Oh Wow! What happened to Doug the "Car Czar" that we all used to watc... read more Oh Wow! What happened to Doug the "Car Czar" that we all used to watch on tv and trust him and value his opinion??? Have you ever seen anyone crash so fast and hard- all I see are reviews that he's ripping people off and dis-satisfied customers. This is so sad to watch happen. Sometimes people just go off the rails and it snowballs and before you know it things are out of control. How long can the business stay open at this rate? Really sad to see- I hope he can turn his business and reputation around but what are the odds of that?
1/13/2018 A few months ago I brought my 2002 Hyundai XG350 in to ... read more 1/13/2018 A few months ago I brought my 2002 Hyundai XG350 in to look into leaking power steering fluid. I was told of several possibilities and associated costs. Hoping for the best I let them take a look. Later that day I was called by Leah in the office and she explained it required the "Mid cost" fix of a high pressure power steering hose. She gave me an estimate, explained they had to order parts and gave me a two day window to have the work completed. I agreed to these estimates and gave the go ahead. At the end of the next day I received a call that the work was done. When I went to pick it up I was informed the part was @ $120 less than expected due to a manufacture revision. Now that's refreshing! One thing; the check engine light came on a couple days after picking up the car indicating the EGR valve wasn't working. My son investigated and saw one of the hard plastic hose connectors to the EGR valve was broken. It was near the area of the power steering hose so we guessed it happened during that service. My son said high heat and age makes them very brittle. He said most shops tell you these things will likely break on older cars and include replacing them in the estimate so you won't be surprised if it happens. It was an easy fix for $2 and 10 minutes so I didn't even mention it to Florin Auto. Subsequent to this visit I received a post card with further maintenance recommendations and a 10% discount offer. I was going to change the tranny fluid and considered struts anyway so why not? Again, I was given estimates of costs and time frame of completion. Anyway, low and behold the actual cost was less than the estimate since an exterior transmission filter and alignment wasn't necessary! The one thing that kept me from giving 5 stars was my traction control system and anti lock brake system warning lights were on when I went to pick up my car. They had to keep it any extra day. They couldn't figure out what was wrong and just reset the system to clear the warning lights and told me to drive it for a while and let them know. If necessary they would have to run a full diagnostics. I've put on @ 300 miles and the lights haven't come on again so I guess it's all good. Bottom line: They may not be the cheapest shop but at least 1. It's a clean and organized shop 2. I got verbal and written estimates for cost and time 3. They display honesty in passing on lower than expected costs to the customer 4. They met the expected time frame for completion 5. My car didn't have greasy smudge marks all over it when I picked it up on either occasion. So, a couple of things weren't as planned but I know sometimes these things happen. I truly feel Florin Auto would have taken care of the hose connector if I needed them to. The overall snapshot I've received from this business is a good one and honesty in an auto mechanic is golden so I'll be a returning customer.
I can't believe it has taken me this long to write a review. This plac... read more I can't believe it has taken me this long to write a review. This place is by far my #1 go-to in the area. The owner is really personable and recognizes me by name. Being a young woman, it's hard to find someone you can trust to be honest with you when it comes to auto repair. A while ago, I took in my car because my battery would spontaneously die on me. They noticed the hood prop rod was rolling around in there and knocking the cables loose and just put in a little clip to keep it in place and sent me on my way, free of charge! That's what made them A+ in my book. They've always been very honest with me and very accommodating. I usually have only come in for oil changes, which are speedy, cheap and easy. My only complaint is that sometimes I drive up on a Saturday (I've moved out of the Arden-Arcade area) and find them to be closed. I'm hoping this review helps them stay open as many days as possible!
