Meineke Car Care Center

Reviews 4

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Steph Rubio

I went here to get my brakes done and I had a horrible experience. My brakes were making noise so I brought my car in and they told me all of them need to be replaced but the rotors could be resurfaced. I said ok and i left while they did their work. When i came back to pick up my car everything seemed fine. The next few days my brakes started to squeel only in reverse throughout the day. I called to ask what was going on and they asked me a serious of questions and they told me to bring it in. I called a mechanic for a second opinion and he told me to feel the rotors and if they feel like you are feeling a smooth glass top then they didnt resurface them. 3 of my rotors felt like a smooth glass top except for one. When i went in i explained what i was told and how i felt like i was lied to, the manager got upset and told me i voided the warrenty. Really? Just by touching the rotors with my finger? He then stated that since i was his customer, he would take care of me. He took my car in so I waited in the lobby this time. After 30 minutes they resurfaced again so it should be fine. I leave and literally a block away, not only is the squeeling still there but now there is a hissing noise coming from front. I call and tell them ill be back im a hour to have it looked at again. This time i bring my boyfriend with me and thats when their attitude changed. When they asked any questions or needed information, they would go straight to my boyfriend. This time my car was fixed in 20 minutes and they gave me a free oil change for the inconvenience. On the sheet that they give you about your car and what needs attention they stated that all 4 tires need attention. I asked why this changed within a week from only being the back the tires to now all 4? His response was that everyone measures differently! I told him i just replaced the front driver tire a month ago due to an accident so there is no way that it needs to be replaced. He just said oh and measured again then stated the front two were fine. I would also like to note that on the first inspection report they said only the brakes and back tires and within a week they added a few extra things! Did they even check my car at all? Now my brakes are squealing again in reverse throughout the day. I refuse to go back to this place, I dont care if I void the warranty. I rather go to the dealer and pay more money for quality work. After doing some research, I found out that they have an account with Pep Boys. What they do is they purchase the cheapest brakes possible so they make a really good profit off of the labor. After speaking to one of the managers at Pep Boys they told me that they pretty much made about a $200 profit off of me because of the brakes they purchased. I have called and emailed corporate and have yet to receive a response. Avoid this place at all costs because you will have to spend more money to correct the issues they caused your car. Also they practically beg for you to write a Yelp review like a used car salesman because they are trying to improve their business. Instead of begging, try doing quality work and the reviews will come.

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Anonymous User

Please AVOID if you care enough about your car/money to read reviews online. Here is what I went through at the Northridge Meineke repair shop: I went here last Monday because my brakes were squeaking and after taking off all my wheels and doing a "thorough" inspection the technicians informed me that my back brakes needed changing for ~$220 and specifically told me my front brakes were fine so I had them do what they needed to do. However, while driving to work the next day I realized the brakes were just as squeaky as before so I took it in again and this time they told me its the front brakes and I need to pay them ANOTHER ~$220. I am very frustrated that they didnt take any responsibility for the fact that they misdiagnosed my car because I had to take off work 2 consecutive days to try to fix this problem and the owner was absolutely unreachable. I asked the guy at the desk if he could ask the owner to call me as soon as he can so we can discuss the issue but I never got a call back. The message either didnt get to the owner at all or he just completely ignored the issue. Finally, I called the shop myself again and luckily got a hold of the owner who informed me that since squeaky brakes are not a safety issue, he felt he had no liability and I had to pay him ~$220 more if I wanted to take care of the squeaking even though they failed to fix the problem the first time. I can only assume incompetence because I do not want to think that they are just running a scam where my back brakes werent even the ones which needed changing in the first place. Either way, as professionals, they should take on some responsibility for misdiagnosing my problem and causing me to come back multiple times to fix the same problem. However, a price breakdown makes me more convinced that theyre just scamming people. They say we get 50% off brake pads from Meineke but my invoice still says the pads cost $47.50 & $60 for the front ones (down from their marked price of $95 and $120 respectively) when the most expensive pads I found on the AutoZone website are only $59.99 retail (they start from $18.99 for cheap ones). The 50% off is also a bit misleading because they bill $123.50 for labor and another $40 for "Machine Rotors" which is much more expensive than their competitors. Again, DO NOT RECOMMEND!!

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peternathanson

Not happy, after 8 years being a loyal customer. Present problem that brought me in was shimmying of car when brakes were applied. Initial diagnosis--replace wheel cylinders and adjust rear brakes.Paid $254. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. Came back, paid another $128 for new rear drums.PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. Came back, paid another $206 for new front pads and rotors. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. Came back and manager wanted to inspect my suspension system, possible problems and more charges. I declined. Took the vehicle to another mechanic who just did a simple rear brake job for $220, replacing all new partS originally installed by Meineke, PROBLEM SOLVED. Long story short, Meineke did their best to fix the problem, they did rework all of their faulty work, and they did honor their warranties, BUT THEY DID FAIL TO FIX THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM of what turns out to be an additional $550, for which they refused to refund even a portion of it. Corporate office was no help in trying to mediate the problem. Good bye Meineke from a long loyal customer.

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Juan Carlos A

I want to start out by saying "Thank you Meineke." After months of headaches and stress of dealing with my 1990 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, the techs here were able to resolve my issues and get my vehicle running to factory specs if not better in a couple of days. My Caddy drives and sounds better than I can recall. I tried the following: Replaced Electronic Control Module, battery, fuel injectors, fuel filter, fuel line o-rings, spark plugs and wires, cap and rotor, oil change, serviced transmission, and other parts forums would recommend. After all this work and money, I still had power loss and a sluggish sputtering Cadillac. Techs kept me informed of the progress and findings. Ran all the necessary tests and found the issues. Their service is great and the cost to repair was well within my budget and fair. I highly recommend this repair center. Thank you Amado (Manager), Jay (Tech), and Javier (Tech).

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