Gary Miars Automotive

I knew what the problem was as it had happened before and even advised Gary of this along with giving him the printouts from Pep Boys but apparently he didn't listen. I advised him I was trading in my vehicle so I wanted it to be fixed as inexpensively as possible. Nobody ever called me to give me updates I was constantly having to call up there. Friday my vehicle wasn't ready as promised and Gary stated they couldn't find out what was wrong with it and he would have to do some research over the weekend. I'm pretty sure they never even touched it because Monday when I called I was still getting the run around, they were still running diagnostic testing, etc. It was nearing the end of day Monday and it wasn't fixed. Then Gary calls telling me they figured out the problem and he was having someone run to Plano to pick up the part and it would be ready for me. I was about to head over and then no surprise he calls, he only ever called to give me bad news. They were wrong and that wasn't the problem so it wouldn't be until the next day until it would be ready. Gary yelled at me when I asked him if he checked the coils, had a problem with previously and was doing the same thing. I was at his mercy so I just asked him to please get to it first thing in the morning. I call and he's with a customer but will call me back. He never does so I call again and he tells me it's 2 coils and quotes me a price doubled what Pep Boys charged me 2 months prior. Later that afternoon he calls me back and says it's misfiring, the coils aren't connecting and it will be morning until they can find out how much a new computer will cost. Are you freaking kidding me??!! I reiterated that I was not paying another penny and that I was trading it in so as long as it made it to the dealership it was fine the way it was. He kept trying to scare me saying it's going to drive rough. I told him I didn't care, put it back together and I'd be there to pick it up. Magically when I arrived he told me it was just a bad connection with the coils and it was running perfectly. Seriously you don't check the connection before you try to make the customer buy a new computer? It was quite apparent that he was trying to take advantage of me because I was a woman to see how much he could get out of me. I could have taken it to the dealership and paid less but I was trying to give a job to the little guy in the neighborhood and not sure I will ever do that again because of my experience with Gary Miars!! The manager and other employees there were friendly it's a shame that the owner was so very rude and unprofessional. Shame on him! more

I have taken all my cars to Gary Miars Automotive (GMA) for the past 24 years. I have recommended GMA to many friends and family and all are repeat customers. There's never been a problem they haven't solved quickly and I have never been surprised by any outrageous bills. Pros: Numerous Cons: none more

I just recently had work done on my car with Mr Gary Miars, and i must say i am quit impressed. Not only did they fix my problem there were no hidden charges or fees which i did not expect as has happened to me in the past at pervious shops. Pros: easy to find, helpfull staff more

I'm sure other people have had great experiences at Gary Miars but I was NOT one of them. I went there in December with a '99 VW Jetta that was overheating and leaking coolant. It took them 3 tries and over $1,100 to finally fix the problem. The first time, they replaced a broken pipe that was leaking coolant. That was fine and they were very nice and flexible with payment. However, less than 2 weeks later, it overheated again and was leaking coolant from a different place. I relunctantly took it in again and let them do the work they said needed to be done. I picked it up and, drove my car from Gary Miars, to work, and on my way home it overheated AGAIN. That was driving it less than 20 miles. I took it in again. I was called later the next day saying it was ready. I was NEVER called about authorizing work or what an estimated cost would be, so I assumed they were correcting their mistake/misdiagnosis free of charge. I went to pick up my car and was given a $220 bill. I fought my way down to pay only $100, but I felt completely taken advantage of. Gary Miars himself was nice enough to do business with. The third time I took my car there I dealt with Terry and found him entirely disrespectful and unprofessional (he's the one that never called me to authorize the work). In the end, we found that it was a broken thermostat that had caused all the problems in the first place. So, basically if they had replaced the t-stat the first time I took it in, I wouldn't have had any more problems. They were even working around the t-stat the first time I was there but didn't replace it even though the engine was overheating. They never once apologized for obvious mistakes. So much for the customer's always right. Like I said, they've been in business for a few decades and I'm sure have many loyal customers but I left angry, broke and without a reliable car for a month. For any VW owners, go to Lord of the Rings in Farmer's Branch (They specialize in VW/Audi). more