Fritz & Hans Automotive

These guys tried to scam me, or at least «Trey» the mechanic did. I called them up last Monday morning, as my car shut down after some crazy whine had been going on and I didn’t get a chance to pop the hood. They said they could run $ 130 diagnostics on it that afternoon and let me know. I had to keep calling them, and they didn’t even check out the car for a few days. After I called again.
On Thursday, at the end of the day, I hear that (a) it ran out of gas and (b) the crazy whine was just a hose needing to be tightened up. Great, I figured its a $ 130 «Lazy Idiot Tax» and I’ll take the hit. Then Trey starts in on the Throttle Body not working, the part typically goes $ 1400 but he’s trying to talk to another supplier. Wow, what a guy! He will talk to another supplier for me?! I tell him I won’t even pay $ 1000 for any parts, this 2005 C230 Kompressor with 192,000 miles and a ton of cosmetic damage is only worth about $ 1500 blue book. I ask Try if he knows anyone who might give me about $ 1000 scrap for it. I was sure that this was it. RIP after 8 years together.
At this point Trey may have known he was in a jam (although I didn’t). After debating with me the value of the car (he figured it was worth it to fix), I was asking if I’d have to tow it out of there. He said all it does is «idle.» SO now I need a tow truck. I got off the phone with Trey and was instantly trying to find a trade-​in deal at the Benz or Jeep dealerships near his shop. I needed a car by Saturday.
15 minutes after Trey told me the car was junk (unless I gave him close to $ 2000 to fix, of course), he calls me back (I still have the Voicemail): «I seem to have gotten that throttle body to work. I kept hammering on it with the computer and seemed to have woken it up.»
It might have been awkward for him to have me show up and drive away this car to the junkyard, the one that only idles. So he magically «woke it up» with the computer. Part of me was giving a little benefit of the doubt. Its an old car, who knows? So I had a strategy.
Next morning I came in to get my car and asked for the computer readout of all the Error Codes. They had nothing. I asked what Error Codes came up– after all I just paid $ 130 for a diagnostics check and am sure this car would be spitting codes like crazy– some issues come up on my dashboard, so surely the MB computer would have much more. «Oh, we don’t print those out.» No notes even. Nothing. So how the hell did he know it was a Throttle Body if no error code? Did he even hook it up to the computer?
I paid the $ 130 Idiot Tax for running out of gas and not noticing, as its been a stressful week. But these guys straight up tried to rip me off. I don’t care if they have the best skills in the nation, that says nothing for ethics. Can a mechanic move in next door to me please?

It was recommended to me by an old co worker to try this place because he has taken his car here many times. It was time for my B Service and months ago the MB dealership told me to get my brake fluid flush so I added that in. These two services at the MB dealership would have cost me $ 1000; however, I paid less than $ 700 here. As a woman that doesn’t know much about cars I’m always worried about the mechanics trying to add in additional services that cost more money. I did not encounter this at all here. Everything went well and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. There is no loaner car service but there is plenty stores etc around to keep you busy if you don’t mind walking. I even was given an exclusive heart keychain that is no longer produced that has MB Club on it. I will be back because they have earned their trust with me and my GLK.

When I first brought my Mercedes to Fritz and Hans it was for an oil change. I called to arrange an appointment and the receptionist was able to get my vehicle in the next morning.
When I arrived to drop off my keys and vehicle at 7:30a, I was notified that I would be called around lunch time to let me know it was finished. Sounds fine thus far.
45 minutes later, I get a call in which the person doesn’t identify themselves and rambles off a list of 4 things that «need to be fixed» and that it will maybe cost around «$ 800.» Then he followed up with, «so you want us to do that today for you?» I attempted to start processing the list of things that needed repair and to ask questions. I was interrupted and told «I guess I’ll just tell you what it is when you come in to pick it up.»
I went out to the location during the lunch hour to see what needed to be fixed. I went in and again attempted to ask some questions since there were not any indications to me as the driver of the vehicle that these things were wrong. (I’m not saying I understand cars, but wanted to get a sense to see if I should have noticed something). The man at the counter stated these were things that if I wasn’t noticing when driving he didn’t know what to tell me. I tried to ask questions about the parts and was constantly interrupted and spoken down to. My boyfriend then stepped in, asked the same questions and treated with respect explaining what needed to happen. They pulled out images, and explained what the parts did, all while not acknowledging me… the owner of the car.
When I left, the desk attendant told me that they do not recommend me driving the vehicle.
For a month, I drove another vehicle until I figured I should probably have everything replaced and put my pride on a shelf. There was one part however that was quoted as costing over $ 200. I found parts online that were about $ 80. I called to see if I could schedule a time and tell them about the part I found online. When I was discussing bringing a part in, I was again interrupted and told that those «Japanese» parts I could order were no good, and they would not put a warranty on them. I said I wouldn’t mind if it didn’t have a warranty, and then was told «you aren’t understanding me. You need to just have the parts ordered through here.» I then told them I would take my car elsewhere.
That week, I took my vehicle to the Mercedes dealership. I had them perform a full inspection to which they found none of the issues Hans and Fritz claimed to have found. I asked them specifically then about the parts. The mechanics at the dealership opened the hood, showed me the parts and insinuated they felt I was being taken advantage of.
The summary: Do not go here. Rude. Unprofessional. Untrustworthy.
Even if it costs more, I’ll take my business somewhere I’m valued and respected.

When I am picking a new mechanic, I look for two things. The first is honesty and the second is value. I recently moved to New Orleans and when I needed an oil change and some repairs on my old Mercedes, I decided to give Fritz and Hans a shot. As a service to others looking for a mechanic, I’ll list the pros and cons of these guys, based on my own experience below.
Pros:
— I called on a Monday afternoon, and they took a look at my car the following Tuesday
— They seemed to know their stuff, and based on the little contact I had with the owner he seemed like a good guy. In fact, he seemed to have a genuine interest in making all of the customers experiences a positive one (which is a shame, because despite this, I will still never be back)
— When I picked my car up, the mechanic took the time to discuss it with me
Cons:
— Price: To do a brake flush the shop charged me $ 180.00 and (I’m quoting my receipt here) for «brake flush, replace brake fluid, flush system, add fluid, and bleed system.» They then charged an additional $ 40.00 for the new brake fluid. (Surprised by this rate, I later called two Mercedes dealerships who both quoted me a flat fee of 180.00 including the brake fluid. In other words, Fritz and Hans are actually charging $ 40.00 MORE THAN THE DEALERSHIP. For those new to Mercedes, I called Mercedes dealerships because they are notoriously far more expensive than independent repair shops.
— Responsiveness — When my car wasn’t going to be ready in one day, I should have gotten a call, I did not. Services were then performed which I had not pre-​approved. Although I paid for the services, and admittedly would have probably approved them anyway; on my first visit to a new mechanic I do not want repair decisions being made for me absent my express consent. Furthermore, I made this clear when I dropped off the car.
As I mentioned before, in choosing a new mechanic the most important things to me are honesty and value. I will not be returning to Fritz and Hans. For those individuals looking for a new mechanic, I will include an itemized list of the charges from my bill. I have a 1999 Mercedes E320, I would advise you to call around to see how other shops compare to the prices I was charged. I think you will find that these guys simply aren’t competitive.
Bill:
— Type A Service — 89.00 (this was admittedly a reasonable rate)
— Brake flush, replace brake fluid, flush system, add fluid, bleed system — 180.00
— New brake fluid — 40.00
— Diagnostic Scan, Perform Diagnostic Scan, Check Faults, and Codes — 120.00 (note that the diagnostic scan showed nothing)
— Replace pilot bulb — $ 25.00
— New pump relay — $ 18.00 (when I inquired about my bill to make sure I was understanding it correctly, the representative told me that they had actually cut me a deal by not charging me for the labor on the new pump relay, according to him, had they charged me for this it would have been an additional $ 100.00).
Total Labor: 414.00
Total Parts: 58.00
Tax: 41.29
Total: 513.29

My boys here take care of the diva’s BMW, so what can I say. I have brought the girl in for some minor things here and there and they always know what to do and do it fast. I gotta say that when you have the expensive toys, you have to pay and bring them to the right people to fix them and these guys are. Thank you for helping me take care of my black baby BMW, the diva’s car.

Very knowledgable mechanics. Administrative staff are helpful. And the owner is Mr Mercedes himself; he can diagnose a problem just by description.
The prices are about ¹⁄₃ less than the dealership. Only downfall is you have to either leave your vehicle or wait for it. Obviously, they lack the «loaner car» option that MB dealership has.
The shop itself is kinda small, only 2 lifts & the location (due to interstate construction) is kind of difficult to get to, but for the savings… I’ll live with it.