Hasn't happened yet but eventually I'll have a problem with my car that I can't fix. After seeing most of the places in the area and knowing who work there what are places you will and won't go for work?

For me there's only one place I won't go. This is personal because he almost got me killed

Tommy at Phillips 66 on corner of Avent Ferry and Western. He checked out my car and said it was okay to drive back in 96. On the way back my steering column locked up and I had to break whatever was lodged in it which threw me back across the highway and I flipped 3 times landing on the wheels. The insurance agent said it was a broken strut that caused a piece of metal to go jam the steering column. Tommy wouldn't even say sorry. Insurance company sued them and settled for the cost of the car. Luckily I was driving a Honda and wasn't hurt. Shooken up and scared shitless, but minor scrapes. He's consitently charged anyone I know more than usual prices, and the problem is rarely fixed.

Anyone have bad mechanic warnings or good listings? When I get a listing I'll host it somewhere people can reference. List away! I know some of you work at garages!

10/23/2006 10:37:03 AM

your post is inconsistent with your title..

do you want us to tell you good reputable shops or shady fuck-you-in-the-ass shops?

10/23/2006 10:54:36 AM

Quote :

"Tommy at Phillips 66 on corner of Avent Ferry and Western"

I used to work there, and he is a great guy, and if anything he will work with people that don't have a whole lot of money to spend, let them know what their options are and fix things for reasonable prices. Some things are just expensive as hell for parts, there is nothing you can do about that, and his labor rates are about the lowest around here. He doesn't charge any more for parts than you could walk into carquest or t-hoff or carolina and buy yourself, and he has no problem installing parts that people bring in, unlike most shops. He will never fix something that he hasn't already talked to the owner about first and explained the problem and given an estimate.

As long as I worked there and even now he has great mechanics, Mitch and John were some of the best I had worked with, and after John left, Ken came back to replace him, and he is a freakin wizard of diagnosing drivability/engine/electronics problems, on domestics and imports.

Quote :

"The insurance agent said it was a broken strut that caused a piece of metal to go jam the steering column."

There ain't a damn thing you can do to find something like that unless you pull every damn component off the car and magnaflux it. A normal checkover involves brakes, wheel bearings, front end, steering, fluids, battery, etc. I replaced all the balljoints on my truck a while back and had one of the randomly break and my wheel flopped in on the a-arm. Didn't have a damn thing to do with the installation and I damn sure wouldn't have put it on there if I knew it was gonna break and there was no way to tell it was defective until it did.

Sounds like he just got fucked over because he was too busy to deal with it and thats what they have insurance for. Theres no way to prove you didn't hit something and damaged the strut afterwards if thats even what it was. He's there for 12-14 hours a day 6 days a week and works harder than any damn body I've ever seen in my life, and there's a reason that he stays backed up out he door every day and he's had some customers for over 30 years. Plus we did all the work on WRAL's vehicles, ncsu athletics, and a lot of ncsu departmental vehicles. One freak accident is not a reason to condemn someone.

10/23/2006 11:38:36 AM

Quote :

"One freak accident is not a reason to condemn someone. "

No kidding. That's pretty fucked up.

Tommy has helped me out and hooked me up for years. I give him props for everything he's ever helped me out with. Straight up, honest, and will direct you to another shop if it's something he can't handle there. And I seriously doubt he could have forseen what caused you to flip your car.

This thread should be deleted and the thread starter should be bitch-slapped.

10/23/2006 2:29:01 PM

Quote :

"And I seriously doubt he could have forseen what caused you to flip your car. This thread should be deleted and the thread starter should be bitch-slapped. "

I bet you'd feel different if you were the guy in the accident.

10/23/2006 3:23:53 PM

Quote :

"I bet you'd feel different if you were the guy in the accident."

And you'd probably lose that bet.

10/23/2006 4:40:28 PM

this motherfucker does nothing but whine

10/23/2006 4:45:25 PM

i had take my dodge over there to have it diagnosed for a sudden loss of brakes (turned out to be a badly leaking rear brake cylinder). i didnt want to risk driving it home with no brakes so i took it to the first place i seen, which happened to be this same shop. i am not sure who exactly worked on the truck, it has been a couple years, and they had it back the same day, brakes are still holding up fine to this day.

the only issue i had with them is that i asked them to call me back and let me know what work needed to be done and how much would it cost me after they get it checked out. they didnt call me, went ahead and fixed it, turned out to be about 300 dollar bill (about fair for the work they have done+parts). BUT most shops have a policy of calling customers if the bill exceeds 1 hr work, and i specifically told them to call me with the estimate, cause that was before i had a credit card and i wanted to be sure i could pay the bill before i let em do any work.

[Edited on October 23, 2006 at 6:06 PM. Reason : cant spell]

10/23/2006 6:06:09 PM

I was hoping for good recommendations and where to avoid!

I used to think Tommy was a nice guy. I really did. Maybe HE is good and it was one of his crew that fucked things up. When I approached him about the accident and I did so without any malice or anything. Just saying, hey, this is what the insurance agent says he instantly got defensive and went "couldn't be me" and walked away.

How the fuck do you walk away from someone after that kinda shit happens. I flipped 3 times moving at speeds of 55. I'm lucky to be alive! People don't react that way unless they KNOW they fucked up.

I'm glad you think he does good. I hope he does but it'll be a cold day in hell before I go back or recommend his service.

10/27/2006 7:37:02 AM

I'm not clear what you had the guy do. Did you have them do work on your strut or just give the car a once over? He can check over your car but no one can guarantee integrity of the metal once it leaves the shop. He's a mechanic not a metallurgist.

Quote :

"There ain't a damn thing you can do to find something like that unless you pull every damn component off the car and magnaflux it."

I am sorry to hear about your accident though. A friend's dad was killed when the front suspension on his new IROC-Z failed ( < 2000 miles ). GM chalked it up to manufacturing defect and settled ASAP.

-- Dave

10/27/2006 8:40:23 AM

Ah, I paid him $220 to go over the car and tell me what's wrong with it, what needs to be fixed, what will need to be replaced etc. It was a Honda Accord. He was supposed to look at the suspension, transmission, etc... you get the idea. At the same time replace any fluids that needed it, change the oil... it was a full service package deal he had at the time.

I wanted to know the condition of the car. He said it was safe to drive, it obviously was not. At the time I didn't know shit about cars so I didn't know what to look for besides the obvious "bad sounds".

Seriously though, if Tommy has been that helpful I'm willing to back off but I won't ever go to him again. Can't trust someone like that. I apologize if he's helped people out bigtime, maybe I was the 1 in a million fluke that got through, but that fluke almost killed me so don't mind me if I hold a grudge.

10/27/2006 9:25:49 AM

Quote :

"At the time I didn't know shit about cars so I didn't know what to look for besides the obvious "bad sounds". "

Sounds like you still don't know shit about cars. What happened to you was an accident pure and simple, and he reacted the way he did because you came to him talking about insurance agents and claims. Anyone who isnt a fucking an idiot is going to go into legal defense mode at the first speak of insurance.

10/27/2006 10:30:38 AM

That's just business. I really don't think you can take it too personally.

A doctor will never apologize to the family of a deceased person whether he is at fault or not because if he apologizes it implies that he accepts some responsibility for it. It is pretty crazy, but that's the way it is in America today. The insurance companies advise them on how to handle that type of situation and unfortunately they come off as being very cold.

The same thing happened here. That guy may or may not be at fault, but that is up to the insurance company and the courts to decide. It's in his best interest not to say anything because a lawyer will spin whatever he says when it goes to litigation.

You could have filed a personal lawsuit against him. In fact, if you really believe he is at fault I'm not sure why you didn't.

[Edited on October 27, 2006 at 11:03 AM. Reason : s]

10/27/2006 11:00:55 AM

yeah, dont go blaming a garage because you flipped your car..

you could have hit a pothole and the strut could have broken offf...

oh, and i just cant see, on a honda, well except for the new civics and stuff, how a broken strut (if a part of a strut breaks, most likely its not gonna be a part) will jam the steering column.

unless it was the whole strut., ive worked on tons of hondas and i just cant see a piece of a strut jamming it. take some pics, or go slap your insurance adjuster.

10/27/2006 11:32:29 AM