Grand Rapids Auto Repair

Mr. Strickland, we strive to do our best every time , but obviously this time we failed. It's our job to ensure that everything that occurs in the evaluation and service of your vehicle is understood thoroughly by you, or in this case, your wife who brought the vehicle in for service. Even though we have a signed work order from when the vehicle was dropped off with the charges that would be incurred, we must not have explained the charges thoroughly enough and verified that they were understood. The charges were to cover the labor for the belt adjustment and the brake inspection. After all, we have to cover the expenses of our technicians and the equipment used or we wouldn't be able to keep our doors open. As far as the full inspection report we emailed you, that is a service that we provide for free and is greatly appreciated by most of our clients who want to know the state of their vehicle. It's our responsibility to let our clients know if there is anything that is in need of service. It's in the best interest of both the client and our shop, especially if it's safety related as many of the items on your vehicle were. For example, if a vehicle comes in for a simple maintenance service and we don't look over the vehicle, and a day later a worn suspension/steering component fails causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle, who's liable then? Most likely us. Do we make a living in the process of doing this? Of course, but it's an honest living. We never "upsell" anything that is not needed and we work with our clients to prioritize what needs to be done now and what can wait. We always welcome clients to obtain a second opinion and also shop around, but while shopping around, you may not be getting the same quality of parts, workmanship, and warranty. The other shop may not even be estimating the complete job since they haven't put eyes on it themselves. Are we the cheapest in town? No. We don't want to be. But, we are fair. We compensate our staff very well, provide them with constant training and updated equipment, and ensure they and their families have an excellent quality of life. We charge accordingly to accomplish that. Anyway, I'm so glad you provided some feedback that we can grow from. If you'd like to provide more suggestions on how we can improve, please contact us so we can make it right. I'm terribly sorry we dropped the ball this time and we are committed to making sure this type of miscommunication doesn't occur again. Thank you for your time. -Andy

So glad we could help and we'll do our best to continue to help!!!

Justin, myself and the rest of our staff are baffled over this situation. Here's why: Your wife visited us to obtain an estimate for three concerns. She wanted a quote for labor to install an Air Conditioning Compressor, there was a shimmy in the front end/steering wheel at all times, as well as a red brake warning lamp that would illuminate when turning either direction. We didn't want to install a compressor as she requested because we were concerned it wouldn't correct the symptom. We informed her that we would need time to diagnose the three concerns so that we could provide an accurate estimate and be sure she was getting the repairs she, needed-no more, no less. We informed your wife that between the three different concerns it would total roughly $200.00 which included labor, air conditioning refrigerant, and leak detection dye. The labor included road testing, inspection of the steeering & suspension system for the shimmy concern, inspection of the brake system for the brake warning lamp, and evacuating/recharging/inspecting AC system. After this clear discussion about the process and cost for initial diagnostics, she scheduled an appointment. The night before or morning of her appointment, your wife used an after-hours key drop envelope to drop off the vehicle. She filled out the envelope with all of the concerns that were previously discussed, wrote "$200", drew a "smiley-face", and signed in the area approving the aformentioned diagnostic costs. We not only performed all of the diagnostics for that cost, but the vehicle left here with working air-conditioning, no shimmy in the steering wheel, and a full description of the condition of your braking system. We actually REPAIRED two of the concerns for the cost of the diagnostics. The vehicle also needed brakes on all four wheels, but that repair was declined, so the brake warning lamp remained on. Here's something to think about: If we would've installed the A/C Compressor as requested, it would've cost you hundreds more and it wouldn't have been necessary. We actually saved you money by going through the proper process to determine what you needed. On top of that, your conditions were not only diagnosed, but corrected. Everything, including prices were discussed and agreed upon ahead of time. I strongly hope that you reconsider keeping this review posted as it is completely false. I can't help but notice that 1-star, negative reviews are becoming a trend for you. We are 100% honest, 100% of the time. If we were anything but, we wouldn't last.

Thanks John! Positive feedback like this really keeps us going! We really appreciate your business!

Thank you so much Brandon! We're lucky to have him here working with us! We appreciate having you here as well!

Taylor, we're so pleased you had a good experience with us! We will continue to try our hardest to improve!

Thank you so much Sarah! We appreciate you trusting us to service your vehicle!

Thanks so much Aviv!!! So glad to have you!

We're so happy that your experience with us was a good one! We really appreciate you giving us a chance! Thanks Steve!

Thanks Brandon! We really appreciate the feedback!!!