Sears Auto Center

I wish I had read the Unilocal reviews before taking my car here. A basic oil change took over three hours (WITH an appointment scheduled in advance). On top of taking an incredibly long amount of time, they tried to up-​sell us on filters and tires. Never going back, and would not recommend.

Brought my car in for an oil change and asked if it could be done within an hour. I was told yes no problem. After quickly draing the oil and replacing the filter I spent an hour and a half watching the mechanic talk to his coworkers and work on other cars.
Its an oil change it should take 15 min…
Not coming back here.

While my wife and I can’t thank you enough for helping us out with the issue we had with Sears Automotive we send you this email to let you know that we are grateful for your assistance.
Turning this matter to Danielle was a great experience for us. Honestly, she was extremely professional and sensitive to the issues involved. She made us feel welcome with a sincere friendly smile and attitude. She followed through on your behalf and kept us abreast throughout.
Sears and many other corporations truly need individuals like you and Danielle to run businesses. Unfortunately today, business managers at the highest level do not understand great customer service. Anyway, my wife and I will continue to shop at Sears with confidence all due to you and Danielle’s handling of this matter.
Hope that one day I can personally say «hello to you» and shake you hand.
Gonzalez Family

Home of the 3-​hour oil change! They’ll complete your oil change within 3 hours or… well…they do it when they get to it.

I first went here in fall 2013 for new back tires. They said they had them in stock and they would do the service same day. They called me two hours later to tell me they didn’t have them in stock and had done nothing on my car. What a waste of time. I did bring it back the next week and got the tires installed.
I failed my inspection in May 2015 due to the back tire that they sold me pretty much falling apart in a little over a year. I purchased the warranty so they reluctantly agreed to replace it. I scheduled an appointment 4 days in advance for a Sunday, and I was told they would order the back tire as well as two new front tires as those needed to be replaced as well. When I showed up, I found out that they had put me down for a flat repair and never ordered the tires. They said I would have to call Monday because the tire place isn’t open on weekends. I called Monday, and was told that they don’t need to order them, because they were in stock the whole time! They also could not locate the quote they had given me earlier in the week.
I brought it back today, Wednesday, and they still don’t have my back tire. They failed to order it a second time. I will now have to bring my car back in for a third time when they do get around to ordering the correct tire.
Bottom line, the staff is incompetent. Pay a little more money and go to the Firestone or Goodyear on Wolf road instead. The amount you save by going to Sears is not worth the hours of wasted time and the headaches.

We arrived with a flat tire at 6:40 on a Saturday (when the closing time was 7). Even though I’m sure everyone wanted to go home, they were extremely pleasant and efficient in helping us out. They really saved the day, because all other places were already closed at this time on a Saturday.
We also really appreciated the comfort of their waiting area /​lounge. They had great magazines, coffee, tv and even a cell phone charging station.

I wish I’d thought to look at Unilocal before being towed here. Even having said that it might be a broken axle and having waited several hours for the «senior» tech to be available, I was told the problem was probably the transmission, which they don’t fix. After paying to have it towed to a transmission place near home, they actually put it on the lift and discovered a broken axle.
Near as I can tell, the tech couldn’t be bothered to push it into the shop to put it on the lift, so wasted several hours of my time and cost me the excess towing charges to get it home. My only consolation is that someone so useless didn’t actually work on my car.
Go anywhere else.

I had one of the most awful customer service experiences here. The Manager and Service Desk Employees are INCOMPETENT. They are dishonest and do not understand what a Quote is. They say one thing and do another.
Was quoted a price on the phone for something that was not in stock. Had to call customer service to ship from Plattsburg! All ready was being dicked around on the phone. At drop off — asked to make sure that price quoted and rebate were given. Service guy ensured that it would. Of course the old time to pay trick — Rebate was only eligable at the time of purchase and was expired! Uhhh the whole point of purchasing the product to begin with HELLO… Manager made good in the end but gave me the «who the fuck do you think you are look» when questioned as to why the initial price quoted was not honored at check out.
This had was by one of the worse sales experiences I have ever had. I’ve always heard good things about there Auto Dept and was really psyched to get good service and a good price. It was a battle to get both.
Do yourself a favor and pay a little extra for a local shop that cares about their customers. Had this shop not have a parent company to reach out to I would of been screwed. You wonder why Sears isn’t doing so well… They just need to hire some better people and that’s all it would take…

Went in for tires, came out with thousands of dollars of damage to my car, no info as to what happened and a whole lot of anger and frustration! Go someplace else, any place else! There would have been no stars, but it made me post 1.

I have been here twice (for tires once in 2004 and again in 2012) and have never had a problem. I think because I come across as knowing a thing or two about cars and tires that I have never been up-​sold on services or products that i didn’t need or maybe because I walk in knowing exactly what I want/​need after doing a bunch of research.
I haven’t had bad service at this location but also never have been here for emergency repairs/​oil changes. There are better places for that I have been going to for years.
I do agree that sometimes they take their time working on the cars in the shop and i always plan to be without my car for the day when i take it to (any shop) not just Sears.

I was hesitant to go but needed a repair shop with weekend hours when I could take and wait for my car. I telephoned mid week to try and make an appointment for this Saturday am for a/​c system recharge. I was told it was «first come first serve», that they opened at 7 am and come early to make sure I had a better wait time. I arrived at 7:15 am, checked in for a/​c recharge and an oil change. I stayed in a decent waiting room for about 2 hours as they stated it would be. The service tech came at about the one hour service mark and stated the radiator fluids was slightly low and asked when it had been flushed. I did not remember exactly so I said go ahead do a flush and refill. It turned our there was a «special deal» on those 3 services. I am pleased so far the a/​c is like new-​ice cold and today it’s 90 degrees and 70% humidity. I drove 15 miles to this Sears Auto because of the a/​c service. I have a local mechanic but I am now wondering if he is giving me as good service as I thought he was,
I will go back the staff was decent. I like the fact that they note future work that should be considered. I knew my front tires looked like they had less tread than the rear ones and now I know I will need front tires by the fall. The ability to take your car in on a weekend for service fits my families needs right now. There was no high pressure sales tactics but I could see some people being annoyed that they are adding onto your bill. I figure I was there the radiator fluid levels needed to be at least topped off why not flush and refill. I should be good for awhile.

Although at one time I was a loyal customer of Sears Auto Center, that is no longer the case. The Albany NY location at the Colonie Center is the worst auto repair shop I’ve ever been to.
My first complaint was from last year, when my wife went to get our snow tires put on. They kept her waiting 6 hours, despite quoting it as a 1 hour job. When my wife tried to find out what was going on, they treated her rudely. Although they were busy, there’s no excuse for rude treatment when you keep a customer waiting 6 hours. When she finally got home, I noticed that they had placed our summer tires in the back of my car without bags on them, dirtying up the upholstery. The mounted tires were under inflated. After going over the manger’s head I finally got some remuneration for this incident.
This most recent time, I decided to give them another chance in putting my snow tires on, as the manager assured me that the previous time was just a fluke. I take my tires in and ask them to put them on while my wife and I go see a movie and do some Christmas shopping. I pick it up now problem and take it home.
The next morning, one of my tires is completely flat. I take it back to Sears and I find out that my tires had been rotting along the rims, and despite knowing this, and knowing that they would not hold air, Sears mounted them anyway. Not only did they mount them, but they failed to inform me that this problem existed. They happily charged me for their worthless service and sent me on my way.
At this point I’m thinking that they’ll certainly refund the $ 47 dollar charge for the tires, in exchange for buying two NEW tires. Nope. They refused to refund the defunct service, and refused to even let me speak to the manager.
They are very polite when you talk to them, but the service they give is incompetent. I guarantee that at some point, you will have to file a formal complaint to get some money back, as this Sears will refuse to work with you. Where once I was a loyal Sears customer, I am no longer.

My initial impression here started very poor as I was not greeted or instructed by anyone where to park my car and whom to speak with about repairs. I had to interrupt an employee speaking with a customer to find out where to go to get a quote on service and then i waited 30 mins in a line of 1 person! However, once i reached the desk the process became much smoother. They gave me an estimate, called me later on in the evening to confirm what needed to be done, did the work and had my car ready to go the next morning 8am after a prior day 4pm drop off. The initial experience left me irked though, hence the low rating.

I drive a Lexus, but hate taking it to the Lexus dealer for service because $$$. I took my car to Sears for a check engine light on. I asked for a diagnostic and was told it would cost $ 90 after tax. I was assured that if they were unable to diagnose the problem I would be be credited. I was worried about this because of a previous experience in which an honest mechanic sent me to Lexus for further diagnostics. After Sears spent about an hour with my car they told me my computer was bad (=$$$) because their diagnostic machine was unable to communicate with my car’s computer. I took the car to another shop for a second opinion and immediately they got 4 codes. They were unable to distinguish which code was the problem based on their machine, but with further technical assessment they were able to narrow down the problem to a failed oxygen sensor. Either Sear’s diagnostic equipment is not up to par or they are not educated/​skilled/​patient enough to make a proper diagnosis. For basic mechanics they may be sufficient, but do not rely on them for anything more.

If I could give half a star, I would. This is going to be a rather long review but it’s a detailed outline of exactly why this place is so terrible.
I brought the car in around 9:50am, was told a few hours. Around 12pm they called and told me what was wrong. I was also told my brakes were in a condition that «should be replaced in a few weeks» (which for me, means much longer — I barely use my car)
After I told him to hold off on the brakes, about 15−20min later he called me and said they are now unable to put the brakes back on, and that I’d have to buy new brakes instead of getting the last few weeks/​months out of my existing brakes.
Around 2:30 I came back because that’s when I was told my car would be ready. It wasn’t, and I was told «about 45 minutes to an hour». Around 4pm the part they needed for my car arrived and I was told «now that we have the part, it’ll be a few minutes to install it»
Finally, around 6pm they finished and told me to come back in a few days to complete my inspection.
In general, the lack of customer support on the sales floor is also shocking. Many times I was waiting in the store-​room for over 10 minutes at a register, without any interaction or acknowledgement of any staff (even as they walked past –no one asked if I was being helped or needed anything). I could have easily walked out with half the store, maybe that would get their attention.

I have a hard time letting other people work on my car. But I also don’t own a padded lug with a long enough extender, and I needed new spark plugs, and I NEEDED them today…
Enter Sears Auto, with hours until 8pm and less than 10 minutes from my job. I swung over there after work, no wait, and walked through a quick inspection of the engine to make sure they knew what I was looking for.
They gave me a full estimate right there at the counter, showed me the computer screen with all the parts and labor listed, and let me pick what I wanted to do. They even had recommendations for parts I might want to pick up later if I decided to do my own filter and brake work, and didn’t push any sales on me, which I really appreciated.
«We’ll call you be 7:30»
Sure enough, at 7:25, Joey gives me a call: «Hi, your car’s ready if you are.»
They really went out of their way for me. My serpentine was split, which I didn’t know, and they threw one on for me, anyway. I did ask that they replace the plugs and caps, and the oil change was just gratis.
I have to say this is one of my better automotive experiences. Usually mechanics talk down to you, pad the price, and generally treat you like an ignorant baby. These guys let me check the work, talked to me about what sort of things were wrong with the car, and then gave me recommendations on how to maintain the car for the future. They even told me that I could probably have changed the plugs myself, and for reference, gave me the catalog numbers to order the parts on my own.
It’s a little more than I like with all that labor added on, but the customer service made up for it in spades. Courteous and convenient, I really would recommend them.

I went to Sears auto center for an annual inspection. Of course I waited to the last minute and so I went there out of convenience. I knew the car was in great condition because there was $ 2000 worth of work put into it a few weeks prior. Well they failed me on the inspection claiming that I had leaking power steering fluid. I think they were mistaking me for a fool because I am young. They were claiming an estimate of $ 1300 dollars saying they would have to remove the frame to get to the leak. While the mechanic was explaining this information his body language told me this was a bunch of bull because he couldn’t even look me in the eye while saying it. I have a 2002 Subaru impreza standard.
I took it to another location and guess what, I passed. No problem. Do yourselves a favor and stay away from Sears Auto Center.

I’ve been to this Sears roughly two dozen times and have had a VERY mixed bag of experiences. If you can make it through this long review, you’ll learn why I will never go back.
But first, the good.
Not too many years ago, I had an old POS car that I just happened to buy tires for at Sears. Sears has a fantastic road hazard policy, so they will basically cover any patch repairs if they sold you the tires. Free, no charge. It just so happened that the rims on my POS were very rusted and were causing significant damage to my tires on an ongoing basis. I was in Sears with leaking tires more times than I can count, and they never gave me an ounce of grief about it. Being a college student at the time, I was grateful to get anything for free.
After the POS was upgraded, I was coming to Sears only for the biannual switching of the snow tires. They have longer hours than many places and the mall is nearby to kill time. Occasionally I’d ask them change my oil too, because if the car needs to be taken in anyway, why the hell not?
Staff is typically pretty pleasant. Moderately knowledgeable. Some more so than others. They met my needs for the most part, but as I indicated above, I didn’t really ask much of them.
And then there’s the bad.
Sears Auto is often pretty horrible with communication. As I’m sure many customers do here, I would usually leave my cell number and ask them to call if the work was done early. They don’t often call. Sometimes it’s because they aren’t done when they say they will be. Sometimes if you come back when they tell you to, they act surprised and comment that the car had been done for quite some time. Yet, no phone call.
My first larger scale annoyance was when I brought my car in and the staff failed to notice that my inspection had expired. While I realize this is my own responsibility first and foremost, I’ve been to other places that would notice that in a heartbeat. I was a little peeved when I discovered this, but fortunately it was handled before I had any issues.
And then there was the deal breaker.
Again, I was here for the snow tire switch. They were very busy, so I was told my car would be done by closing time. So I waited and watched through the shop window. Tires came off; tires went on. But my car never came down from the lift.
Finally, a staff person approached me and explained that I’d have to come back the next day to get my car, because the lift was broken and my car could not come down.
They apologized. I do believe it was a genuine apology, but if they were really concerned about customer service, they should have offered me something in return. I mean, it’s not like you’re keeping my car extra time because it needs more work; you’re keeping it because YOUR equipment is faulty. Bullshit, I say. And you can’t even offer me a coupon or take $ 25 off my bill? Something… anything? Pfff.
And then they commented that I wasn’t the first person this had happened to. Umm… Pardon? Yet they continue to use that lift and obviously haven’t fixed it.
So they told me to come back the next day, and that a particular manager would be there, who would somehow use his magic touch to get the lift down and rescue my car. They told me to come in early when they were scheduled to open.
I came in early the next day and was informed that Mr. «Magic-​Touch» Manager wasn’t so magical after all. I was told that I could wait for someone else they’d called to come look at it. Unfortunately I have this inconvenient thing called a JOB that takes up much of my week, and I couldn’t sit around Sears all day drinking bad coffee, watching Good Morning America and twiddling my thumbs. So I told them I had to leave. I said I’d call them first to make sure they weren’t pulling my leg again, and then come back after work. So yet again, I had to get a ride back and forth while they held my car hostage. I should also mention that I did not get a second apology on this day.
I came back after work. I angrily paid for my services without any discount or any mention of the issue… and I walked out of there without looking back.
Moral of the story? Friendly people here at Sears. They probably mean well, but they are forgetful. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a back-​up plan for a ride home. Perhaps a bicycle in your trunk, or a dollar for the bus. You know, just in case your car gets stuck 6 feet high on their broken effing lift.

I had to wait only four and a half hours to have two new tires installed, discover the bill was twice the estimate, and be told the next day by a surly manager that the rippled gouge on my fender could not possibly be from their tools, because their tools are red, and I clearly was not taking car of my car because there was some tar on my passenger side mirror. These are professional automotive diagnosticians at their finest.