It is with a heavy heart that I write such a review regarding Two Nuts and a Bolt. However, it is important that what needs to be expressed is done so.
I have a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. I just bought the vehicle in February 2017 from a dealer in Florida, and regrettably chose not to invest in an extended service warranty.
I found Dave after experiencing some issues with my Hybrid system and TN&AB was the only shop in Savannah who seemed confident to work on Hybrid vehicles. After an initial consultation about a hybrid issue, he was unable to diagnose anything wrong with the vehicle. $136.28 for a diagnostic fee, and I was no better off. In April of this year, I took it back. This time it was shooting off a code for Cylinder 8 misfire. I took it back to Dave, under the pretense that it was related to the hybrid system that was previously undiagnosed. I first took it to the Dealer who wanted me to buy a new engine. Another mechanic suggested replacing the engine. Dave said he could fix the issue. Turns out Cylinder 8 had a stuck lifter. He replaced the whole side of lifters and the head gasket. He charged $1600 and had the vehicle for a week. I was ecstatic that I saved almost $3000. For the next five months, I still had periodic hybrid issues. Had several people look at and eliminate the Hybrid Battery as being the problem, though even a Battery expert and a GM Dealership was unable to pinpoint the true cause. The Dealer was actually able to identify a loose battery terminal as an issue (last touched by Dave's team). It ran very smooth for nearly two weeks. Then on Labor Day, the car started acting like it was riding on rumble strips. This time it was Cylinder 6 (same side Dave worked on in April) and I had to have the car towed back to Dave's shop.
This experience was by far the worst I experienced. Dave had my car for SIX WEEKS and only once called me rather than me calling. He would ignore my calls, tell me different stories - from a bent rod, to unseated valves, to grime in the oil system clogging the ports, etc. This time he removed the whole cam shaft and replaced it. I saw where the lobes on Cylinders 6 & 8 were visibly worn. Another $1,600 down the tubes. In all honesty, this completely negated the work done in April. Had he replaced the cam shaft, cleaned the ports, replaced the lifters, replaced all the plugs and wires back in April, it would have been the same price and I would not have had to return.
Immediately after getting my car back the 2nd time, it was misfiring again. This time in Cylinder 7. I also had a broken engine mount that he never considered during the 6 weeks he had it. That led to a busted exhaust donut gasket. I took it back a third time. This time, it took a week to replace a spark plug, the engine mount and the gasket and he charged $800. Almost a fair price. I didn't argue because at this point, he had still saved me money.
But Cylinder 7 was STILL misfiring! No way I was going to take it back to someone now who doesn't talk straight with me, ignores my phone calls, tells me every week that they are putting it back together now. So I removed all the spark plugs on the odd side of the engine myself. What do you know? The spark plug in Cylinder 7 IS THE WRONG PLUG! It's an AC Delco 41-629 instead of a 41-926 or 41-110 or, what was in every other cylinder, a 41-985. I replaced all the odd plugs with my 41-110s and it NOW runs without misfire.
By now I've spent $4000, and had the car in the shop for TWO out of the 8 months I've owned the vehicle. Granted, a 20% discount over the next closest bid to do all that work in one shot but probably completed within a week or sooner.
Conclusion: Dave is either dishonest or incompetent. I don't think he's dishonest. I really feel like this vehicle challenged him. I greatly appreciate that he truly tried to save me money. I know he probably put more money into this car than I paid him (but by no fault of the job - rather a steep learning curve on the part of his crew). But I did get extremely frustrated by the lack of communication, the repeated returns to the shop, the indifference he had for having my vehicle for up to 6 weeks, and the way he talks about other customers behind his back, probably no different than what he says about me when I'm not in front of him. But I can say this for sure. I will never, ever, bother him with my vehicle again. It's not fair to him to present him with such a challenge. read more