I would not recommend taking an older vehicle to this business to get an estimate. They apparently don't do free estimates and will bring your vehicle in for a very expensive inspection instead. TL:DR: I took my truck in, asked for an estimate (which I assumed wouldn't cost much if anything), and 6 hours later got sent a $9,300 quote for every repair under the sun. When I wouldn't go ahead with the quote I was handed a bill for almost $600 to pay for the "multi-point inspection" they had performed. Long version: I brought my 2010 Nissan here and asked them to tell me what they would charge to repair the brakes and steering. Now this is an older truck with a fair amount of KM's on it so I knew it needed work. I wasn't needing to get it ready for the rally championship or anything - just a quick look to tell me what the damage was. I dropped it off at 7am and I fully expected to get an estimate within a few hours. I expected maybe $700 if I was lucky, $1,500 if I was not. (I made the mistake of saying: "If there's anything else that you see while you're at it that you think needs fixing please include it in the quote". Apparently they took this to mean they had the go ahead to check it for as long as they liked). I got a call from them at 11am and I thought we were ready to go. They told me they hadn't even started yet (!) and then asked me if I "wanted them to look at the steering?". I said "Well ya, that's what I said." and hung up the phone. This is when I started to realize I was in trouble. By they time they got finished with it at 3pm I was being emailed the results of a comprehensive, 3-hour, like 500-Point inspection that included a mind-boggling quote for just north of $9,300 worth of work. The quote included glossy photos of all the "major issues" with my truck; they were giving me recommendations to replace all the shocks, the differential, the battery, the cat converter, and then of course the brakes and steering I had asked about. They even pulled out the classic: "Our mechanic is afraid to drive it it's so bad" line which I haven't heard in a long time. Obviously I wasn't go forward with a quote that size on a 9 year old truck, and I was starting to have my doubts about this place so I asked them what the bare minimum would be to keep this truck rolling for now would be. They clacked away on their computer for a while and came back with $4,800! I said: "No that's not going to work I'll come grab my truck thanks." When I got there they handed me a bill for $580 or so to pay for two different inspections and a minimum two hours of scope time. Now there was some miscommunication at the start and I wasn't going to bother with this review UNTIL I took my truck somewhere else, got a free estimate for brakes and steering, and walked out of there with a repaired truck in about 3 hours for $970 (I'll review them next if you're interested). When I asked the guy at the other place if there was anything else I needed to fix today his actual response was: "Well there's always things you CAN fix on a 10 year old truck, but what's the point? The brakes and steering are all fixed up now you'll probably be good to go for another year at least. Fix that other stuff as it comes up or never." Kinetic take note: This is how you assess a used vehicle, and how you get repeat customers. Now just to be clear, I'm sure everything on the quote these people sent me COULD be fixed. I'm not saying they lied on that quote. And I also understand that "road-worthy" isn't an objective thing and that it will be different for every mechanic. What I'm not happy about is how they went ahead with almost $600 worth of diagnostic work without informing me that's what they thought I wanted. I certainly wouldn't have agreed to it if they had even hinted that their estimates were very through and quite expensive. That is a conversation that absolutely should have happened and very markedly didn't.
This reply is for the person who is planning on choosing an auto repair shop based on reviews, not the person who reviewed us.... EVERY work order we create is thoroughly explained and approved, for an AGREED upon dollar amount, before we touch your car; if you don't approve it, we don't work on it. We charge for inspections because much like you, we expect to get paid for our work; this is what pays the bills and keeps the doors open. If you would like your vehicle inspected and diagnosed for free, we are the wrong shop for you! We make sure our staff members are paid well for their skill and experience, have health benefits and take time off when they need a break. This way, they are able to be healthy and well rested when repairing your vehicle. If you would like your vehicle to be worked on by an inexperienced and overworked technician, we are the wrong shop for you! We do a FREE multi-point inspection on EVERY vehicle that comes into our shop, so you know if you are driving a vehicle that is safe for you, your family and everyone on the road next to you. If you are not interested in knowing whether your vehicle is safe or not, we are the wrong shop for you! We are detailed and thorough; our digital reports include pictures, videos and educational materials about components on your vehicle that have failed, which help you see what we see and explain why it is important to repair them. If you don't want to be educated about the needs of your vehicle, we are the wrong shop for you! We may call you a few times in the day to communicate with you about what we have found during our inspections and at that time, we will ask for approval for a dollar amount to move forward; if you don't approve it, we don't move forward. If you don't have time to participate in this approval process, we are the wrong shop for you! On the other hand, if you are a person who appreciates excellent customer service, wants an accurate diagnosis and expects that a repair is done right the first time, we are the RIGHT shop for you!! Always remember, not every shop is doing what is in your best interest. Even if they think they are "saving" you money, you will still end up paying for it in the end and most of the time, it's much more than if it was just done properly and thoroughly the first time.
- Kinetic Auto Service