Precision Tune Auto Care

Thank god this operation is out of business. By far the biggest automotive ripoffs in town, worse even than Chuck Manning.
EDIT:
Uh oh… They’re back. They moved across Hwy 1, click below. :(
:/​

I wish I had read the reviews before going here. This is a horible place to take a vehicle. below is my dealing with them. Make up your own mind.
Initial Complaint:
Facility: Precision Tune Auto Care 155 – 18 2335 Soquel Drive Suite A Santa Cruz, CA 95 065 (831)462−4900
Invoice: 23XXX
I came to this facility for a spring travel & safety check on 04/​04/​2009 at about 12:30 pm. It was a special I received in the mail. I received a phone call at 2:00 pm and the person on the line stated i needed new tires and a brake fluid flush. I authorized the brake fluid flush but denied the tires and asked if he could quote a different brand on the tires, the same ones I have on my car currently. He said he would get that together for me and give me the quote when I pick up my vehicle which he said would be ready at 4:00 pm. At 4:00 pm I called the facility to make sure my car was ready before I got a ride there. At that time the service writer stated that they had broken my drivers side outer door handle and he was trying to crazy glue it together. I went to the facility to pick up my vehicle and talk about the door handle they broke and he stated that it was a wear and tear item and they are not responsible for things they break in their shop. He also stated it broke before he called me at 2:00 pm for authorization of more work. Had I known of this issue I would not of authorized more work. I think that was why I wasn’t told at that time. He then said if I could bring it back we would try to drill holes in the door handle to try to re attach the pieces. I told him I was not happy with that offer and I thought it was the shop’s responsibility to repair what they had broken. He once again stated that they are not responsible for things they break in the shop. I feel taken advantage of and would not recommend this facility to anyone. Their customer service is awful in my opinion. And I feel they should replace and fix what they have broken or at the very least charge for parts only, no labor. Makes me wonder how often they break things and try to cover them up with crazy glue or end up charging the customer for. Horrible way to drum up business during these hard times.
Regretfully,
Ricky
From: Dennis NXXen
To:
Cc: Jim HXXd
Subject: PRECISION TUNE COMPLAINT
MR. XXXXXX;
WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ARE UNHAPPY SO WE WOULD INSTALL THE DOOR HANDLE YOU SUPPLY FOR THE DISCOUNTED LABOR OF $ 75.00. OUR LABOR GUIDE SHOWS IT WILL TAKE APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR TO INSTALL THE NEW DOOR HANDLE AND OUR HOURLY LABOR RATE IS $ 111.40. SO THE LABOR WE ARE OFFERING TO YOU IS DISCOUNTED BY $ 36.40. I WILL BE AT THE SHOP ON THURSDAY APRIL 16, 2009 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR CAR AND DOOR HANDLE WE WILL INSTALL THAT DAY.
SINCERELY,
DENNIS NOXXN, PRESIDENT
PRECISION TUNE AUTO CARE OF SANTA CRUZ
From: Rick
the part itself runs $ 110. And you want me to pay an additional $ 75 for a part your tech broke? I had a fully functional door when I came to you for an oil change. I think $ 185 dollars out of pocket for a part your company broke is a little ridiculous. It’s been over a week since my initial complaint. I think I’m being very fair in this situation. I hope you will reconsider your offer. I have found no where in your contract that states you are not liable for things you break in your shop and there is admission on my printed receipt of the incident. $ 221.40 in damages discounted to $ 185 when I came in for a $ 45 oil change is not the kind of customer service I was expecting. Please respond in writing.
Sincerely,
Ricky
From: Dennis NolXX
I AM SORRY YOU FEEL THE WAY YOU DO. YOU ALREADY HAVE OUR LAST OFFER
DENNIS NOLEN

I noticed my tire was running low on air and took it in to the nearest place I could find: Precision Tune Auto Care. I was sure the problem was dirt caked in between my tire and my rim and I asked them to clean out my rim. They «cleaned» my rim and then told me I would actually need to replace my rim because it was bent, which would have cost me nearly $ 500 dollars. I took my truck to Lloyd’s Tires to get a second opinion, and they looked at my rim, agreed that it was probably just dirt, and cleaned it for $ 20.00. Turns out it was just dirt, and I definitely didn’t need to replace the rim. When I returned to Precision to explain that I wanted my $ 22.50 back for the botched job they did, the man at the counter told me he absolutely would not give me back my money, and that I could stand there all day. For horrible service, incorrect diagnosis, distrespectful customer treatment, and the complete refusal to take responsibility for their mistakes, I would highly recommend taking your business elsewhere.

Precision replaced a leaky hydraulic brake line on my daughter’s 1994 Toyota Camry and did a smog check on my 2003 Ford Taurus.
Very knowledgeable, professional. No hassles, No problems. I came in after lunch, and they still finished the brake job by closing time, even though they were very busy. I used a discount coupon for the smog check, so it was a few bucks cheaper than all the others around (I called 5 others). I gave only 4 stars out of 5 because the labor rate seems high (about $ 111/​hr) but they are very fair — the estimated price is the FINAL price. No surprises. I will go back!

I would never ever take my car there again. Was sent a flier for a oil change that was advertised for $ 13.99 and everything was an extra charge and ended up paying over $ 100!!!

The service I experienced today was anything but «precise.» I wish I had read these reviews of Terra and Local S before today’s visit. Last night my wife returned after traveling over the hill. Her windshield wipers were starting to disintegrate during a drive over 17 in the rain, and she had to white-​knuckle it home at night. Next day I committed to replacing them. But, she was also overdue for an oil change, so I’d figure I’d combine the 2. We had just received a coupon from Precision Auto for a «Winter Travel and Safety Special» $ 49.99 tune-​up, so I rolled it on it. Leaving it for 4 hours, Blake called in the mid-​afternoon and said the Camry was leaking brake-​fluid on one of the rear struts. He was amazed we weren’t having handling problems like jerking or trouble changing lanes. It might ruin the master cylindar and several other important components and functions. The estimate was $ 525.00. After expressing hesitation on having such expensive work done right now, «at the very least let us flush the brake fluid, which is black from boiling.» I agreed to the latter service at $ 60, but kindly declined the first. We picked up the Camry. There was a light rain. As we were driving away my wife naturally flipped on the windshield wipers only to find them in the same condition. Torn, not clearing water on the glass. We returned to the shop, where Blake got a service person to fetch some new wiper blades. Until then I hadn’t read the itemized service performed on the receipt, but I thought I’d glance at it and see if I could verify that all of the line-​items were actually addressed. My wife popped the hood so I could begin at least check for any egregious oversights, to which Blake became defensive. «We don’t have play that kind of game around here.» I spoke, «We came in here primarily for wiper blades and found them not replaced. I have to wonder about the other items on the list. At this point, we don’t trust you.» He claimed it was simply an oversight, and huffed away back into the office. What customer service huh? And of course the customer can’t be right, can he? Bottom line, it left a bitter taste in our mouths, we’re not sure all the work they say they performed was actually done, and we’re wondering if the brake fluid flush was really necessary having read the fishy tire and break encounters of the reviews before us. Instead of apologizing the shop became defensive and terse. We plan to inspect the car tomorrow looking for anything a non-​mechanic can detect as off, faulty, missing, etc, and will never return for auto work at this shop again based on their attitude. Thumbs way way down. We like to shop local but won’t put up with Precision Auto. Now I see a consistent negative review pattern here. Beware or avoid

This place is a scam!!! Don’t go here!!! I went in last year to get my oil changed. It took them 3.5 hours to do a 15 minute oil change. They told me my brakes were screwed and I needed new brakes or I would surely die on the road. They told me it would be another couple of hundred dollars to fix them. Luckily I didn’t have the money, so I said no, I’ll have to come back later. They did something to mess with my brakes so when I was leaving they were full of air and I had to pump them to get them to work. The next day I went straight over to Big O Tires on Water st. I asked them to do a break check and rotate my tires. They said my front breaks had 40% left on them and my back breaks had 60% and there is no need to change them for a long time. Over a year later and my breaks are fine, I’ve had them checked and they still haven’t needed to be changed.
Beware Precision Auto Tune is a scam, they will try to scare you into overpriced services you don’t need!

I agree that this place is shady, unprofessional, and a rip off. I admit, I knew little about my car. I brought my 1 year old Mazda in to get an oil change when like previous reviews said, ended up being charged $ 38 instead of the advertised $ 13 coupon I recieved in the mail. Later, after waiting for at least an hour and a half, they suggested a 30k tuneup. I foolishly agreed and came in a couple of weeks later for the 30k tune up. About 2 hours into that job they called me and told me that they checked my breaks and the pads were great but were installed incorrectly. They rushed me to say yes on the phone and qouted me around $ 345 to fix them. OMG! I said okay thinking it was $ 345 total to do the tune up and fix the breaks. Minutes later they called to correct themselves, they really meant it was going to be at least $ 645 total… I finally came to my senses and said no. I went to pick my car up. They told me I had a nail in my tire, weird how all of a sudden that happened when I drove my tire in I had no tire problems.
The topper is I took my car to another mechanic to just look at my breaks and he said there was nothing wrong with them. How could they claim the people who put on my breaks previously did it wrong? Seeing how my car was only a little more than a year old with barely 30k miles on it, the people who put them on was MAZDA.
I suggest never ever going to this place.

I’m bummed to hear some of the other reviews here because I have NEVER experienced such customer service from ANY business EVER as I have at this place. Doc, Vince and Dennis had my best interests at heart throughout my repair experience. I had gotten a bad oil change from Sears that left me with a ruined engine — Doc even showed up in court to help me win my case. He waited around for three hours and testified on my behalf to help me win my settlement. My car has functioned perfectly since my engine replacement. I am not an employee of Precision Tune and I didn’t know any of these guys before this experience. What I do know is that I would never use any other mechanic in the Santa Cruz area, ever. That’s all!

Couldn’t agree more with all these other reviews. We went here because a family member recommended them (WTF??). What we got was a sales pitch from hell for new brake rotors all the way around, when I knew and TOLD them there was some brake dust build-​up (notorious on our Acura TSX) and to please remove the crud. They wouldn’t let-​up about us needing rotors (we passed). They also totally jacked the price on the oil change we did go with and tried to sell us the power steering flush, even though the manual, which I pointed out to them, didn’t recommend it until another 50,000 miles from where we were on the odometer at the time. These guys are the definition of why repair shops get such bad raps. I wish our local TV stations had one of those «Consumer Street Reporter» guys who goes in undercover with hidden cameras and confronts these bastards about their shoddy business practice. KARMA is going to eat these SOB’s alive some day…

I wish I had read here first, now I am scared for the life of my car. I first waited an hour after my appt. time for them to even start, then had to sit through45 minutes of overhearing cussing to customer service agents of the owners personal credit card bills and listen to him make racist remarks about foreigners. After my oil change I heard the guy who worked on my car say «order more oil, we don’t have any» I was scared thinking, GREAT did they put any in there? I checked and it did have oil, but they said they would check the tires too. but the tire that was low, was still low when I left. However I didn’t care, and just wanted to get the hell out of there. I originally was told 14 bucks for an oil change, then 22, then 26, and ultimately… 38. They almost put the wrong oil in had I of not caught them, and they thought my car was a 2005 when it’s a 2007… I hope that didn’t affect anything. For 38 bucks I could have gone to jiffy lube where they would have vacuumed the car as well!!!
To top it off, they SAID they checked my tires and I checked them later… and THEY WERE HALF FULL… jack asses.

Went ther for a smog. They left a hose open causing the ‘check engine” light on. Called them as soon we left the shp and a person named Dave (very nice) said it was a setting change and request me to go back. When I went to the shop the next day, the owner (Dennis) denied to even check very rudely. Finally after a long hassel did found their fault .The big fat bearded man (Daug) sitting at the front desk denied any help. He could have intervene, since he everything happened in front of him and saved his hothead boss. This company is not ready to back their job. Don’t want to guarantee their work. I will never go back there.