MCCAUSLAND SERVICE CENTER INC

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One week/ 40 miles after having my oil changed at a local high volume service center, my car suddenly died shortly after starting it. Upon returning it to the service center at which I had my oil changed, I was told that one of my car's "piston contacted the valve", resulting in a sudden catastrophic failure of the engine. The estimate I was given was approximately $5,000. At no point was I given a reasonable explanation as to how this could have happened. Despite being polite, multiple sales people couldn't even begin to explain to me what happened. At one point they actually tried to tell me that the ware on my car looked like I had been racing it and that could have played some role in the failure. This is not the case. 
At this point, I had my car towed to McCausland service center. My wife and I are friends with a couple that refuse to take their cars anywhere else. They have lived in St. Louis for over 10 years and have had numerous excellent encounters with the owner, Bill. I could immediately tell the difference between Bill and every other mechanic I have encountered. Bill explained my car's likely issues in the same way a physician explains a complex problem to a sick patient. The next day he called me with him impression of what might have happened. He clearly knew what he was talking about.
We then proceeded to discuss my options. I was hesitant to sink $5,000 on an 8 year old car, but Bill proposed giving him a little time to find a used engine before giving my car its last rites. A week later, Bill had found an engine with 100,000 miles on it, and with my permission he proceeded to resurrect my car. Along the way he realized that my clutch needed to be replaced as well, which I anticipated having learned manual on the car.
The total labor and parts for replacing my engine came in at $2300, labor and parts for my clutch were less than $500.
I will not take my car anywhere else for as long as I am in St. Louis. I have learned my lesson with high volume centers. I am more than willing to drop my car off for a day in order to have a real mechanic taking car of my car from here on out.
I could not be happier with the service I received at McCausland Service center.
 

Bill first tried to clear the error by resetting the cable. He said he didn't want me spending money on a new part if I didn't have to. That worked for about a week or so, but then the Check Engine light came back on. I took it back down and they had the part replaced within a day.
Bill seems very straightforward, so I would bring my cars back to his shop. Beware - the waiting area is a bit dirty and they allow smoking. They stored my car within the garage after the repair and it smelled of smoke for a few days. Small price to pay for honest work at a good price.

I brought my car in for them to inspect a strange rumbling when my care was in park and reverse as well as a state inspection and emissions test. I was pleased that they diagnosed the problem correctly (an auto-savvy friend guessed it was a loose engine mount and that was the garage's diagnosis as well.) And I thought the price came out pretty reasonable for both a repair to the engine mount and a state inspection, but I admit I didn't shop around for price. I thought they were very knowledgeable and I appreciated that the mechanic gave me a little more explanation as to the 'what' and 'why' when I came to pick up the car. I did ask if they while they were making the repairs if they could tell me if anything else on the car needed repair (I've been told I need a new timing belt soon, and at the very least I can tell my car is just running a little rough even apart from the loos engine mount issue), but I didn't get much feedback on any other issues that might need to be addresses. I'm not sure if simply that would require an additional fee for the garage to make a diagnosis or if it was late on a Friday afternoon, or what but that was the only thing I wish I had been given more information on.But I do appreciate the feeling that they weren't trying to sell me additional services that I might not necessarily need. They were very prompt with service. (I dropped the car off at the garage after work on a Thursday right before they closed, and it was ready to be picked up by Friday afternoon.)I'm willing to bring my car in for an oil change soon and maybe pay for a full diagnosis on the timing belt to see if they come out cheaper and if I feel confident in full diagnosis. Overall, I think it as a pretty good experience and they were very pleasant and professional. (Even though I'm a needy and insecure customer and sometimes want my mechanic to hold my hand through the whole process.) I'll need to try them again to form a more solid opinion of the service, but I would definitely recommend them!

McCausland Service Center provided good, fast service. They were very friendly and seemed very competent.

The last time I was there he advised me not to have the repair done. I've gone in a couple of times when I hear something wrong or I am not sure what is wrong with the car. They are very busy so it can be hard to get an appointment. He will take a look and tell me what it will cost to fix and if there is a cheaper way to do it. I was in there for a repair and it ended up just being a cap replacement for my oil, he used what he already had around the shop and didn't charge me anything. He's very honest, which is a huge thing for car repairs. I feel like I can trust what he is suggesting.

They only recommend service that I needed and at a reasonable price.