Helen and Mike, the owners of The Car Spa, are as nice as could be. They take a personal interest in their customers.
They themselves drive Japaneese manufactured automobiles, so owners of Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, etc. should feel comfortable with the level of expertise provided by their mechanics.
My repair included a part billed to me at reasonable purchase cost instead of the much higher retail cost.
The labor was reasonable and adjusted down from "book" because I had already removed the old part.
There was only one problem preventing me from giving this business 5 stars - included in the repair cost was a "Service charge" of over $11. There is a large sign in the shop indicating that the service charge is for miscellaneous parts including nuts and bolts, grease, shop towels, etc. My repair required no miscellaneous bolts or other parts (everything was included in the part or re-used from the old part). There may have been a number of minor costs for shop towels, etc. I expected the service change for me to be $2-3 generously. Instead of denying the charge, I asked Helen how the charge was calculated. She feigned ignorance, said something vague about a percentage of the total cost, then promptly removed the charge without my requesting it to be removed. When asked if I felt better about the removed charge, I told her honestly, "No. I was asking for clarification, only." I suggested a $2-3 shop charge was appropriate. She refused to even consider it. This was awkward, to say the least. A 5% fee will never be fair, as some parts cost much but require little labor and vice versa. The service charge should be flat or calculated based on the amount of labor and it should reflect a reasonable estimation of the costs associated with the repair. To do otherwise is frankly dishonest. I feel certain that Helen and Mike are just trying to cover their costs as effectively as they can, and that this charge is not intended to gouge their customers. I will definitely patronize The Car Spa again soon, and hope to find the service charge calculated more appropriately. read more
