Charged me $100 to test my vehicle with a tool I could have borrowed from an Auto parts store for free, and then didn’t check anything else, what did I even pay for? I feel ripped off, told me my head gasket was blown and quoted me almost $5000, that’s insane!
I'm sorry that you feel that way about our service. We do employ ASE certified Master technicians, so we cannot simply give away the diagnosis time. I get it., there are other shops out there that are significantly cheaper. Not all of them have a 3 year 36K warranty. Not all of them employ ASE certified technicians. Not all of them offer a loaner while your car is being worked on. We are likely 1.2 to 1.5 times more expensive than those shops for that reason. We actually charged you $95 for what we originally quoted you $190 for. Once we knew that it was the head gasket we didn't see any point of going any further, and charged for the 1/2 hour that it took us. Regarding your comment about the "Auto parts" tool, yes it is a radiator pressure tester. I'm sure that a you tube video could've taught you what sort of pressures constitute exhaust blowing into the coolant. That's actually the best way on a car that is running somewhat well to diagnose. A compression test would've likely not been able to accurately diagnose. $5000 is a bit of an over-exageration. $4370. That's without cutting any corners. That also includes a timing chain kit, all the drive belts, thermostat, head bolt set, a freshly machined head, etc. The simple fact is the car is 1986 Toyota Pickup RV conversion, and any car pre-2000 we cannot take the chance to skimp on anything. I hope you find some resolution to your problem.
- Tokyo Automotive