Downtown Tire & Automotive

I got my car towed here because I had a flat and AAA told me that they’d give me a good discount for being a AAA member if I get the flat fixed here. Everyone working was nice and professional, but I was disappointed to find out that the AAA discount is only $ 4 off the total. I ended up having to buy two new tires, and I was *way* overcharged for them. The ones I got are typically sold for $ 51 each, and I paid $ 65 each plus $ 30 in «installation fees.» Unfortunately having nice employees doesn’t make up for paying $ 60 more than I would have at a discount tire place. Competitive pricing is important when it’s as simple as googling it, and this place just doesn’t get it.

On the trip LA– Miami our 1979 Camaro broke down and AAA recommended this place. We got the Hotel Blue, right around the corner for the night and called at 6.30am to see when we could bring the car in. To my surprise the owner, Tony answered my call and told me that I should bring the car at 8am when the guys come in. They checked the car thoroughly and repaired everything that needed immediate attention to continue the trip. When I came in they told me what else was wrong with the car and showed me what they had done. They really know what they are doing and my gut feeling told me that it will hard to find a place in Miami that will be so precise, honest and fast. So I decided to get one of the other things (transmission fluid leak) fixed instead of refilling it the rest of the trip. 3 hours later my car was good to go and it never drove better. We made it to Miami with no problem. Even driving 8 hours straight on the interstate was not a problem for that engine. I am very happy that I chose this place. They were super professional and knowledgeable. I just wished they would be in Miami. If you are in the area and have a problem with your car go to this place they will give you a real estimate which in my case was higher than the actual invoice. That was a pleasant surprise. They also give a discount to AAA members and this place is AAA approved.
Tony and his crew are great!

I absolutely cannot understand why there are negative reviews about downtown tire and automotive repair. Honestly, Tony was one of the most incredible people I have ever met. My fiancé and I were having car issues whilst traveling the country and needed to stop in Albuquerque to take care of our vehicle quickly and efficiently. We chose this place despite of the two negative Unilocal reviews, and I couldn’t be more happy with our decision. Tony went out of his way to save us as much money as possible. He didn’t even run a diagnostics because he suspected it may be a tire issue even though other problems have similar symptoms. He could have easily run a test and charged $ 149 like most other shops, but he knew we were broke and wanted to help. We ended up needing two new tires. He had someone personally drive to a warehouse to pick up the appropriate tires and had the whole process expedited so we could be on the road quickly. Tony also explained other things that could potentially need to be fixed but gave us a timeline of when we would need to have them taken care of. He even suggested having us save money by going to a Hyundai dealership for repairs under warranty! That’s honesty. I love the guy.

While the service was great, the price was very expensive. I was even charged $ 150 for an advanced computer diagnosis … you know, the handheld computer that you plug into the consol and it reads codes. The one I bought at Auto Zone for $ 65. According to the mechanic it is «very hard to do». BS. To make matters worse, when we dropped the car off we asked «does the $ 150 diagnosis fee fold into the cots of the repairs?» Answer: «Yes».. but no.
Some mechanics are great. Some mechanics are fair. Some are great and fair. This mechanic is just good yet expensive.