I can't believe there aren't any reviews of this place yet. Everyone I have ever talked to has nothing but good things to say about this place, and now I'm here raving as well.
(My rating is actually a 4.8 or so, but of course we get whole number increments only.)
My car decided to start making some very random and very scary noises late on a Friday afternoon, out in BFE of course. Very long story short, I took it in to PepBoys on Vets (not-nice review in the cue for those guys) and came out Saturday with a verdict of over two grand needing to be spent. Parts weren't available and it was a LOT of money, so I took it to Today's the following Monday for a second opinion that was hopefully not as grim, because I would rather spend my money locally, and because PB really ticked me off. I am now so grateful I made that decision that I want to sing it from the rafters.
It was a quick drop-off that morning with a friendly staff. I waited on my ride for a few minutes in the waiting room - clean, colorful, and *gasp* comfortable seating. Like, a leather loveseat of all things. Definitely a far cry from the grease, sterile white walls, and metal mesh bench seats in PB. Coffee and water were there for the taking, there was a small TV, and a smattering of magazines and brand new books (from the local library's take-it-read-it-pass-it-along coffers) hanging out on the coffee table. If I had needed to wait there all day, I would have been comfortable and entertained even. Miraculous in itself.
I got a call later that afternoon from the service (manager maybe?) guy. He hd actually driven my car himself, which was a little shocking - most calls I've gotten from service writers elsewhere consist of them simply relaying what the tech scribbled illegibly on the work order and giving you the damage in dollars. Even more shocking was the fact that he was actually advising me NOT TO SPEND ANY MONEY right now. Seriously. He spent a good while explaining exactly what was going on, the purpose for the little parts that were an issue, why he thought we should take a wait-and-see attitude, what to keep an eye out for and what I needed to do maintenance-wise that would minimize further damage and possibly even reverse some of it, what the cost would be if I decided to take a couple of different repair routes, and answering additional questions I had about the inner workings of my vehicle. I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to "how stuff works" under the hood, and was very impressed that he didn't just blow me off and try to gloss over what was really going on. I can't tell you how often I get that, most likely because I'm a tiny girl-thing and these guys typically think our heads are full of fluff and nail polish. So to have him explaining to me what the boot on the steering rack was for, without me even asking... it was a breath of fresh air.
All told, I spent a little over fifty bucks for them to check out my car. It seemed a little steep compared to the twenty I spent at PB... but I would guarantee that my car never even came off the lift at PB, while the guys at Today's were out test driving it on bumps and stuff to check it out. And considering the fact that they saved me over two grand, I would have paid double that and still left a happy camper.
My only beef with this place, and the reason for the tiny ding on my rating, is that their hours really suck for someone who has a full-time job and an inflexible scheule. They're only open 7:30 - 5:00 Monday through Friday, closed on Saturday and Sunday. They have a drop box, but being out of a vehicle for three days just to get some info and an estimate was more than I could reasonably accept, knowing I had to work all day Saturday and Monday as well. Thankfully I ended up here anyway.
Knowing what I do now, I would probably suck it up and fork over the cash to rent a car for anything other than the most ridiculously minor issues that came up during their off time, just to have someone I trust take care of me and my vehicle. These guys are what small local businesses are all about, and hopefully I'll never find myself in a position where I feel forced to go elsewhere again. read more