Today is November 4, 2023 and I am reviewing a business for the first ... read more Today is November 4, 2023 and I am reviewing a business for the first time since moving to Orlando almost 4 years ago. I originally went to Affordable alignment at the recommendation of a neighbor that works there and had a specialist with German vehicles which was perfect for my old Audi convertible, the mechanic specializes in German vehicles is a fellow by the name of Mike and I cannot say enough good things about him. His knowledge and dedication is legendary. That is the good news, now, for possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had with an automotive shop. A little background, I drive a 2020 Yukon and use it as a black car service and today I drove to Port Canaveral from Orlando and my air conditioning stopped working on the way back from that trip. I drove directly to Affordable alignment, because in the past, they have typically Fit me in and done work for me immediately. Today was no different. One of the mechanics referred an AC specialist in the shop to me and he immediately diagnosed the vehicle since he could hear that the blower motor seem to be working properly. he immediately stated that it was either a very dirty filter, or the actuator was not diverting the air to the proper vents. That led him to removing the filter behind the glove box, and discovering that it was one of the dirtiest filters he’s ever seen and was so blocked up that when he removed it, the air conditioning began to work fine. With a smile on his face he said will order a filter for you. It will be here in a few minutes and I will install it and you’ll be on the road. As you can imagine this is about the best news you can hear when you’ve suddenly discovered your air-conditioning is no longer working. It could be many many things all of them potentially quite expensive. This is about the cheapest fix anyone could hope for. I thought to myself even if they charge me a one hour minimum for a 5 minute diagnosis of $100 for labor and $34 for the part plus tax I’m looking at $150 worst case. After 45 minutes from my initial arrival, I went to the office and was presented a bill for $292, I paid it without question and stated on my way out the door that I felt I was being gouged, and I think made it clear that this was the last time I would put myself in that position with this particular business. Instead of saying something along the lines of I’m sorry you feel that way or is there anything we can do to go through this and make you more comfortable? Instead, I was insulted by the cashier, and was told I wasn’t gouged at all that they have to charge for labor and diagnostics, I was made to feel as if this was my first trip to the Mechanic And keep in mind earlier. I explained that I had witnessed the diagnosis it took 5 minutes and that’s being generous. I have noticed over the last year that this place is exclusively focused on money and profits and doesn’t really any longer focus on doing quality work for a reasonable price , I suspect a new generation has taken over and all they focus on is the Almighty dollar. If you’re one of those people like me who does not have money to burn, stay away. If I’m the other hand, you have more money than you know what to do with I must admit, they still do as quality work as they’ve ever done . This is just the last time they will do any work for me.
The oil sending unit in my wife's truck broke and pumped out most of t... read more The oil sending unit in my wife's truck broke and pumped out most of the oil in the engine. Thankfully there was Mobil 1 in the engine. Mark found the problem quickly and fixed it, changed the oil and she's back in service. Mark is very intelligent, knowledgable and has always been very honest in his dealings.
*INSPECT YOU VEHICLE BEFORE LEAVING AND EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE SERVIC... read more *INSPECT YOU VEHICLE BEFORE LEAVING AND EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE SERVICE YOU NEED, THEY MAY TRY TO CUT CORNERS* I brought my sons' car in for a four wheel alignment and they did not adjust camber or caster into specification. Jaime the Service Representative told me the numbers were within specification and after I presented him with the factory specifications which were from 1 to 2 degrees out of specification, he had the technician talk to me and the technician made other excuses, like the car was lowered and there was no more available adjustment. Since I already knew the car was at factory ride height and I could see there was plenty of adjustment left in the cams (two of which had no marks and the serrations were illegible with dirt) I decided to take the car to Irish Mikes at the first available opportunity (I did not drive the car during this period) and they were able to set all of the specifications Camber; caster; and toe; both front and rear to factory specifications with no issues, In addition to this, when I got the vehicle home ( I drove straight home with no stops less than 5 miles) I noted major damage to the passenger side door and immediately called Action Gator (elapsed time between signing the credit card form, discussing why the alignment was not to factory specifications and calling the shop was 18 minutes) and then I brought the vehicle back to them to see. Note: When I initially picked up the vehicle they had it parked illegally in a NO PARKING ZONE (which is more than likely where the damage occurred). After several conversations with Jim Dardini, Action Gator refused to accept any liability for the damage since the vehicle left the premises before it was reported. Throughout the whole ordeal the staff was not cooperative and defensive, they made me feel like I was the bad guy. Action Gator did end up refunding my payment for the alignment, but would not apologize or admit they did it wrong, I do have the alignment printout to show they released the car out of specifications and the one from Irish Mikes showing that there were no issues with the car preventing a proper alignment and showing the car aligned to factory specifications. IF YOU NEED SERVICE ON YOUR CAR I RECOMMEND IRISH MIKES ON FORSYTH, they are honest and have integrity. IF YOU NEED TIRES GO TO DISCOUNT TIRE NEXT DOOR, they also are honest and have integrity. TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, ALWAYS INSPECT YOUR VEHICLE PRIOR TO AND AFTER MAINTENANCE BEFORE ACCEPTING IT AND SIGNING THE INVOICE AND DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
