Was looking for a mechanic for my new car, figured I could trust this place cause it has decently high reviews. Nope. I went in for an oil change and tire rotation, and they told me I needed ~$3K worth of repairs. They told me I needed to replace my drive belt, air filter, flush the brake fluid, struts, shocks, tire alignment, and two tires. I know nothing about cars, and with the reviews I figured maybe I could trust them so I approved ~$700 worth of replacements that day. I asked the assistant Chip if replacing the struts and shocks were really necessary, and he told me it could wait till next time. Then I get a call from the lead mechanic saying that Chip was wrong, he's still learning and I absolutely did need to replace the struts and shocks (about $1300). I asked the lead mechanic for details, asked him if the repairs were really necessary, and he insisted. When they returned the car, it started making sounds I never heard before. I was suspicious so I took it to a new mechanic for a second opinion, and they told me the new drive belt was installed incorrectly. Not only that, they told me the struts and shocks looked completely fine to them, and that they showed no signs of immediate wear or needing a replacement. Only one of my tires needed to be replaced. I cancelled my follow up appointment at Motorpool Automotive soon after, only going back to fix the drive belt. They told me it was normal to adjust it a week after. I HIGHLY doubt it...it's a safety hazard. They should've noticed after taking my car on the road test before handing it back to me. I'm pretty sure I dropped $700 and left with my car worse off than before. I seriously doubt if any of the changes I approved were needed. They were going to take apart my car and charge me thousands for unnecessary repairs. It's so important to find a mechanic you can trust, and you can NOT trust Motorpool Automotive. Most of the guys seemed nice, but the big mechanic was definitely trying to scam me. Always get a second opinion, it saved me thousands from this place. EDIT: The belt was making noise as soon as the car was returned to me. After taking my car on the road test, it should have been obvious something was wrong... Car owners should look for trustworthy mechanics that are supportive and give honest recommendations - that's the experience I had from ASAP Automotive when I went to them for a second opinion. They said my car was in good shape, just needed an alignment. If this were a trustworthy business I wouldn't need to bring anyone along.
Phillip you needed a belt but your car didn’t have an automatic belt tensioner. As the new belt wore in it started to stretch and it made noise. Sorry you had to come back to have the belt adjustment since your car doesn’t adjust itself. You went to another mechanic and they told you that we put on a belt that was too big well I’m sorry but that doesn’t make sense. It’s unfortunate that you’re an inexperienced younger driver but you felt no resistance from us. You said you didn’t want to come back for anything else we completely understood. I hope you gain more car knowledge and experience maybe in the future bring your father with you. You had other recommendations based on the age of your vehicle. Certain items wear out therefore snow balling and cause other items to wear out because the preventative maintenance wasn’t done. Your one star is based on a lack of experience and knowledge and I’m sorry for you. Good luck with your future cars and car repairs. Next time you look for a car find one that has a different maintenance schedule that will accommodate you better.
- Motorpool Automotive