AAA-Gaithersburg

We had purchased the pothole special from this repair shop in early May. About a month later, we discovered we had a flat tire on a Thursday afternoon on the way home from work. AAA roadside would not come to assist because I was not with the vehicle but my spouse was on his way to pick me up. Spouse drove slowly to a nearby parking lot and changed the tire himself and then picked me up. We drove to this AAA service center and spoke with Rob. He inspected the tire and could not find out the reason why we had a small cut in the tire but said that because the tire was wavy because we had driven on it, that it would not be safe to drive on. He said he could order a tire to match our brand and that we could return on Friday to have the tire replaced. We mentioned to him that we had just been in there and had the pothole special (balance and alignment) and he said that he could have the alignment redone for free. He called on Friday morning to give us the price. He gave us one price and then a second price after we asked if there was a discount because we are AAA members. He said he had accidently added a charge on the quote twice. We returned on Friday afternoon and had the tire replaced. When we were checking out, we noticed there was a charge for balance. When we asked the person who was completing the transaction about the charge, he said he would get Rob. Rob returned and asked what the problem was. I explained that we saw a charge for balancing the tires and understood him to say yesterday that the balance and alignment would be redone for free. He claimed that he knew nothing about it and asked «why would I tell you it would be for free?» He said he didn’t remember saying that at all. He said that he spoke to my spouse about the alignment and I reminded him that I asked him about the alignment and that he had indicated it would be for free. He said he had no memory of saying that. I know that the charge for balancing was minimal (less than$ 12) but to me it was the principle of it. Plus, we did not get the new tire aligned. I shared that I was disappointed that we seemed to remember different things and that I would not be bringing my business back to this store. After Rob walked away, the checkout person indicated that I could speak with the manager, Micky, tomorrow, when they are in the office. I will update this post after I speak to the manager.

someday, perhaps, cars will not require quite so frequent maintenance. until then, you have places like AAA car care.
our 2013 prius v was in need of an oil change and tire rotation/​balancing. because these things happen. we did some pricing vs the dealership, and AAA was cheaper by a good $ 15.00 on the oil change and they could not match the AAA coupon for the rotation/​balance. my spouse is a AAA member, which brings in an additional 10% discount. all of this made our decision a bit of a no-​brainer.
I arrived 15 minutes early for my scheduled appointment. the staff is pretty friendly and helpful. I was immediately greeted by someone (I can’t remember his name) and he entered me into their system. the way he phrased it, I thought my car would immediately be put on the hoist to start getting the work done on it, but it was a good 30 minutes after my appointment was scheduled before I saw it being worked on.
the waiting area is decent for a car service place. they offer free bottled water and kuerig-​style coffee as well as little bags of pretzels along with a tv set to a AAA-​specific feed.
My car ended up taking longer than expected to be completed. I think they had too many cars in for the amount of mechanics on staff. The cost was right around where I expected it to be, and overall I was happy with the service. They kept me informed of the status of my car, and I could see when it was getting worked on thanks to the windows in the waiting area that look into the garage bays.

Do not use these people! Mechanically incompetent!
I took my 2005 Chevy Tahoe in for check engine light. Yes we can fix that, we work on all makes and models. First visit fuel pump replacement $ 1100. Check engine light went on on the ride home and the car almost stalled out. Return visit replaced air flow sensor. Check engine light came on 10 miles later. Next visit replace oxygen sensor. Check engine light still on!!! Return for fourth time and they want to replace the catalytic converter. I am not going to do this anymore. What and expensive hassle.

There are some things they may be able to obtain for you at a cheaper rate than you can get from your car’s dealer. In my case, a hybrid battery is over $ 2000.00 less than at a dealership. I am getting a preferred customer discount in addition to my AAA membership discount. Staff has always been courteous. If, like me, you decide to wait, you can hear staff making followup calls to ensure customer satisfaction. In addition, I HAVE NEVER HAD A COMPLAINT ABOUT THEIR WONDERFUL TOW TRUCK DRIVERS! To me, they are one of the best ads for keeping my AAA Plus membership!