★★★★★ I knew tragedy struck as soon as my automatic car slipped a gear or four and I couldnt go in reverse at all. I pulled over and immediately thought to myself, Who will get to rip me off and benefit from this inevitable disaster?. Basically, at 266K miles, this was long overdue and finding a reputabletrustworthy repair shop would prove to be a daunting task. After spending countless hours researching the problem and replacing this and that sensor myself, I waved the white flag and began calling around.I resolved to spend the last of my limited AAA tows to get quotes from a place in Rohnert Park and another in SR. Both shall remain nameless because if I go down that road, they wouldnt like the choice words I have for them. Good old fashioned word-of-mouth will do just fine for this purpose. I dont want to subject myself to Yelp vendor aggression, as Ive come to call it. Its somewhat like the online version of road rage. To put it mildly, they didnt give a rats derrire about my situation and didnt put forth an ounce of effort into the matter. Worst of all, their warranty options were ridiculously priced and super short. Because the car is very old, I felt like a sitting duck. Not to mention, I was desperately trying to avoid a new car payment and Im sure that was written all over my sad, little face. My main concern was the warranty but I had a ton of other questions as well.- IF I had to get a newly rebuilt transmission, what kind of road time would that realistically buy me?- Who would honestly tell me if mine wasnt totally shot and could be saved?- Who could evaluate the engine compression before telling me to forge ahead with a repair this costly? Engine could be the next shoe to drop here.- Who would stand behind the labor and parts 100%?- Who has the absolute best warranty for the money?- Who can temporarily store my car safely while I manage to scrape up the cash?- Who would bother to thoroughly investigate the issue, give me a free quote, and not judge the cars value on the basis of its age?- Who would break down the repair and not talk at me as if I know nothing about cars?- Who could also fix a few other items while addressingresolving the transmission problem? ASE certified would be the cherry on top.I finally came upon SRT and they were the answer to all of my questions. Throughout the process, Sam the owner was the consummate professional and handled my barrage of questions with patience and attentiveness. Even after I picked up the car, hes been genial and willing to discuss any other questions that have come to mind. The verbal and written explanations were thorough--and more importantly, the warranty was as good as the Mazda dealer but significantly cheaper.Ill be seeing them every 15K to ensure that the transmission is tended to and in proper working order. They genuinely seem as interested in prolonging the life of this investment as I am. Although this ordeal has been extremely stressful, SRT has been the silver lining. I know that I can rely on them to help me drain the last ooomph thousands of miles this great car has left to give.P.S. They have WiFi and a super comfortable waiting area. Not to mention, they are across the road from Budget Rent-a-Car.P.S.S. Im sure the cost of running this show with free or heavily discounted? loaners would be insane but it would make for a perfect business. - O. O.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 05:21:10 +0000
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