I highly recommend the Speedy Auto Service on Herring Cove road! I had gotten a $1,012 estimate from the Halifax Toyota dealer for my 2007 Toyota. The list of repairs needed included replacing the right rear stabilizer link, replacing front brakes (at 7MM per quote), seized caliper sliders, shims digging into rotors (some missing), caliper boots are torn & pins seized, clips missing, etc. I was concerned about this high cost because the Toyota dealer in Green Bay, WI where I live, had just thoroughly checked over and repaired my vehicle before I travelled to Halifax.
Not knowing anyone locally to ask, I found Speedy Auto Service on the Internet. The owner answered and I was able to bring my car in that same day. After looking it over, they gave me an estimate of $153.94! The Speedy owner and mechanic showed me the brakes, said that a caliper bracket clip was missing but that the brakes were fine, the rear stabilizer link was good and the caliper boots were not torn, nor shims digging into rotors nor any caliper sliders seized.
Big difference of $154 from Speedy and $1,012 from Toyota! So I had the work done and thanked them.
As you might imagine, I went to the Toyota dealer after that and spoke with the assistant service manager. As a newcomer to Halifax, I felt they had tried to take advantage of me and of the trust that many Toyota owners have with Toyota service. The manager defended their quote saying that my brakes were after market & they couldn't guarantee them. He admitted that many people use after market brakes and had no response to why I should replace a solid stabilizer bar, caliper boots that weren't torn, etc. He was very skilled in deflecting my documented concerns and clearly had not a worry about their quote. Honestly, I will never try a Toyota dealer again if I can get a good local mechanic.
Long story but there's more. The next day, I brought my daughter's Honda CRV into Speedy for repairs. As before, the mechanics explained everything and I felt very sure they were competent, honest and fair. While waiting for that work to be completed, I mentioned to the owner that I had paid Toyota over $500 to replace a cracked mirror on my Toyota this month. It seemed like a bargain to me because the Green Bay Toyota dealer quoted over $750 USD! Both Toyota dealers said the cost was high because it was a heated mirror (it is not heated!) In fact, after I approved the mirror replacement, Toyota Halifax called & said there was an added charge of $125 because the mirror housing they ordered had to be painted! I said the mirror housing does not need to be replaced - it's not broken, just the glass. After questions back and forth, they agreed that the housing was not needed. So this is when it gets interesting... The Speedy repair owner said he would have referred me to a local glass company for a glass replacement costing just $25!! Too late to save money this time, but I and my daughter will definitely go to Speedy Auto Service on Herring Cove road from now on and encourage others to try them out too! Nice bunch of people too!! read more