DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE
About us
Duane’s Dealer Alternative is a full service cutting-edge modern repair facility. We have all of the latest equipment and carry genuine factory parts. We offer the finest repairs along with the best customer service. With over 20 years of Lexus dealership experience we know the finer points of all of the products we work on. It’s not enough to have good customer service in today’s marketplace. We provide excellent service to all of our customers because we love what we do; and it shows .... Come to Duane’s Dealer Alternative where the price AND the people make the difference. We specialize in Lexus and Toyota Factory Repair.
Business highlights
25 years of experience
Services we offer
WE PROVIDE COMPLETE REPAIR SERVICES TO LEXUS AND TOYOTA CARS AND TRUCKS AND SERVICE ALL ASIAN CARS AND TRUCKS ALSO.
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.714 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 86% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 7% | ||
| 0% |
Showing 1-14 of 14 reviews
PAMELA P.
May 2016
unknown
Mary R.
Apr 2016
Does a great job.
Roberta S.
Dec 2015
Everything went well. Very punctual and efficient.
Jack J.
Apr 2015
Called Duanes about having a headlight out (I was told you had to take front wheel and wheel well off to get to bulbs but Duane said no) and AC blowing warm air. Had to wait 2 days to get car into shop. Once there Duane looked at the car, gave me a call saying the compressor on the AC needed to be replaced and quoted me a cost for replacing it and the two low beam bulbs. I approved the charges and the next day Duane called and said my car was ready to be picked up. I was surprised but elated that he was able to fix it in that short of time. He even found a brake light out and replaced that bulb for me also. I've been driving the car for about 10 days now with ice cold air and being able to see where I'm going. I estimate Duane saved me about $500 over having these repairs done at a dealership. Great experience, recommend Duane to anyone driving a Lexus needing repairs.
James W.
Feb 2015
unknown
Adrienne A.
Aug 2014
He does a great job, very fair pricing much cheaper than the Lexus dealer.
Profeesional and great to deal wtih. And Duane is a good guy, honest and trustworthy.
Profeesional and great to deal wtih. And Duane is a good guy, honest and trustworthy.
Candy B.
Jan 2014
Duane was a Lexus certified tech at a dealer for 16 years and is very knowledgeable and helpful. He will not do something if it is not needed and gives accurate quotes. Lexus previously quoted $1,878 for the same service items. The service was completed within 24 hours. We were very happy with the work and will use him for all future service on our 2001 Lexus LS430. He was recommended by friends who also have Lexus cars and we also checked him out through Angie's List and the BBB.
Karen C.
May 2013
Excellent. We started out thinking that our vehicle needed extensive repairs. We found out this was not the situation at all. We picked up our car within 2 days and now have ice cold airconditioning.
Will M.
Oct 2012
Went great to start until the car quit after about 10 miles. I took the car back to Duane and he diagnosed the problem as a bad connector and fixed for no charge.
DIANE S.
Jul 2012
Five months, $3000, and my car is still sitting at his shop. Duane is a nice guy, has multiple certifications, tried his best, but as I said, 5 months, $3000, and still . . .
In February my Prius displayed the red warning triangle. I pulled over, had my car towed to my local mechanic who said they couldn't touch it, towed to the dealer (estimate $5K to replace inverter and COMPUTER-- and quot;battery was fineand quot;). Found Duane A-listed by Angie, had car towed from dealer to Duane. Duane said computer and the battery were fine, just needed to replace inverter (estimate $4K).
In fairness, two months of the five was me saving up four thousand dollars before Duane could start the repair. Other multi-week delays were the result of waiting for used parts from his supplier. When he finally got the inverter repaired, he said the car also needed the 12V volt battery replaced. Once the voltage issues were resolved, he said a new code came up indicating transmission failure and he'd ask his supplier to find one. Weeks went by. I finally found a used transmission on my own and had it shipped. Weeks went by.
Duane called and said the car was ready-- AT LAST!!! Picked up the car, drove sputtering five miles down the road and had to turn around. A couple days later, Duane said he replaced a coil, and the car was ready- AT LAST!!! Picked up the car, drove ten miles and the red warning triangle came on. Used my fourth and last AAA free tow to return car to Duane.
Now Duane doesn't know what's wrong with it, but the code may indicate the COMPUTER, maybe the BATTERY. He says if this was a dealer, they'd just replace parts from a donor car until they found the problem. He doesn't have that luxury. I don't either.
I've written to a hybrid battery specialist in NC. He says the code Duane mentioned does not indicate the computer-- it could be anything. The specialist is willing to walk Duane through a diagnostic to determine the problem, and Duane has his number.
At this point, Duane is not answering my calls, preferring instead to serve other customers whose problems he can readily solve. My car is sitting at his shop, abandoned. I'm considering legal action, but would prefer a running car. Then my Dad would finally get his own car back; I think it's mean that he has to suffer for Duane's incompetence.
Bottom line: Duane assured me he could fix my car. He couldn't; in fact, the hybrid battery and the computer were fine before and are ruined now, as well as the inverter he replaced. It would do no good to accept his offer.
In February my Prius displayed the red warning triangle. I pulled over, had my car towed to my local mechanic who said they couldn't touch it, towed to the dealer (estimate $5K to replace inverter and COMPUTER-- and quot;battery was fineand quot;). Found Duane A-listed by Angie, had car towed from dealer to Duane. Duane said computer and the battery were fine, just needed to replace inverter (estimate $4K).
In fairness, two months of the five was me saving up four thousand dollars before Duane could start the repair. Other multi-week delays were the result of waiting for used parts from his supplier. When he finally got the inverter repaired, he said the car also needed the 12V volt battery replaced. Once the voltage issues were resolved, he said a new code came up indicating transmission failure and he'd ask his supplier to find one. Weeks went by. I finally found a used transmission on my own and had it shipped. Weeks went by.
Duane called and said the car was ready-- AT LAST!!! Picked up the car, drove sputtering five miles down the road and had to turn around. A couple days later, Duane said he replaced a coil, and the car was ready- AT LAST!!! Picked up the car, drove ten miles and the red warning triangle came on. Used my fourth and last AAA free tow to return car to Duane.
Now Duane doesn't know what's wrong with it, but the code may indicate the COMPUTER, maybe the BATTERY. He says if this was a dealer, they'd just replace parts from a donor car until they found the problem. He doesn't have that luxury. I don't either.
I've written to a hybrid battery specialist in NC. He says the code Duane mentioned does not indicate the computer-- it could be anything. The specialist is willing to walk Duane through a diagnostic to determine the problem, and Duane has his number.
At this point, Duane is not answering my calls, preferring instead to serve other customers whose problems he can readily solve. My car is sitting at his shop, abandoned. I'm considering legal action, but would prefer a running car. Then my Dad would finally get his own car back; I think it's mean that he has to suffer for Duane's incompetence.
Bottom line: Duane assured me he could fix my car. He couldn't; in fact, the hybrid battery and the computer were fine before and are ruined now, as well as the inverter he replaced. It would do no good to accept his offer.
Response from DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE
"The Toyota Prius 2003 was towed into my shop on March 5, 2012 from Sun Toyota. I spoke with the member on the phone that she was told by the dealer that the car was needing a power inverter and ECU. I checked the system two days later and found that the inverter and 12 bolt battery was bad. Estimate for the Inverter was around $3000 for a new unit. After a month and half she wanted us to order the parts. I counseled her by telling her that this car was not worth making that type of repair or spending that type of money. I went ahead and ordered a new Inverter which was on back order. We decided to go with a used unit to repair the car. Before I ordered the part I told her that I could not see the condition of the electric motor or the battery without installing a good Inverter assy. she agreed and told me to go ahead and order the used unit. I replaced the Inverter and cleared code 3125. After the Inverter assy was replaced the car did not move. A new trouble code was present in system. Code 3120 HV Trans axle problem. We verified that the MGZ Motor inside of the transmission was shorted. I gave her the estimate on the price of a transmission new from Toyota what was around $5000.00 without labor. Again I told Dianne to consider selling the car or trading it in on another car. Two weeks went by and she told me to find a used transmission. I could not find a transmission that I was willing to install. Another few weeks went by and she called me and said she had found a transmission. We received the transmission a few days later and installed it into the car. I called her on 6/17 to let her know that the car was ready. She picked the car up on 6/19/2012 and the car drove fine. She called me the next day saying that the car felt like it was running rough, I told her to fill up with gas. But it still ran bad. The car was brought back to me with a check engine light. Replaced a bad ignition coil for cylinder #1 and test drove the car, the car ran fine. She picked the car up three days later and all was fine 6-27-12. The next day she called and said that the car had a check engine light on the dash the car was towed back to me with a new trouble code P3009 lead from hybrid battery. This is a major trouble code which can be caused which can be caused by the battery, transmission, harness and inverter. I was able to verify that the battery pack had two bad cells, causing new codes P3029, P3030. I told her that the battery pack will need a new unit. The price is $2500 for a new exchange battery pack. I’m willing to install it for free and pay $450.00 toward the part. I have gave my whole side of the story and I’m sending a copy of all the repair orders with all the mileage stated on the repair order."
Renee G.
Apr 2012
It was a major repair. He was fair with his quote. I had three other estimates and he was the best priced. He was very professional. I was impressed with how organized and clean his shop is. I have used his services for additional times and recommended him to two of my friends.
Susan P.
Jan 2012
I got an unpleasant surprise when I tool my Nissan van to the dealer for repair of a rear sliding door that wouldn't close completely. Not only was that repair almost $200, but I was told the van needed lower control arms and had two broken engine mounts. Their estimate for these repairs was over $2,100. I went home depressed and checked Angie's list, assuming that the dealer was probably high compared to an independent shop. I found Duane's Dealer Alternative and called and spoke to Duane, who answered on the first ring. He looked up the price of parts and estimated repairs at under $1,500. I made the appointment for 3 days later (due to my schedule). Duane was very courteous and professional and told me he could complete the job that day. He called only a few hours later and it was finished! The cost was over $600 less than the dealer and he did an inspection and said I would need a belt soon, but didn't try to scare me into doing it immediately. However, I will be taking it back to him for the belt and any future service I need. Duane is very knowledgeable and experienced and I will trust him to take good care of all four of our cars. It's so rare to find someone who does a great job, knows his business and does not try to take advantage of you, and charges a very fair price. A great experience!
Steve S.
Oct 2011
Needed 2nd opinion on repair estimate that I'd gotten from Ice Cold Air on Court St for $1K. Looked Duane up on Angie's list. Found problem was not leaky evaporator but rather clogged cabin filter. Replaced also radiator. Total cost around $450. Very good mechanic, takes the time to find right problem. Very reasonable pricing. Responsive and professional. One man shop but still got it done in a day or so. Would recommend.
Sven D.
Mar 2011
The service visit went great from start to finish. The shop is very clean and The service provided was better than the dealership has given me in the last visits.
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FAQ
DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE is currently rated 4.7 overall out of 5.
DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
No, DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE does not offer free project estimates.
No, DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE does not offer a senior discount.
No, DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE does not offer emergency services.
No, DUANES DEALER ALTERNATIVE does not offer warranties.