That night when I arrived home, I took the belt off... saying it was "cracked" was a stretch. I had to really flex the belt and stare to see any cracks in the ribs. I put on the new belt, then jacked my car up to inspect the ball joints. I did find that the UPPER ball joint boot had torn, but none were loose, and certainly none were on the edge of failing.
Fantastic service! They were friendly, honest and happy to explain everything they did to fix my car. I highly recommend them! Plus they offer a discount to EPA employees.
This is the most fair and honest automotive
I paid my fee, and left.
Last, but not least, kudos to Drew for his great service and support as always.
Ron is knowledgeable and looks down the road for you when it comes to repairs with your finances in mind. Edson their Master Tech knows what he's talking about and takes pride in his work. Andrew is the man when it comes to mounting and balancing my hellcat wheels. This shop is very trustworthy
Continuing our conversation, he told me I failed the inspection due to my serpentine belt being cracked. Okay, this is plausible, that belt has been on the car since I bought it ~2 years ago, and it was a used car. For that very fact, some months ago I had bought a replacement belt (along with other spare parts). So I declined Ron's offer to replace it, saying I'd just put on my replacement when I got home, and return the next day for the re-inspection.
In summary, I don't know if they assumed a guy in business attire didn't know (and worked on) his cars, or if the mechanic falsified his report to drive up revenue, or if Ron was trying to cover for him or really doesn't know much about ball joints. Regardless, I do not plan on coming back.
If you're a black woman you will be taken advantage of. The owner's son will weasel every dime you got. I truly believe they give a different experience and quotes to Caucasian people, and other prices to women of color. If you don't come in with a man, or they don't see a wedding band on your finger they will take you for a ride. They are disrespectful on the phone and will not admit their errors when you have to come back. Every time I went here, it was not a pleasant experience. They will not always give you a warranty for major work. I always waited hours for even simple things where there was not even a few people in the waiting room. I waited hours from work when they ordered a wrong part with no apology. They often gave me ridiculous quotes that did not match up to any other shop I checked. I saved THOUSANDS going someone else and got treated respectfully. I am so thankful I found honest, quality, respectful, and affordable store owners someone else. I do NOT recommend this shop for black women.
I'd like to pause the exchange here for a moment for anyone who is not mechanically inclined. You CAN NOT "tighten" a ball joint! I don't know if Ron misspoke (a pretty big one, too), or what. But my confidence in his knowledge of cars, the knowledge of the mechanics doing the inspection, or worse, their integrity, went to zero. I didn't push the issue by asking to be shown, because there was no charge involved, and I could easily check it when I went home.
I gave it two stars because they are relatively friendly, and were quicker than other shops have been in the past to get my car in and get started (even with an appointment). The full story is below.
After our exchange, Ron was not very engaging in conversation, but maybe whatever he was working on behind the service desk just required his attention.
I have been a customer at Colonial Tire and Automotive for over 8 years. Ron is professional and very knowledgeable. He is definitely a great asset. If you’re in search
no further because there is no better place.
Ron was much more engaging as I came back into the office, and thanked me for coming back.
I stopped in earlier this week for a vehicle inspection. Ron (who I think is a service manager) came out to me to tell me of two issues they found. The following conversation is near verbatim. Ron tells me "Your lower right front ball joint is really bad, it's about to come apart. It's dangerous to drive on. We can fix that for you." "My lower ball joint?" "Yes, lower right front, it can be very dangerous." "Weird. I just replaced all the control arms on both sides 6 months ago, and they came with new ball joints. I'll contact the manufacturer to get replacements." slight pause "Oh, uh, well, this is really dangerous, you shouldn't drive on it. We'll tighten it up for you, no charge."
repair facility that I’ve ever encountered.
for tires, brakes and automotive repair, look
The following day I returned. When they pulled my car into the bay, I walked around the outside so I could watch what these guys were going to do. They opened the hood and two mechanics looked around under the hood for ~3 minutes before both waking away. ~8 minutes later one of them returned, buttoned my car up, and pulled it around. No shenanigans, I guess they are just slow typists (DMV computer to put in the re-inspection).
Colonial Tire Automotive is a US Car Repair based in Durham, North Carolina. Colonial Tire Automotive is located at 2105 Highway 54 E, Durham, NC 27713, USA.
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