done tomorrow.
I called back at 12:10 on Thursday and the phone got picked up before going to voicemail (which is very rare here...) and spoke with the owner. He said that they had just gotten the transmission in, but hadn't looked at the speedometer cable or reverse light connector yet. He said they won't have it done today and I said just wait right there. I want to pick it up today, so put some transmission fluid in it and I'll pick it up this afternoon. He said they'd fill it up and get it buttoned up right away so it's all done when I get there in the afternoon to pick it up.
I got a ride to the shop and arrived around 4:00PM. I go in and discuss the work with the owner and tell him that I'm a little frustrated about how long it took. While we're talking, the receptionist takes a phone call and says they're not interested in advertising with a company and hangs up. Then the owner goes on a rant about how they already have too much work and he doesn't want to start turning even more people away. Then we get back on topic and the owner talks about how his employee got sick, his receptionist got sick, and he kept working while he was sick. I said that I was mostly frustrated because instead of being honest with me they weren't telling me when they would actually get it done. I asked if he can work with me on the price, WHICH CAME IN AT $970!!!! He gave me $50 off (5%) and walked out as soon as he offered that. Keep in mind this is almost $200 over the quote and that it didn't include the speedo cable or the reverse light connector.
So I paid the receptionist and went out to my truck. I get in and realize that they hadn't reinstalled the clutch inspection cover, transmission hump, or shift boot. So basically, I paid $200 over the quoted price for an incomplete job. I had to get the truck home, reinstall the other parts, still get a new speedo cable, and wire in a new reverse light connector. At least when I got in the truck they had warmed it up for me. That was definitely worth the extra $200...
I got home and reinstalled everything and noticed that they hadn't given me back the shift boot hardware. I called them and they had the hardware and put it somewhere for me to retrieve it after they closed.
TLDR: the owner feels like he doesn't need the business, acts like he doesn't care what people think, and can't get anything done on time. Go somewhere else if you want it done by a professional who takes pride in their work and will get it done within budget and provide a complete product at the end.
Edit: changed to one star because I found out they put my drive shaft on BACKWARDS when I took it to ADCO to get exhaust put on my truck. Had to put a new carrier bearing on it. My transmission began leaking today, two months after I picked it up. AVOID THIS SHOP. read more
