[xkeowner]

Went for an oil change. I was told the serpentine belt needed to be replaced as well as the belt tensioner. Supposedly the tensioner was breaking down and tearing up the belt. It could fail at any time. I left and inspected them my self. The belt is showing age and will be replaced soon but the tensioner is as smooth as a baby's behind and not damaging the belt. Their price for replacing both was $380. Both the belt and tensioner from Advanced Auto for quality grade are $80 and lower grade parts are available for $55.

The also recommended $1200 worth of struts and shocks.

Please get a second opinion/estimate before having major car repairs done by any shop you do not already have personal trust in.

[lovinganimals]

I also went to Tire Choice for an oil change and was told I needed $1000 worth of work on struts and tires. I took my car to Toyota. Won't go back to Tire Choice.

[billethkid]

There is no problem with a business trying to upsell something you may need.
The key is...was what was recommended needed or not? If needed then the price is not the issue is it? One can shop around to pay less once made aware of a deficiency.

You can also satisfy yourself if there is a real need by simply telling them you will have your dealer check it out. Then, if you do and you do not need what was being recommended, please go back to the store and ask for the manager and tell him what happened.

Just alerting TOTV without going through the above is sorta misleading.

I just had new tires put on by Tire Choice (behind Golden Coral on 466)...they had the best price around for the tires I wanted.
They did show me my old tires indicated being out of alignment...it was obvious by looking at the tire. I asked if they do alignment checks to verify out of alignment. They said yes. I asked to have the out of alignment verified. They set it up....brought me the computer print out showing how it was out of alignment by tire. I had them do the work and provide me an after computer print out, which they gladly did. Their price to do alignments was in line with any garages around....yes I checked.

If you in fact "catch" them or anybody, with proof, then please by all means let us know about it.

They are not bad retailers just because they are trying to upsell you.....something that just happens to cost a lot.

I have not been to many garages that will knowingly try to sell one something they do not need. I understand it does happen. The naieve and the gullible are the easy prey. BUT catching them at it and proving it and going back to the management/owner almost ALWAYS gets results.....for us all.

btk

[rubicon]

This sort of thing isn't restricted to auto repair shops. There are a fair number of medical, legal and business professionals that do the same thing.

[jet10s]

you don't seem to understand -- I feel that it was fraud when it came to me -- they were asked to check the air conditioning system and wanted to replace all types of things to the tune of 1400 -- however when I said no -- and I drove out with the car -- the system was now not operable -- we realized that they had sabotaged the system -- we reported them to corporate == when we went back -- we told them that apparently a valve was missing -- within 5 minutes the valve was replaced and the system was once again operationable -- and all of the above was clearly fraud to us -- AVOID TIRECHOICE ON 466A -- THEY ARE CROOKS

[murray607]

Originally Posted by xkeowner

Went for an oil change. I was told the serpentine belt needed to be replaced as well as the belt tensioner. Supposedly the tensioner was breaking down and tearing up the belt. It could fail at any time. I left and inspected them my self. The belt is showing age and will be replaced soon but the tensioner is as smooth as a baby's behind and not damaging the belt. Their price for replacing both was $380. Both the belt and tensioner from Advanced Auto for quality grade are $80 and lower grade parts are available for $55.

The also recommended $1200 worth of struts and shocks.

Please get a second opinion/estimate before having major car repairs done by any shop you do not already have personal trust in.

Upsells are where a lot of these shops make their money. If the work needs to be done and the price is fair, so be it. But often the work does not need to be done and prices may be inflated. The employees get a cut from what they can sell you.

My son learned the hard way. His first vehicle had put about 5,000 miles on it and he decided to get an oil change. The lube shop told him his transmission fluid needed changing as well as his coolant. So he paid the bill and took their word for it.
A week or two later when he checked through his paperwork he got from the dealer when he bought the vehicle he read that the dealer had performed a "100 point inspection" before it was sold. In that check, coolant change was shown to have been done, the brake, transmission and power steering fluids had all been performed and passed by the mechanic. So it was very strange that after less than 5,000 miles the coolant needed to be changed again and that they also said the transmission fluid which had been fine when checked suddenly needed to be changed.

We now have all of our maintainance done at the dealership and their costs a not much more than the lube shops.

On CBC in Canada last week they did a report on this very subject on a jourmal program called Marketplace. They investigated a lube shop and sent in inspected, trouble free cars and were told in each case that work needed to be done. The vehicles were checked after the work was purportedly, done and in every case it was either not done or poorly done.

You can check it out at:

Greasy Business - Marketplace - CBC News

[Bogie Shooter]

///

[Mickedamouse24]

The Tire Choice Stores in and around The Villages are notorious for pushing services not required on your vehicle. Just be very attentive and be prepared to say "No!'.. I have seen them scare folks into many services not needed! And really watch thier add about buying 3 tires and getting 4th free. Ain't happening! What they do is jack up the price on the 3 that you buy and you actually pay more for the 4 tires. Just shady business going on there!

[Shimpy]

Not Tire Choice but an experience I had long ago. I had a Nisson 280zx that I took in to a dealer for an oil change. They tried to sell me an expensive service but I declined and told them no because it was running great. Well, after leaving there it didn't run well and missed constantly. I took it to a foreign car dealer and they found that the spark plug wires were all broken and had to be replaced. Apparently the spark plug wires in this car were carbon and didn't take much to be broken which happened after refusing to have my car serviced at the Nisson dealer in Delray Beach Fl.

[JC419]

Btk
You are talking about the tire choice on 466, the original poster was talking about colony tire choice. Hopefully they all do not operate the same way.

[tag460]

You can say what you want about Tire Choice but most car owners will have a bad experience with a automotive shop to include dealers it's only a matter of time.

[dilosche]

So did you buy a belt and tensioner from Advance? How long did it take you to install the parts? Just curious for when my car needs them.

[Single Track]

I'm used to taking my car to Honda service in PA but my oil gauge showed 15% while down here. I took my car to Tires Choice at Colony Plaza for an oil change and before I knew it, they wanted to replace two tires, install front struts, wheel alignment - all to the tune of $1044.53.

I told them just do the oil change. I had my car fully inspected in July by Honda and they found none of this. They shouldn't be allowed to continue to rip off people. No, I'm not taking this any further but it's nice we have this forum to warn others to just say "no" or better yet, find a trustworthy service agent.

[billlaur]

Thanks for all the updates on this retailer, I will keep my distance..

[Challenger]

These posts are very disturbing.If I had read them 2 weeks ago, I probably would not have patronized Tire Choice. I didn't, so I did. I bought two batteries for my 1997 Chev Deisel Pick up. Price was fair. Twice over the next two wks , I had a dead battery.
Back to tire choice. Had them check batteries and check for problems in the system. Returned 2hrs later and they had found a minor problem and corrected it. when I pulled my credit card , I was told to put it away- no charge. My experience was , good service ,polite treatment.

Why, I don't know. but possibly these incidents are perpitrated upon vulnerable looking people.
I would like to hear from someone (with some credentials) who would investigate and report back in some public forum. Like TOTV