Advance Auto Tech

If I could give this place NEGATIVE STARS I would. On the outside, they seem like they’re very nice people, but they totally reinforce the negative stereotype of mechanics. I went to them several times and really trust them until even when it seemed kind of expensive. The breaking point was when I took the car in for just an oil change. One of Paul and Andy’s assistant mechanics popped the hood and told me that my radiator was broken and I knew it was not. He insisted it was broken because of all the coolant splashage, but that was because too much coolant had been put in the last time. He got angry that I didn’t believe him and didn’t want the radiator changed and I considered leaving, but for some reason, I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. I left the car with them and came back after they called me an hour later. Everything seemed fine and after I was almost home, which was a mere 7 minute drive, my check engine light came on. My brother and I troubleshooted the problem and then I eventually took it to a mechanic I trust in Woodside… that I was just too lazy to go in the beginning. We jacked the car up and we looked at everything under the car with a light and several of my wires were cut and a few things were unplugged. They are so freaking unethical. I can’t believe they did this to my car to get me to go back to them. Do not go there unless you want to get scammed or possibly get hurt or die in your vehicle.

This place is absolutely the worst. On my way home my radiator decided to blow up and I was right down the block so I came here. Coolant was leaking out of the radiator almost as fast as one could pour it in. The mechanic that came to diagnose the problem was rude and aloof, never bothering to take out his headphones. He literally ignored me and my girlfriend. The radiator was obviously shot so they were to replace it and the thermostat.
The owner, Paul, printed out an order form that included the price for an OEM part. I asked if he would be using an OEM part and he said no. So what was the point of of showing me the form? An aftermarket radiator for my car is a third of the price and is readily available in local stores and online @ $ 100 bucks. He quoted me 2 hours of labor for $ 180 but somehow the total was $ 380. Considering the difference of towing it somewhere else would have been $ 100, or more, I gave this guy a shot. He said it would be done by noon the next day and that they would call when finished. I had to call them the next day only to find out that the car had been ready for some time already. I couldn’t make it in time to pick it up before closing so I left it there another night.
When I arrived to pick it up, Paul handed my keys to the rude mechanic from the day before so that he could double check the coolant levels. Instead of doing anything at all, the mechanic crossed the street to chat with what I presume was his significant other and left me waiting while I stared at his interaction with the lady. He then returned to Paul without checking anything out. I told Paul that he didn’t do anything and Paul insisted that he did. At this point I’m running late for work so I figure I’ll check the coolant levels myself. Everything looked ok at first glance so I left.
As I begin driving, I get stuck in traffic and turn on the AC only to realize that it’s now not blowing cool air. I pull over and pop the hood to check out my «new» radiator. It’s got marks on it and bent fins already so at worst they just repaired my old radiator or replaced it with a used one. Who knows? Furthermore, one of my HID ballasts is just dangling because they didn’t take the car to mount it back to where it was. The hardware that I used to mount it is also missing. At this point I’m angry so I do a walk around of the car and notice that there’s a fresh new ding on the rear quarter panel with yellow paint still on it.
Of course now I go back and bring up these issues with Paul. He dismisses me completely and tries to tell me that the ding with paint on it is already rusting. No. There’s no rust. Just this paint that looks incredibly similar to the paint that’s on the arms of the lifts. He claims that the radiator is new and brings me a radiator that is not for my car. It’s for the turbo version of my car. Either they had it laying around or the body shop that had my car last put it in by mistake. I can’t be sure about that. Paul literally walks away from me while I’m talking to him and refuses to take responsibility for anything. Every mechanic in the shop looks guilty as if they know that they’re completely dishonest and have terrible business practices. Paul escapes to the office to deceive a poor lady and her child and sends some guy who isn’t dressed as a mechanic who asks for my keys to move the car because it shouldn’t be there even though they told me to park it there. Of course I don’t give them my keys and insist that this new fellow check out the situation. He doesn’t and instead tells me that I need to respect my elders and that there are plenty of «men here that can sort this out». At this point I’m irate and since it’s obvious they’re not going to take any responsibility for it, I took the radiator and came home. Now I’m considering taking him to small claims court. Not for the cash, but for the principle. I’ll be reporting him to the BBB. If I was walking by this place and saw this place burning down with Paul and his awful mechanics inside, I wouldn’t even consider taking a piss on the flames. You might think that’s extreme for a few hundred bucks but it’s about the principle. People should not be treated this way and Paul and his crew are the scum of the earth. The lowest of the lows. Stay away from this place at all costs.

I’ve been bringing my car here for years and I do actually like the work that the mechanics do. Unfortunately, the woman who runs the place, Jennie, has a terrible attitude problem that has turned me off for good. When last I brought my car here for an inspection, I was quoted a price of $ 700-​$ 800, which I did not have at the time, so my father suggested I take the car to his mechanic for a second opinion. I offered to pay for the inspection anyway, but she said not to worry about it, to just bring the car back for the repairs. But my father’s mechanic ended up charging me only $ 200 to address the problems. Granted, maybe there were still some issues with the car, but he performed enough repairs for me to pass inspection, which, at the time, was my main concern. Now, several months later, I was having some problems with the car so I brought it back to Advance Auto, even though the tow truck guy advised me to take it elsewhere. Immediately Jennie caught an attitude because I hadn’t brought the car back for repairs after the last inspection. She informed me that this time, if I didn’t get the work done there, she would charge me a $ 65 check fee because she didn’t like «wasting» her time. She went on for a while, berating me for having taken the car elsewhere and claiming my father had done something shady. I also got tired of being told to junk my car completely and buy one of theirs – a conversation we’ve had many times before. She went on so long, rolling her eyes at me the whole time, that I finally said forget it and drove the car out of there. I won’t be back. Too bad, since the mechanics there are good at what they do. But how you speak to your customers is important too.
Update: I took my car to a different mechanic. The same problem that the first place claimed would take at least a week and several hundred dollars to fix? The mechanic fixed it in all of five minutes and charged me nothing.

BEWARE, THIS PLACE IS A SCAM AND WILL RIP YOU OFF BIG TIME!!!
Bought my car here for the state inspection. This place was a rip off, first thing they did was to raise my car and performed some quick check, and then told me the car needed repair, price for the repair was quoted $ 500. but none of those were related to the state inspection. I was told if i didn’t do the repair, they wouldn’t do the inspection for me. I left and knowing that this was a scam because they never tried to do the state inspection. Instead try to rip off me for things that I don’t need.

I came here yesterday after a day of nonsense at the Mercedes service center. My family has known the owner of this autoshop for a long time. I explained my problem and they checked it right away without that bs $ 130 check fee. They ran the diagnostics and checked other parts of the car and found out the problem within a few short hours. The wiring was faulty (thanks Helms Bros Mercedes), and my wheel alignment was off by a little. I left my car there over night for them to fix everything properly.
The only thing I’ll recommend doing before handing you car over to them to fix is to check your mileage and gas meter. Write it down and show the mechanic so they don’t F around with your vehicle and take it out for joy rides. There’s no such thing as a trust worthy mechanic unless you know one personally.