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| - I wanted to like Doctor Auto, and I gave them many chances but I never felt they were doing the job right. Gut feelings should not be ignored. Everyone is nice and they go through the customer service motions, but repair after repair my truck still wasn't fixed.
Originally I complained of a whizzing/whining sound and a small coolant leak. I was told I needed a new water pump, and suggested I change the timing belt while they're in there as it would only be $45 for the part, I agreed. $728 total.
Truck still making same noise when my husband brought it back. I called, and a week later we dropped it off again. This time we were told it was the Harmonic Balance. I bitched about not fixing it the first time and they waved the labor costs for this repair. $276 total.
I was startled when I picked the truck up as the noise was much louder, I stood there wondering how I was going to handle this when a mechanic came over from the garage and asked if that noise was normal, I told him it wasn't and he brought it back into the garage. About 10 minutes later he brought it back and said it was all set. The noise returned on my drive home. I called when I got home and was told any noise I heard was the new timing belt and it would either go away or maybe we'd just have to live with it as it was an old truck and when you take them apart sometimes they don't go back together the same. Needless to say I was not happy with this answer but out of money and time I just tried to put it behind me.
Over the next 12 months that noise remained and as instructed, we've learned to live with it.
Finding oil on my garage floor I needed to have someone look at it. I went to another mechanic (look on yelp for the 5 star mechanic, he's the only one in town and deserves every star) and was told the leak was coming from under the timing cover which was severely bent and rubbing causing some further damage. While replacing the oil seals he confirmed my water pump looked new but when he removed the timing belt he found the belt riddled with cracks making him think it was either never replaced or replaced with one that had been very old. He also said the tensioner pulley was very damaged and old; old with no grease making it spin freely, and full of debris making a "whizzing" sound as it spun out of control - I did not complain about the noise to this mechanic and he used the exact word to describe the noise that has plagued me for a year! He replaced the timing belt and pulley and the noise is GONE!!! (I also have the pulley and can identify it is the exact noise we were hearing.)
I thought about bringing the pulley and belt into Doctor Auto to complain but I don't want to fight with anyone and I know there is no way to prove they did unnecessary work (other than common sense). I don't think they did this on purpose, I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the fact remains that my problem was misdiagnosed multiple times costing me A LOT of money. Not to mention the bent timing cover that caused more damage in the long run.
So, they are nice but I don't trust their diognostics.
Doing the job right only matters if you're doing the right job!
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