Victory Auto Service & Glass

Address:	64 Lake Dr E, Chanhassen, MN 55317, USA
Phone:	+1 952-358-3535
Site:	victoryautoserviceglasschanhassen.com
Rating:	4.8
Working:	7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 4

Daniel K.

AVOID this place! My experience is that they wont do the repairs that are actually needed, but will try to talk you into expensive repairs that are completely unnecessary. Heres a quick summarizing list: Necessary repairs overlooked by Victory Auto: new battery (~$75) replace broken left rear sway bar link (usually both are done, ~$100 parts+labor) Unnecessary repairs offered: new water pump (NO leak!) new timing belt ($900-$1,000 parts+labor, as part of water pump replacement) Heres the long explanation: I brought it in for an oil change and a battery test/replacement, since my car had needed to be jump started on a couple sub-zero days. They told me the battery tested fine, and did not need replacing. Strange, but ok. We both had noticed the coolant was low, and I asked about a randomly-squealing belt too, so they did a diagnostic pressure test for a coolant leak. They told me the water pump was leaking at both the weep hole and the gasket, and had been dripping coolant on the alternator belt on that side, making it slip and thus the squeal. Water pump replacement involves taking off the timing belt assembly, so I might as well replace the timing belt while Im at it. Thats a repair that runs $1000 no matter where you go, for most import cars like mine. Again, how strange! The timing belt AND water pump had been replaced less than 20K miles ago. I told them as much, so they offered to replace the water pump for only $750, since the timing belt itself should be fine and that would save $$ on parts. Then, as I was leaving, I remembered to ask whether they had seen any broken rear sway bar links, because the car had been feeling less stable, and I know that is something that breaks fairly often on Mazda Protege5s. They said no, since it wasnt noted on the inspection sheet, but offered to look at the struts next time and maybe replace those. (Yikes.. $$$!) Ok, so just in case the water pump was still under warranty, I called the shop in Princeton that had done the timing belt replacement in the recent past. It wasnt under the 12K mile warranty anymore, but the owner there offered to split the cost of labor 50/50, since the water pump still *shouldnt* have gone bad already. So I had him look at the car, and what do you know..!? The water pump was FINE. He showed me while the car was up on the lift. There was no green residue anywhere on the water pump weep hole OR gasket OR nearby alternator belt. Furthermore, there should have been some noticeable coolant drips after 2.5 hours of driving (errands and up to Princeton), with the car good & hot. Nothing from the weep hole or gasket area. A couple drips came out of the bottom radiator stopcock upon this pressure test, which is nothing to be concerned about, really. The car simply needed a fluid top off, whether due to evaporation, a couple drips out of the bottom every few thousand miles, whatever. It happens. Also, he tested the battery, and it was WAY BELOW acceptable voltage range under load. Not only that, I had a broken left rear sway bar link, too! There it was, plainly visible. Youd have to be in quite a hurry, or just not give a crap to not notice the thing dangling there while the car is up on a lift. One final point: I waited several weeks before posting this online review, just in case for some weird reason they turned out to be right about the leaky water pump. Nope, the coolant level has remained FINE. In summary, I have good reason to believe that there are some dishonest employees at Victory Auto in Chanhassen, with a bit of carelessness thrown in, too. DONT bring your vehicle there. Its just not worth it.

Lisa Hahnfeldt

My husband and I own 4 cars. We have been customers at Victory in Chanhassen for many years. Within the past month we had an issue with my sons 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It developed some major problems while he was at college in Grand Forks. We advised him to take it into a service shop there which has worked on his car in the past. We were told it was the head gasket in addition to a long list of other issues and recommended junking the car as the repairs would cost more than the car was worth. We got the car and brought it to Victory for a second opinion. Victory determined the head gasket was just fine and the needed repairs were upper and lower radiator hoses and power steering hose. They made the repair which saved us a minimum of $2,000 not including the fact that we would have had to go out and start over purchasing another car. With teenage drivers in used cars I could list numerous similar examples. More than once, they have brought us into the shop to show us the problem under the hood or while the car was up on the hoist. Victory has always provided us with honest, knowledgeable and on point repair estimates then timely completion of the work. We also bring all the cars to them for routine maintenance. If they spot a potential issue they bring it to our attention and have often times told us just to keep an eye on it rather than recommending a repair prematurely. The work they perform is honest, timely and reasonably priced. Their quality of work and customer service is exceptional. We would highly recommend Victory for all routine maintenance and auto repairs.

Hal Newell

First time customer. What a fabulous experience! No wonder theyre called "Victory" Auto Service- they have certainly won all of my my future auto business. Toby, the techs and everyone else there were spectacular. I am 56 years old and am quite knowledgeable about cars. While waiting for my car, cruising the net on their lobby computer and drinking a cold pop (all gratis of Victory Auto!), I listened while Toby (manager?) explained to an elderly couple the problem with their car. The guy knows his stuff, was straight up and explained the problem very clearly. No bunk, no fluff, no stretching the truth. Moreover, he told the couple that the repair was not imminent but that they should keep an eye and ear out should certain symptoms and or noises resurface. Most shops I know of would have tried to "close" the customer right then and there. These days, cars are more sophisticated than ever and its hard to find service that is qualified, reasonable and honest. While I had a great mechanic that I worked with in Waconia, he was 12 miles away and I sometimes had to wait a couple days to get my car back. Victory Auto is my new mechanic! Thanks guys!.

Jim Beckman

I had an experience at Victory Auto that I have never had in my life--someone at an auto repair shop, looking out for me as much as I look out for myself. It would take way too long to tell the whole story, but let me tell you that I gave them the opportunity to charge me a lot of money for a repair and they made every attempt to save me as much money as they could. Being someone who does as much to fix my car as possible, I knew what the issues were, I just didnt want to do it and just wanted it fixed. They went out of their way to make sure the repair was done right and that it didnt cost me any more than it had to. I had installed a part that I got from a local auto parts store that didnt work quite right. They arranged with the auto parts store for an even exchange since it was defective, when they could have charged me the full price for the part and let me do the return. This saved me a bunch of hassles as well as a bunch of money as they could have charged me the retail price, rather than the sale price I got the part for. The also did a number of things that also save me a bunch of money. I cant say enough about how good these guys are.