I decided to check it out this spot after my less-than-positive experience at Universal Automotive.
Now, I knew that the workers here spoke Cantonese because as soon as I pulled up, the two mechanics were speaking in hush tones trying to diagnose the issue with the truck's brake & suspension system. It was a Ford Explorer, I think. I didn't really pay too close of an attention to the words said but that was the gist of it.
So I pull up onto the driveway and asked one of them "Who do I talk to get car repair work done?" The darker Asian guy asked if I was looking for body work or mechanic work. I said the latter. He said "What issues are you having" I told him the issues and then he said that the owner is out of the shop for lunch and won't be back until later. Then he told me to pull my car further in so it doesn't block the driveway. I do that and then waited a good half an hour before the owner got back.
Once back, the darker Asian guy goes and talks to the younger-looking Asian guy with glasses and tells him the gist of the issues in Cantonese. I hear them talk in hush tones and then he comes over to me and asks what issues I am having with the car in English. I told him pretty much the same thing as I told the darker Asian guy earlier. Then he goes and talk to the darker Asian guy and says the transmission this and transmission that. It's an old car. *curse word* *curse word* What does he think that I can do with such an old car? More curse words follow. Meanwhile, I'm thinking in my head, "Man...don't go assuming that just because I can speak perfect English that I don't or can't understand Cantonese".
Some more time passes, at which point, that same darker Asian guy comes out and asks for my car keys, starts up my car, put a screwdriver down the shift lock hole to pull the gearshift out of park and proceeds to pull it through each of the gears, rev's the engine a few times by pressing on the gas pedal, then puts it back into park. Then he tries to take it out of park by pressing on the brake pedal but couldn't. Then he asks me to check if the brake lights are turning on as he pumps the brakes. I confirmed that the lights are coming on with each pump of the brakes. Then he puts the screwdriver back in the shift lock hole to pull the gear shift lever out of park, puts it into drive, and pulled up on the emergency brake so the car doesn't move. He pops the hood, checks the transmission fluid dip stick, checked the smell, and then proceeds to check the switches & electrical connections, the fuse box under the hood, revved the engine from the engine bay, and then checked the fuse box under the dashboard. Then he did something, maybe removed an electrical connector, maybe removed a fuse but when he tested the brake pedal and asked whether the brake lights were still coming on, I said no, not anymore. Then he goes into the office.
Now, the owner suddenly pops out of the office and sits in my car and pumps the brake pedals. He asked if the brake lights are coming on and I said it came on before the other guy started working on it but now it isn't. He leaves my car to go back into the office. Now, darker Asian guy comes back out of the office again and went under the dashboard with a paper clip bent into a U-shape and shoved it in somewhere. He was finagling with something (or maybe several things down there, under the dashboard) then suddenly, the brake pedal lights came back on again with each pump of the brake pedal. Darker Asian guy goes back in and talks to the owner in Cantonese about something in hush tones again. I couldn't quite make out what he was saying.
Then the owner pops out of the office again and told me, "Why don't you just use the gear shift lock hole to pull the gear shift lever out of park?" And I'm like, "because I'd rather have it fixed?" Then he acts like I'm bothering HIM on his valuable time as I asked him how much it would be to fix it. He kept dragging his feet saying it could be expensive. It's almost like he was trying to scare me off from doing any work on the car. Then he tells me he knows of a bypass that will let me take it out of park without pressing the brake pedal and I'm like "isn't that a safety issue? Like, couldn't my car be rolled away if you did the bypass?" And he's like "Well, do you want it fixed or not?" And I'm like "That's not a solution, bruh." Then he tells me "Look, I gave you a solution. Now, am I the one wasting your time here or are YOU wasting MY time here?" In Cantonese, this is the equivalent of 'go fuck yourself and stop bothering me".
Man, I just wanted to have my car fixed the right way, not some Mickey Mouse job. But oddly enough, the transmission issue that I was having earlier magically resolved itself after darker Asian guy did his thing under the dash. For that, this place gets 2-stars but honestly, I can't really recommend this place. I agree with the other Yelper, Nancy D, the owner is an ass. Straight up, so tread carefully here. read more
