Where do I start? I used this mechanic service to repair a bad fuel pump in my SUV on the recommendation of my boss. The price they charged for the pump was well over market according to friends in the industry and my own research, but I went ahead and let them do it just to have it taken care of. Two days after I got the truck back, I noticed my radiator leaking to the point where it was completely empty. When I called them, they told me that they would come pick the truck up and take a look at it. Good deal, I thought. Not so much.
Three hours later they told me I needed to replace the radiator and hoses, and the work would be $300. I noted that it seemed strange that it would break immediately after getting it back, and they said, ""these things happen, it's an old truck."" Fine, I guess 2001 is getting up there in years now.
When I went in to get my truck back, the radiator repair was listed for over $750 on their invoice, including over $200 to diagnose the problem (an obvious radiator leak). When I disputed the amount, they said they told me over the phone how much it was going to be. After arguing with the owner for almost 30 minutes that they only told me $300 and that's all I had, it was apparent he wasn't going to listen. He told me they would take the $300 that day so I could get the truck back, and they would call me to 'figure out' the rest of the bill, after I told him I wasn't prepared to pay that amount but I was willing to compromise. Given them my credit card was A BIG MISTAKE. They ran it for $300, which is fine, but they also wrote the card number down, including the code number on the back, without my knowledge. They never contacted me to work out the other amount of the bill, which was fine by me because I felt I paid them what I owed them.
A month later I found a charge on my credit card for $470, the remaining amount on their invoice. They never contacted me, they never gave me a bill, they never even let me know they were going to run it... they just did it. Because they wrote down the security code from the back of the card, I didn't need to be present for them to get an approval. I'm currently in a fight with the Credit Card company to get that money back, but Diagnostic Auto & Tire Center has their money, so I'm sure they're just as happy as can be. In total they took over $2000 from me to fix my truck in the space of a week. Did it get fixed? Yep, it works. Will I ever use them again or give my credit card to another mechanic? No way in hell.
Oh, and my boss won't be recommending them anymore either.
For more information on this situation, including copies of all my invoices and pictures of my truck, visit duskrider dot com /lascrucesautorepair/diagnosticautoandtire.php
Pros: Taught me a valuable life lesson
Cons: Expensive, dishonest, unwilling to compromise
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