CURLEE'S AUTO REPAIR

Vehicle wouldn't start, suspected starter motor bad. Curlee came to home, towed car to his shop, a mile away, and did a diagnostic; starter motor fine, battery dead; he charged battery and only charged for the tow. $50 total. Got car back withing a few hours. As good as Sears Automotive. Honesty and speed very much appreciated.
Having a shop so close is a real convenience for all the subdivision between Pahoa and Keaau towns. Curlee is willing and helpful, but needs to improve professionalism: tidy up his messy shop, get rid of the fire ants crawling across the desk, and most importantly hire and retain professional ASE certified technicians who don't distract him by yaking about extraneous stuff. And keep drop in friends to a minimum.

I am new to the Island and needed an inexpensive car (nothing on this Island is inexpensive). A 1999 Nissan Sentra with 106.300 miles on it was bought from the local (Hilo) independent rental car business. It was a clean, quiet car that operated well. One week later the head gasket blowed up, which forced me to seek out a repair shop so it could be up and running again. 4 or 5 shops were contacted for a price quote. The range was $1400 on the low end to $3000 on the high end. Curlee's quote was among the lowest. It is a well equipped shop located in the middle of Hawaiian Paradise Park, which is within 2 miles of my home. This added a convenience factor to the many reasons I like this shop. The family that owns and operates the business have been working on motor vehicles for 20 or 30 years and seem to know a thing or two about cars. It took them about 2 weeks to get the car back to me, but the work seemed to have been done right, and when I asked for a warranty, they said it would be guaranteed unconditionally for 90 days. It has been nearly 2 months since the work was done. I had to take it back to them last week because the coolant system was losing water and I was afraid the head gasket was leaking again. The system was pressure tested and Matt, the mechanic, told me everything was tight except for the radiator cap and that I should get a new one.
Everyone there that I interacted with was very professional and most pleasant. Josh took me to and from my home to the shop whenever the car had to be left. Shaleen, the owner, told me I could get my oil changed while I wait for $15 if I were to bring in the materials. Matt, the mechanic explained everything to me that I wanted to know about and gave me great tips about how to save money on my current and future repairs. I went to the auto parts store to buy rotors, brake shoes and pads and cyllinders for $160. Curlee's charged me $145 for the labor. All other brake shops contacted wanted $750-$800 for the job.

Seemed very expensive compares ot other diagnostics and reparis, not clear what the problem was, not good communication with mechanics, not clear how shop is managed. Friendlyish well meaning, adequate, conveniently located in Paradise Park, but a bit on the high side for less ideal service.