Perfect for me would be a mom and pop shop with 9 to 5 hours that does good work and does not push unneeded work all the time. I have no problem recommending maintenance work at the scheduled intervals and selling needed repairs and warning that we may find more during disassembly or the recommendation of replacing something while in there or because it came off to reach the problem part. I like the pics convenience for the customer too. I hate high pressure sales and I have a feeling this shop may do that.
I, 1.5 years ago, had an 80 year old female member from my American Legion, take her Lexus car to a shop owned by an American Legion member's son and she had a surging problem at highway speed and the shop diagnosed as needing the transmission replaced. The word got back to me about it. The woman is a widow of American Legion long time member and a saint. Great cook too. I looked at it and looked at the shop paperwork. It did not show they added any transmission fluid and when I checked the fluid level, it was 2 quarts low. I added 2 quarts and took her for a test drive. The transmission performed normally. She was amazed. I dropped her at her house and took it to my house and found a very steady drip leak at the pan. I went and got a filter kit and did the repair and refilled and delivered back. 1.5 years later, is still driving fine.
This scenario really pissed me off. I confronted the American Legion father of shop owner and he made excuses for the son. I then went to shop and confronted the tech and the son. I was pissed for 2 reasons. The sales tactic and sending her out of the shop 2 quarts low on transmission fluid. They had excuse after excuse. I told them that I would spread the word at the American Legion. I did. I also said that because of driving the vehicle 2 quarts low, there could eventually be transmission problems, as I told the father and son and tech, but I told them the fluid is getting her by and that warning should have been told to her instead of the $8k estimate for a new transmission.
The other part of the story that I have not told yet, is this, The father owned the shop when I moved here in 1995 and he was the first shop I worked at as a service advisor. I left the shop after 9 months because of pressure selling tactics. The shop owner now son, I watched that kid grow up. His father turned him that way.
