Meritage Auto Repair

unknown

The truck service was straightforward. Ray was very thorough and helpful. He was punctual and competitively priced.
My car is another story. It's a 2008 Honda Civic. It was making a weird fluttering noise, especially when I made long turns, such as on an exit ramp. One guy said I needed a new transmission; the transmission guy said I needed a new axle; the dealership concurred on the axle; Meritage couldn't make the noise happen but Hasti discussed the possibilities. Shortly after these consultations, my oil pressure indicator came on. I drove it the three miles to Meritage. I was down 4 quarts of oil! Turns out the fluttering was probably the pump trying to get oil. Keep in mind, I get regular oil changes at a local dealer. Hasti said she had a similar issue with another customer's Civic. Honda ended up replacing that engine due to her documentation. She looked up recalls and documented what happened. We are now monitoring my car. She even topped off my oil for no charge! They are very professional and never belittle the customers, even when we ask stupid questions. They always return calls if you leave a message. I definitely would recommend this shop to others, and I already have.

unknown

Meritage confirmed that the thermostat was stuck open, causing the car to run cold and lean. In addition, the aftermarket catalytic converter was not doing anything at all. I already knew that Acura no longer had any OEM cats for this model and that the aftermarket units were failing because they were much smaller than the original.
Meritage found an aftermarket cat that was the same size as the original Acura unit and should last much longer. After replacing the unit the car passed smog with flying colors. Then, when performing another test, it failed again. Meritage found an intermittant EGR unit. (You know how hard it is to find an INTERMITTANT problem, don't you!) This was late Friday and the shop was going to be closed for New years and not return to work until Wednesday.
Rather than have me wait another 5 days to get my car back, Meritage decided to work on Saturday when they are normally closed. The replaced the EGR unit, retested and certified my car and now everything is running great.
Thanks for a business that is willing to go out of their way and work over a holiday for the convienince of their customers!

Contrary to experiences with other auto repair shops in the past, I never got the idea that I am being taken advantage of the owner of this company. He never seems to suggest any work or services that are not really needed.

The work was done very well and reasonably priced compared to the other dealers.

Needed to get a smog check to renew my registration. They were friendly, competent and very busy. Ray said the timing on the car was set too high and offered to reset it if I was willing to wait (so I wouldn't have to make another appointment), which I did. My only reservation with them is that they seem to be quite a bit more expensive than the chain smog inspection stations.

Performed on time, communicated with me to ask several money-saving questions along the way. Cost was lower than quoted. I've used this mechanic for years. He answers questions by phone for my German and Japanese cars and has always been more direct, honest and economoical than anyone else I've used. Ray prepped my car before I set it to Florida (for a job relocation). While I was in Florida, I had numerous troubles with the used BMW 325i that I bought here... I had my doubts about the opinions and services offered by several Orlando-area mechanics. Ray's advice saved me over $1,000 total, on two occasions.