ADVANCED AUTO PROS INC

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I explained that my car had died right off the highway at Dearfield, CO and that I needed it towed and inspected (I suspected it needed a new fuel pump).

I asked for the approximate cost of a fuel pump change for my model of vehicle, for which I was told $400 - $500.  He did say that he was kind of shooting from the hip and wasn't entirely sure at the moment.  I told him that was a steep price, so he said that if I used their service, he would do the towing for free.  I said okay.  I then mentioned that I would have to walk quite a distance to get the key to the van over to him (I work at UNC), so he promptly offered to pick up the key using their valet service, which I think was a great display of professionalism and value.

However, after the towing had taken place and I got a call from them, it went downhill:

First of all, they apologize that they didn't realize how much the towing service would cost them.  "That's a long way to tow!" was the person's exact words, to which I responded "Yeah, but I told you how far it was to begin with."  He apologized that he would just not be able to cover the entire cost of the tow, which was supposedly $150, but that he would cover half (if I went with their service).  He then proceeded to quote me something around $700 for the fuel pump replacement cost.  He apologized for being off on his original estimate, but that he couldn't go any lower.  He said the part alone was going to cost them something like $400.  I explained I couldn't understand how it could be that expensive when I can buy one myself online for under $200.  He said he could go could knock the price down $100 for an aftermarket fuel pump, but couldn't go any lower. 

At this point was looking at paying the $150 towing bill + $50 to tow it someplace else + approx. $500 to get the fuel pump replaced someplace else + extra time, or paying $75 for towing + $600 for the fuel pump at AAP.  I felt like they were taking advantage of the situation and trying to milk me for more a little more money than it was really worth.

The biggest disappointment was them flat out not honoring their own offer to pay for the towing service when they were fully aware of what it would entail, and even despite the fact that they were off on their initial estimate of the repair cost.  In the end, they did a good job and did it quick, but the pump they replaced it with is a little noisy (I guess that's the drawback of the "aftermarket" pump I went with).  I have since gone to other local shops in town and have been more impressed with them, especially the pricing.

I was recommended to Advanced Auto Pros (AAP) by a friend.
I dropped by 10/13/14 to schedule an appointment to have an oxygen sensor installed on my Mother's car so it would pass Colorado emissions testing.  I met Joel, who recommended that AAP perform their own emissions test at a cost of  $89. Joel also told me that to install the sensor would be $150 plus the cost of the sensor. I had previously called Weld County Garage to price the sensor and was given a price of $120.
I dropped the car off on 10/9/14 and was met by Jacob. I mentioned that I had previously talked to Joel and added that I also wanted an oil change and that there was a chirping noise in the region of the serpentine belt that wanted silenced.  Jacob said they would take care of everything and call me the next day.
Late Friday afternoon I got a call from Jacob. He informed me that they were unable to do anything to my vehicle due to an accident at the shop. I was told I would have to leave the car over the weekend and that they would look at it first thing Monday.
By Monday afternoon 10/13/14 I had not heard from Jacob at AAP.  I called only to learn that they still had not looked at my car because they were short of techs. Jacob admitted that he should have called to inform me and apologized for dropping the ball.
Tuesday 10/14/14 Jacob calls and tells me that they have installed the sensor, and that their testing indicates that 5 of the 8 fuel injectors on the car need be replaced.  He gives me a price of approximately $1,400 to get the car repaired and "out the door," but that I would still probably need  a catalytic converter as well costing another $800.
I tell Jacob to proceed with the fuel injectors,  and to retest the emissions.
I get a call back 10 minutes later saying that he could not stand by the first price he quoted me. He says that the parts dealer gave him bad information and that the price of the injectors were $185 a piece, not $185 for the set.  (You would think that a certified auto mechanic would know the approximate price of a fuel injector. Guess not.) So, now the total just to install the fuel injectors has climbed past $2,000.
I tell him I do not want to put that amount of money in to the car at this point and to stop making any more repairs. I assume the oil change and belt chirping has been addressed because Jacob does not mention them in any of our conversations.
I pay for the repairs over the phone and I pick up the car on 10/15/14 after AAP has closed.
I start the car and immediately hear the chirping sound. It has not been repaired, but they charge $30 to assess it and say they will advise the customer on how to remedy it. They never mentioned this once. I assumed this was an easy fix and had been taken care of.
Then I notice I have been billed $149 for an emissions test that I was told would be only $89.
Bottom line: The only things they did to the car was install the oxygen sensor and change the oil.  It took nearly a week for them to do that.They charged me $30 dollars to tell me what I already  knew about the chirping sound, and they over charged me for a test that they told me would be $50 cheaper. When I called back to inquire why the chirping was not fixed I was told that Jacob was not there at the time and that he would contact me the next day.  I never heard from him and had to call.  He told me that he had informed me that the car needed a new belt to solve the chirping sound. I told him that this was the first time he had mentioned a new belt and he still disagreed with me. He also could not explain why his co-worker quoted me a lower price for the emissions test.
I returned to get some paperwork that they had failed to place back in the vehicle and I again questioned Jacob on the pricing and the fail to inform me about the belt.  It was obvious that I was getting now where with him and I said I will not bring any vehicle of mine back to AAP.
I didn't even get a "sorry it took us a week to change your oil."
Don't take your car here.

fine.

Took the vehicle in to have the left passenger side door handle looked at and fixed. I was charged $110.12 .  The door handle did not last more than one door opening to put groceries in.  I called them and let them know. The said to bring it in and they would order a door handle for it. The charged me an additional $ 116.79 for replacing the door handle with a new door handle. Total cost was $226. 91

I brought my car to Advanced Auto Pro's Inc. by appointment for a check up and oil change.  I was driven back to my home.  My car was repaired by the same day but I did not pick it up until the next day.  They offer a maintenance package which I bought.  I needed a new air filter, which I already knew.  I was treated in a friendly, professional manner.  Love this company!!

Advanced Auto worked on my car several times within a couple of weeks when it wouldn't start.  I had it towed to their shop twice - once from home and once when it broke down out on a back country road in the winter.  They did about $1300 of "repairs" and made recommendations for another $1200 repairs they said the car needed, though those didn't have anything to do with the problems I was having.  I finally had the car looked at by another auto shop.  The first thing they did was check the water in my battery and there was none!  It turns out that I had a defective battery and that's what was causing my problems!  Once the battery, which was only a few months old and still under warranty, was replaced, I no more problems whatsoever and the car has run fine ever since.  When I went back to Advanced Auto and asked why they hadn't checked my battery and the water level in it and instead did $1300 of unnecessary work on the car , I was told that they don't look at that!  After talking to the service manager for about 20 minutes, all he would do as compensation for all the time and money I'd spent was gave me a voucher for a free oil change.  The auto shop that did take car of my problem also checked out my whole car and told me that the extra $1200 of repairs that Advanced Auto recommended for my car were not needed at all!  Needless to say, I have not returned to Advanced Auto Pros!

I like that they try to find things that could possibly be safety hazards. They try to do their best but sometimes they try to bring on costs that might not be necessarily needed or add repairs that may not be necessary.

I've been very satisfied with them. They gave me an estimate and it was exactly what I paid, the work was done well. I'm pretty well experienced in cars, I used to work in a paint shop and did a lot of my own cars. I know what shop rates are and I thought it was a fair price. I think they are one of the best shops I've ever run into.

They were great. They were quick at diagnosing the problem.