Groovy Lube

I had 200 dollars stolen out of my car during a routine oil change. The money was in a sealed, white, unmarked envelope inside the center console of my car. There is literally NO reason why they should be in my center console - they literally searched just my car for money. When I got to my meeting after the oil change, I quickly realized that it was gone.\r \r It took them DAYS of ""looking at the cameras"" and ""investigating"" to get back to me. But then the General Manager, Jim, just said that he couldn't give me my money back because his ""guys wouldn't do such a thing."" He goes on to say that none of the cameras are actually pointed in a direction where they'd be able to see the guy, Mike, stealing my money. So really, there was no ""investigating"" because the cameras aren't even set up to prevent theft. So really, it was just his opinion.\r \r Moreover, I had gone to the store a few times to try to get my money back and the mechanics told me the guy who worked on my car, Mike, was arrested for a DUI the same night he changed my oil and was probably going to jail and never coming back to Groovy Lube. Jim, however, lied and told me ""Mike left to start his own business."" And that he knew the ""character of his employees"" and ""they just wouldn't do such a thing."" So he isn't going to give me my money back. more

My girlfriend brought her car in for an oil change and now it looks like there is an oil well under our driveway. We have 3 large stains from leaking oil and the crankcase was also overfilled with too much oil. She took it back to complain and they said it must have been leaking from the top of the engine as everything appears tight. They said it should stop in a few days. I would not give these guys the chance to fill a bicycle tire with air ! more

Even though we all know that car maintenance is expensive, whether you go to the dealers or a regular automotive store the difference is in the service.\r Well Groovy Lube is far above and beyond most places when it comes to customer service.\r Not only do they check your car for free but they kindly take you to and pick you up from work for FREE.\r They take great care of their customers and that is what makes me keep coming back time after time again! Pros: Best customer service more

went in for oil change, and they didn't change the oil filter. they also left a big wrench under the hood, which i didn't care to return. Cons: poor work more

great service very quick and did not try to sell me anything but what i asked for man they were groovy even have girls working there thats cool. Pros: groovy attitude more

very rude..very, very rude. i've never met such a rude, pretentious crew of mechanics..who knew. Don't go here..terrible. Pros: central Cons: worst service, rudest crew in the milky way more

I have been to several shops in Texas and around Austin and feel that Groovy is the best in class. more

I have been going to Groovy Lube for years. I loved them. They were always very helpful and trustworthy. Apparently, they are under new management. They are disrespectful, they arrogantly try to play a game of up-selling you on unnecessary services. However, they don't even complete the original service you asked them to do. It's not too much to ask that they check the air on my tires, before they try to upsell me on unnecessary engine cleanings that they know I did just 3000 miles ago. \r \r I am so upset. It's rare you find a place you can trust, and I unfortunately have lost my faith in them. They have lost a customer for life. Cons: Terrible Service. They will actively try to rip you off! Don't do it. more

I originally wrote a long review of our bad situation with them, but decided they weren't the negative thoughts, so the sweet and short: We took our many cars there, they decided customer service wasn't part of their business and lost our many cars. We used them and only them, and I just found out they've really done a bad job not only for our oil changes but basic vehicle repairs (belts). I wrote the main office from the website, and no reply. AGAIN no customer service. Will NOT be going back, will NOT refer anyone, will warn everyone to STAY AWAY. All this after many years of dedicated patronage. NOT an Austin worthy company. Pros: They DID have good service Cons: Horrible customer service, not reliable for car work any more more

Don't leave your car with them. They are scam artists. The assistant manager ""Prince"" is a ignorant fool. The Manager will not bother to lift a finger for you. Horrible customer service and a sloppy job. They left their vice grips in my car positioned in a way that the car hood didn't close properly. We drove on the expressway soon after that. We could have had a disastrous car wreck. The Manager said, ""Well, you could have but you didn't.""\r \r The car battery was not properly placed back in the correct position nor was it fastened! The car wouldn't start later that day because the terminals weren't connecting. I had to tighten the battery terminals myself. On top of that, they said that the transmission needed a new seal. That very same day the transmission starts to slip into neutral. Just like that, a snap of a finger. It works before my visit to them. Then suddenly in an instant it stops working. Don't bother with these people.\r \r I live in West Campus. They are the closest place to the University, but from now on I'm driving as far away from them as possible. Pros: None whatsoever Cons: scam artists, belligerent management more

Probably the worst group of mechanics I have ever come across. When my car broke down they over-estimated the cost of the parts by over $200 and told me I needed parts that I didn't. They also estimated their labor at 3 hours time. It was an old radiator and myself and a friend replaced it ourselves in less than an hour and we are not even mechanics. The car works fine now. I would recommend that no one ever take their car to Groovy Lube. They try to act like your local Austin neighborhood shop by putting forward an ""alternative"" vibe, but in the end they just try to rip you off. more

I've been there many times, and until this most recent time have been very satisfied. Went there the other day (Feb 20th, 2008), and as soon as I pulled in was given a strong-armed sales pitch. ""Do you want a system flush? You should get one. Do you want synthetic oil? It's better."" I said no to both, and then while waiting for my $28 oil change, the tech came over and told me that my radiator was in need of flushing ($80) and my air filter was in need of changing ($40). \r I told him that I had my air filter replaced 3K ago, and that I would simply buy one from an auto parts store. He said that it would cost me just as much (turns out you can purchase a replacement for $11.95). I asked them about the radiator flush and they said that my fluid was dirty. The car only had 8K on it, and I refused the flush. The next day I took it to the Toyota dealer who looked at the fluid and determined that the radiator and the fluid were in fine shape and that no flushing or replacement were needed. Groovy wanted to extract an add'l $120 from me. The only thing I can presume is that they are under new management. Pros: proximity to campus Cons: They will rip you off for megabux! more

So apparently Groovy Lube's policy is to leave car keys in an unlocked, unattended car. When my car was stolen while in their possession I was left crying out front, not even offered a cab ride home. The general manager and owner refused to talk to me or return my phone calls. After a week I finally got in contact with their insurance company and got my paperwork submitted, but it's now been 3 weeks and Groovy Automotive has yet to submit theirs. One month after my car was stolen I've yet to get a phone call, an apology, or even an inkling that this may be resolved soon.\r more

I have been a customer of Groovy Lube for about 3 years now. Everytime I arrive even though there is a line it reassures me why else would people wait through a line when Jiffy Lube (one block up the street) has not a single customer. It's very sinple. Groovy lube does a Good work, They are prompt to greet you, offer only services your car needs and furthermore they get the work done correct and in a timley fashion. It's nice to be able to trust a lube shop!!! Pros: wireless internet, coffee shop connected, family business, locally owned Cons: occasional wait more

I got an oil change here and ended up with an oil leak. It costs me a lot more than the oil change, of course I didnt take it to them to have fixed. What a disappointment. Dont waste your time or money here. Cons: awful service more

I have some suspicion that the popular Groovy Lube oil-change (and auto repair) business near campus may not be entirely ethical. I have taken two different vehicles there at different times and they have suggested incorrect and unneeded repairs. My friend also was sold on a repair that came form an oil change, fell for it, and now she will not return there.\r \r As an example, when I sold one vehicle to another friend of mine and he took it in for an oil change, they suggested the engine may need serious repair and to take it over to their repair shop. This was quickly proven by another oil change shop ( that only did oil changes) to be completely unnecessary. I also often work on my laptop at a coffee shop next door to their campus location. I often overhear them take people aside after an oil change to ""tell them the bad news"" about needing an expensive repair over at their repair location. Overall, I would avoid this place. Pros: Great marketing Cons: Unethical and possibly dishonest more

Hello, my name is Clint, I am one of the managers at our automotive shop on N. Lamar. I am writing in response to the two postings regarding a car being dented (the forum wont let me use the word h1t) in our parking lot; I feel that if the situation was correctly described many would feel differently. The two postings are from a couple that came into our shop on a Thursday and left to goto lunch while we were to do some services. The couple returned approximately 20-25 minutes later, they then walked into the office claiming their car had been run into in our parking lot. Myself and two others walked out with them to look at the car and they preceded to show us where they claimed the car had been dented. Now keep in mind we have parking spots and they decided to park in the middle of the lot; when we looked at the vehicle we noticed that there were several dents in the car, not dings but dents. They pointed the one dent out, which was on the door and said that it wasn't there when they dropped the car off. Earlier when they dropped off the car they mentioned that it has been in two recent wrecks so the dent may or may not of been there prior to them ever coming to the shop. The gentlemen called Austin Police Department to make a report, within 10 minutes an officer was here taking down their information for the report. The officer had me contact customers with black cars that had recently been to our shop to ask them to return for inspection of their vehicle; both customers returned neither had any damage to their auto. The dent in the door had black in the crease, so they assumed a black car dented the door. The gentlemen (customer) asked us to give him copies of all customer receipts so he could see who had been here that day, we didn't in an effort to protect our customers privacy. I hope this clears up much of the confusion about what did or didn't happen. \r \r Best Wishes,\r \r Clint - Fleet manager of Groovy Automotive more

I dropped my car off to have the horn fixed. I left to eat lunch. I was gone for 25 mins and when I came back my drivers side door was bashed in. They claim that it wasn't their responsibility. They wouldn't even pay the deductible on our insurance. They have the attitude that we are at fault. They claim it must have been a hitandrun by another customer but they refused to release any info about what customers or part vendors had been there in that 25 mins. Very shady. They had closed circuit cameras all over the place but the camera that was facing the lot our car was in was mysteriously not recording at the time! I will be suing them. All I asked was for them to help pay the deductible. Pros: The are none Cons: They don't feel they are responsible for damage of the vehicle more

I left my car there for a repair and when I returned the door was smashed in! They took no responsibility for it and they were rude. I will never go back there again. more

They spent 2000 fixing my car, and finally declared it unfixable, leaving me with an unusable car, and groovy auto with a nice profit Pros: Cool Mechanics Cons: Poor customer service, low expertise more