BOBS AUTO SERVICE

They were friendly and they were pretty thorough. They did a lot, having coming back one visit afterwards just to make sure everything was filled up still and working properly. I was not charged for that. I learned about them when I just shopped around basically.

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer XLT RWD with 85k miles. My transmission wasn't shifting at the right time. I wasn't sure if I had a transmission problem or an engine vacuum issue. The car also started shutting completely off when I turned on the cruise control. I took it to Brownie's for a free diagnostic. They called me back and said the were 7-8 codes, even though my check engine light had never gone on, but they'd need to take it apart to know what the problem was. Ben explained that the diagnostic cost $345 for labor to remove, inspect it, and put it back together with new seals. Ben said the cost would be applied toward repair if they found something wrong with it. Ben assured me that they would not do any repair work to the car without calling me back first. On Tuesday of the next week, he called to tell me that it would need to be rebuilt. He told me the price, and I said I wasn't interested. Ben got irate and started yelling at me. Ben was asking what I was going to do with the car, and if I intended to just let it sit and rot. I told him that I had a second vehicle and fixing my explorer wasn't a priority right then. Ben said he'd just go ahead and fix it and let me make payments. I said, "no." I told him that I'd be in to pay him and pick up my car. He said I'd have to have it towed because the parts were in a box. When I asked him why it wasn't put back together, he said it won't go back together. Ben started talking about having to use a hammer to take apart pieces that had welded themselves together. I think if I drive my car in to be inspected, I should be able to drive it back out afterward. When I called around to other shops, they said they'd heard this story about Ben and Brownie's before. They then told me they were sorry about the situation, but wouldn't be able to fix my car because of the liability.

INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION DIDN'T DO THAT WELL ON MY CAR. I WAS UPSET THAT MY CAR BROKE DOWN THE DAY AFTER I TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR. I REALLY DON'T THINK THEY ARE VERY HONEST PEOPLE TO WORK WITH.