Wilhelm Automotive - Happy Valley

9715 W Happy Valley Rd, Peoria, AZ 85383, USA

Address:	9715 W Happy Valley Rd, Peoria, AZ 85383, USA
Phone:	+1 623-299-9750
Site:	wilhelmautomotivehappyvalley.com
Rating:	4.9
Working:	7:30AM–5:30PM 7:30AM–5:30PM 7:30AM–5:30PM 7:30AM–5:30PM 7:30AM–5:30PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 37

Reviews 4

Trent Nielsen

This is a long winded review, but to get a good perspective of how this shop operates from someone who worked in the business for 7 years, it is worth it. The GOOD: Firstly, the staff is professional. I like that. They have a shuttle service, which I also like. The UGLY: I am a "do it yourself" kind of person. I understand places like this generally dont make a lot of money off of people like me, however I also dont expect a free diagnosis. I had them diagnose an engine noise in my CR-V. I didnt have the means to narrow down where the noise was coming from. They told me it was the alternator making noise. They charged me a 1/2 hour of labor to diagnose it, which was fine. I think they are 110 an hour, which is in line with dealer prices, but in conjunction with their high rater, they mark up the prices of their parts BIGTIME. These guys cost A LOT. They quoted me $500 bucks for an alternator replacement, and the alternator was $350 bucks alone. I understand there is markup on parts, but shops like this get a discount from their suppliers , so they buy it cheaper than I would. I bought a refurbished unit for 125$. My assumption is that they mark up their prices around 150%, which is just absurd. So, the prices (in my opinion) are not fair, and in the "gouging" zone. I changed the alternator myself, and the noise was still there. I took it back to them, and they discovered it was the A/C compressor. So I asked myself, "Had they changed the alternator, and discovered it wasnt the problem, would they have pulled it out?". This is an important question, because they cannot return parts to their suppliers after install (suppliers do not take back installed parts, even if still brand new). I do not know the answer to this question, but my hunch would be no. So I would have been out $500 bucks. Anyway, they quoted me $1800 bucks for a compressor replacement. What is weird though, is that when I called them, the service writer was "reading some bulletins" from Honda. This tipped me off that it might be a common problem. After hearing this, I did some research online and discovered this was a common problem with the clutch. Wilhelm probably read this same information and deduced from the bulletin and other information online. The car was past the standard warranty, however Honda had a replacement plan for those outside the standard warranty, extending it to 80k miles or 6 years (whichever came first). Because of the "bulletin tip conversation", we called the dealer and had it fixed for free (THANKS HONDA FOR STANDING BY YOUR PRODUCT!!). Furthermore, from reading the bulletins online, they probably knew this was under warranty, but wanted the business. So instead of doing the right thing and suggesting to check with Honda, they quoted me anyway. This is the reason why I do not think that this shop "does the right thing". Had they suggested this, I would have trusted them for future work, and paid the extra money for flushes/other work that this shop charges compared to my current shop. So, they wanted to replace the ENTIRE compressor, rather than suggesting to start with the clutch first (or suggesting to call Honda for a free replacement). Had I had them do the work, I would have been out $2300 bucks for an alternator I didnt need or a compressor that didnt need replacement. All of this to say: I get these places exist to make money. As a "do it yourselfer" there are things I cannot do, and need an affordable , reputable shop with good ethics to do for me. Heavy things, like AC replacement, fluid flushes, or anything that requires a lift with a large tool set. After knowing that Wilhelm is a highly regarded business from working in the auto repair industry as a manager for 7 years, I am disappointed with my experience with them from a cost and ethical perspective. I will still make my drive to the other shop that I trust (which is about 13 miles from this place) which is ethically affordable.

Brian Derrick

UPDATE2: I took my other car in for an oil change and inspection since they hadnt had it in yet. I learned a valuable lesson. For the past few years the place I had been having my oil changed had missed some major items that Wilhelm would not have missed, and it ended up costing me much more. They fixed my car for a reasonable price and brought it up to new. Dont try to save money with another place, in the long run Wilhelm would have saved me a lot of money. Im a loyal customer to this great business. UPDATE: A few days later my battery died again. I took it in and they diagnosed the problem and fixed it at a deep discount since it was missed the time before (which in full disclosure wasnt their fault. It was a random problem with the alternator that came and went and when they were looking at it the first time, it was working just fine.) Exceeded my expectations!. I was pleased to see this locally owned and original Peoria business open this new location. Luckily I hadnt had a need to visit them until my battery died. They did a great job of replacing it, checking for a larger problem and letting me know what other issues I should be aware of with my high mileage car.

Michael McClymont

This was my first time going to Wilhelm Automotive because I usually work on my vehicles or I take them in to the dealer so I know that things will get done right. I really hate the hard sell at the dealer and the high prices! I was really blown away by the professionalism of everyone at Wilhelm. You can tell a lot by a business right when you walk in the door, I was extremely pleased with how thoroughly they go over everything on your car. No hard sell at all, in fact the other issues they found they didnt even ask me to schedule another appointment to fix them. Now that is very refreshing! The work was done that they said was going to be done and I really couldnt be any happier that I finally found someone I can trust to work on my cars when I need them. Very highly recommended. You wont be sorry you went. From the phone call to the hand shake out the door everything was very surprisingly professional and out front, nothing hidden. Great experience!

Tina Kaetzer

My daughter was involved in a hydroplaning incident on the 303 late Wednesday evening (9/28) during the heavy downpour. There was some damage to a part underneath the car, and the tires were ruined by the rocks and cactus she ran over. After getting 4 new tires the next afternoon from Discount Tire, one of their associates (Tim, I believe) recommended Wilhelm, which fortunately was right next door. The car was taken to Wilhelm the next morning. John Radon was very kind (luckily, my daughter wasnt hurt during the incident) and informative. The work, including an alignment and an oil change, was done quickly. We were very happy with our experience, the only thing that would have been better was if Wilhelm had done the work free out of pity, since when I gave John my daughters credit card to pay for this stage of the work, it turned out to be expired (she hadnt gotten around to shredding it). So the tires and the alignment, etc. are on my credit card.