Tri-City Auto Warning: Dishonest Service, Scammers, Voided Refund, and Vehicle Put at Risk" It's rare that I leave negative reviews, but my experience with Tri City Auto was a complete nightmare. They charged me $773 for faulty work based on a diagnostic they never properly performed. I was told my Q3 Audi needed a thermostat--only to later learn it didn't. The part was ordered incorrectly three times, delaying repairs. I was then told by Jennifer McCormick, I should be grateful she did not charge me for their mistake because it cost them money. My car was initially promised back the same day but wasn't returned for two days. The day after pickup, my car wouldn't start, I was able to get a battery jump, to make it to Jiffy Lube (less than 1 mile away) for a battery replacement. Within minutes the dashboard lights lit up, smoke billowed from under the hood and fluid poured from the bottom of the car. Jiffy Lube discovered the intake hose hadn't been properly reconnected--posing serious safety risks to me and others as I was about to travel out of town. Tri City agreed to tow the car back and offered a loaner, which was the only positive experience. They eventually admitted the thermostat wasn't ever needed and said they'd issue a refund. The owner can also express sometimes things just happen and things can go wrong. However, the refund receipt was vague, and when I asked for clarification, shop supervisor Jennifer McCormick responded unprofessionally--handwriting unclear notes on the receipt. I followed up via text, simply requesting confirmation of the refund details. Within minutes, Ken McCormick, the owner, called me with a hostile tone, stating, "I already told you what the refund was for." Despite having printed documentation and screenshots of the initial refund, Ken and the Tri-City team ultimately reversed and voided the promised refund transaction. I had to take my car to another repair shop, where the technicians expressed serious concerns about the work Tri-City performed. All dashboard lights are now on, and there appears to be additional electrical damage. I've already lost over a week of access in my car, now using LYFT and incurred more than $1k in additional repair costs--potentially even more. Tri City Auto is dishonest, unethical, and extends dangerous. I would never trust them with my vehicle again and strongly advise others to avoid this shop. what they are doing to people is so unfair and I would not wish this treatment on anyone. read more

Tri-City Auto Care - This documents the refund by owner Ken for negligent repairs, which was later voided. I never received the refund--a complete scam. - Auto Repair Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I had the feeling I had some flat tires because pressure wasn't working low and they helped me out by checking. Dash and friendly.

Brought my car in for an oil change and tire rotation..picked my car up with wires hanging and an error light message. These people should not be allowed to run a so called business doing things like this to people. No real accountability..and certainly did not apologize. I am going to try my best to reach the right person to disconnect them from the patronage of Duke!! They put me through alot of unnecessary wastef time and stress! read more

Tri-City Auto Care - Auto Repair Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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My car check engine light came on couple weeks back and my car kept making vibrating noises. Freaking out, I took it to the shop since I worked in Durham. They told me to go ahead and drop it off while taking the loaner car to work. The concept of a loaner car is a lifesaver if you only have 1 vehicle! They communicated with me regularly about any delays(they did lose power because of a storm) and what I needed done. The spark plug and coil had to be replaced and I was well on my way afterwards. Unfortunately I am from out of town but luckily heard about this place through colleagues who lived in town. read more

Scam Artists Took car in to get EGR valve looked at, it took them all days to run codes (not what I asked) and then charge me 150$ without ever doing what I requested. Ridiculous, dishonest, lazy, overpriced. Voiced frustration with manager directly who didn't even offer to perform original service I requested. read more

We're out of state seniors who brought our daughter care in last month for an oil change and "Peace of Mind" check up. They should change it to: "Peace our your pension checkup!" When I saw all the proposed repairs, I couldn't believe my ears. They insisted the car was unsafe to drive (see pic below) which it wasn't, need a brake job (which it just had) and needed belts and hoses galore. The cost was astronomical! Took it to another shop had the back tires replaced and it's just fine. Disgusting rip off behavior towards us. Stay away! read more

Tri-City Auto Care - note "Unsafe to drive" which they made me sign to retrieve my car! - Auto Repair Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Always friendly and helpful. Jennifer is really good about explaining things and options. Service has always been fast and reasonably priced. read more

ALERT: I posted this review on Google and it vanished. This business clearly goes above and beyond to remove negative reviews and to have people write fake generic positive reviews. BE WARNED. I also rarely write reviews, but I am compelled to warn others about the shortcomings of this place. I came to this shop a few times previously for a couple of fixes without any issues. But recently, there was an unfortunately messy situation that was horribly handled in so many ways, so I decided to never come back. I took my car in for a simple oil change and was told that my serpentine belt was cracked and needed to be fixed. They gave me a loaner vehicle in the meantime. When I returned to pick up my car, the engine light kept turning on. The manager went out to reset the engine light (instead of using the OBD sensor to determine what code was being generated by the Check Engine light). I was then "cleared" to use my car, but when I started the engine again, the light came back on. One of the mechanics came out and looked under the hood. When I asked what was wrong, he directly told me, "When they fixed your belt, and I don't know who did it, this sensor for your engine got damaged." Later on, they (the manager and owner) had the NERVE to tell me that the check engine light was on before their mechanic even started the job. Complete lies. I got a call a couple days later that there was going to be a delay with fixing the engine sensor. I requested that they reimburse me for the gas I had to purchase while driving the loaner vehicle, which was an additional expense I wouldn't have needed to worry about if they hadn't screwed up my car's engine sensor in the first place. I could've been driving my own car for the gas I had ALREADY paid for, and it's less expensive to fill up my own vehicle. This was not an unreasonable request. The manager tells me over the phone to bring in the receipts and that they would "take care of it." I remained calm, gracious, very patient with them the entire time, and did not cast blame, but they never once offered an apology for damaging the engine sensor or for the inconvenience of the delay. It's these small things that make a world of a difference in customer service. I returned to the shop when my car was finally ready and turned in my gas receipts. I wait for a few minutes at the front desk, then suddenly I'm abrasively approached by an older, short white man who doesn't introduce himself or even greet me, and just asks harshly, "Do you burn gas when you use your car?" I look around because I'm confused, wondering who in the world this man is and if this is a trick question. He goes on to explain why it's "ridiculous" to be reimbursing me for the gas, and does not hear the situation from my point of view. He was likely the owner, and had approached me with an extremely condescending attitude. Clearly, the manager told him about my request, and this was her way of "taking care of it". Is this seriously how you treat your customers? Where is the professionalism?! I was never once disrespectful nor did I make an unreasonable request, and this is how I was spoken to. I would have WAY more respect for this place if the manager and owner demonstrated an ounce of humility by taking responsibility for an OBVIOUS mistake on their part. I will never be returning to this place and I am discouraging everyone I know from coming here. read more

We used to love this place and trusted them completely. We had an issue with our Mazda and took it in to be repaired. The woman behind the desk suggested that I apply for a zero-interest credit card to handle the cost of the repair. I did that and she asked to see the receipt. She then charged me EXACTLY the limit that I had received on the credit card. The problem was not fixed, so we took it back in. They charged us $1200 again. $2400 in and the problem was still not fixed. Flash forward to going to another mechanic and we found DUCT TAPE on the bottom of our car. I would not trust this place for ANY reason. We now only go to the dealer and after too many lying mechanics, will never trust independent mechanics like this ever again. Avoid this place at ALL costs. read more

Took in for a routine oil change. Told me the last place had "stripped" the bolt for the oil pan and that it was leaking (which I hadn't noticed). Told me I needed a new bolt, they installed that but said it was still leaking a bit and to keep an eye on it and gave me a $700 quote for a new oil pan and labor. Got home and lost half my oil tank over one day and had to have the car towed to another place. Seems pretty fishy. Never again. read more

A belated but well-deserved 5-star review for Tri-City Auto Care. I couldn't have been happier with the service I received. I had driven from Pittsburgh to Durham for a job interview; on the day of my interview, something went terribly wrong with my car brakes, and while I managed to coast the car back from the interview to my motel, I knew I wouldn't be able to drive the 8+ hours back to Pittsburgh the next day. I found Tri-City on Yelp and sent them an email, but it was after 5:30p and I was worried I wouldn't get a response. Much to my (pleasant) surprise, Rhonda responded right away and said they would be happy to get me in to check out my car first thing the next morning. I brought my CR-V in first thing, and as promised, they immediately took my car back, gave it a thorough inspection, provided me with a (reasonable) quote for the work, and managed to get me back on the road by 10:45a. I've had other situations where my car has needed emergency repairs while I'm traveling, and have been completely taken advantage of (financially, with overpriced repairs, and mechanically, with "patch" jobs that didn't repair the problems). I had the complete opposite experience at Tri-City. Good work, friendly service, reasonable prices. Rhonda herself made a point of coming up to me in the waiting room to make sure everything was going well. She is a delightful woman, and it is clear that she and her husband take extreme (and well-deserved!) pride in their service. The waiting room couldn't have been more comfortable: comfy chairs, TV, bottled water, snacks, K-cup coffee, a clean restroom, even a place for kids to play -- everything one could want to make the painful process of car repairs (hey, let's be honest!) as pleasant as possible. read more

Overall excellent experience with Tri-City Auto Care. I liked being able to make a reservation online when I usually can't steal a break to call during the day. I received the email confirmation within a day. The front desk man (Ken) was very friendly. He carefully double checked with my requests at the time of check-in. Tony called me ~1.5 hours after dropping off my car to offer details of what they found and gave a quote for suggested work done. When I showed up to pay I was charged exactly as quoted. No pushy sales and no hidden charges. When I double checked their quote price online it was reasonable. As a young woman it is rare for me to not feel ripped off at a car place, but Tri-City was sincere and honest. I really appreciate the honesty and efficiency. Will definitely come back! PS I had them do NC inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. They also topped my fluids and checked engine and cabin filters. read more

I got my car serviced here and ever since then it hasn't been running right. I called and tried to take it back in to get it looked at again and see if they would stand on there 24,000 mile 24 month warranty they offer and they refused to look at it. Stating that their job was to only get it running not fully repair it. read more

I am a college student far from home. When I start hearing a funny sound from my car I immediately called my mom. I started calling shops and she was on the other line finding shops as well. Shops were telling me $400 for breaks and that was just for the front. My mom spoke with Ryan who told her for me to bring in my car and drop it off and he would let me get a loaner car while he found the problem. Ryan found the problem along with other things that I needed and my mom felt he was so genuine that she wanted me to let them do it all. I can say I have FINALLY found an auto shop in Durham that I trust. I have been places for oil changes, etc and always feel like I'm overcharged being a women but I know Ryan & Jennifer took great care of my car and even me. read more

They have always been very friendly. They treat me like I'm their only customer but I can see they have a ton of work going on. One time they gave me a complimentary ride home instead of making me wait. Prices have always been fair and I constantly learn new ways that they are offering customer service. Free WiFi, free snacks, kids play room, TV. read more

Tri-City Auto Care - This is my favorite part of their waiting area. Free nutrigrain bars, fruit snacks and water. - Auto Repair Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Great place to get work done. They go out of their way to help customers. Very helpful and trustworthy.

I brought my daughters car in to have boots replaced while I was visiting from California.This job is an everyday job for them, however the after market parts that were supposed to fit didn't! While it was frustrating for them to find the right parts to fit;they were so professional, and continued to offer solutions until the repair was completed. Sometimes repair shops get a bad rap, and maybe for good reason, but this shop is too-notch and run with 100% integrity. I wouldn't hesitate to bring any car here! Great people, good prices. read more

I brought by 2012 Acura MDX to Ken at Tri-City for a second opinion after my Acura dealer told me I needed to replace my Variable Stability Assist (VSA) Control unit at an estimated cost of $2,756 to resolve my poor breaking issue. The dealer had previously worked on it two months prior for the same issue and they had flushed the break fluid and it was better but deteriorated over the next month. Tri-city fixed the problem for $129 by power bleeding the breaks and even gave me a loaner for the few hours they had it. Ken told me that the old school technic of break bleeding is insufficient on these types of systems and that possible the dealer had not done this properly. I imagine that had the dealer replaced the VSA my problem would have been fixed I would never have realized how minor the problem really was. I had not done business with Tri-City previously but needless to say they will be doing all the work on my Acura from now on. read more

Great place, I bring my personal vehicles as well as my fleet of moving trucks. Ryan always has great customer service skills. And always provides us with need to know info. So I would recommend them for all your automotive needs. read more

So difficult to find a car place that works with your needs. Luckily for me, I stumbled across this one today on Google. I was in need of an alignment and each shop I took it to told me that they had a first come, first serve policy and it would be a stretch to get it done by the end of the day. Since I don't have any alternative form of transportation, that would mean either waiting at a service station for 4+ hours, or having to get there at the crack of dawn to be the first person there. Then I called Tri-City Auto and they were running a special, $69.95 for an alignment (the same "discount" price as all the others) and had room for me at 3:30 today. Yes people, they actually make appointments! So I was able to grab some lunch, pop over and be seen right away. Now, to be fair, I don't know anything about car repair and am only hoping that Imake it down the road before my car just falls apart on me, but so far-so good. I'm waiting in a nice and clean waiting room, using their free-wifi. Service seems important to them, and it makes a huge difference to me. read more

Excellent, fast and caring service. I am new in the area and will definitely be using this business again in the future!

These guys are the best! Staff is friendly and professional and customer service is over the top! I have 3 kids and they removed my tire and repaired a nail hole without making me get everyone out of the car! They were also very reasonably priced. Every time I've been here they go above and beyond! read more

The best of the best. If you want exceptional service, visit these guys. They really know what they're doing, are always professional (they kept their cool when I had a small panic attack at their shop once), and don't try to play you. read more

Paid Tri-City $853.48 to remove and replace Front wheel hubs on my 2003 Buick Rendezvous in June of 2011. ABS sensor continued to come on Tri City did nothing to remedy the problem. Ended up having to have the same work done again by a competent repair shop. STAY AWAY from these guys! read more