Seredini Tire & Auto Center

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Simple Inspect & Oil Change - No Problem:
We have used this company on and off (more 'on' than 'off') for over 7 years.  We were pretty happy for most of that time, so do not want to give a bad review, necessarily, however do want to be honest.  The last service we had was simply an inspection and oil change [$16 =inspection & approx. $30 = oil change (w/coupon + they take on chrg for disposal, etc...)].
Past Problem:
One of the issues we had was with a major car repair we needed approximately 6-9 months ago.  My husband, while picking up one of our other vehicles explained the issue my car was having and what we had been told when the vehicle was getting a recall item replaced at the dealership (they wanted to also fix this other problem, but it was so expensive, that he thought it would be less if we took it to Seredini) & we wanted their opinion and help.  The gentleman/mechanic explained that it may not need everything the dealership discussed and that they could try a 'simple' fix first & that if it did need what they said, he would not charge near as much as we were quoted at the dealership for it.
A few days later my husband brought the vehicle up to them, to see if they could try the more inexpensive repair.  Unfortunately the first person he spoke with was not there that day, so my husband proceeded to tell the other mechanic, who was taking his keys, what was wrong with the car, as well as what the other mechanic had told him regarding the simple fix. The mechanic looked at my husband like he had his head on backwards and in a miffed tone said there was no way to do it that way and that he would take a look at it and let us know.  
The Real Issue:
Now, the real issue came up when the mechanic called to let us what he wanted to do, after looking at the car.  Please keep in mind that my husband had already had the diagnostic machine connected to the car when it was at the dealership, now this mechanic tells my husband what needs to be repaired/replaced & it is exactly what my husband had told him just a few hours ago, but then he also told my husband how much it would cost.  Now, remember, the first mechanic had already told my husband that if they could not do the simple/inexpensive fix, it would cost '$X', but this other mechanic told my husband the price & it was much more than the original mechanic had quoted to fix the very same thing AND it was even more than the dealership would have charged us. So, my husband told him he would be up to get the car (because he wanted to speak with him in person).  When he arrived, he explained again the information the first mechanic had given him, including the price quoted, but the mechanic would not budge in price.  So my husband just wanted to get the car and go, only to find that we were being charged $100 for the diagnostics he said he had to connect to the car to find the problem - BUT Remember we had already had that done at the dealership - My husband had already, specifically, told him what the dealership diagnostics said and now they were charging us $100 to tell us the same thing and we still had the issue of getting the car fixed!!! Now that is the real issue.
Mixed Feelings:
We have very mixed feelings about ever taking a car there again, however, when we needed an inspection and oil change only, we wanted it to be convenient and quick - which they are usually.  So if all you need is an inspection & oil change (but be sure to search the web for the coupon or it will be closer to $45-$50 for oil change - my daughter found out the hard way & even with coupon of $19.99 or $24.99 - it ends up closer to $30 b/c of fees that are tacked on).  
Final Thought:
For most of 6.5 yrs we would have given them a solid 4-5 star, now I would say 3-4.   If the bad experience had been our first experience ever with them, we would have never returned!  As it is now, we have mixed feelings and not sure if they will treat us honestly and fairly, so I am just being honest when I say that we are not sure if we will return when needing auto repairs.

I had the vehicle towed to their shop since the vehicle had a flat tire. They had called to tell me the tire could not be fixed but would have to be replaced. I asked the mechanice if he would please check the other tires to make sure they were okay as it was my mother's car. He called back and shared due to the age of the tires, not the milage, that the tires were dry rotted and needed to be replaced. He shared that they had the similar tire on sale and he gave me the price. They put they one. Other than being a little confused as to their computer system and the owners names in their system, they did a great job.

In late June 2011, Seredini replaced the timing belt and water pump on our 2005 Honda Odyssey. Shortly thereafter, the check engine light started coming on. We took the car back to Seredini multiple times have them fix the problem. At one point, Seredini had another one of their mechanics examine the vehicle (not the mechanic who did the initial work). That mechanic concluded that the timing belt was off and he re-adjusted it (presumably took it off and reinstalled it). However, the light continued to come on and we continued to go back to Seredini in an attempt to get the problem fixed.

Eventually, Seredini told us that the problem was related to the spark plugs. They recommend that we replace all of the spark plugs. That did not make sense to us so we took the car to Gowin’s Auto, another local auto service company, for a second opinion. Gowin’s ran a diagnostic process, at a cost of $85, and determined that the problem was likely related to the timing belt installation or the timing belt sensor. Gowin’s suggested we take the vehicle back to Seredini to give them another opportunity to fix it. We did that.

Seredini looked at the car again and said everything related to the timing belt was correct. At that point, Seredini suggested that we take the car to the Honda dealer, as they had better diagnostic capabilities. At the Honda dealer’s direction, we drove the car until the check engine light came on again (Seredini had cleared the code) and we took the car to the Honda dealer for repair.

The Honda technician determined that the timing belt was still not installed correctly. He reinstalled it at a cost of $430. The check engine light has not come back on since we picked up the car from the Honda dealer almost 5 months ago.

We subsequently requested that Seredini reimburse us for a portion of the amount we paid to have the Honda dealer fix the problem. Seredini refused.

There are many guys there, but Joe is the mechanic there who does very nice work. I take my vehicle there since he is very good. He is very considerate. He always tries to find a way to make sure that you don’t have to overpay if he can figure out a way to do it and the other guys don’t. They nickel and dime you on every little thing, but Joe does great work. He helps you out. There are many other places that I have gone to where they do a diagnostic and they will charge you for the diagnostic if you choose to take the car to some other place. If you do the repair work with them, then they don’t charge you for the diagnostic. However, Joe hasn’t chosen to make me pay for the diagnostic even after I have had the repair done. If I have to recommend them, then I would tell people to make sure that they use Joe. Whatever they do is right. I would use their services in the future too.

O.K.

They do great work. Ask for Joe, he is there best mechanic.