By Stevanson November 29, 2013
My car suddenly stopped starting. I took it to Shade Tree Auto and met with John. He said that the ignition must to be changed. I asked him to call me to authorize any more services because I know that some mechanics might change things that would cost a lot. His wife which is the person responsible for billing and all administrative work called my at the end of the day and informed me that the car is ready. I went there and found that they changed the ignition and the exhaust and the charge is $800 and my car does not worth less than a $1000. I did not authorize the change of the exhaust. I asked John why he changed the exhaust without my authorization. He replied that he does not have enough time to call every customer and ask for authorization! He said that he does what he sees to be right. Anyway I paid the 800 and took the car. Next morning, I experienced the same old problem, my car was not starting. I went back to John to ask him if he can take the exhaust and the ignition off but he said that he would charge me the labour to remove these parts that he installed before. Anyway, the conclusion is that Shade Tree Auto will do the work that is most profitable to them not the work that will fix the car! ...read more
By Erik H at Citysearch January 02, 2012
These guys just replace things one by one, charging you as they go, until they get it right--or not! $784.87 (replace struts) didn't fix the problem I specifically brought it in for, ""a vibration at 60mph,"" so I brought it back a month later after being promised on the phone, ""We'll make it right for you."" This time I was charged another $103.98 (replace tie rod) only to drive away with a car that still vibrated (I even took the Asst. Mgr. for a ride so we could share the experience together.) So they refund me the $103.98, they say I need a new steering rack, and they'll do it at the discounted price of another $500. It didn't make sense to me that a steering rack could cause vibration, and when the manager sensed that I wasn't going to play this game anymore he became mean and told me to go somewhere else. So I went somewhere else--Google--where I learned that vibration can be caused by bad brake rotors. I spent $71.26 at a parts store for two new rotors and after a couple hours under the car I was driving around at 60mph with no vibration! It cost me $784.87--and if I hadn't smartened up in time over $1284.87 (because the new steering rack wouldn't have fixed it either)--to learn ""Ithaca Midas is a money pit!"" ...read more
By ShoesRock at Citysearch December 07, 2011
I took my car in there on a recommendation from my normal mechanic, because they were booked up. My car had been overheating when I drove it for more than a few miles. He fixed my thermostat housing, replaced some gauge or something, and replaced a started that he said stopped working. All together it was $900, I got it home and the next day it is overheating again and worse this time. I call Jim and he says "oh I thought the head gasket might be bad" he then proceeds to say that he could've gotten a cheap kit that would've confirmed this for me, but Oh I wouldn't have socked over almost 1000 would I have? I was taken for a ride and will never ever do business with them again,and will make sure that everyone I know including the original mechanic that recommended them to me knows this. I am a poor college student and this was a third of my student loans that I live off of. I now have to sell it for only $400 when it could've been worth more. Run away fast, ...read more
Maintaining a healthy and functional automatic transmission is incredibly important to your car's overall health as well as your bank account's overall health. A faulty transmission can be one of the most expensive repairs for a car owner and learning how to do repairs yourself can be a well worthy in... ...read more
The transmission is the part of the car that allows the gears to change in order for the car to move faster. Without a functioning transmission, the car will not move. An automatic transmission switches gears by itself instead of requiring the driver to manually change them. The transmission can be re... ...read more