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September 2024 by Joseph Andry
This shop will overcharge you.
I drive a 2019 Toyota Corolla and was initially quoted $4400 to fix a leaking slave cylinder for my clutch. When I said that was way too high, they said ok we can do it for $3600, and when I said that was still too high, they said we can do it for $3200. It was very disconcerting that they were willing to adjust their price $1200 dollars in the span of a few minutes during a single conversation.
Their labor rate is $240/hr which is very high, and out of line with other shops in the area. I called around to 3 other shops in the area once I found this out, and was quoted $130, $160 and $180/hr for labor. Their "diagnosis" of my car's problem changed my car from drivable with intermittent clutch issues to completely undrivable.
I ended up paying to have my car towed to another shop, and they did the same job for $2500. This shop also tried to upsell me on countless other repairs and services I didn't need. For example, they said my battery was going bad and I should replace it, when the guy at the other shop said my battery tested out completely fine. Also this shop also kept trying to tell me the part that broke was a "special part" (even though I drive a Toyota Corolla) and that it would take them almost a week to get it. The guy at the shop I eventually took my car to was able to order the part and get it the same or the next day.
This was the worst experience I have ever had at a mechanic shop by far.
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August 2024 by Ningjia Wu
Total scam, be careful if you’re considering using this shop for repairs.
I don’t understand where all the good reviews come from. Based on my experience, the repair shop is totally incompetent, dishonest and greedy for easy cash.
I brought my car for the diagnosis of a noise. The repair shop sloppily guessed the root cause without even reproducing the noise. When I tried to confirm whether they actually heard the noise before proceeding with their recommended repairs, they lied to my face that they checked and that was the only problem. After proceeding with their recommendation and spending $~1.5k fixing the wrong thing, the car is broken with the same issue.
When challenged later, they finally admitted that they never reproduced the issue in all the diagnoses. When they finally reproduced the issue after multiple revisits, the shop seemed totally clueless what to do next but still dared proposing to charge $$$ for their “new guesses”.
In the end, they are unwilling to refund the repair even though the issue has not been fixed. There is no doubt, this is how they run the business, just to make some quick easy cash because they are incapable of getting the real job done.
I don’t understand why they are still in the business with such dishonesty and wrong ethics. They definitely put customer satisfaction at the lowest priority. With all the lies and incapabilities this repair shop is a total scam. For anyone reading, please stay away to save yourself from all the trouble I’ve been through.
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August 2024 by Fei Xu
False Diagnosis ! Lack of Accountability ! Stay away from this garage !
We took our car to the garage because we heard a noise from the left front wheel. They responded quickly saying that they were pretty sure that it's the engine mount issue, and charged us ~1.8k for diagnosis and repairing. It's a bit expensive, but out of trust we paid them, and asked them if we can see the broken part after replacing(very politely). After the repair: 1. they did not give us the replaced part; 2. The issue persisted without any changes!! It turns out that they have never been able to reproduce the issue from the beginning, and those diagnosis are basically purely from wild guessing. So during the next nightmare-alike two months, we came back to this garage so some many times, almost like begging to take their staff for a test drive so that we can reproduce the issue, and finally they found the issue is from the front left wheel axle(like the very first time we told them our suspicions) - 1. They refuse to refund the first false fix. 2. They want to charge us for confirming the axle issue, for fixing the issue, and said that they have already been so nice to us that they are not charing us for the time of testing drive...
The experience with this garage opened my eye - Can some one tell me how can they do things like this ??! Or is it because all the garages are like this ??!! If so what's wrong with this industry ??!!
Please at least avoid this one - The Garage - Burlingame, if you can
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August 2024 by John Chen
The Garage is my ideal repair shop. Always communicative and sends me email updates with any issues addition issues and photos to back it up. Howard is a master communicator and his staff always treats me with kindness. I appreciate upfront communication and they dont push additional services not immediately needed. Only tells me to mindful of issues that matter arise. 10/10 recommend The Garage. I drive all the way over from SF best i trust this shop
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August 2024 by David Grant
Do not bring your car here. They are scammers.
Brought my car in for routine service. Vehicle ran fine before service.
They 'discover' a dubious part that needs to be replaced. $1k to fix. Fine. Pickup vehicle after service and immediately there is a terrible metallic grinding noise. Brind back to check. Now, 2 MORE parts are mysteriously broken b/c of the first 'fix'. And they want an additional $1.4k to fix these.
Absolute scam.
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April 2024 by Tom Pistor
They have no idea what they are doing. $1100 wasted.
Took car in explaining to them that cylinder 5 was not firing. I had already swapped coil, spark plug, and fuel injector, also acoustic diagnosis indicated fuel injector #5 was not firing. (I told them all this)
The guy suggested it was the crank case ventilation valve. I told him it didn't make sense - that would cause random misfires, maybe on more than one cylinder. (car has <60k miles, so piston rings should not allow too much blow-by, and I had #5 not firing at all). He was very confident it was CCVV. He said he wouldn't get to it until the next morning, and that I had time to research and think about whether I wanted a diagnostic ($210). I researched, and called that afternoon to tell him I wanted a diagnostic, as I was pretty sure CCVV was not the problem. I went into the shop since he wasn't calling me back. I saw that my car was already on the lift. (before my approval). I think he was rushing to start the work on the CCVV because he was gonna make a ton of money on it.
I told him I wanted the diagnostic. He said yes, he'll do the diagnostic. (extra $210 for him).
Next morning the text message asked me to approve the CCVV (which again, I believe they already started before my approval). I did, figuring the diagnostic must have indicated that the CCVV was the problem.
Of course the CCVV wasn't the problem. Nothing in the diagnostic (which I don't think they even did the diagnostic (for sure they didn't check for spark)) indicated that CCVV was the problem.
>$1100 and nothing fixed.
Bad CCVV can cause misfires - but hard to believe it can cause just one cylinder to not be firing at all.
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April 2024 by Dennis Balch
I took my Lexus to The Garage this week for the first time. They gave a thorough evaluation/ diagnostics and let me know the priority of what needs to be done and what is needed in the not too future. My car is running smooooth now!!
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March 2024 by Michael C
This is the only place I'll service my vehicles, clean and professional shop, with fast service.
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March 2024 by Carolyn Dixon
Found Howard several years ago. He has taken great care of my truck. He is the best!
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January 2024 by Brad Abramson
Fantastic work! Road tripping for vacation when the Jeep wrangler started going cattywampus! They were able to see me immediately, diagnose, and fix the problem right away. The mechanics and front staff were super friendly and communicative with the added benefit of having the most competitive prices! Will be back when I pass through town next time just for a tune up!
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December 2023 by Lynncia Smith
Friendly service. Very Accommodating. I had my car towed to their shop. They was able to give me a diagnostic test of the situation. Emailed me the results with a recommendation and quote with no obligation. Was able to sign and pay for services online. Very convenient. I would use them again.
Thank you.
Lynn.
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November 2023 by Rasa Staniulyte
Wonderful costumer service
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October 2023 by C C.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting The Garage for some much-needed car repairs, and I couldn't be happier with the experience.From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with a warm and friendly welcome. Howard and his team were not only knowledgeable but also genuinely passionate about what they do. They took the time to explain the issues with my car in simple terms, making sure I understood the necessary repairs.What truly sets this shop apart is their commitment to transparency and honesty. They provided a fair and competitive estimate upfront, and there were no hidden fees or surprises when I received the final bill.The quality of their work speaks for itself. My car is running like new, thanks to the skilled technicians at The Garage. They completed the repairs promptly and with the utmost professionalism.I highly recommend The Garage to anyone in need of reliable and trustworthy auto repair services. They have earned my trust and my business for years to come. Thank you for your outstanding service!
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September 2023 by Princess Moondoll
I have no idea why this place has such high ratings, they might have been good at one point in time, but that time is no longer. They over charge and sabotage. My moms car had to be brought back there OVER AND OVER again. It cost them so much money, and the car STILL won’t turn on after it being in and out of there for more than a month. They took it to another mechanic after being scammed, and the other mechanic said something was dropped into the engine ??♀️ it sure as hell wasn’t my parents who did that, so hm. I wonder who it was?I would avoid them. Unless you have a lot of money and cars to burn through.
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September 2023 by Timothy E.
Love dropping my car here. Highly recommend this place the staff are super friendly. They will take care of your car and show pictures of the work that they have done
