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| - Pretty typical big city auto shop experience. I was hoping for an outstanding experience based on the other reviews, but I have to say it wasn't a whole lot different than other big city repair places. Based on my experience there I would advise:
1. Call for a rough estimate, and make it clear that you haven't committed to any particular shop- my truck was immobile and I made the mistake of having it towed there first and then got the estimate once I was pretty well trapped. My repair ended up being 10% more expensive than the last identical repair I had gotten done at another shop, and about 30% more than my regular small town mechanic had quoted me.
2. Thoroughly review the estimate in person and make sure there won't be any unexpected add-ons before agreeing to the estimate- I agreed to the estimate only to get a call later saying that there would have to be an additional $150 repair made in order to do the alignment, which should have been quite obvious to them at the time of the initial inspection.
3. Ask lots of questions- after getting my estimate, I asked if the $50 estimate charge was included in the quote I had been given- he paused, backpedaled and said no, "well we haven't even figured out how we're going to get it into the shop and up on the lift to do the repairs yet, so it might be a little more." I'm sorry, but the $50 I agreed to was for the quote you just gave me, not for 'figuring out how to get it into the shop'.
So, when it was all said and done I had paid what I figure to be at least $150 an hour in labor, which seems to be on the higher end of what shops charge, so I wouldn't go here expecting a deal. Aside from the gentleman I had the quote snafu with, everyone else seemed professional, but I didn't have a particularly overwhelmingly great customer service experience. Based on the other reviews it sounds like they go out of their way to make women in particular feel comfortable there, so if you're willing to pay extra for that experience, and you're not a cheapskate guy driving a junky old truck this might be the shop for you. I personally am going to keep shopping around.
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