Car X Auto Service

Strongly urge to AVOID this place at all costs. Had the worst car repair experience of my life here. Leadership is astoundingly incompetent and greedy, and mechanics are not provided with the necessary training or equipment for the job - not at all what you would expect from a professional repair shop. The manager and regional manager conduct extremely unethical business practices. If I can help just one person out there to avoid being scammed by con artist Car-X as I was, then I will consider this post a success. Customers deserve to know who they are doing business with, so here is a very abbreviated version of my story (read the whole post get the full picture, or skip to the bottom for the satisfying ending):

In the middle of the blazing summer, the cold air in my car stopped working and driver’s floorboard was frequently wet. Unaware of the hellhole I was about to step into, I took the vehicle to Car-X to have them inspect for A/C issues. The mechanic, who was actually a family friend that I didn’t previously know was working there, gave me a printed estimate and graciously explained to me in detail why the “Evaporator Core” needed to be replaced. I took the estimate home for consideration.

I took the car in weeks later for a repair appointment. In a strange, contradictory pivot, the manager (Tony) said that particular mechanic no longer worked there, and that the original quote was “garbage” (His words exactly). Confused and suspicious, yet trusting the benefit of a doubt, I approved another inspection. They changed the diagnosis and told me that only the “Compressor” needed to be replaced. In hindsight, this contradiction was extremely shady, and I should have sought out a second opinion at this point to verify the true problem. Foolishly trusting their word, I paid for replacement of the “Compressor” for a total of over $1,100 charged to my credit card. The cold air worked for one week before breaking again.

Obviously upset that the problem was not fixed, I took it back to Car-X for an explanation. Showing zero empathy and the slightest hint of a smirk, Tony the manager explained in a disturbingly cheery manner that the “Evaporator Core” (Original diagnosed problem) now needed to be replaced and it would cost an additional $900+ to complete the job. Stunned by his nonchalant demeanor in presenting this supposedly unexpected expense, I began to wonder if he was expecting my call for a return visit all along. He tried to explain that it was purely a coincidence that the “Evaporator Core;” the part they had originally identified as the issue but had later suspiciously changed their mind on, had now gone out only a week after they supposedly “fixed” my A/C unit. At this point I definitely felt like I was being conned. I asked if he would prefer to speak in his office, away from other customers, to which he declined. I calmly explained my frustration and suspicion that the $1,100+ “fix” lasted only a week. I questioned the validity of the “repairs” that had been done, and why the original inspection identified the correct problem part, but was dismissed as “garbage.”

Understandably, I strongly disagreed with Tony’s attempt to charge me almost double to finish the repair job. By this point I had received 3 separate, conflicting invoices/estimates, paid over $1,100, and the job I had hired them to do was still no closer to being completed. In light of the mounting inconsistencies, I respectfully asked that they do the right thing and either finish the job they were hired to do, at the original agreed upon price I had already paid, or else give a full refund for incomplete/incompetent service. Still not showing an ounce of empathy, this manager became aggressively standoffish, escalating the conversation to a heated debate right at the front desk as several other customers watched with wide eyes. After he refused any attempt at a reasonable conversation, I decided to go over his head.

I reached out to corporate, and received a personal call directly from the regional manager, Greg. He was as confused about the situation as I was, and even agreed with me that it was “fishy” (His exact words) as did the receptionist who filed the complaint. She said that Tony had put me, “in between a rock and a hard place,” and "needed to make it right". Within the week, the regional manager met with Tony, who told him several lies and half-truths concerning the situation. Then, in what I can only assume was a greedy attempt to prevent monetary loss for his store/region, Greg offered a measly discount of ~$350 off of the yet to be completed repair job. Like the manager, he too became aggressively standoffish when I respectfully pressed for them to do the right thing and finish the job at the originally agreed upon price, or refund in full.

After getting a distasteful sense for the dishonest, unethical business practices of Car-X and it’s senior staff, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I filed a dispute with my credit card provider, wrote a five page letter including documentation of the inconsistencies, as well as a written statement from the mechanic that did the original inspection - clearly stating his findings and the reason that the “Evaporator Core” was indeed the issue and that replacing it was the most cost-effective route. Now, about 5 months after the original visit, the dispute has been resolved in my favor and Car-X did not get a dime from me. I hope that anyone who reads this will heed my advice and steer clear of this place and it’s greedy, dishonest, incompetent owners. If by some chance you are reading this too late, hopefully you paid with a credit card and can dispute it like I did. It boils my blood to think that they have likely gotten away with scamming people like this countless times. After researching and talking with friends that have dealt with them, it seems many people have experienced shady business dealings with them as well. This company obviously does not care about maintaining a brand of integrity. They refuse to own their mistakes and make situations like this right. Save yourself money and the headache of dealing with dishonest people, STEER CLEAR of Car-X.

P.S. My family were loyal customers of Car-X for ~10 years prior to this incident. We had a great relationship with the previous manager, Carson, who was as quality a businessman as they come. After this incident, I am determined to actively turn anyone I can away from this place to spare them from the same greedy, dishonest, unethical business practices. Learn from my experience. Stay away.