Box K Auto Repair

Recently while visiting the beach my alternator went south. The tow truck driver suggested Box K. He said that they are not the cheapest, but the work will be done right. They are super nice and seem very knowledgeable. Knowing we were stranded, they worked very hard to get us squeezed in on a very busy day. Unfortunately the new alternator went out after about 30 miles. The true test of of real customer service is how a business handles a problem and Box K came through with flying colors! They worked very hard at no small expense to own the problem and get us on the road again. I highly recommend them for any auto repair work. Millie was amazingly sweet and helpful.

I was in search of a local auto repair not only for convenience but to contribute to the local economy. I was happy to find Box K online, with a generous coupon. I called for a quote and was greeted by friendly and knowledgeable Millie. She took my details, and promised to get back to me right away with a quote. Their price was the best of the quotes I received, even with sales tax that I wouldn’t have to pay if I crossed the river over to Oregon. They ordered the part and called me the next day, offering to take me home while my car was being repaired, and picking me back up when repairs were completed. I elected to wait in the lobby with free Wi-​Fi. Free vacuum and wash is included with their service repair. Competitive prices and free estimates. Plus they give your vehicle a thorough go over for follow up later. It just doesn’t get better than this locally or out of the area! I highly recommend this business and will be using them again in the future!

Over the years I have used Unilocal for checking if a business is good or bad. I never really written many good ones but if it is bad I do. Well today I want to give Box K Auto Repair a excellent rating. When I stopped by on Wednesday the service technicians said he would work me in on Friday. I had a squeaky belt and I could not find the problem. In just over two hours they had replaced the belt and the bad tensioner, and truck is good to go.

My husband didn’t have time to repair our truck before a trip. He ran it down to Box K. The repair ended up more in depth than we anticipated. The crew worked very hard to not break a stuck part. It saved us $ 600. They vacuumed and washed the truck. It was ready for our trip. Thank you for working hard to not cost us more $. My husband normally fixes everything himself. We will be back!

My van overheated and I had it towed to Box K for diagnostics. Not really sure what the problem was, but felt comfortable with Box K for this process. Doug called me and indicated that I had a bad water pump (leaking thru weep holes) and quoted me $ 1500 for water pump and timing belt. He also said that some mice/​rats had been nesting in the engine compartment and that the plug wires were looking sketchy. He quoted $ 500. for replacing plug wires and spark plugs. I knew it was an expensive job as you have to remove the plenum to get to one of the plugs. Oh yeah, he did say that the #7 plug was fouled or wasn’t functioning properly. I said, «It’s a 6 cylinder» He mentioned that he was referring to a different vehicle and then said it was the #5 plug. Hmmmmm… I authorized the $ 1500 for the water pump and timing belt. Told him to forget about the wires and plugs. Before it overheated it was running fine. The point is coming…
I got a call later on in the day and Doug said that he had some not so good news. He said they completed replacing the water pump and timing belt and when they went to test drive and bring it up to operating temps. it was blowing white smoke out of the exhaust and it over heated… He said he believe that the head gasket is gone and for another $ 1700 he could replace the head gasket. I asked him about his diagnostic process and he said with a leaking water pump he couldn’t complete the diagnostic process so the pump had to be replaced. Did you check for exhaust gases in the coolant before you changed out the water pump? The old water pump looked really good to me without any noticeable impeller or bearing damage. Doug said the bearings sounded bad. I disagreed with him. The old timing belt looked brand new. He said «Yeah they might look new but they will go without any warning.»
I was hot. This was a total failed diagnostic process. $ 1500 for work that didn’t fix anything! My wife wanted to take them to small claims court. I would not recommend this shop to anyone. Take it to Sparks just down the road.

TOURISTS BEWARE!!! I am not one to ever complain and this is the first time I have ever felt like I need to let others know. We were down visiting friends for the weekend and my son’s car clutch finally gave out while driving on the beach. It was ready to go for the last month. I called several local shops to get estimates and Doug was the only one that called me back (hence the one star). They would not give me a quote over the phone and said that I would have to have it towed to the shop (even when I asked for a quote for a clutch in a year specific car). I felt as if he knew he had me between a rock and a hard place. Doug gave me one towing company recommendation. So I paid to have the car towed to his shop– which was very reasonable by the way. Doug then gave me a quote of over $ 1000. Knowing at the time that it should cost half that price; based on the 3 quotes that I got– OVER THE PHONE– at home ranging between $ 500-​$ 600, I asked him if there was any way that he could sharpen his pencil and that I dont mind paying even a few hundred dollars more to keep the business local. He did and come back at $ 60 less due to cheaper parts that he would not warranty. So I drove all the way back to Long Beach. THEN DOUG CHARGED ME $ 100 FOR THE ESTIMATE!!! He NEVER mentioned anything about charging me anything for an estimate. I gave him all the money I had in my wallet and he gave me back my sons car– but now the car had a dead battery and a broken molding sitting on the floor of the drivers seat. They saw me coming from 200 miles away… The whole ordeal makes me sick to my stomach. Never have I seen business done this way! Again, I’m not one to write anything bad, but I smelled scam from the moment he called me back.

I would highly recommend this repair shop. The customer service out here is outstanding. They are really committed to making sure that your vehicle gets repaired correctly. .I really appreciate that make you feel at home when explaining all your concerns about your repair or maintenance. I usually leave a repair shop feeling uneasy and pretty confused. Not here! I wouldn’t go anywhere else. Keep up the good work!

Would highly recommend Box K! We visited Long Beach and like many tourists got our car stuck in the beach sand. After we were towed out the car rattled as if the tires were going to come off! We thought perhaps it was in need of an alignment or worse — and of course it was a Sunday. We called Box K and on Monday AM showed up at 8. They got us in, cleaned out the car (too much sand in the wheels was all!) and sent us on our way. Great service, friendly, accomodating and home town feel. They were great! Not to mention their shop, surrounding area at the shop and waiting room was clean and not your typical ‘repair shop’. Give them a try if ever in need of auto repair in Long Beach.