#1 Auto & Body Repair

Reviews 3

AU

Autumn Williams

I took my car here on a Friday after work, as this was one of the only places open until 6 p.m. HUGE mistake. I brought the car in for an oil leak. It took them a while to even get my car into the garage, as they had other customers in the office making payments and filling out paperwork to purchase a car. After getting my car into the garage, a mechanic looked at my car for about 20 minutes, then told me that the oil cap was missing, and that they would replace it. Then, they would check for the leak. While they were finding a cap to replace mine, the owner came into his office to tell me that "suddenly" my car wouldnt start. -__- He said it had something to do with the chip that had been placed in the car by the auto place I got the car from. He told me that he used the same chips in his own cars at his shop, so he could "hotwire" the car so that I could drive it home, but that he wasnt sure why it wouldnt start. At this point, it was nearly 8 oclock at night. I had been there since 5:15. Id already seen another young woman purchase a car, and then bring it back within 15 minutes complaining about the condition of the car. Confused, and now a little skeptical, I was extremely hesitant to drive a "hotwired" car home in the snow. (This was during the last storm we had in Iowa City.) I told the owner I felt uncomfortable driving my car home, since it hadnt had a problem starting until being in the shop. I asked him if he could fix the actual problem, instead of hotwiring it. He said yes, but that he would need to do so in the morning, as the shop was already closed. He and his employee did offer me a ride home, but I felt uncomfortable. So, I had a friend drive me home. The next morning, the owner calls to tell me that he figured out why it wouldnt start and that I could come get the car. He said he still needed to check for the original oil leak, though. I asked him if he could check that out first before I came to get the car, since I would likely have to Uber there. He said yes, then called back to say that there was a leak and to ask if I wanted it fixed. I asked for an estimate, and he told me it would be approximately $400 total. I asked him how much of that was to replace the oil cap and he said something like $34.00. I said that I would need to talk to my parents about whether to invest $400 in the car, since it is an old car that they had been letting me use. At that point, he became irritated. He told me to hurry up, because he has other people waiting (the garage is tiny) and he needs to get my car out. He said something like: "I spent hours last night trying to figure out what was wrong with your car, and my wife was mad at me. I had to sleep on the couch. If you dont want me to fix your car, then I can undo what I did, and push your car out in the snow, and you can get someone else to start it." Offended, I told him that I may do that, and asked him how much would it cost to just get the car right now without fixing the oil leak. He told me $230. $34 for the oil cap, and almost 200 for the diagnostics. For the problem with the car starting, which only happened once I brought it there. A problem centered around a chip he uses in his own cars. -__- At that point, I again told him that I needed to speak with my parents, and quickly got off the phone. This post is already too long, but here are some of the highlights of how this ended up: Card runner attachment for ipad not working; I was told I must not have money, and to go get cash. Bank confirms I do have money in my account (I can provide evidence, if needed). Another woman told to get the f*** out if she didnt have cash to pay for her brake check.Then, had the chair she was seated in tipped by owner.Owner flashes his gun at the womans grandma. Cops called. Very dismissive of the entire episode. Say theyre there all the time. Know "he has a permit for that gun" before entering. Did I mention all of the women in this story are black??? My request for video and follow up calls dismissed. (Yes, there are cameras in the shop.)

SH

Shawn Hammond

My wife and I were looking for a used car for our son, whos away at college, and when I came to Iowa City (from Cedar Rapids) on a Saturday to check out a promising car I saw on Cragislist, I wanted to take the car to our longtime mechanic in CR to have it checked out before finalizing the purchase. Unfortunately, that wasnt a viable option due to time constraints. Number One Auto was the only place open in the afternoon that day, but based on a couple of good reviews on Yelp I decided to call them. Raffy, the owner of Number One, was very accommodating and told me to bring the car over whenever I was ready. When the seller and I showed up, we had to wait for a bit while a tow truck dropped off a car, but after the parking lot was cleared out, Raffy and his team got the process moving along pretty quickly. While doing the checkup, Raffy was very understanding of the situation, and called me over to show me what he was observing about, say, the condition of the spark plugs, or the exhaust manifold, or breaks, or whatever. But he was also careful to place those observations in context for me, explaining that the items were mostly normal wear-and-tear for a car of that age, or giving me an estimate of how long it might be before that thing needed to be replaced. He even told me he would buy the car h himself. But Raffy was also inclusive of the seller at the appropriate times, too. And he also went the extra mile and printed out parts and labor estimates for the two gaskets he thought might need to be replaced in the next year or so. Well, it turned out that that sale fell through due to some shiftiness on the part of the seller, so my wife and I went back to the drawing board. The next evening (Sunday), we saw another promising car on Craigslist and went down to try it out because it also seemed good to go (as long as a mechanic didnt wave any major red flags). Monday morning, I called Raffy again to see if he had time to check out the second car that morning. Again, he was super friendly and accommodating, telling me he could take a look whenever I got there. When we showed up, he hopped on the job immediately--and he even offered the checkup on this car for free if we would do him the favor of writing a review, which we were more than happy to do. I would not hesitate to go back to Number One Auto. Thanks, Raffy & Co.!

AN

Andrea Gurke

I drove from Chicago to Iowa City and at 5 oclock on a Saturday night, my brakes went out. I went to the local Honda dealership in Iowa City, who could do nothing for me. They told me they were closing in 5 minutes and that there was nothing they could do. I asked for any recommendation, because I needed to drive from Iowa City to Green Bay the next day. The dealership gave me the phone number to Number 1 Auto Repair. I called and Raffy said bring your car over. I got there at quarter after 5, and at quarter after 6, I left with my car totally repaired and ready for my journey. He replaced 2 rear rotors and break pads. I was extremely happy with the speed, service, and price. I would highly recommend Number 1 Auto Repair to anyone. He was a lifesaver to our family and I can not thank him enough.

Other organizations