ACAR

Called Al's Certified Auto repair..which advertised quality service at a fair price .. we needed a starter replacement..they were not willing to give any guesstimate over the phone but was willing to look at it the next day..so we had it towed in and dropped off...received a call the next day and was told it would cost 580.00 for the repair..shocked at the cost I asked why so high and was told the starter alone was over 312.00 but it had a lifetime parts warranty and diagnostics and labor came to a total of 580.00...believing them I agreed..shortly later I decided to call a few auto parts stores and found out there are only three different available type starters for my vehicle.. one for 152.00. One for 169.00 and a premium starter for 194.00 all came with a full lifetime warranty..having recently moved here I decided to call our previous mechanic and explained the situation..I was told it takes less than an hr to replace the starter because of its location and two bolt installation and diagnosing the problem was less than 15 mins time at the very most and unless the starter was gold plated they were excessively marking up the parts cost....well I called the repair shop and asked him where he was getting this starter and wouldn't you know..they got the starter from one of the places I called and he admitted to marking up the part but only after I caught him in this blatant lie... But even after this I asked why I was being charged so much for labor... again more lies..over 53.00 to diagnose it and then another 1 and half hrs to install it at a labor rate of 100hr... plus a shop fee of 28.57 again excessive for a shop fee...These guys were really milking me for whatever they thought they could get...live and learn I guess but I did write a local review...and shortly after this I received a call from the owner Al....I explained my concerns and he agreed to lower the cost but only if I agreed to remove a review that I had immediately posted after speaking with his desk clerk....the owner claimed that he charges more because he gives his customers a 3yr labor warranty and uses only the finest parts.. he lowered my repair bill by 250.00 and said he would leave the premium starter in and continued to try and justify the excessive costs with more smoke and mirrors....I agreed to remove the review which I did being a man of my word and paid the shop....in short and in all absolute honesty this shop has a predatory business model that cannot be denied ...and all the smoke and mirrors in the universe cannot disguise that... he gets his parts from the same place everyone else does..Auto parts stores and he gets a big discount..a small mark up is expected but not over double the cost... and if I wanted to purchase a labor warranty for an additional 250.00 on a starter that only cost 152.00 and already has a lifetime warranty I would of preferred to be asked......he also again lied because the lowest cost starter was installed not the premium starter..we checked it..it was indeed a remanufactured starter for 152.00 retail cost. We have since spoke with other neighbors and friends and found a reputable repair shop who actually offers quality service at a fair price and whenever we drive by Al's certified Auto repair and his always almost empty parking lot we thank god we found out early on about this dishonest, corrupt little shop of horrors. Stay far away...and warn others... afterwards we read some local reviews and this place has got quite a reputation for its customer satisfaction rating...never again !!!

Annual inspections, diagnostics and repairs.

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The crew showed up on time, completed all work on time. They were very courteous, knowledgeable and professional. When work was complete they walked me through and made sure the work and clean up were done to my satisfaction.

It went very well.  I made an appointment over the phone, quick and easy.  I brought my car in, was greeted courteously. The technician explained what they were going to do and how much it would cost.  They brought my car right in.  Service took about 45 minutes, but the waiting area was clean and comfortable and they had a Keurig machine if I wanted fresh tea or coffee.
The technician went over the service checklist at the end and told me how everything looked.  He said they do the checklist no matter what kind of service a person comes in for - checking fluids, tires, brakes.  They put on my new Maine plates as well.  It was a good auto shop experience with professional service and I will definitely use ACAR again.

ACAR has been great to deal with, always cheerful on the phone when you call, helpful in explaining needed service, and the work is always well done.  Al often goes above and beyond providing excellent service to his customers.

They always do a terrific job and call me to keep me informed of status and any issues.  They always seek my approval on costlier repairs.  The car runs great now (no overheating) and the new tires have a nice quiet ride.

I called in the morning and then brought my vehicle over that afternoon for an alignment. They did it while I waited and apologized for how long it took even though I showed up earlier than I said and didn't mind waiting. They had a comfortable waiting room, with a coffee maker and a TV. I found them friendly and professional. No complaints.

The details were given to the owner, Al Southerland in writing.  His response follows:

1. 1.      The service manager took me out to show me the muffler.  He said he would try to fix it by welding in another piece rather than replacing it.   He said he had all the tools and supplies to make such a repair.  (This was after he inspected the vehicle.)  We then went back into the office.
2. 2.      The service manager first attempted to tell me that I had to replace the entire exhaust, including the catalytic converter ?because it was all one piece?.  I objected.  He then made a big issue about how he was going to ?shop around? to see if he couldn?t get the individual pieces and ?save me some money?.  I must ask what happened to the ?pieces? his original research on the phone provided (the ones he used for the estimate that did not involve replacing the catalytic converter, and which was in line with other estimates)?
3. 3.    I told him I thought that price was outrageous for a muffler on a tiny vehicle.  He suggested I didn?t want the cheapest muffler because it wouldn?t last, but he didn?t give me any other options as far as cost was concerned.   Assuming he had told me the truth, I scheduled the work.   He said he would have everything there and scheduled me in for 8AM on Wednesday, the 10th.
4. 4.      When I arrived at 755AM on the 10th he picked up the phone and called his parts dealer telling him to send the parts over. Obviously, he did not have the parts and was not ready to start the work at 8AM as he promised days earlier.
5. 5.      I had two days to research and get other estimates and took that time to do exactly that.  More importantly, after the repair I had the actual part numbers he sold me.   Here is what I found:
6. a.    The total price you charged was $120.00 higher than the next highest estimate, $159.00 of that increase was due to price gouging as you will see below.
7. b.     The total price you charged was $220.00 higher than the second highest estimate.
8. 6.      I started looking for parts cost on the Internet.
9. a.      After checking thirty or forty places I was unable to find anyone who sold the entire exhaust system, converter and all, in
10. one piece as your service manager claimed.
11. b.     You charged me $283.00 for Walker M-64328 muffler.  The prices for the muffler I found ran from a low of $70.00 to $178.00. 
12. The $178.00 muffler was the very Walker you sold me for 283.00, or $105.00 above the highest retail price for that muffler! That
13. is an increase of more than 60% over the highest retail price!  The same muffler was also sold for as low as
14. $120.00
15. c.      That was not the only gouging by your service manager.   You sold me a Walker M-54657 resonator and charged me $81.59.  The highest retail price I could find for that very part number was #34.00, which is 246% higher than  retail!
16. d.     Clearly, there was no need for me to replace the catalytic converter.
17. e.     Clearly, the service manager was more concerned with increasing profit than providing replacement parts at a legitimate, reasonable retail cost.
18. The fact that your service manager would brag and assure me he would find the best price for me was nothing more than dishonest theatrics, as he was clearly intending to gouge me from the time I walked into your  shop.
19. Approximately ten days after sending the above to Mr. Sutherland I received a post card from him that said:
20. "Just a note to personally thank you for bringing in your 2003 Echo for service. We know you have a choice when servicing your vehicle and we sincerely appreciate you placing your trust i us!  If you have  any questions or concerns, please give us a call.  We look forward to seeing you again. 

I have been going to ACAR since they opened.  They are WONDERFUL.  I can count on them for quality service and a fair price.  As a woman I do not feel like “the little lady” when I am trying to tell them my car issues.  ACAR kept my Saab on the road to over 225,000 miles.  I bought my current vehicle from ACAR and they do all its service.

A-Car seems very professional and personable at the same time. I will be back, as needed.

Excellent.