South Carolina European Auto Repair

"Rob and Chris are the absolute best! I have been through the worst with a local VW dealership and someone highly recommended SCE AUTO to me (and i'm glad they did). He was able to diagnose my vehicle while keeping me updated through the whole process. Not only was my invoice a fraction of what I already paid VW to fix ( that they clearly did not, just a band-aid) but they went above and beyond with customer service and quality of work. They now have a lifetime customer and I will send any import owners to Rob and his team."

"The first time I used this place to have work done on my car I was pleased. However; this time I took my car in for some bodywork and the experience was extremely frustrating . They kept my car for going on three weeks with absolutely no communication. When I would call to ask the status, they never got back with me. They kept it over two weekends without telling me, and when I drove there to check on my car, the doors were locked during business hours. When I did try to call, the voicemail box was full for five days in a row. When I commented about this to the owners, all they said was “well it works now”. Finally, I just I had to pick up my car since they never called to tell me whether it was ready or not. After all that time, the work was not even done!! It was a very frustrating experience and I hope no other customer has to go through this. Did not see a place to respond to the vendor's reply so putting it here. The 19 Cardinal address is the place that the car was dropped off at, where an estimate was written up, where calls went to, etc. This may not be the actual place that the bodywork is done but it was the only place where business was conducted. They also stated that they have no record on me but I am literally looking at a written estimate from them. Hope this provides some clarity."

"With a heavy heart I am writing this review. I enjoy supporting local business, even if it is a little more expensive and because you can build a relationship and trust (which I feel is very important with a mechanic). Over the years I have had some good experiences with Chris the owner and have never taken my truck somewhere else for a second opinion. I trust my mechanic. Even after having a simple brake job done last year and while driving home I had parts falling off my vehicle and a terrible grinding noise. I took it back to Chris and he said the new guy did it and he was sorry and fixed it (no discount for the aggravation or extra time). Even with that happening I still continued to go to him thinking that was a once off. But here I am writing this after just giving Chris $2000 to replace my valve cover gaskets that took extra time because halfway through the job he realized he didn't have all the gaskets and had to wait for delivery. So I waited an extra day but figured as long as it was fixed properly I didn't care. Well during that repair I went to my truck to get something out of it at night to find that half my engine was laying on the sidewalk (picture attached) and my hood left ajar for anybody to take or tamper with. I still didn't say anything because I like Chris and figured as long as it was fixed properly and nobody stoled my engine it would be ok. Well I finally picked up my "properly repaired" and pointed out to Chris that I still see oil coming out of the motor and he said "that was from before and it will burn off". Well 2 weeks later it's not burnt off because it is still leaking. I take it back to him and he says "oh I couldn"t see that it was also leaking from the camshaft cap seal". Of course its something different that needs the motor to be torn apart again and it will cost $3200 in labor but because he is being generous he will take $1200 off (so $2000 more to me). The part is $80 so this is just labor. So now my trust is wavering and I take my truck to Chevy dealership and tell them simply that I have an oil leak (nothing about having repairs done). They tell me that it is leaking from the valve cover gasket (yes the one that is 2 weeks old) and its leaking from the camshaft cap seal and the labor to do both is $1700 ($300 less than what I have already paid Chris). But yet Chris wants me to give him $2000 more with the discount to remedy the problem. I still feel like Chris will do the right thing so I go to him and explain the situation expecting that he will stand behind his work and make the repairs for no cost (since I have already paid him $300 more than Chevy would charge to have repaired both) or refund my money for a job that wasn't done properly (not to much to ask from a reputable business). Nope "deny, deny, deny that the valve cover is leaking, and I guess it's just my bad luck that he didn't see the other leak while the motor already completely torn apart and laying on an unsecured sidewalk. So at this point I can either give him $2000 to maybe fix it correctly or give Chevy $1700 to fix it. I'm going with Chevy. I know they will stand behind their work and at the very least my engine won't be left out on a sidewalk (heck I'm not a mechanic but that might be why its leaking again for all I know). This isn't me bashing anyone it is just a personal account of what has happened to me and how my loyalty and trust was not reciprocated."

"Chris is my personal hero! Was able to get the parts I needed for my 13 year-old Audi, and charge me $1000 less than what I was quoted from another shop. He took great care to gently work loose and not break bolts that were stuck tight by New England salt and corrosion. He's a bit busy, so be patient. He's worth it!"

"If there were a way to give a big fat ZERO--I would. When I first took my vintage '97 Jaguar XK8 to SCE Auto in late 2021, I entrusted Chris, the owner, with a pristine Concours winner. Unfortunately, what I got back was a filthy mess with numerous documentable scuffs and scratches. (See the attached photos.) Two months and $1,800 later, which I paid, I picked up the car and made it only a few miles from the shop when it stopped running, and it had to be towed back to his shop. Of course, he said it was 'something else' that had gone wrong. From there, it was a downhill ride. For seven months, he made endless excuses about not being able to find the alleged part the car needed. I even contacted several judges and Jaguar owners from JCNA and DVJC to help locate the part. (FYI, I am a former judge for AACA and DVJC.) To make a VERY long story short, another year went by. I made countless calls and sent emails and texts to obtain information regarding his progress. However, my communication efforts were ignored from August to December 2022. Finally, I had no choice but to file a complaint with SC Legal. Chris was finally compelled to respond when I contacted the Beaufort County Sheriff, who called to ask why he was not cooperating. Earlier this month, I had the car towed to a more reputable shop recommended by the Chief Judge of a local chapter of the Jaguar Club. It took only a couple of days to diagnose the problem correctly. IT NEEDED A NEW BATTERY! He didn't need the 'mystery part' at all. There is simply no excuse for such incompetence. Unfortunately, Chris is a nice guy who makes endless excuses for not doing his job. If you care about your prized vehicle--do not entrust it to this guy. You'll be sorry."