| rev:text
| - I chose this shop because of it's high reviews. They even have printed fliers on the walls about being highly rated on Yelp. So, I hope this makes a difference for anyone in my place.
On Saturday (3/10/18) I called this shop and told them my Prius for sure had exhaust damage and I don't know what else. I asked if they could handle stuff like that. They said yes. So, I had my car towed here and waited to hear back. Tuesday (3/13/18) I got a call. They said the catalytic converter was smashed and I was looking at about $4,600 for the job. The mechanic even confirmed this with me and to my disbelief he simply remarked, "Priuses are expensive, bud."
This didn't sound right so I looked it up. Besides the fact that google clocked in the typical replacement being between 1,300 and 1,900, I even called a dealership to ask how much it costs. They said the part was $1,700 and the total job would be about $2,200. So, I called Tony's back up and said, "A dealer will do it for around 2 grand, why is yours 4,600?!" Without hesitation he cut his estimate in half and said he might be able to do it for $2,300. ***This shows the first estimate was complete bullshit.*** So now I push him a little more, I asked him for an estimate on the part, he did not have one. He said, "We don't handle this kind of stuff." To which I reminded him that I called in advance and told them I had an exhaust issue! And he said 2,300 was the lowest they could go.
There was no way I was going to trust them to fix my car. So, I go to pick it up. When I get there, the mechanic cannot find the estimates he previously quoted me nor explain where he got any part estimates from. He asked where I was taking my car and I explained that at this point I would trust almost anywhere else because a dealership is cheaper. He then said, oh well we can probably do this for around 1700. So I reminded him that over the phone (and yes this is the same guy, Will) he said 2300 was the lowest he could go and 4600 was the initial estimate. He then exclaimed, "Oh I would never say something like that!" and went on to blame his secretary and explain they would have to outsource welding on my car.
Anyway, I had my car towed to a friends. We jack it up and look at it. We take some pictures and go to a dealership. Talking to their parts department we see the blueprint and look at the part. It does not look like welding is required. It looks like the only damage is to the part.
To end with some reasonable remarks:
1) They get 1 start for not being trust worthy. This is the number one quality people want in a mechanic. I had to tow to and from their shop because they couldn't be honest about their knowledge and capabilities in the beginning, and their price quotes seem to be based on nothing but what they think they can take me for.
2) It's understandable that Tony's auto wouldn't know the specs on a Prius exhaust and to them it would look like welding is required. That said, one call to the Toyota dealership would have cleared it all up. They have the vocabulary and knowledge to discuss parts over the phone. They had all of Saturday, Monday, and half Tuesday to diagnose the issue and get a quote. The fact that they didn't even call a dealer shows how little effort they put into my diagnostic.
3) By the time I was leaving, they seemed to be much more reasonable. They even offered to let me obtain the part and they would install it. But that's just it, their behavior and estimates are erratic. Why would I trust them at this point?
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