I've been to a lot of service centers over the years and I can spot a predator when I see one. I ended up here because I broke down on the road and couldn't be towed to my usual, trusted, service center because they had retired. The reason for the breakdown wasn't found at this time but was found later at s different garage but that didn't stop these predators from finding something that needed to be done. I ended up agreeing to having the breaks done, which I've had done numerous times before so I knew what it should cost. These predators charged me twice the going rate. Read other reviews before going here. read more

Liars crooks, don't trust the line of bullshit they feed you, worst experience ever. I brought my car there, they wanted to charge way more than the insurance allowed and wanted to charge me a ridiculous price . read more

Ok, I normally do not post things about my Good and Bad experiences, but this one is worth speaking about. I needed new rotors, and brakes. This place called Plaza Automotive in Wallingford was going to charge me $875.00 to do the job. I told them never mind., so I went down the street, and this place was going to charge me $600.00, which was better, but still wanted to shop around just a little bit more. I found this place called CT Discount Muffler & Brakes LLC in New Haven. They only charged me $380.00 for the complete job. I am so glad I found this place. Plaza Automotive in Wallingford is a rip off. read more

I had this facility perform a pre-purchase inspection on a truck I was looking to purchase. The shop took my reservation for Saturday and were almost ready for the truck when it arrived. Once they had the truck they performed a very thorough review of the vehicle. They found issues I missed and assisted me w/ negotiating a better price for the truck and knowing exactly what I might purchase. I really appreciated them walking me through what they found in-person w/ the truck and putting the truck on the lift to show me exactly what they observed. All in all a good inspection. It would have been very helpful if they could have provided an estimate to fix each of the items they found needing attention. read more

Plaza is my go-to for any of my automotive needs. I've even called them for recommendations on work they don't do, since I know I can trust their word. I know that they won't do work that isn't absolutely necessary and they won't jack up prices on things I can get down the street for less. They're honest and straightforward (telling me I'll need new brakes in 6 months or a year when another place told me I needed them that day). Many times they've even not charged me for little things, since they know I come back in for regular maintenance and big jobs. This past weekend they told me that my transmission fluid is leaking and that it's an expensive job. Without even giving me an idea of the cost, they told me this should be covered under my warranty and sent me to my dealership. This is the kind of trustworthy business that I'll stay loyal to. read more

I've been to Plaza twice, for an engine issue and then routine maintenance and both times got good service and at a better price than I usually get at the dealership. You're not left sitting there for hours. I'll keep going there for my service. read more

5 stars for honesty which is truly what I look for in an auto shop. I had an issue with my car (obviously) and decided to bring my car in the next day for a check up. I explained my situation and luckily, the employee said it was most likely a one time thing and he didn't want to waste my money on checking the problem. It has been months and so far so good! read more

I had an excellent experience with Plaza Service Center. My first auto accident, and they not only helped me navigate the complicated and frustrating experience of dealing with my insurer, but they were proactive and helped get an adjustor to come and get the process moving. And they did a great job with the repair, within the budget of the insurance company. Outstanding service and honesty from these folks. read more

This will be a long one but stick with me... My father was in an accident on Friday (not his fault) and was subsequently sent the the Emergency room for his injuries. Prior to leaving the scene and knowing the car had to be towed (basically totaled but still drivable) he told the officer he had AAA. The officer told him that is good and dispatched this hack job of a place that considers themselves "AAA" affiliates. (Even though when I called AAA they have no idea who this company even is) Anyways, they tow the car and after spending until 6am the next day in the ER, I called to request to pick up the car. The place was closed, but the guy who was on call named Mike said he would check and see if the supervisor would let him release the car, and he would. Now, on my end and through my MANY years of being a AAA member (my dad has been with them since 1992) and many many tows, I would have to pay for storage of the car (totally understandable). I ask for the total, thinking it would be near $50 or $75 bucks for the overnight, only to find they charged $366!!!!!!!!! I had to ask twice, because I was shocked. I told them we had AAA, and they stated "that should have been told to us at the scene". I contacted Wallingford PD and spoke to the officer on scene that night, and he said he specifically told tow truck driver MARIO that we had AAA. They argued with me and continued to state how "this needs to be known beforehand, and because the PD dispatched the call" they would not be able to (afterwards) apply the tow to AAA. I was applaud when they would NOT ACCEPT anything but CASH payments. Mike told me the only way I can recover my car is if i pay in CASH. I find this funny since they are trying to avoid the tax man (don't worry, I have already filed a report with the IRS to have this place looked into) and I HOPE the owner see's this. ************Updated Review: I spoke today to a guy named Nick and figured this diaster all out. First off, they can't process a AAA tow without the person present who has the AAA membership. I could have left the car there until Monday, and then they could have processed the claim at that point, however this was never told to me when I was there on Saturday to pick up the car. If i knew this, I would have left the car there! Nick contacted AAA and then I am going to get a check within the next few days for the tow. I am glad he saw my review and went out of his way to contact me. I upped them to 3 stars for their customer service after the fact. ******************** read more

I've taken my car to Plaza for as long as I've lived in Wallingford. They have always been great to work with. Anytime I've gone somewhere else to get a little cheaper service, I typically end up back at Plaza to actually get the service done right. They may be a little more expensive, but you know the work is done right, and the quality of the parts is great! They're also a good family run business. read more

A few months ago an employee at Plaza Service Center was trusted with road testing a Porsche for a customer. This employee CRASHED into me down the street from the garage (totaling my new vehicle.) Later that day I needed my car towed from a garage to my house, AAA sent a random towing company to tow my car, and unfortunately it was Plaza Service Center that was called. Even then the employee still did not apologize on his coworkers behalf. I asked if the employee who was speeding with and crashed the customers car was punished and the employee told me no. The kid (I say kid because he was about 18-20 years old) who totaled a customers vehicle as well as my own was not reprimanded in any way, and is still trusted to road test cars . Plaza Service Center offered nothing to me. I'm a 24 year old girl and this was my first car I saved up for, and unfortunately did not have collision coverage. My car was completely smashed as I was turning into the driveway of the special needs school I work at...by a kid having fun on a road test. Many of my coworkers saw this guy SPEEDING as he was passing a truck in a one lane road. The reason you can't see the driveway I was turning into in the photo below, is because his car PUSHED my car so that I skidded about 6 feet forward. As I said, nothing was offered to the person they crashed into and harmed- not even an apology- despite the fact that witnesses saw this employee speeding in a customers car. Unfortunately the cop didn't give him a ticket due to lack of proof of fault. Even though the witnesses were not friends of mine at all, Plaza Service's insurance offered nothing "because my witnesses were coworkers." I would have been happy with next to nothing but the fact that I got nothing AND no apology is disgusting to me. I was devastated by this entire situation. Sorry to have to say this but I would never bring my service there as they do not seem responsible or trustworthy at all. I don't know if Plaza Service is good at what they do in any other sense. But I would not trust my vehicle in the hands of this company. If you're planning to go to this garage, you can expect their employees to go on a joy ride with your vehicle and put YOUR car and other peoples lives at risk. read more

Plaza Service Center - Left: customer's car Right: my car - Body Shops Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

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***Update Because with auto shops ive learned not are all created equally. Since the first visit, Ive had to take my car - Dodge magnum in because i ran over a curb and pulled down the side rails (yeah i know.... silly female driver! --- NOT i backed up to avoid an accident and ended up running over a curb) but i did some damage to the car and couldn't fix it myself due to all of the clips being broken on the pieces that were pulled off. So I take it in and said, this is what happened, what can i do to fix this. They guys at the shop were able to bolt the sides pieces back to the car and it looks like nothing ever happened. So im still a happy camper. I only wished they worked on motorcycles !!! read more

I have to say that Mike was a lifesaver last night! After my insurance carrier had sent a provider who was unable to get my flat tire off of my car Mike was able to with a little bit of elbow grease fix the problem. I was then able to make it all the way home safe and sound. I appreciate his ability to work quickly and get the job done. The responsiveness of the company was amazing! I know if I'm ever stuck again in the area these guys would be the ones that I would call. read more

Broke down after business hours. Had to get a tow and a hotel room for the night. I called the business line after hours to leave a msg. To my surprise the owner answered and I explained my predicament. He promised he'd take a look at it first thing in the morning. Called first thing in the morning to find the car was already up on the lift and waiting for my go ahead for them to look into the problem. Rented a car from enterprise for 2 days since the noise sounded time consuming and expensive. Went down to the shop and signed off my authorization. An hour later the owner called with the diagnoses and parts availability. 2-3 hours I got the call...all done! I had zero expectation he would be able to get me back on the road that day since his shop looked very busy. Everyone in that shop exceeded my expectations and couldn't have been more cordial...in fact they simply had the look of "that's just what we do!" I'm originally from Wisconsin and am always grateful that the Midwest hospitality can be found in small businesses like this. In fact the whole town of Wallingford CT was a joy to be stranded in. Don't think twice about going hear. Walk in with the confidence this shop has got your back. JRB read more

I was misinformed by your tow truck driver, and he should have been up front with me when I said I might not get it repaired at your shop. You can stand behind your policy that I signed, but that in no way makes me a happy customer and in no way makes me want to recommend your shop to other customers or ever go back. I have a right to my own opinion, and a forum in which to express it to help your possible future customers from making my mistake. If you had chosen to give my husband the price that the tow truck driver told me I would be getting, then I would have been happy. But the $62 you decided to make extra from me must have been worth more than your concern about a customer's negative experience of your shop. With that said, I have learned from this mistake. I will no longer trust verbal agreements that I make with anyone. You have taught me to scrutinize and read all agreements. For that, thanks! read more

What an absolutely horrible experience with these people. I don't even want to give them one star but I can not rate without. So I was in a total loss car accident and the State called this company to tow my vehicle off the road. I was in complete shock from the accident and even more shocked to find out that I owed them over $400 for the tow and recovery plus $24 dollars a day for storage then another $50 if I wanted them to dispose of my vehicle. I called them several times and Veronica (lovely girl) end sarcasm fails to mention they only take cash. So I drive all the way from Wethersfield to gather the rest of my belongings and I'm told I owe $515, cash only. Now one would think after speaking to this gem of a customer service rep she would've informed me, over the phone, of their cash only policy. So now I have to drive all over an unfamiliar town to find my bank to withdrawal cash. So frustrating! Who carries over $500 dollars in cash? I will inform every person I speak to and will post on social media how simply horrible this organization is. FU Plaza Service Center. You suck! read more

Plaza Service Center - Body Shops Near Me - Wallingford, Connecticut

After a mistake at Town Fair Tire (in Waterbury), I needed to make an emergency appointment at Plaza to have repairs done so my car would be drive-able again. Plaza went above and beyond - they called Town Fair Tire on my behalf to iron out the invoicing details, and also arranged a rental car for me when it became clear the part they needed wouldn't arrive until the next day. They also discussed my brakes with me, but I never once felt pressured or up-sold. I did get my brakes done the same day, and have been completely pleased with all the work done. read more

Plaza is the only place I trust with my car. Their service costs ate very reasonable and they always do an excellent job. They are always willing to explain why certain repairs may be needed and make sure to ask my permission for doing work on the car rather than just handing me a bigger bill than I planned on. read more

When sears in Meriden decided to strip the lug nut on my jaguar, plaza was able to get it off without too much trouble and a relatively small bill. I'm sure the mechanic who got stuck with my stripped lug nut was swearing me up and down but hey, I deserved it for assuming sears could change a tire. I will use plaza for future non-dealership related issues. read more

I got into a fender bender that left my vehicle undrivable, and AAA recommended that I have by car brought to Plaza Service Center. Gary was very friendly, and above all HONEST with me by letting me know that due to their large backlog it would be at least three weeks before he could even look at my car. I live in Boston and ultimately opted to have my car moved to, and serviced at, a shop near me that could get to work much sooner, but the fact that Gary was willing to give me bad news that he knew may well cause him to lose business is worthy of note and I applaud Gary and Plaza for their forthrightness. read more

I've been going here for years. This is a family-run business that treats its customers like family. They welcome me by name when I walk in the door, unlike at some namebrand dealership or soulless chain store. And they routinely charge less than the quotes I get from other shops. Plaza Service Center is 100% trustworthy and reliable. This is where you want to bring your automobiles if you live anywhere near Wallingford. read more

Terrible, terrible customer service. There is a complete disregard for transparency; they literally lied to me, claiming to have called an employee to verify a promise to me when no call was made. How do you not honor what your employees offer to get the sale? They will assure you of one thing and then not budge later when you insist that they deliver, claiming that no assurances were ever made. Classic bait-and-switch. Look at the long list of poor reviews on google. Then, notice how defensive the owner is in each response. The immaturity and lack of professionalism is self-evident. Even the local BBB chapter gives them an F for a history of unresolved or unADDRESSED complaints. AAA is investigating them as I write this. Beware of any business that is not affiliated with its local BBB or Chamber of Commerce. Red flag! They'll run themselves into the ground with such disregard for customer feedback. Just give them time. read more

I used Plaza Service Center when my car decided to quit on me while I was out shopping one evening. Plaza was the tow truck that AAA sent out, and while my car eventually started, it needed a new starter. The tow truck driver suggested I take it to Plaza rather than the dealer. I took a chance and dropped it off. Then I came home and read the reviews and BBB rating, which wasn't great, so I was a bit nervous. No worries; the repairs were fine, it was finished on time and they charged me exactly what I was quoted. They accepted my credit card without complaint. Yeah, it's a real "guy" shop and lacks the niceties and the man I talked to wasn't the most personable but that's not what I was there for. I asked him about the poor ratings and he sort of shrugged and said some customers won't be happy no matter what you do. No excuses, no b.s., just a "what are you gonna do" response. My feeling is if you are clear about what needs to be done, get a quote before you OK the work and don't jerk them around, they'll treat you fairly. read more

Great Shop - - I've been coming here for several years now with the different cars I have owned in that time. I have always been treated with respect and feel the work that Plaza does is top notch. I've had brakes replaced, radiators installed, cars towed, tuneups done, and countless, quick oil changes. Highly recommended. read more

After letting a cement stain from a parking garage sit on my car for several years, I finally took it to the dealership to ask how to get it off. They immediately referred me to the Plaza Service Center, and Gary was extremely honest and helpful. They fit me in right away, removed the stain in about an hour, and it came out flawlessly. read more

I loved taking my cars to plaza service they were always helpful got me in and out at a good price. They had to come tow cars on several occasions and I trusted their work, Iddon't let just anyone touch my cars. If I didn't just buy a brand new car with a full warranty I would be going there for all of my work still. But once that warranty is up I will be back to Plaza for all of my car needs. read more

Plaza sent out a tow truck in minutes when I called for an elderly veteran whose car had died in the middle of the road last week. It was 90 plus degrees and humid. The driver handled the elderly gentleman with dignity and respect and I was very impressed and grateful. read more

Plaza is the place to go for an accurate diagnosis and quality work. They have been keeping my nearly 20 year old truck safe and on the road for many years. We have been having all of our cars serviced at Plaza for many years and have full faith in their diagnosis and repairs. read more

We have been using Plaza Service for at least 10 years. Would not trust anyone else with our cars. They are not a "cut rate" repair place that does a slipshod repair on your vehicle. They do the job right, and they stand behind their work. We began using them for our cars when my car was involved in an accident and they came to tow . The driver of the tow truck mentioned that they did accident repair. Well, they repaired my Toyota Corolla as good as new , paint and all and even detailed the interior. The owners have been nothing but honest about what needs to be done. The staff is courteous and accomodating even though I have had to drop my car off with little or no notice at times. I have to scratch my head at some of the bad reviews on this site because that is not the way this repair facility operates. It has been in business for a long time here in town and hopefully will be around a long time so that my family and I can continue using them for our car repairs. read more

BEWARE - awful business! My car was towed to Plaza Service Cnt. after an accident. Plaza said they used a flat bed and special tools and charged me almost $500 - which needed to be paid in cash (to hide money for tax purposes?). First off, they did not use a flat bed to tow my car, they used a wrecker. They claimed the special tools were used to unlock my car and I am 100% positive that my car was NOT locked. We were treated awful, the owner literally yelled at us and did not try to resolve the situation. Also, they told me I needed to come down with the title of my car so that they could tow it to the junk yard. They were obviously going to pocket the money I would have been given by the junkyard - VERY SKETCHY! We decided to have my car towed to a different place and were told it would be there within the next thirty minuets. They came almost four hours later - out of spite. I do not recommend ever using them and I hope if you are in an accident and already have enough stresses that you do not have to deal with these jerks. I will be making the appropriate phone calls to ensure this does not happen to anyone else. I cannot believe this company is still in business and I hope that AAA does not use them anymore. I love AAA and never have anything bad to say about them, but Plaza Service Cnt. is certainly not up to the great customer service and standards that AAA has. ****Please note: it states on Yahoo! that they accept Check, Traveler's Check, American Express, Cash, Discover, MasterCard, Visa but they do not accept ANYTHING besides CASH!!**** read more

My daughter had to have her 2000 Sebring towed as it wouldn't start. She is a novice when it comes to automobiles so I tried to help her out from 200 miles away. I talked with the service manager George and gave him what I thought was a starting point for the problem. It did turn out to be the starter so I told him to replace it with a rebuilt starter. When he called me later in the day he informed me the bill was $547 dollars. When I asked for a breakdown of the charges, they had charged my daughter $246 for a rebuilt starter and $37.90 for some sort of supplies charge. The rest was for the diagnosis, labor and taxes which I had no problem with. When I called up to inquire about the outrageous price for the starter, George told me that it was hard to find a starter and that he had given me a discount on the one they installed. I pointed out to him that a rebuilt starter could be had for $120, full retail, from Autozone and was readily available. Rebuilt starters were also available from other parts distributors (NAPA and Advanced) at similar prices. In fact, NAPA whom they claim to represent has a brand new starter for $251. I asked George to take a look at the bill and see what he could do...they came all the way down to $491. At that point I told him to remove his rebuilt starter and I would pay for labor and the diagnosis and we would have the car towed somewhere else. Finally Plaza Service Center informed us we had to pay cash and that they would not accept my daughter's VISA card. Interesting when you see that they accept VISA. This is exactly the type of treatment I was trying to avoid for my daughter. I'm sure the feeling is "it's a girl" and "her father is 2 states away" let's get as much out of them as we can. On the other hand, if this is standard fare for you locals, then I really feel sorry for you. read more