So..in closing, Jim's automotive charged me $130 for a 'computer diagnostic' that wasn't even close and then was going to charge me $489 for a tune up with parts and labor that wasn't even part of the malfunction.
They do it right.
Jim's works on all of our cars. Love the service and it is ready when they say it is. Never had to take any vehicle back after a repair.
They've worked on my trucks over the past few years. I took my 94 Ford Ranger in because it wouldn't crank up after running and I'm talking about cranking it up and running it for 30 seconds and then turning it off and trying to crank it again..it'd just turn over and over and never catch 'fire'. I take it to these guys and I get a call hours later saying it needs a 'major tune-up' to the amount of $489.00. They said it was running 'lean' and the 02 sensor was acting up (funny that the check engine light never is on, yes the bulb works).. New plugs, Dist. cap, rotor button, fuel pump relay switch, air filter, PVC valve, fuel filter. Now I'm not a mechanic but I though, hell, I can change these out myself. So I told them I'd come get it. Well..I brought it home spent about $140 on all those parts and changed them out and guess what?, nothing changed, still wouldn't run right. Now given the dist. cap did have one plug point that was corrored a bit so I give them that, but that wouldn't explain it cranking then not cranking..so I though maybe the ignition coil might be going bad so I replaced that, nope..no change..to the internet I go searching..low and behold found some valuable information about a little sensor called an 'engine coolant sensor'...after pulling it out, it was broken inside..the two parts separated. The truck would run and crank just fine after un-hooking it. Here's what that sensor does. When the truck is 'cold' it'd crank right up because the ECM (electronic control module) wouldn't have any 'saved memory' about the air/fuel mixture so it'd crank right up but given just a few seconds of running, it couldn't determine the air/fuel mixture since the coolant sensor was broken so if you turned it off and tried cranking again, that 'saved memory' in the ECM wouldn't give the injectors the correct mix..by they way it's a less than $20 part. I just spoke with Jim, the owner of Jim's Automotive and he stated that based on the computer diagnostics the tune up would have to have been performed first. to be able to determine what all was wrong with the vehicle. Now something didn't sound right about this so I called another mechanic in the area and explained to him what I was told and the new mechanic said the 'engine coolant sensor' should have been picked up on the diagnostic scan as that sensor gives off it's 'own code' when malfunctioning.
Sorry to be so long, but I had to give you beginning to end so you'd understand it wholly.
Note: One star only because this won't post with none. I have a 1995 Ford F150 4-wheel drive, only 46,600 miles, that was leaking oil, which was discovered when I had the oil changed at Fast Eddie's in Shallotte. They checked it out for me and said it needed a new oil pan, gasket and rear main seal, quoted $977. Because of the cost I wanted to be sure so I took it to Jones Ford for a second opinion. They looked at it (did not take it apart because they don't work on vehicles that old and it would have involved a lot of work just to look) but suggested it may need a new rear main seal. They recommended I take to Jim's Automotive or L&A North. I choose Jim's because it is closer to my home. Mistake #2. (Mistake #1 was not letting Fast Eddie's go ahead and repair it to begin with!) I took it to Jim's, they called me the next day and said it would be $617 to replace the oil pan gasket, and I approved the work. When I picked it up two days later, it was clearly written on the invoice, "Ck Rear main seal and oil pan". From that I assumed they checked the rear main seal while they had it all apart - logical assumption? Wrong. Was out of town for a few days, but when I came home I noticed oil leaking again. Called Jim's, had to wait until 8/18 to get it "looked at". They called that day and said the rear main seal needed to be replaced, quoted $470. I asked to talk to Jim and asked why they didn't find that the first time (remember, it was on the invoice to check it) and he explained that the first time that so much oil had come from the pan (because of the bad gasket) that they could not tell the rear main seal was bad, and because the transmission had to be pulled to look and they didn't pull it. I was not happy, but instead of getting it and taking it somewhere else, I told them to go ahead and fix it. I picked it up today, total cost $478.67. I talked to Jim face to face. He went into the "so much oil that they couldn't tell..." and I stopped him. First, I told him that I wanted the truck fixed and did not begrudge paying for any needed repairs. Then, I showed him on the first invoice where they had written to check rear main seal and asked that if they actually had, then wouldn't the total labor costs have been much less (because in essence they double-dipped me on the labor by having to take it in twice and take it apart twice). He said yes, it would have been less. I asked for the lesser price, and he said, "No, sorry." Well, sorry is right. I'm sorry for ever taking it there, sorry that he runs his business that way, sorry they lead customers to believe they did something they didn't do, sorry they don't care about doing it right the first time, and really sorry that I have to take the time to write all this, BUT if people don't speak up when they are not treated right and let others know to "beware", then we are the ones who are not doing the right thing.
Highly recommended for either basic to advanced Auto Repair Services.
I've taken my car here twice now and have been extremely satisfied with the work. The first time it took three days to replace my power steering pump but, from my understanding, the first part arrived damaged so they had to order another. Today they replaced my passenger CV axel, and it took about four hours to diagnose, order the part then replace it...costing almost $300. They are pricey. Their waiting room isn't very comfortable so plan on taking a walk. But it is filled with Jesus. And Christian music...
Jim S Automotive Services Repair is a US Car Repair based in Shallotte, North Carolina. Jim S Automotive Services Repair is located at 149 Holden Beach Rd SW, Shallotte, NC 28470, USA.
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