I am not one to leave negative reviews lightly, but as this is my second time having a frustrating experience with this shop I feel like I need to say my piece.
In 2019 my dad and I took my Honda Accord to have some repair work done by this Qualtech. They replaced both the camshaft sprocket and solenoid valve, both parts relating to the timing system of the car. About 2 weeks later, my timing chain snapped leaving me stalled in the middle of 620 rush hour traffic. This is not a common issue on a generally reliable car like an Accord. My father went back and forth with the management, attempting to have them take responsibility for this happening. Eventually, after fighting tooth and nail for the better part of a week, Qualtech decided to fully replace the engine free of charge. They never outright took responsibility for the timing chain, but the fact that they decided to replace the engine for free, instead of going the legal route my dad threatened them with, speaks for itself.
Now 2022, wary of my first experience with this shop I take my 2001 Mustang to diagnose some issues, as this is the closest shop to my apartment. I was already aware of an oil leak issue, but also had my check engine light come on periodically and had rough idle, engine slipping and a clicking noise coming from the right side of the car. I primarily was speaking with Bill, who I presume is the GM. He told me I needed to have my oil pan replaced as well as another major repair to get my oil issues fixed, each running me $800. A lot more expensive than I was expecting to fix oil pressure/leak but fair enough...
He told me other than that the engine seemed to be running fine and that nothing was coming up on the OBD. I told Bill that, me being in my early 20's and still learning cars, had replaced the 5/6 spark plugs myself recently and that last one may be the cause of my issue. He agreed and offered to replace them for $160. He told me the clicking noise likely was my wheel bearings had gone bad, and this could have been initiated by a recent wheel swap I had done at the new Discount Tire on 620 (review on them coming soon...)
I payed the $150 diagnostic fee, but was surprised when the only paper I received when picking up my car was a receipt that said they looked at the car. No service punch list, nothing...
I changed all 6 spark plugs myself that night to see if that would solve the engine trouble, but later the next day (today) the same issues arose. I called Bill early this morning to see how much it'd be for them to swap out my front 2 bearings. He told me around $160 for labor and that he'd give me a call back about the parts. Total he told me $500 to for them to replace them. I decided to look into replacing the bearings myself and was surprised when Autozone only ran me $60 each for new hub assemblies. Did not seem to add up with QT pricing.
I cannot help but feel like I am being overcharged and taken advantage of by both QT and DT because I am young and have a cheap car. I paid $150 for a piece of paper telling me they looked at the car, got no real answers except for on an issue I was already aware of. The prices they offered over the phone do not seem to match up with the actual cost of the parts + labor. This, on top of my experience in 2019, lead me to question their many good reviews. Bill was very nice and courteous, which I appreciate. However, I will be limping my car to a different shop to get a 2nd opinion. read more