Roberts Automotive Inc.

3846 Columbia Ave, Mountville, PA 17554, USA

Address:	3846 Columbia Ave, Mountville, PA 17554, USA
Phone:	+1 717-285-3738
Site:	roberts-automotive.com
Rating:	4.7
Working:	8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 16

Reviews 4

Anonymous User

BAD#1: I first went to Roberts Auto a year ago for a problem with my ABS unit. I was told "we can get you a car to use while we have yours", implying that theyd pay for it. Only when I went to go get the car did I learn that I was paying for this myself (too late to make other arrangements). BAD#2: When I got my car back, 100ft away the exact problem I asked them to fix happened again. The new front axle that I skeptically paid almost $700 for made no difference. Obviously they didnt test it at all before calling me to pick up the car. It was another $250 or so for an ABS sensor + an extra day of car rental. BAD#3: Two days later while taking my daughter to a job interview, it stopped dead at a red light. We pushed it to the side and saw a handful of shiny metal parts on the road beneath where my new front axle was. We hitchhiked in the rain to the job interview and I arranged for the tow and a rental car. Roberts Auto acknowledged that it was their fault and they fixed it without charging me and this time paid for the rental car. BAD#4: Almost a year later they called to ask if I wanted to bring my car in for service! I told them why not as the caller listened and was very apologetic. PJ Roberts called me back full of apologies. In the midst of my complaining about their past work, I mentioned an additional reason I would never return - they never really fixed my brake problems anyway. Very infrequently I had ABS problems during emergency stops. PJ asked for the chance to make things right, stressing how bad he felt and wanting to earn my trust back, he said "bring the car in, Ill ride it with you, and well get a rental car for you, Id like to make this right". I went back there only because it seemed that he was offering to do complimentary work to earn my trust back. PJ and I drove around for 15 minutes and couldnt reproduce any brake problems at all. PJ said "Ill have them replace the brake fluid and the brake hoses". There was a strong implication that he was offering this as a gesture of good will. I knew it was unlikely to improve anything, as my brakes were pretty much fine. PJ ordered this work under the guise of a favor to me, and I let them inspect my car as a return gesture of good will. I later learned that I was charged $252.33 for this brake work! When they gave me the quote on the phone I was very busy and didnt listen closely, I assumed that the work was for things needed for the inspection. It wasnt, their mechanic did the work because PJ told them to do it. I never asked for it, the only thing I agreed to pay for was an inspection. BAD#5: Of course even this work was done poorly! Autohaus noticed leaking brake fluid in the rear during an unrelated service visit 2 weeks later, caused by a cross-threaded (stripped) bleeder screw, requiring a new brake caliper that cost me $369.87 after installation. BAD#6: After all this, I tried to get PJ to pay for the brake work he ordered. Id eat the additional $369.87 that I paid Autohaus to undo their damage. This seemed reasonable under the circumstances, but PJ denied that he ever said that hed have them flush the brake fluid and replace the hoses. He asked me three times, "why would I say that?", and I answered him each time, and all he could do was repeat the question, ignoring my answer, effectively calling me a liar. I told him that he definitely said it, I explained when and the exact words he used, but he would not acknowledge that he said it, eventually concluding with "Well Ken called you with the estimate and you OKed it." He also called the Autohaus engineers liars. I can forgive incompetence, but I cannot forgive PJs self-serving deceptiveness and dishonesty. I will be taking these guys to small claims court and I believe I have an excellent case for recovering the $252.33 of shoddy unrequested work plus the $369.87 required for repairing the damage they caused. In my opinion they owe me a lot more than that - the original 2 days of rental car, plus the axle that I probably never needed.

Anonymous User

I brought my 2008 Audi TT to Roberts for an oil change. A friend recommended them because they had performed good service on his Jetta, so I tried them out. A standard oil change on a TT should be in the ball park of $60-$70 due to the premium synthetic that is recommended by Audi. My bill was over $200 for an oil change!!! What the scheming employees of Roberts did without my approval was charge me for labor hours. They said that the oil plug screw didnt have any threads on it so they had to replace the plug for $15 (parts). Fair enough. They charged me $150 for labor to replace plug. So if you are changing the oil in your car, you have to remove plug, drain oil, change filter, replace plug, fill with oil. I got charged $150 for labor to replace the plug which you would have to do anyway on a routine oil change. Because of this I will never use Roberts again, my friend stopped using them and I encourage any VW, Audi people to NEVER use Roberts Automotive because their motives are not pure! Be warned, terrible business, unfriendly and unhelpful people. Roberts Automotive will cheat you out of every last penny! Good luck!

albert balbi

Well ... the ABS lights for my 328I BMW wen on, took it to the proverbial BMW place and: according to their diagnostic print out, the complete ABS module had to be replaced to the tune of $4000.00. Something in the back of my head kept on telling me this is a "parts replacement" outfit. At the recommendation of a good friend, proceeded to call Roberts (Dave) and explained the situation, was told that they could hook the car to the computer and see. A nominal charge later came to find out that the unit was fine but the ABS pump motor" was bad (as indicated by failure codes). The cost to replace ? not even 1/3 of the quote from the other outfit. Repairs done, all works and putting it simply, they have my trust. By the way, when I pointed this out to the BMW "service adviser" I was told "they dont do electric motor repairs" (this motor is welded to the frame of the ABS sensor unit) and a new replacement costs about $90.00 add labor "et voila". Thank you Roberts!

James D

Service and communication was excellent; my 2000 Audi A6 2.7T was in their shop for almost two weeks, which was necessary given the work that the car needed. Given that I did my homework on my car and have a limited understanding of the parts and what it needed, I was able to communicate with the staff regarding repairs; they were extremely helpful. The car needed extensive work (full upper control arm kit, rear control arms, both front axles, brake rotors, etc), and the results were/are excellent; the car drives like its brand new. Roberts Auto finished work on the car and came within the price estimate they gave me when they requested authorization to replace what was needed. Whenever my car needs work that I cannot do at home, Roberts Auto is where Ill take my car. They just gained a loyal customer when it comes to yearly state inspection.