I have been a customer at this particular location for numerous years and only experienced minor problems (loose lug nuts, etc) in the past. I have several vehicles and they have all been there at one time or another; so, when I bought a used car (little Dodge Neon with 13" tires) for my 18 year old daughter... It was only natural for me to go there for tires, etc.
While looking for their website, current sales, etc... I came across this website and read the reports with interest. I am glad I did!
I found their ad in our paper, so I had an idea of what to expect upon taking the car in (approx $40 per tire, plus installation, etc) so I was expecting approx $200. The first qoute I got was "way too high" (almost $300)... We settled on 40,000 mile tires that came to $230 (roughly). They were to install the tires, balance, and check the alignment. I told Linda (very nice lady that's always at the desk when I go in, so she knows me!) that the brakes probably need work too, but don't do it because my husband already had them and would do the work himself. It was 10:00, and the car should be ready around 4pm.
I got a call from Virgil (the mechanic) around 3pm, telling me that the car definately needed front brake service (including turning one rotor), new wheel cylinders, C & A, and a brake flush... For another $340!! I told him "No, just put the tires on, I already have the brakes and we'll do that ourselves" You could hear the dissappointment / disgust in his voice when he told me the car would be ready in an hour.
When we picked up the car, we were shown a computer print-up of the alignment (which I already knew was bad) so I pre-paid for the alignment, as my daughter would have to bring the car back on the following Monday to do the work.
When my husband started to work on the brakes, we discovered that (1) she didn't even need to replace her pads! (this was even on the receipt that they gave me ie: front brakes 8/ rear brakes 7) (2) both of her rotors are in good shape (3) the wheel cylinders aren't leaking! Matter of fact, the rear brakes hadn't even been taken apart!
Needless to say, my husband continues to do the minor repairs that arise on any of our 5 vehicles, and the next time I need tires I will do more shopping around. My son-in-law (whom I referred there) has a business with a fleet of trucks, so you can bet that I will let him know what happened also!
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