These guys are out to take your money. I've had an overheating problem with my 92 VW and have had to take it back to them three times. They still haven't figured it out and every time I bring my car in, the make a laundry list of parts that need replacing. Guys, my car is a '92, of course sh**t needs replacing. But do I look like I want to pump $1000 into my car every month? The clincher for me was the last time I brought it in after it started to overheat on the way back from their shop. The guy calls me and tells me that my water pump is making noise and that I should replace it. Also that since they have to go in through this certain way, that I should replace the timing belt while I'm at it (it's only 3 yrs, 7,000 miles old).... for a total of $1200. After a ten minute conversation I finally got out of them that all I really needed was a new thermostat. It's like pulling teeth with them... To top it, the water pump is NOW making noise. It wasn't when I brought it in.... They also took 6 days just to get my car back to me.... These guys are either grossly incompetent or blatantly crooks. They are the mechanic equivalent of vampires. Don't trust them.
---- update 2/23/07 my car ended up having a cracked engine, and i had to donate it to charity b/c it was unfixable. the crooks at SF auto repair mentioned in passing that this "might be a possibility" while suggesting a list of other things i should think about fixing first. what kind of dishonest people would recommended getting new freakin' brakes on a car that might well be ready to be junked?
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