1/5 j s. 1 year ago on Google
BEWARE.
Read
this
review
before
you
decide
to
use
this
business.
I
am
a
mechanic.
But,
I
don't
always
have
the
time
or
inclination
to
do
all
of
my
work
myself,
so
I
tasked
my
17-year
old
son
with
finding
a
place
to
do
a
simple
alignment
on
our
2003
Honda.
He
called
a
few
places
and
selected
Santa
Barbara
Tire
and
Service
Center
since
they
could
get
him
in
that
day.
On
the
phone
they
told
him
that
before
doing
an
alignment
they
would
need
to
check
the
suspension,
which
would
cost
$120,
but
they
assured
him
that
if
the
suspension
was
ok
this
fee
would
go
toward
the
alignment
cost
(which
should
be
about
that
price,
so
fine).
In
reality,
alignment
and
suspension
issues
are
independent
--
you
can
align
a
car
with
certain
suspension
problems,
but
I
understand
why
they
require
this
(i.e.,
if
the
suspension
has
issues,
the
car
may
still
exhibit
poor
driving
characteristics,
which
could
be
mistakenly
attributed
to
the
new
alignment).
I
wasn't
worried
about
any
of
this
since
3
weeks
prior
I
had
replaced
all
the
brake
pads
on
the
car
and
had
inspected
the
suspension
at
that
time.
It
was
in
fine
condition
all
around,
with
no
issues
requiring
any
attention.
So...my
son
takes
the
car
in
for
his
appointment
and
they
tell
him
that
the
suspension
needs
all
new
bushings
on
the
lower
control
arms
since
they
are
"cracked
and
torn,
falling
apart,
not
safe
to
drive",
that
the
car
needs
new
tires,
and
that
the
struts
are
bad
and
also
need
to
be
replaced.
They
urge
him
to
let
them
do
all
of
this
work
then
and
there,
and
give
him
an
estimate
for
over
$2,000.
My
son
then
calls
me.
I
ask
to
talk
to
the
tech,
and
then
to
the
manager.
Short
version:
I
tell
them
that
I
know
the
car
does
not
need
any
of
this
work.
They
say
ok,
but
we're
charging
you
the
$120
for
the
suspension
inspection,
which
they
claim
took
the
better
part
of
an
hour.
I
tell
them
that
with
a
lift
this
is
a
5-10
minute
task
at
best.
The
manager
finally
admits
the
same,
and
claims
he's
being
"generous"
by
charging
me
for
.53
hours
of
labor,
at
a
cost
of
$76.85,
which
I
pay
to
retrieve
my
car
so
my
son
can
leave
and
take
the
car
to
an
honest
business.
When
my
son
arrives
home,
I
inspect
things
very
carefully.
To
be
thorough
I
actually
remove
both
front
lower
control
arms
(10
minutes
each
and
unnecessary,
but
I
really
wanted
to
get
a
proper
look
at
it)
and
inspect
the
bushings.
They
are
fine.
I
took
picture
too!
I
then
test
the
struts
(i.e.,
shocks).
They
are
fine,
with
no
bounce,
leakage,
or
issues.
And
I
inspect
the
tires:
the
treads
are
5/32",
6/32",
6/32",
and
7/32",
which
are
all
well
above
the
standard
replacement
recommendation
of
2/32".
There
is
no
cupping
or
uneven
wear
either.
Did
I
mention
that
I'm
a
mechanic?
My
assessment
is
that
this
business
is
a
complete
ripoff,
preying
on
unsuspecting
consumers
to
provide
unnecessary
work.
I
would
never
trust
them
with
anything
and
you
should
not
either.
Go
elsewhere!
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