Short version: the next time anything goes wrong with my car, this is the only place I will ever take it to be fixed. These gentlemen are not only personable, they are honest and know what the heck they're doing. Do yourself (and your vehicle) a favor by choosing Western Auto to get the job done.
Long version: Last summer my car started making a strange noise, a kind of deep scratchy hum. Took it to some shop on the east side recommended by a family member... only to get it back several days later with no noticeable difference. They said they couldn't hear anything, but of course were able to find a few hundred bucks worth of other things to fix. Drove around a few people in my car to see if they could hear the sound, but apparently my ears were broken because I'm the only one who noticed it. I accepted that I was just being paranoid, decided to ignore the sound, and continued on with my life.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago: a brand new troubling sound began to emit from somewhere beneath my car. After saving up some cash to get it looked at, I decided to give Western Auto Service a shot. Only had to wait a few minutes in the office before being greeted by a young mechanic named Eddie, who I then explained the new sound to. I asked to go with him on the test drive so I could point it out. He immediately detected the new sound and knew what was causing it. And then, as he's slowly coasting along with his ear to the open window - eyes slightly squinted, like we all do when trying to hear a quiet sound better - and he says, "Do you hear that? That other sound - a kind of low hum?" I'm pretty sure he explained to me what it was, but I was too busy thanking him for proving that I hadn't been having auditory hallucinations all this time.
We got back to the shop where Eddie put my car on the lift to continue his investigation, and the issues were exactly what he had suspected. He let me know that the part needed to fix the low hum would be harder to locate for my particular vehicle, but he could have the other issue causing the new sound fixed by later that evening. After I agreed to the price estimate for letting him proceed with the repair, he got right on the phone to hunt down the proper replacement parts and I was on my way.
I didn't hear back later that night, but I was hoping this meant there was a development in fixing the old sound. Got a call the following morning (today). Eddie said he fixed new sound and I could come pick up the car, but the replacement part needed to fix the old sound did arrive. He didn't want to begin that repair since it wasn't included in his initial estimate, as he wasn't sure when the part would come in. He explained that it wasn't pertinent to do the additional repair today, but it would need to be done eventually. "I've still got your car on the lift, so if you wanted me to take care of that today it would cost ($X). I can give you a break on the price since you've been so patient. But if you need to wait until you're able to save up some more money to get that fixed, it'll be okay to keep driving it for a little while longer." Fortunately I had saved up enough money to be able to afford getting that other part replaced as well.
Within a couple hours, I received a call from Eddie letting me know that both of those sounds coming were officially gone. He even offered to turn the engine on so the car would be warm by the time I arrived, which was extremely thoughtful - it's chilly out and I was going to be walking there. When I walked in, I was greeted by another gentleman who turned out to be Eddie's father - an equally pleasant human being to interact with. While paying for the services, Eddie showed me the mangled up parts he replaced that had been causing such a ruckus, and I am so glad I could let him do all the repairs in one shot. I am happy to announce that all the crunchy sounds are actually silent, and my car is driving so much smoother now! read more
