Allen’s Automotive

I needed an independent inspection on a used car I was planning to purchase and I contacted Allen’s because it was nearby the dealer and had good reviews. They were extremely pleasant and helpful, and got the car inspection taken care of the next morning for a very reasonable price (less than a lot of mechanics charge). Obviously this was a small job, but they were great.

My car had a check engine light on. I had taken it to Allen’s Automotive to check it out. They told me that my car has 4 cylinders in the engine and cylinder number 1 is having misfires and it may have something to due with my catalytic converter. A few days later after dropping my car off he tells me that the catalytic converter is no good and is the cause to cylinder 1 having misfires. I told him to go ahead with the repairs for cylinder 1, but no to replace the catalytic converter because I can’t afford it at this time.
He replaced cylinder 1 and I paid $ 675 to drive home with it. When I was almost home the car was barely moving, shaking, struggling to accelerate, and nearly broke down when I was almost in my driveway. I called them and told them what happend. He said «yeah it sounds like your catalytic converter died. «I asked him how much would it be to replace the catalytic converter and he said it would be $ 1,300.
About a week or two later I had my car towed to the dealership. The dealership said that cylinder 1 and now cylinder 3 are misfiring, however you’r catalytic converter is completely fine and nothing wrong with it. I explained to the dealership that I had already replaced cylinder 1. He said it needs to be fixed.
The dealership fixed cylinder 1 and cylinder 3 for $ 650. The car is now home and drives completely fine and no problems.
The moral of the story is that Allen’s supposedly repaired/​replaced cylinder 1 for a rip off price and then wanted me to buy a part (catalytic converter) when that was not necessary. The dealership repaired/​replaced both cylinders for less than what Allen’s charged me for just one cylinder.
I strongly believe that Allen’s did not fix the cylinder and with that being said, a different cylinder was misfiring due to the damage of it, and Allen’s was hoping I would go back there to give him more of my money to fix and order parts not necessary to rip me off.
I will never go back there ever again. I’m better off going to the actual dealership.

We have all been very happy with the work that Allen’s has provided us in the past. Having owned several vehicles over the years they always were professional and advised us if they felt something needed to be done or could wait. We even had an issue when our motor cover was cracked and they replaced it for free. We have «turned» on several of our neighbors to them and all have been happy with the work as well. Although we don’t look forward to spending money on our vehicles its nice to know the problems will be handled correctly. Daniel Wrede

Very good garage. I’ve read through some of the other reviews and I’m not sure what to say. A garage recommending you get new brakes after 30,000 miles? MY GOD THAT’S HIGHWAY ROBBERY. Err… not really.
They have:
1. Never sold me anything I didn’t need or ask for.
2. Charged me fair rate for labor.
3. Got parts needed quickly.
4. Completed work within reasonable time frame.
5. Dealt with me in a kind, professional way.
6. Installed parts that I purchased on my own for no additional charge.
There is a caveat to this: they’re not magicians. Sometimes something obscure is wrong with your car, and without disassembling it completely or some serious trial and error… it’s not possible to identify the problem. This is true no matter where you are going. If you need a very specific part that is hard to find, you will have to wait until they can get it to get your car fixed. If you have a less common car, consider a more specialized shop.
Dan, the shop manager, is a level headed professional who likes his work and all my dealings with him have been great.
They also do state inspections.

If it was possible to give negative stars, Allen’s would get 5.
RIP OFF ALERT!
The worst garage around. My family went to Allen’s for years since they are literally 5 mins from my house to get all of our auto work done. We all think VERY different after they were trying to RIP US OFF. Went in for my normal oil change and they said that I needed new brakes but they wanted to replace rotors and pads. I asked if the rotors were damaged and they said no, but they do not resurface rotors. I called my dealer and got their prices to resurface the rotors and replace the pads. They had a great deal so I then took off from work in the morning and brought my truck to the Ford dealer (40 minutes from my house) and dropped it off to get the brakes done. They then called me when I got to work and said my brakes had about 7−10k miles left on them and my truck was ready to be picked up with no work being done. I thought nothing of this since my family was so loyal to them for so many years but it was really my FIRST RED FLAG!
So…6,000 miles later I took my truck back to Allen’s because I was in need of an oil change BAD and since they are so close I dropped my truck off and they AGAIN said that I needed brakes and rotors.
So I do this same thing again, I brought my truck down to the dealer to get my brakes done thinking since the dealer said 7−10k miles i would need new brakes 6k miles was close enough. I get down there after taking the morning off from work and i get the call again saying my brakes have at least another 3k miles on them before they would even suggest changing the pads. After every visit to the dealer I would get a multi-​point inspection with the measurements of my pads.
Now I was mad. I called Allen’s and talked to some guy and told him what was going on and he put me on hold. Then after looking at my file he said that he is the one that suggested the brake set up change. I asked him what my pad measurements were and he said THEY DON’T MEASURE THE PADS?
In other words he was guessing that I needed brakes per the mileage on my truck. (31,000 miles) After me telling him I have the measurements from the Ford Dealer from the day before he got defensive and said the dealer doesn’t know what they are talking about. After requesting Jimmy Allen call me to explain this and him NEVER CALLING to make things right and after this mechanic getting nasty he has lost my family’s business for life. I also made sure I told everyone I know that went to his shop never to return. Please don’t make the same mistake we all did. Check out their reviews on Google, they are terrible.