Meineke Car Care Center

Reviews 3

MI

Mikael Anderson

Not sure if I can truly give it 3,4, or 5 stars to my own speculation. First time experience. They said their computers were down so the appointment I made via internet never came through. Not a big deal, They were able to take me promptly. I saw them pull my car in shortly after I sat down to wait. Total time I was at the shop was about 2 hours, getting there at 8 am on a Monday and they got to my car maybe 8:15, 8:20. I was on the road at 10. I had replaced my front struts myself and gone in to have an "just in case" alignment. I work with hand tool at home on the ground. I also replaced one rear shock and coil spring myself. Running out of time before starting my week again, I opted to let someone with real tools get it done in time for sure (finish the other rear side). Mechanics, plumbers, etc., alike all hate finishing/touching up someone elses work. That combined with my alignment-not-so-needing-aligned could have lead to a particular customer interaction. Regardless, i feel this is inconsiderable, any shmuck like me who can lift and car and take the wheels off can change the suspension on a Saturn Ion. 3 bolts front, 2 back. Each side. Done, unless you struggle with rust from road spray like me (in the rear). I had all the parts already, obviously. My car had been in atleast 15 minutes when the shop manager called me back to explain an alignment issue with my front right outer tie rod. The mechanic he had working on it gripped the tire and wiggle it softly; Explaining that tie rod needed replacement for proper alignment because it had too much wiggle room. it was not a lot but for how much it did wiggle on the jack was surprising.. Likely noticeable-while-driving-surprising, and I consider I would definitely notice when Im working on my car myself. I didnt think of it at the time, because I trust people to do their jobs, but I could easily rig a tire to wiggle for show to up-sell. Id hate to insult them and check it myself in front of them and worry how they take it. Its been a day and Ill get under my car to check the work, as I would always like to replace suspension related components in pairs; which I thought was odd a pair of them wasnt sold to me. The graphic alignment of the toes of my struts werent straight, but was corrected. I had agreed because I was told, bottom-line, I could not get a proper alignment without it or as is. Being as thats what I came for, and wanting to make sure I can make it to class, I obliged. Im naturally suspicious but am a good judge of character and being there 2 hours I got to see a couple interactions with other customers that would seem mundane individually, but trendy when compiled and observed. Also I do what I can by myself. I am the labor and learn as I go, return what I dont need. I had alignment kits x4 in case and a coil spring to go on but I wasnt worried about it. I couldnt remove the old coil seat from the old coil spring but it was not in bad shape and could stand to wait till I got a new seat in. They offer to replace it since they are able to remove the seat with tools i dont have, I obliged; since there are no fixing components to a spring when you remove the shock, just slide it in. Im sure this bias but I try not to be. Just my thoughts and opinions, got the job done as far as Im concerned and I wont have to go back. Last note, the work I did was all pre-emptive maintenance/upkeep, after I took the shocks off I could see they would not hurt to be replace but no issues on the road as of yet. Again once more, I dont have a garage and had been working in the rain/light drizzle over the weekend which tests my patience. For others benefit, here are my charges; $125 install right/rear shock & spring ~$90 alignment ~$97 Right front outer tie rod -58.7 part -38.4 labor $330 Total including ~$20 tax OVERALL I am happy I got it done. Always will have a little doubt and regret about the tie rod which is something I can do myself for ~$30 but when you box yourself into an issue with time, it is what it is.

RI

Richard Clark

Quality Customer Service / Great People / Fantastic Work! Forget what any marginal or negative review you read about this Meineke as the guys here, particularly Alex and Dustin, are great people who go well above and beyond to satisfy their customers. I took my F-150 in to get a couple of exhaust manifolds replaced and they completed the work in a couple days and pretty much within my budget. They probably put more hours in than I paid but they respected my desire to keep costs down because I was selling the vehicle. It was a stubborn truck not wanting to let go of a few studs that are typically problematic in Ford vehicles in general. Alex and his team worked diligently and called me with regular updates as to their progress. Their attitude towards me as a customer was exemplary and their persistence towards excellence noteworthy! Dustin was likewise as charismatic and knowledgeable as the rest of his team and thought enough of his business to ensure that I would return...and I will. You dont find many auto repair businesses that care as much about customer service and quality work anymore. Most want to undermine you, dig as deep into your pockets as they can, do marginal work, and send you down the road with a bill and a prayer. Thats NOT these guys at all. They havent forgotten what it means to be on the other side of the counter and treated me with the same respect they would expect from others. I deal with shops all the time because I help the elderly at my church with all their car care needs. I do most of the work myself but some jobs require a professional. I know good ones from bad ones and dont leave a review unless Im sufficiently impressed or completely unimpressed. I know you might be reading this and wondering who is this guy? Suffice to say that Im experienced enough to know when a shop is one that has the right people with experienced engineers and quality leadership versus one that is scraping by on a few guys with a YouTube education that barely know how to repair their daddys lawn mower. What you want from an auto repair shop is friendliness, honesty and integrity, and a strong knowledge of their trade. Most of all, you want them to have experience and a practical confidence that doesnt come off as arrogant. In short, you want to know that they know what their doing. That describes the people I met at Meineke Hershey. Theyre truly invested in doing a good job, are smart and capable people and doing it right is their mantra as their name is on the line. You dont need to go anywhere else. Take your vehicle to them, tell them what you want and let them do their thing and you wont be disappointed!!

A

Anonymous User

My friend took his car here for a simple mount and balancing: They did not tell him his wheels were slightly bent (either they neglected to tell him this, or their equipment is inferior). They put incorrect type weights on his wheels (these weights mar painted wheels--alloys, which his were). The wheels were not correctly balanced (I have no idea how this is possible). They were ready to act in a negative way (bad attitude, customer service). My friend subsequently felt vibrations at highway speeds--which can be dangerous. This prompted him to take the car elsewhere, where we discovered the above mentioned problems. I give a rating of 1 star.

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