Advanced Auto Repair

Advanced Auto Repair sucks, DO NOT GO! One time my car did not work and I knew the problem is on the alternator. The guy told me they could only do entire diagnosis before repairing the car and it cost about 60 dollars (not free diagnosis)!!! I went to several car repairing store before and it was my first time being asked to pay for diagnosis before repairing! They gave a quote that listed three pages of problems my car had. The price was really high, so I left and went other place. By the way, the customers service was not good and all they wanted is money. I would never go there anymore.

I went in to get my oil changed here based on the Unilocal reviews and they exceeded my expectations. Firstly, I was greeted by EVERY employee as I entered, which just feels nice. Secondly, they were the kindest people ever. Once they finished up with the service, they told me it was free. I was clueless as to why, so I asked and they said their system was down. They didn’t ask for cash or my phone number to charge later or anything. Anyways, I ended up giving them my contact info to bill me later. Then I received a call from them, which I assumed was an attempt to charge me. Turns out, the kind fellow just told me to write a Unilocal review. So here it is.

Tried these guys again to see if things and changed and because they do take customer-​supplied parts. Had them work on both of our cars back to back. One job was for replacing the wheel bearing and rear brakes. However, it was not done completely as they never adjusted the e-​brake cable, so it had to be taken back. They left it on my to confirm it had to be done instead of verifying with their mechanic. The other car was in there about the same time for a power steering pump replacement. They advised the belts, including the serpentine belt for the AC/​Alternator, had to be replaced– which were done. Upon picking up that car, the car’s electrical gauges all cut out one day later and almost left me stranded on the service road on my way back to their shop.
They told me apparently the alternator went bad and offered up no explanation other than it was a fluke coincidence. Really?
I discussed this whole ordeal with the owner who was initially attentive hearing what I had to say. He offered to look into it but never spoke with me again — even after I came in the pay for the repair. I am still baffled as to how replacing a power steering pump with the associated belt and replacing the alternator/​AC belt can cause an immediate impact on the alternator, causing it to fail in a catastrophic fashion. They were never able to offer any explanation. Neither the owner did not even call nor acknowledge me when I came in to pick up pay for the repair and he was sitting right there behind the counter.
You can infer what you want from here as to their customer service. Consequently, I give them 2 stars for — diagnosis and the fact the owner listened to my concerns initially. But that is as far as it went.
My level of confidence with these guys has definitely waned considerably.

They give first rate service and customer care. I have an Audi, and I thought I would give them a try for an oil change and brakes. They are the only service place in Denton that has the same diagnostic computer that the dealers have and their prices are much better than the dealer’s. They gave exceptional service and went above and beyond my expectations. I highly recommend them as a superb alternative to the dealer for service, and have already recommended them to several friends!

I am not too happy about the dealership giving me a cheaper quote than a repair shop. I was quoted almost $ 3,000 to fix an a/​c/​compressor issue. It is actually almost half that cost from the dealership. Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury of getting other quotes from other shops today because my car was not able to be driven this morning and I had to call for a tow. I am pretty sure they took advantage of that issue.

In general, I think they over-​charge, however once they work on a problem it is fixed. I’ve never had to take my car back because a problem wasn’t resolved the first time.

Update:
This place has changed dramatically and unfortunately it is not for the best. I would not take a car to them or trust them for diagnostics or repairs any longer and this breaks my heart as it used to be my go to place for any car I owned and a place I could refer my friends too. Left my initial review to compare.
This past year I went to them to inspect a BMW we were thinking of purchasing. The dealership and an independent other inspection prior had suggested that there was an issue with the fuel pump. Well Advanced Auto Care couldn’t find anything wrong with it and kept my car «continuing to try to replicate the issue» for 4 days, on the 5^th day I reported I would like to take it back to return since I was preparing to purchase it. I went in and paid for the diagnostics that showed that they couldn’t find anything wrong. AFTER they ran my card, SUDDENLY my car doesn’t start they can’t figure out what’s up, etc etc, so they need to keep it longer. I question if they even tried to look at in the first place but I asked if I’m going to be charged for more diagnostics they say no at this time and keep it. 3 more days of keeping my car and going into their contributed diagnostics they finally handed me a quote for close to 3 grand. Comparing the original quote to this one something didn’t seem right… Apparently magically my clutch is going out, every tire needs replacing, the brake system is screwed. I emailed back the person that I did NOT authorize repairs and wanted to take the car out of the shop. I received the worst service ever in trying to get my car away, they had started to fix things without my approval and I paid (though I shouldn’t have) money for this work because I was tired of dealing with the shop. This upset me and I asked to speak to the manager or owner and they were too busy. I have email confirmation as well as verbal calls to them NOT authorizing any work. No one should have to go through this. I did pay for spark plugs oh and for these new diagnostics that were supposed to be free since I had already paid once. I couldn’t handle the bullying anymore and wanted my car away from there.
Funny that when I took my car that the owner said «he wouldn’t let his child drive» to B&O in town, they inspected it, showed me that it was a fuel pump issue and I repaired it there and drive that car just fine now. I was contacted approximately 3 months later by Kim to do a customer service check; she claimed that the technician I had didn’t work there any longer and they could see how long I had been going there and that they had reviewed a lot of complaints and didn’t want to lose customers. She asked that I email her my communication with the place (I did) and the owner would contact me to learn more. That never happened. I even followed up to make sure he had my information correct — still no call.
I hope this review helps someone because this was an amazing store. But that’s changed. They want to make money and it seems prey on people, particularly those who they think they can pull one over on and have you pay for what I believe are repairs that do not need to be done, or repairs that are not as vital to the car running as others. They used to help you prioritize repairs, now it’s like a game. I took in a car that needed a straight forward repair to run, and I got a drama act and worst of all when I thought they called and cared they didn’t. They only star I’m giving is one for the person in customer service because I do think she gave the owner my report I just don’t think he cared to hear me. I’m not returning anytime soon, and if the owner sees this review and would like to contact me I welcome that and will update it if contact is made. Until then, as much as possible I warn my friends about this shop that I used to love so much I’d use them exclusively. It’s sad because it seems like greed got in the way of actually taking car of customers. I’m not surprised by the negative reviews on here… I wish I had remembered my username and password to updated mine sooner.
Review from 2/​12/​2012This place has been the only place my husband and I trust our cars to for the last 5 years. I got the reccomendation from a coworker and I’m so thankful. They are very honest and direct and that’s very hard to find. I have been ripped off by other shops in town. I love that they stand by their work. We had issues one time after repairs and they got us in right away to do diagnostics to see what had happened. There ended up being something else wrong with my car that they didn’t catch. They were honest about this and because they didn’t bring it to my attention at the original bid and it may have caused issues with the problem I had after the repairs I paid for they fixed it for free. This happened one time over 5 years of perfect service. The fact that the would stand by their work, makes me an even more satisfied customer. I love this place and would reccomend it to anyone in the Denton area.

I really like these guys. They are honest, to the point, but always friendly. They’re always willing to explain things in detail, and I have never felt like they’ve cheated me out of money for anything. Chuck is the person who I typically deal with the most, and he’s great.

I hate cars.
It’s so difficult to find a service shop that you can trust. These guys at Advanced are very friendly and honest. They’ve seen me super stressed out and pissed off because my most recent car turned out to be a total lemon.
They’ve always been really friendly, understanding, and willing to work with my situations!
I have recently upgraded to a much better working car, and will continue to use them for any services! Thanks for being awesome advanced.
My only request is that something be fixed with the phones. I feel like every time I call in I can barely hear them! I am assuming this is because often the phone is answered via the line in the shop? Nonetheless, still my favorite car repair place!

These guys are the best in town!!! If you need your auto worked on, they are worth a visit.