Vern's Auto Repair

"Trying to charge 180 plus tax to just take 2 tires off rim and put new ones on Monroe muffler is 50 for the same thing they don’t even have to take the tires off the car and then calls me and tells me I’m a loser when I called twice so there is not an excuse lol grow up"

"Someone said this shop will try to overcharge you if you’re a woman and they hit the nail on the head. I used to go to this shop back when it was still in the chili Paul plaza and it’s really sad to see that the professionalism has gotten to be like this. We’ll start with the positives before I get into why I gave one star. They have a very fair labor rate and a quick “diagnostic” turnaround. Now on to the reasons for my rating. I told them before I dropped the car off exactly what the issue was and that my warranty would pay for it. They said okay and they’ll have to look at it when it’s there, fine. They diagnosed that it was the problem I stated. I was quoted almost $800 for all of the parts and labor, which I immediately knew was off. I was told that I needed a new battery but I’d had it checked before bringing it into the shop and it was completely fine, it just needed to be charged. When I explained this I was told “it happens.” After that, they explained the rest of the pricing; $300 for a part I later found for $130 plus core deposit and $58 for a part I got for $28. They charge $100/hr to speak with the warranty company (which I can almost understand because it was tedious) so I called and it took a few days of back and forth before they refused to pay for the repair and I had to come out of pocket. I asked the shop if I could supply my own part and they refused, which I understood because not many shops allow it. I told them I’d be sending over a tow truck to collect my vehicle either that afternoon or the next day. I was told at that time I had a bill for the diagnosis. Understanding it might be policy, I agreed to pay it over the phone before my car was towed even though I’d already diagnosed it myself before bringing it in. The final straw was the next morning when I was called by Vern himself and told I now had a bill more than double what I’d been told the day before. He said the receptionist didn’t know what she was talking about and they had to do a lot of work to diagnose my vehicle. I said I was given a price already and the price I was told was all I had. He huffily told me to get my car out that day (which I’d already planned to do) and he would “allow” me to pay the original price. I ended up spending $450 including parts at a different shop and did not need a new battery or the $58 part they were going to force me to buy. Even including their diagnostic fee, I still paid a couple hundred dollars less than I would’ve getting the job done at Vern’s. This used to be a very fair shop. Not sure what happened. Edited to respond: Your service writer being a woman doesn’t mean that you don’t try to bamboozle female customers. I said I understood that you don’t allow other parts in your shop, it was the fact that it was extremely overpriced. Train your staff correctly. If your staff gives a customer a certain price, it’s bad business not to honor it. In my review I stated your labor rate as a positive so yes, I agree it’s good but is outweighed by the negatives. Case in point is the battery that is still powering my car to this day and the fact in this entire debacle (including what I paid to you) I spent a bit more than half of what you quoted me because the parts were either overpriced or just flat out unneeded."

"We have been bringing our cars here for a few years now. Never let us down and have always worked with us. They have squeezed us in a few times on short notice. Always excellent and friendly service. Honest and fair pricing! Highly recommended!"

"I have high confidence and trust in Vern and his crew. His rates are very reasonable and the quality of the work is very high."

"Vern is my go to guy if I don't want to do the work myself. He and his crew have worked on a number of my vehicles and has never disappointed. Always fair and honest with pricing I can agree with. I believe he has the best auto repair shop on the west side of town."