A-1 Complete Auto Care

"Awesome! John took my truck first thing in the morning, called to let me know of a couple of repair options, and had the truck back by 2pm that day. Can’t say enough about these guys. Get your car there now!"

"They are very responsive and helpful. A great family owned business whose owners care about their customers! I have always had terrific service from them."

"I'm an out of towner whose car broke down. The owner and mechanic were awesome! They diagnosed my issue, said it was okay to drive home although a live 90 minutes away. No charge for diagnosis. I would highly recommend!"

"My Ford F150 (one of the most common vehicles in the US) had noisy air conditioning. I checked for clutch operation and replaced the belt, but the compressor was bad, so I brought it to A1 to be repaired. Three days later, I had to call for an update – no communication. Apparently, they were having a hard time removing the bolts. I was told that I needed a new compressor, A/C belt and accessory belt. What? I told John I had just replaced the A/C belt a week ago and the accessory belt 10,000 miles ago – nothing wrong with them. He backpedaled and said that they usually replace the belts “while we’re in there”. In where? The belts are on the face of the motor, requiring a single tensioner to be relieved. That was my first sign that this was a typical auto repair facility taking advantage of unsuspecting customers. I okayed the A/C belt and told John I wanted my old part. But when I picked up the truck (of course), no belt was in the truck. I texted once, left a message on the phone – no response. Guilty, and he knew it. 24 days later, in the middle of July, the new A/C compressor seized. I called John and was told that they couldn’t get the truck in for ten days. I suggested that he have a new compressor on hand, and confirmed that this was warranty work, but he ducked around it and said “We’ll have to diagnose the problem first”. The only logical reason for a compressor to fail in less than 600 miles is because no PAG oil was installed with the compressor – so I wrote a note to remind the tech to vacuum the system and install oil this time. Apparently, I bruised his ego, because six days after dropping off the truck I had no truck and no communication. When I called, I was told (curtly) that they were waiting for a compressor. Really? I called NAPA right next door to them, who told me they could have a reman compressor in four hours, new the next day. OReilly’s had compressors in New Haven – right now. And so on. More lies. EIGHT days after bringing the truck in for my “appointment”, I picked up the truck in the evening after everyone was gone. The front splash shield was sprawled out on the ground – never reinstalled. The two A/C fill caps were missing – never reinstalled. When I got home, I found a trail of red oil down the driveway and under the truck – someone had put so much pressure on a transmission cooler line that it was broken and I was losing transmission oil at an alarming rate. $245 worth of parts later, I had replaced the transmission lines, and in the process, inspected the A/C compressor installation. The compressor is held in place by only three bolts, and the one on the bottom was backed out more than 5mm. Never tightened down. I feel really sorry for all the people who don’t know much about automotive work who think they are getting good service but really are getting screwed on a daily basis by A1 Auto and John’s smooth demeanor. People, really – there are honest shops out there, and this is NOT one of them."

"I only gave them 5 stars because 10 stars was not an option. We are an ohio based company and were traveling through CT when our alternator went out. We stopped here and they dropped everything to get us back on the road within 2 hrs. I fully expected that knowing our desperation they would take advantage of us when it came time to pay the bill like so many others have in the past. They however were very reasonable and fair with their price. They are Honest people. Thanks for getting us back on the road quickly and efficiently. Oh I almost forgot to mention they did all this outside in the cold."