Scotty's Automotive And Collision Repairs

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We are happy with the work that was completed. It looks good. The employees and the owner were friendly. However, we were not happy with how much time this took. They estimated that the repairs would take 5 days to complete and it took 18 days. Several times we were told it would be ready the next day and it was not. Our daughter was driving from Denton multiple times a week and taking off of work to pick up the car which was not ready. Even after the 18th day when we picked up the car, the pin striping had not been completed. We had to return to the shop later in to complete that.

When we picked up our vehicle after the pin striping was completed, an attendant accidentally drove into something that damaged her front bumper. We had to leave the vehicle there for two more days to repair the bumper and repaint. Again, they told us it would take one day, but it took two. (My daughter was again driving from another city to pick up the car and taking off of work both days.) Accidents happen and we understand that and appreciate that Scotty's repaired the damage they caused. But, they did not offer us a rental car or compensation for my daughter. (She uses her car for her employment.)

We may use Scotty's again if we feel that their time estimate is more accurate. If we were prepared for the length of time this took, I'm sure our review would be better. I would also like to see them offer some type of compensation when they have taken significantly longer for a repair and/or when damage has been done.

Quoted me more than I paid, I was , pleasantly thrilled and love this business establishment as I should have taken in my other car here instead of to NTB tire and battery in Roanoke, TX.

The first time I took our BMW to Scotty’s Automotive (Scotty Mizer is the owner), it needed some collision repair on the bumper and trunk as well as a tune up. I chose Scotty’s shop for two reasons. It was convenient (close to our daughter’s school and work) and they do both collision and mechanical work.

This was supposed to be a 4-5 day job, but he had various excuses as to why it actually took over 2 weeks. When I picked up the car, the receptionist couldn’t figure out how to use the printer, so she said she would mail me receipts. A couple of weeks later, I received the mechanical receipt, but no collision receipt. When we got home, we found that the trunk lid latch was still broken (from the collision) and he had not snapped the trunk lid light back in. I had to bring the car back in and leave it for 3 more days to have this work re-done. After picking it up, the latch was working, but once again, he forgot to put the trunk lid light back in. I will say, though, that the paint work looked good.

About a week later, the car started making a noise under the hood. Since we thought it may be related to the coil he installed and we still needed the trunk lid light, I brought it back to him. He said the noise was with some pulleys and a tensioner. So he replaced those, but that was not the problem. He called and apologized saying he “rarely makes mistakes, but he made a major mistake here”. He said he wouldn’t charge me those repairs but now needed to pull out the transmission to check for something else. Next he says all the noise is coming from the clutch and flywheel. I told him that I was able to purchase new, original OEM parts for that car for and frac12; the price he could get them for, and I asked him to call the parts store to verify that those parts were exactly what he needed. A couple of hours later, he called back and said he did call them, and that “yes, those are the correct parts. Go ahead and place that order”. I decided to check out some reviews on the internet. I could kick myself now for not doing this in the first place. He has a D- Rating with the Better Business Bureau, and I found more negative reviews than positive on other Auto Repair Forums. I also found his website with a 10% off coupon on total parts and labor that I printed off. He left for vacation, his mechanics installed the clutch and flywheel, I went to pick up the car. A new office manager said the clutch and flywheel was not the problem and that the transmission now needed to be rebuilt, but “the car is safe to drive – just don’t take it out of town”. I gave him the 10% off coupon but he only deducted 5% off the labor and 5% off the parts and called that 10%. I let him know that was actually only a 5% total discount, but he kept insisting that his method was 10%. He also tried to charge me for the pulleys and tensioner (when I was previously told that I would not be charged for that). I said that total invoice was incorrect and I wasn’t going to pay that total amount. He said he could only release the car to me if I could at least make a partial payment. I gave him a check for $75 for ‘partial payment’ and said I would straighten out the remainder when Scotty returned from vacation, and we left. The next day, I received a call from the local police. This office manager had called them and accused me of theft. I explained the situation with the officer and he said he would try to convince the office manager to wait until Scotty returned. I didn’t receive a call back, so I guess everyone was in agreement.

Later that night, I let my 16 yr old daughter drive to work (since we were told it was safe to drive). She said the car stalled a few times, but she thought she just needed to get used to driving with a new clutch. The next night she drove to work again and it stalled more than the night before. After work she pulled out onto the highway, the car stalled and would not remain started long enough to even get it off the highway. Another car came up behind her, didn’t realize she was stalled in the middle of the highway, then swerved and slammed on their brakes to keep from rear-ending her. She called me shaking and in a panic, so I left to go help her push the car off the highway. (This was 2 girls pushing a car between 10pm and 11pm on New Years Eve). Since they told me the transmission was going to need to be rebuilt, I had the car towed to a transmission shop. (Oh, and the trunk latch is broken again. They finally put the trunk light back in, but broke off a tab on one side so it kept falling out and was just hanging by the wiring. And the driver’s side seat adjustment knob is now broken!)

Before I told the transmission shop that any work had been done on the car, I just asked them to find out why it wouldn’t stay started. They said the airflow boots had recently been installed backwards (or maybe he said upside down), and one of them was almost falling off. This is why the car would not remain started. After he corrected that problem, he said the noise was coming from the starter and he didn’t think there was anything wrong with the transmission. After this, I called to see if Scotty was back in town. I was able to speak to him and let him know what the transmission shop’s diagnosis was. Scotty apologized for all of the problems and practically begged me to let him have the car back so that he could fix the problem once and for all and “didn’t want to lose us as a customer”. He said that 1) he would cover the towing from the transmission shop back to his shop and that 2) he would not charge us any additional to finish the car, and that 3) this office manager was only a temp while he (Scotty) was on vacation and that “today was his last day, and would never be back”. With all of those conditions, I agreed to give him one last chance. I will say that Scotty is a very nice guy. He’s very convincing when he says he can fix something.

A couple of days later, I went to pick up the car. The transmission shop’s diagnosis ended up being correct. Scotty had replaced the starter and said that got rid of the noise. He then handed me the bill where he had charged us for a new starter, towing, AND he added the labor back in for the pulleys and tensioner. Once again, I had to explain that’s not what he had previously told me. He removed the pulley and tensioner labor, but left the rest. He tried to say that the clutch and flywheel parts I ordered were not the correct ones for the car. (Even though he told me before I placed the order that he did call to confirm that they were exactly what he needed!) I also gave the VIN number to the parts store so they were able to also confirm that those parts were for that car. I also noticed that the ’temporary’ office/shop manager was still there. When I asked Scotty why he told me that this guy would “never be back”, Scotty said he had to keep him since this guy was having some ‘family problems and needed a job’. Scotty had failed on all 3 conditions that swayed my decision to give him another chance to repair our car. And the trunk lid latch is not working correctly again. At this point, I was so beat down that I just paid what he wanted and left. I will not be back and will definitely NOT recommend his shop to anyone.

Other misc. problems we’ve had with this shop: 1) While they had our car, I called in several times asking for updates. Every single time, the receptionist would say she would find out and either she or Scotty would call me back. I never received even one call back regarding my updates. So I finally realized I was going to have to keep calling until I could talk with Scotty directly to get any status reports. 2) If no one is available to answer their phone, it rolls over to their fax machine. They apparently have no voice mail. 3) I have yet to this day received a receipt showing what collision work they did. I would not be a bit surprised if they overcharged our insurance company.

The bottom line, is

I was preparing the car for sale and wanted to have the front bumper repainted to fix some surface damage when someone backed into my car in a driveway.

I called Scotty's up based on its Angies List ranking and liked Scotty right away. Scotty's is a genuinely honest shop, with an endearing small town feel. But, these guys know their stuff and invest the time to get it right.This was my first experience and I think they did a good job and finished right on schedule. With any auto-paint issue there can sometimes be a minor shading difference in paint color, but Scotty's worked hard to match to my sun faded car and the color difference was minor.

I was able to sell the car no problem and there was no complaint about the paint job, which I disclosed. A few years ago I had a Toytota shop do some bumper repair for the same car, and I think Scotty's did a better job, for much less money. My honda pilot is out of warranty now. I plan to take it to Scotty's for repairs and any autobody work.Thanks Scotty's!

I won't take my car anywhere else. He does such a good job that I don't have to go often. They just do excellent work. They are very honest, reliable and truthful. They will find parts that are suitable for you at the lowest price. The workers there are very friendly and accommodating. They are very professional and they will always be there to help.

As with most great mechanic shops, the parking lot is packed, the garage is open and busy, and the waiting room is functional, not fashionable. Immediately after I walked in, I was greeted by the receptionist and given a work-up sheet to fill in. I left the vehicle there overnight as I didn't need it that day. When I picked the vehicle up the next day, I spoke with Scott who explained what they had done, replaced the front brake pads with top-of-the-line ceramic pads, resurfaced the rotors and checked everything else out. He told me I would need, in the non-immediate future, to replace the wheel bearing in one of the wheels. He assured me I would notice it before it became urgent and that he wouldn't let me drive it if it was even close to being unsafe. The total bill was much less than I expected and I know the brakes are better than new. There's an air of integrity and decency at Scotty's that is hard to quantify. We have used him many times for both of our vehicles and have always been pleased with the quality and value of the work performed. His prices are fair, the work is exceptional, and his integrity is absolute.