R & T AUTO REPAIR

Most of the time, they have had a loaner car to use, which has been invaluable to me. I am grateful to have found an honest auto repair place near my home that I can trust. My daughter/husband have also taken their cars in and have found the same experience. Thank you.

My family only goes to R&T for all our vehicle repair needs! Wonderful staff, always able to fit us in, they do quality work at a reasonable price and we know they won't try to swindle us like so many other auto shops!

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I had some recalls to address so I went to the dealership in GR.  After the repairs, the dealership also conducted a full inspection and noted $3000 plus on various repairs and maintenance items.  I have been to R&T in the past and have found them to always be honest and not try to up-sell you.  So I went to R&T for a suspension inspection which was the biggest part of the dealership's notes.  R&T showed me the front suspension needed some work but the rear was fine.  I scheduled the work for a few days later and it was done in about 4 hours.  R&T is awesome!

I had been quoted $360 at one place, $477 at another place, so I called R&T and was quoted $317.00.  Got a call the morning the work was to be done (after dropping car of previous evening) and was told the quote was for only one  outer tie rod, and the total would actually be about $475.  Told R&T I could show them the quote for $360.00.  They said they would see if could find less expensive parts and get the cost down.  They called me back in about 5 minutes and said they would match the $360 price.  I was OK with that.  When I picked up my car, they said I had originally talked to a new girl in the office on her first day of work and she misunderstood what she was quoting.

Called most of the shops in the area and explained what was going on with my sons car. Almost all of them said it was the starter. But the price ranged from $250.00-$450.00. Not loving to spend lots on auto repairs I went with price. Plus they were very friendly and professional on the phone, but most of the places I called were. R and T replaced the starter the next day for a little less than the price they gave me over the phone, only by a few dollars, but still less. They also pointed out a couple items that might need some attention down the road. I did have the oil changed a few weeks earlier at and different place and they pointed out the same things. The difference in both estimates was over $200.00 with R and T being lower. I questioned paying for Angie's list. Glad I did. Thanks Angie's list members.

Several of the gauges in dash began to malfunction over time. I took it in to discuss with them. Since they guessed it was the whole instrument panel, I left it overnight to be properly diagnosed and replaced if needed. They were very friendly, knowledgeable, and even offered me a loaner car at no cost since I had no way to get to work without my car. Their assessment was correct; they ordered the part on day 1 so that it could be installed the following day. The actual cost was less than estimated and the work was done well, quickly and in time they said it would be. I was very pleased and will continue to take my car in for repair there, should it need any. My former mechanic closed shop and it is reassuring to find another place close by that is trustworthy and reasonable in cost. Thank you.

R and T Auto Repair was friendly and nice. They have a good front office. They know how to handle things. If they didn't repair the car right, they will take it back in and fix it without any charge. That is the great thing about them. They had warranties with their parts. They kept track of the warranty and didn't try to fool anyone. They have been terrific.

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On May 10, 2011 my car broke down on the highway. I had it towed to Rand T Auto, who later informed me that the transmission needed to be replaced. They went on to say that my particular car (2006 Ford Freestyle) has a special, poorly designed CVT transmission, which can only be replaced (as opposed to being repaired or rebuilt). They said this transmission has a and quot;high failure rateand quot; and can only be replaced with the exact same transmission, and it is only available from Ford. The quote to do the work was $5,696.00 and I was very upset. I told them I would need some time to decide what to do, and they said no problem. I asked them if they were absolutely sure there were no other options, and I was told that and quot;we see this transmission problem in this car all the time.and quot; The following Monday, I received a call from the shop owner (Russ) telling me that and quot;sometime over the weekendand quot; someone hit my car in their parking lot. He said they don't know who did it because they were closed over the weekend. I asked about the damage, and he told me it was the and quot;left front fender.and quot; He also said that the car was in the same original spot where the tow truck had dropped it off, because it and quot;can't be moved.and quot; I sent my boyfriend over there to look at my car and take pictures. In the meantime, I spoke to my boss about it, and he said he had driven by the shop over the weekend and had seen my car parked there. He said and quot;only an idiot would park a car there for more than a few minutes.and quot; He said he was not surprised the car got hit because of where it was sitting on the lot, and its proximity to the other cars parked there. My boyfriend contacted me, and agreed that the car was in a and quot;terribleand quot; spot, and he took pictures. It was not just the left front fender, the driver side door was smashed in, and couldn't even be opened! The owner led me to believe it was just a minor dent. I had my car towed from there the same day, after I spoke with my insurance agent.

I find it odd that the owner stated my car could not be moved. It's an auto repair shop--don't they have to move inoperable cars into the garage to work on them? The towing company was able to move the car. When I had the car brought back to my house, my son and I were able to move the car in our driveway.

I think it is terrible that Rand T took no responsibility at all for the damage to my car, and lied to me about not being able to move it. I also now doubt whether they really even inspected the car, or if they just jumped to the conclusion that the transmission needed replacement because that's what they had seen in the past. I also doubt if some stranger just pulled into their lot and hit my car (it's not on a main city road, it's more in a residential neighborhood). I believe it was hit by one of their employees or one of their other customers.

Update: My insurance just went up $1,500.00....the exact amount of the damage done on my vehicle. They say it is just a regular rate increase, but I find it hard to believe that it is not a direct result of them having to pay for this damage that was not my fault. THANKS A LOT Rand T LOSERS!