Japanese Automotive Center Inc

unknown

Honestly, I've gone to Dan's shop since 1998 with 5 different cars and have always received excellent service, great prices, and since he's AAA certified, I automatically get a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty on his work.  I normally use him with cars out of warranty or for the xx,000 service because he has the manuals and does what the dealers do at less cost (but without a free car wash).  For brake jobs, he uses the thicker OEM brake pads and doesn't oversell - every time I go in, I have him look at my brake pads and I get a straight answer instead of a "well, it's probably time to change them".  The only knock I have is that he's not always open on Saturdays (I think he opens every other Saturday for half a day) but that's really about it.

So far, there's nothing I don't like. They've done exactly what they said, their work seemed high quality and very friendly. Like I said, I don't have any negative experience so far. I like that they have cheap price, quality of work, and very knowledgeable.

Very satisfied with the service. Had some questions and they were answered. Informed of what was found and gave me recommendations on what to fix now and what could wait.

They are very honest and do good work.

In the very beginning they mentioned they were doing an inspection to see if there was any additional work that needed to be done while the car was apart [This is why I found it incredulous that they missed two very important and obvious problems, which I will explain later.] . When the car was scheduled to be picked up they told me they noticed it STILL had a SMALL oil leak so they wanted to keep it an extra day. No problem. Then the owner asked to keep it an additional day in order to diagnose a "strange" noise it was making. No problem. I was just happy they were being so thorough and not making me bring it back several times. Since I was a first-time customer, I was so concerned about finding out whether they would accept my $1,400 credit card payment over the phone and leave my car parked on the street for me to pick up after hours that I forgot to inquire further about the "strange" noise. However, the moment I began to drive my car I heard a LOUD noise which sounded EXACTLY like brakes riding on the drum. It wasn't making ANY noises when I brought the car to their shop. In fact, I had taken my car to another mechanic a month or two earlier when I first began to hear a sound like brakes riding on the drum. He told me my brakes were making that noise because they were dusty. He blew out the dirt, and the noise stopped. He also told me what percentage of brakes I had left (more than half, I believe). I returned the car to Japanese Auto the next morning (which was a Saturday) and met someone unlocking the gate (who I believe turned out to be the owner). I described the problem as sounding EXACTLY like "brakes riding on the drum." I also explained a mechanic at a different shop had told me only a month or two ago that I had over 50% of my brakes left. Therefore, it couldn't be the brakes. I also said it hadn't been making any noise when I brought the car in, but the owner had asked to keep the car an extra day to diagnose some "strange" noise it was making. I told him the owner must not have gotten around to checking out the "strange" noise. He told me "the owner" [himself, apparently] did check it, and it wasn't making that noise when "the owner" checked it. He said either the noise I was hearing was "new" or "had come back. [Yeah, right. I know I am a woman, but do I really look that stupid? That doesn't even sound right.] When I picked up the car the next time, they said they hadn't found anything wrong, so I asked them to go on a test drive with me. The noise which I thought sounded like brakes riding on the drums was barely audible at that time, so I asked them what they had done to stop they noise. They said they had just "tightened some things." Okay, I decided maybe the slight noise which I could still hear was the noise new belts make, (but I was still worried about the noise which had sounded like brakes riding on the drum). [In hindsight, maybe they just sprayed a little oil on the wheel bearings to TEMPORARILY lessen the noise]. I held off making the report to Angie's List on my experience at Japanese Auto until I saw how things panned out. Okay, a few weeks later I began hearing a clicking noise once in a while when I would turn the steering wheel a few inches to one side. The Japanese Auto Supervisor told me the strut covers were cracked and it would cost $600 to replace them. Did they crack the strut covers when they replaced all the belts and seals under my hood? Did they perhaps over tighten the plastic strut covers? Why didn't they notice earlier that both strut covers were cracked? They originally had told me they were doing an inspection to see what all needed to be replaced as long as they were taking everything apart. Why did they miss the cracked strut covers (if they were already cracked before they began any work). The minute you open the hood even a novice like me can see the strut covers are cracked. I asked none of those questions, but decided this wouldn't be the place I would choose to have any further work done on my car. I had the strut covers replaced at another shop. Two other mechanics immediately advised the "other noise" I was hearing (that I had originally thought was brakes riding on the drum) was actually the wheel bearings which needed to be replaced. Apparently, brakes riding on the drum and worn out wheel bearings make the same noise; so, if my brakes were good, then two other mechanics IMMEDIATELY concluded the noise was coming from the wheel bearings which needed replacing. So why didn't the mechanics at Japanese Auto want to tell me the truth: that the noise which I heard which sounded brakes riding on the drum was actually a wheel bearing which needed replacing? Was it because to replace only one wheelbearing costs $350, and they were afraid this first-time customer might decide to abandon her 12-year-old car if they came in so much over the quoted price of $1,400? Also, why didn't they notice the $600 cracked strut covers? That is something that is so obvious--even to the lay person. They said they were doing an inspection to find what needed to be done while the car was apart, and they had my car over a week. [Could it be that they had to remove the struts to replace some of the belts, and they themselves cracked the strut covers by over tightening them? Maybe they just didn't want to do the right thing and repair them at no cost or a reduced cost if they had cracked them.] I believe that Japanese Auto's mechanics definitely have the expertise to diagnose the problems, and these noises were definitely easy for any mechanic to diagnose. I am extremely disappointed that their management/owner isn't forthcoming with their diagnoses. When I agree to spend $1,400 to fix my car, you bet I am going to be upset to find out $850 of additional problems mysteriously developed while they had the car and of which they were aware but refused to reveal.

They had requested a new power steering pump installed, but I didn't want to spend more than $200 on a car I want to trade in. Instead, I went with a steering hose and that has worked fine. It seems that they should have checked more closely to see I didn't need the pump.

They get an A rating across the board.

Excellent! I found the mechanics to be very professional and thorough without the pressure to do unnecessary repairs. While performing the 56,000 mile service, the mechanic discovered that the car had two slow leaks due to running over nails. Even though I had new tires on order, they repaired the leaks with no extra charge.

They were professional and courteous. For example, they brewed a fresh pot of coffee while I waited for my truck. As a first time customer, they didn't charge me for the oil change. They pointed out other work that they recommended should be done soon and physically showed me the areas on my truck to better explain the problems. I felt slightly guilty spending only $10 for everything because I know oil changes can typically cost around $20 with a coupon or more, and tire repairs can cost anywhere from $5 to $20 based on the auto shop. It was a very good deal and I will probably take my truck there again for other work.

They are a excellent service. I take my car here every time I need any service or maintenance done on it. They have always done a great job and I have never had any problems with my car since I take it here.