GetMeMyStogie
02-05-2009, 07:20 PM
So, I've been a DIY'er since my first car, and that's worked just fine for me. Perhaps I'm getting more and more lazy, or perhaps I'm getting older, or maybe I just care more about this particular car, I don't know, but I'm finding that I need to take the car in to service things that I would normally have done myself. Well, I can't do everything myself, so I have taken my cars in for service in the past. Over the last 15 years or so, I can probably count the number of times on 1 hand. Ok, maybe 2 hands. Usually, I end up disappointed. I've taken the MM in 2 times in the 3 times I've owned it, and I'm not thrilled about the service I received from either shop.
So, I'd like this thread to be about listing interactions with specific vehicle service locations. I'm not talking about Ford dealerships either, although I suppose there's no reason to exclude them from this discussion. I'm hoping to find small, independent shops run by people who care, and who do a good job.
I read the forum rules, and I didn't see anything forbidding such a discussion, and I don't think any of the vendors here offer services in the GTA anyway, so I'm hoping this thread works.
Here, I'll start:
Where:
The Tire Factory
1402 Martin Grove @ Rexdale in Etobicoke
What:
2 front tires
Result:
good price on the tires (OEM BFGs, 235/50/18)
Rims damaged - clearcoat chipped extensively, with some gouging of the aluminum
Recommendation: :argh:
I won't go back, but their prices are good as is tire availability, but the guys who run the place are sharks. If you do go there, INSIST that they promise not to damage your nice wheels, and stay in the work area while they do the work to make sure they don't eff up your rims
Where:
Roadway Alignment
341 Eastern Ave @ Broadview in Toronto
What:
mount 4 winter tires on rims
install wheels
alignment
flush brake fluid
Result:
Wheels installed as expected
Wheels vibrate at high speeds
One wheel has a slow leak
Alignment seems fine
Brakes act weird - were better before the flush
Recommendation: :confused: or maybe :stooges:
I'm not sure yet. They charged me $20 to mount each tire and install each wheel, plus another $3 per valve. Most places throw the valves in for free. There's a pretty heavy vibration at high speed - probably one or more wheels out of balance. I'll probably take it back and see if they can do a better job. Plus, one wheel has a slow leak, which seemed to be there from the get-go. The wheels I picked up at a junkyard in St. Catharines, and one of them was different from the others (painted on the back, the other 3 were raw aluminum), so maybe that's the cause.
I took the flags off the alignment 'eccentrics' before taking it in. I didn't give them any specs, since they're an alignment shop, and the guy insisted they've been there for 30 years and they know what they're doing. Still, when I asked what the specs were when I got it back, the guy couldn't give me any numbers. But, the car goes straight. It also did before I took it in, but with the common inside tire wear issue.
I think there's air in the brakes, since it takes way more foot pressure than before to make a hard stop. I'll take it somewhere else for another flush and proper bleeding.
Where:
Petro Canada gas stations
What:
Seasonal car-wash pass
Result:
Up to 1 car wash per day for 90 days for $139 + tax
I've gone 3 times this week :D
Recommendation: :up: but a bit :marauder:
Where:
Dufferin Dupont Alignment Centre, Toronto
What:
Wheel alignment on my 1994 MGM
Result:
Best alignment ever!!!! Best price ever!!!!
Recommendation: :2thumbs: with :cake: if you can find them. They appear to have gone out of business :cry:
After a couple trip to a local Green & Ross and my car was pulling to the left worse than ever, I found this place in the local Yellow Pages. I didn't know how nice it is to drive a car that tracks straight and true until I went to this place. A couple weeks before I got my winter wheels, they went out of business. I am still very sad.
So, I'd like this thread to be about listing interactions with specific vehicle service locations. I'm not talking about Ford dealerships either, although I suppose there's no reason to exclude them from this discussion. I'm hoping to find small, independent shops run by people who care, and who do a good job.
I read the forum rules, and I didn't see anything forbidding such a discussion, and I don't think any of the vendors here offer services in the GTA anyway, so I'm hoping this thread works.
Here, I'll start:
Where:
The Tire Factory
1402 Martin Grove @ Rexdale in Etobicoke
What:
2 front tires
Result:
good price on the tires (OEM BFGs, 235/50/18)
Rims damaged - clearcoat chipped extensively, with some gouging of the aluminum
Recommendation: :argh:
I won't go back, but their prices are good as is tire availability, but the guys who run the place are sharks. If you do go there, INSIST that they promise not to damage your nice wheels, and stay in the work area while they do the work to make sure they don't eff up your rims
Where:
Roadway Alignment
341 Eastern Ave @ Broadview in Toronto
What:
mount 4 winter tires on rims
install wheels
alignment
flush brake fluid
Result:
Wheels installed as expected
Wheels vibrate at high speeds
One wheel has a slow leak
Alignment seems fine
Brakes act weird - were better before the flush
Recommendation: :confused: or maybe :stooges:
I'm not sure yet. They charged me $20 to mount each tire and install each wheel, plus another $3 per valve. Most places throw the valves in for free. There's a pretty heavy vibration at high speed - probably one or more wheels out of balance. I'll probably take it back and see if they can do a better job. Plus, one wheel has a slow leak, which seemed to be there from the get-go. The wheels I picked up at a junkyard in St. Catharines, and one of them was different from the others (painted on the back, the other 3 were raw aluminum), so maybe that's the cause.
I took the flags off the alignment 'eccentrics' before taking it in. I didn't give them any specs, since they're an alignment shop, and the guy insisted they've been there for 30 years and they know what they're doing. Still, when I asked what the specs were when I got it back, the guy couldn't give me any numbers. But, the car goes straight. It also did before I took it in, but with the common inside tire wear issue.
I think there's air in the brakes, since it takes way more foot pressure than before to make a hard stop. I'll take it somewhere else for another flush and proper bleeding.
Where:
Petro Canada gas stations
What:
Seasonal car-wash pass
Result:
Up to 1 car wash per day for 90 days for $139 + tax
I've gone 3 times this week :D
Recommendation: :up: but a bit :marauder:
Where:
Dufferin Dupont Alignment Centre, Toronto
What:
Wheel alignment on my 1994 MGM
Result:
Best alignment ever!!!! Best price ever!!!!
Recommendation: :2thumbs: with :cake: if you can find them. They appear to have gone out of business :cry:
After a couple trip to a local Green & Ross and my car was pulling to the left worse than ever, I found this place in the local Yellow Pages. I didn't know how nice it is to drive a car that tracks straight and true until I went to this place. A couple weeks before I got my winter wheels, they went out of business. I am still very sad.