Today is November 4, 2023 and I am reviewing a business for the first ... read more Today is November 4, 2023 and I am reviewing a business for the first time since moving to Orlando almost 4 years ago. I originally went to Affordable alignment at the recommendation of a neighbor that works there and had a specialist with German vehicles which was perfect for my old Audi convertible, the mechanic specializes in German vehicles is a fellow by the name of Mike and I cannot say enough good things about him. His knowledge and dedication is legendary. That is the good news, now, for possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had with an automotive shop. A little background, I drive a 2020 Yukon and use it as a black car service and today I drove to Port Canaveral from Orlando and my air conditioning stopped working on the way back from that trip. I drove directly to Affordable alignment, because in the past, they have typically Fit me in and done work for me immediately. Today was no different. One of the mechanics referred an AC specialist in the shop to me and he immediately diagnosed the vehicle since he could hear that the blower motor seem to be working properly. he immediately stated that it was either a very dirty filter, or the actuator was not diverting the air to the proper vents. That led him to removing the filter behind the glove box, and discovering that it was one of the dirtiest filters he’s ever seen and was so blocked up that when he removed it, the air conditioning began to work fine. With a smile on his face he said will order a filter for you. It will be here in a few minutes and I will install it and you’ll be on the road. As you can imagine this is about the best news you can hear when you’ve suddenly discovered your air-conditioning is no longer working. It could be many many things all of them potentially quite expensive. This is about the cheapest fix anyone could hope for. I thought to myself even if they charge me a one hour minimum for a 5 minute diagnosis of $100 for labor and $34 for the part plus tax I’m looking at $150 worst case. After 45 minutes from my initial arrival, I went to the office and was presented a bill for $292, I paid it without question and stated on my way out the door that I felt I was being gouged, and I think made it clear that this was the last time I would put myself in that position with this particular business. Instead of saying something along the lines of I’m sorry you feel that way or is there anything we can do to go through this and make you more comfortable? Instead, I was insulted by the cashier, and was told I wasn’t gouged at all that they have to charge for labor and diagnostics, I was made to feel as if this was my first trip to the Mechanic And keep in mind earlier. I explained that I had witnessed the diagnosis it took 5 minutes and that’s being generous. I have noticed over the last year that this place is exclusively focused on money and profits and doesn’t really any longer focus on doing quality work for a reasonable price , I suspect a new generation has taken over and all they focus on is the Almighty dollar. If you’re one of those people like me who does not have money to burn, stay away. If I’m the other hand, you have more money than you know what to do with I must admit, they still do as quality work as they’ve ever done . This is just the last time they will do any work for me.
This has got to be one of the worst auto shops of any kind. I went in ... read more This has got to be one of the worst auto shops of any kind. I went in to have my Jeep axles re-geared. They quoted me $1,238, which was the lowest price I found. But when I went to pick it up, they told me I owed over $1,800. There was no extra work, no unforeseen problems, no complications with the Jeep. They simply claimed they never quoted me $1,238 and had no idea where that figure came from (of course, they had zero notes from the phone call or a written price estimate anywhere). I reluctantly paid their price because I had no choice. I was told that to get their 1-year/12,000 mile warranty on the work, I'd have to return and have the gear fluid changed after 500 miles. I did so, only to find out this cost another $153. How clever... they only honor their work with a warranty if you pay for it. This "mandatory" follow-up service is included in the price at every other shop in town. So after being bait-and-switch overcharged for the service, then getting squeezed for another $153, the total price was just under $2,000 - which was equal to the highest estimate I got anywhere. Had they been honest about their prices, I would have never visited this shop. I would STRONGLY recommend avoiding this shop at all cost. To make things worse, they were also supposed to install a pair of c-gussets on my front axle (small metal bracing to strengthen the C bends for oversized wheels). I asked specifically if they could install this while doing the axle work. He put me on hold for 10 minutes to talk to his technician about it before confirming that it would not be a problem. When I dropped the vehicle off, they again confirmed the c-gussets would be installed. I called the shop 48 hours later, just to be sure they found the c-gusset kit and instructions. AGAIN, they confirmed they had and it would be done. When I picked up the Jeep, they acted like they had no idea what I was talking about. "C-gussets? Who told you we'd install those?" This place is literally the twilight zone. They quote prices then pretend they never said it. They offer to perform services, confirm, then re-confirm, but act as if you never mentioned it 2 days later. If you do business here, you deserve what you get. The fact that they are still in business is baffling. They're disorganized, unreliable, and essentially deceptive. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
I recently bought a car for my son. When he test drove it, everything ... read more I recently bought a car for my son. When he test drove it, everything was fine and ran well. Within 20 minutes of driving the car home, the brakes started squeaking and making noise. There is an oil leak. The automatic doors/locks don't work. They advertised the car came with an alarm. There is none! I was never told there was an oil leak and the the brakes will need to be changed. My son was driving to school this morning and the car turned off on him, in the middle of the road!
