Joyce Automotive
About us
Complete auto repair and towing services. AAA approved auto repair along with membership in AC Delco Professional Service Centers. 14 service bays, 7 ASE certified technicians, over 20 years in business @ same location. Extraordinary customer service!
Business highlights
Services we offer
Auto repair ranging from routine maintenance to major overhauls incl engine and transmission repair/replacement. Motorhomes and medium duty trucks as well. Complete tire sales and service. 24/7/365 flatbed towing service.
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 91% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 2% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 2% |
Merchant was referred to me by AAA after our car quit on the highway, they were also the towing company in this case. I called them the next morning after and Walt told me that they had some good news and some bad. The good news it was fixable but the bad news that it had a shorted coil pack and it needed to be replaced. He also advised me when one usually goes out it would be good to replace them all. They were going to also pull the intake manifold and that was going to be a job. I asked him how much and he said around $1,226.57, Coil packs $136.00 ea. X 6 = $815.00, Spark plugs $5.25 ea. X six = $31.00, Gasket set $26.00 ea. X 1 = $26.00 ea., Labor at 3 hours $275.00 Tl. I thought that was a little high so I said I have another job that needs to be done on that car replacing the transfer case and could he give me a price on that, he said I will price it out and give you a call back. So, I checked pricing on the coil packs and they were 73.79 each X 6 = $442.74 for Ford Motorcraft coil packs. When he called back I asked him if I could supply the coil pack and he said no but could give me a better price on them which came out to be around $1000.00 I then said just tow the car to my house.
No, I talked to the owner of Joyce Automotive as well today and he did Admitted to, in his words grossly under documented the Diagnostic check and went on to tell me the car was running when it left the shop. When it got here it could have not been running due to a coil pack wire disconnected front bank and wire taped up bare in the same connector. All coil packs check out good per ohm test as well. They failed to state that there was a blown fuse they replaced also. I plugged in the coil pack that was disconnected and the fault was still there and would not start. I also want to add, The owner stated that they replaced the bad coil with a used coil pack which I was never told, They replaced the blown fuse which I was never told, Walt told me over the phone when giving me the estimate that it was a rear coil pack but the owner told me over the phone it was an front coil pack, this is significant because you would not have to take off the intake manifold to replace the coil pack which involves more labor. Keep in mind if this was the case the front coil pack being replaced it’s only a five-minute job and all you would need to do is replace one coil pack not six. I was led to believe it was a rear coil pack and the diagnostics were wrong because it was not listed on the paperwork giving to me which lacked any useful documentation and was grossly under documented. I did the whole job for $522.8 in parts all coil packs and 1.75 hrs. of labor.
"Mr. [Member Name Removed]'s 2007 Ford Fusion was towed in a no-start condition to my shop on December 7th, 2016. Since his wife [Member Name Removed] is a AAA member and Joyce Automotive is a AAA Approved Repair garage, he was quoted a 50% discounted diagnostic fee of $65. The initial inspection found a blown ignition fuse which we replaced. Further analysis determined that the cause of the blown fuse was a shorted coil which had also damaged the coil harness. We installed a test coil, wrapped the damaged wiring with electrical tape, and started the engine which now was hitting on all 6 cylinders. We called Mr. ******, explained what we had found and recommended new spark plugs along with 6 new coils as they were all past their normal service life at 147K miles. He said that he would call us back so we drove his vehicle out of the bay (again, it had arrived in a non-running condition)and went on to other vehicles. He called back several hours later and said that he wanted the Fusion towed back to his house. He paid the check out fee and the vehicle was towed out with our new fuse and test coil still installed because the tech was at lunch when the tow truck arrived--OUR MISTAKE. My next contact with Mr. [Member Name Removed] was a few weeks later when he called and said he wanted his $65 back because he had checked the offending coil and there was nothing wrong with it. I told him I would look into the matter and call him back. After speaking with my tech, I discovered we had left our test coil on the vehicle along with the new fuse. I called Mr. [Member Name Removed] back and explained WHY the coil now tested good along with the fact that we had re-energized the ignition circuit by replacing the fuse. If anything, we were guilty of not charging him for parts installed, nothing else. He then proceeded to tell me that we were trying to rip him off because he had done all the work we recommended for only $541 and that we were thieves in the night because we were trying to charge him $109 for coils that he was able to buy online for $73. I explained that we buy parts at wholesale and sell them at retail or slightly less and he thought that was terrible. I've tried to educate people in the past who don't understand what it takes to keep the lights on, pay for insurance, stay abreast of new technology and employ qualified technicians, but I knew I would be wasting my breath with Mr. [Member Name Removed] so I didn't bother. I double checked the estimate he had been given and found it to be extraordinarily fair--six Motorcraft ignition coils #6E5Z12029BA for $109.99 ea (retail $135.95), six Motorcraft platinum plugs for $5.25 ea (retail $5.26) and an intake manifold gasket set for $26.63. The labor quoted was a very reasonable $275.00 and in addition, the $65 diagnostic fee would have been WAIVED. Net total quoted was $1089.33 incl sales tax NOT the $1250 or $1500 he has bandied about on the internet. When I asked Mr. [Member Name Removed] what he thought he would have paid at the dealership he replied, "a lot more". When I asked him if that made them "thieves" he said that "wasn't the point". Where does Mr. [Member Name Removed] come up with his claim of parts being "marked up 60% above retail"? I haven't the foggiest. The irony of all this is that when we last spoke, I was actually about to offer him his money back just to be done with him until he called me a thief and at that point I politely ended the conversation. He took a giant stride over the line with that remark and I chose not to waste anymore of my time talking to someone of his ilk. The bottom line? He took our accurate diagnosis and used it to fix his car himself which he was certainly entitled to do and he used Motorcraft parts like we recommended. May they last another 147,000 miles."
They even helped my son get a ride so he could pick up his truck. I found Joyce on Angie's List after reading all of the positive comments. I would have to say that I agree and would highly recommend them.
Licensing
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