Expert Car Care

I've been going to Expert Care Car for a couple years now so I thought I'd write a quick note about my experience there.\r \r I started going to the shop out of convenience when I was a UCF student (it's right down the street), but I keep going there now even though it's 45 minutes away from my house. As a female, I am always hesitant to trust mechanics or sales people when it comes to my cars. Any college-aged girl should know what I mean. I was pleasantly surprised by Expert - they took the time to explain everything to me without making me feel stupid. The people there understood that I was a college student and strapped for cash and they looked for ways to save me money - they even sent me back to the dealership for something that was still under warranty and it was fixed for free. (If they didn't tell me, I would have paid for them to fix it and never known the difference). Pros: Great customer service, high-quality work/technicians more

I brought my 97 Legend into the same shop three different times for the same overheating problem and each time I was told there was a different problem. Well, two weeks and $900.00 later my car was still overheating. I am a full time UCF student and do not get any type of assistance from my parents so I pretty much need to make it on my own steam. I was telling one of my friends in class how frustrated I was about my car still not being fixed and he suggested I take it to Expert Car Care since that was where he had some body work and repair work done and he said they treated him great. So, I took his advise and stopped by. Not only did they find the problem in within a couple of hours the manager told me one of the parts I had replaced at the other shop was not working properly and that if it was replaced the car would run great and not overheat anymore. So I took his advise and told them to replace the part AGAIN. Well... sure enough... almost a month later my car has not overheated once and it seems to run better than it has in years. I can honestly say that this was one of the best experiences i've ever had. To top it off Jorge helped me get some of money back from the other shop for the part that was replaced again. I will never bring my car anwhere else except for Expert Car Care for as long as I am in the Orlando area. Pros: Fast service, honest, helpful, student discounts! more

I brought my car in and asked them to replace a brittle belt for me. They charged me waaay too much ($400 for a belt is ridiculous) but I was already there and they offered me a ride home and back when the car was done so I said ok. They said they'd call when it was done (about 6 hours they said) and I didnt get a call all day so I called about 7pm (half an hour before close) and they said oh yeah your cars been ready sorry no one called but were leaving early so youll have to wait til tomorrow. so i went first thing the next morning to pick it up and they had just started! then when i finally got my car back it had oil spilled all over my front drivers seat and it turns out they replaced my belt with the wrong kind of belt and my car was squealing! they told me they guarantee their work so I took it back to get the correct belt and they refused saying they were too busy, so i asked to make an appointment for a day when they werent busy and they said theyd call and let me know and i received no call for 2 days so i called back and was hung up on!!! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!!! Cons: service, price, value, everything! more

I had my 1998 Ford Contour's timing belt replaced here. They fixed the timing belt but in the process the mechanics had torn the top gasket on my engine causing oil to spew out the back of it. Pretty scary and I was not confident that they would fix that properly. Not only that but they do not provide the inspections I am used to with my mechanic back home and when I took my car to another place to repair the gasket they told me that I needed a new serpentine belt. I have the belt still and was is in pretty bad shape. Would have been nice to show me other things that are needed with my car but in Orlando most mechanics just love to rake you over coals for the cost then toss you to the side. Pros: Location is great. Near UCF Cons: Can't rely on crappy service. more

I had problems with the brakes on my 2002 Mazda Protoge' and brought it to a chain competitor of Expert Car Care close to the university. They told me I needed complete front & rear brake overhauls and that my struts were bad causing this problem. They gave me an estimate of $1600.00. I could not believe I was going to have to call my dad to tell him he had to spend $1600.00 on my car. That night I was talking to my girlfriend about the nightmare I was about to encounter with my dad. Then she told me how she had a flat tire once and Expert Car Care came to her apartment complex and repaired the flat for her and didn't even charge her, because she was a regular customer. She highly recommended them to at least get a second opinion...So the next day when I got there, I was greeted with such enthusiasm that I felt comfortable right away. I asked them for a brake inspection, and they came back to me with an estimate that included a regular front brake service with rotors and a rear cleaning and adjusting of my rear brakes. Struts were recommended but they said they could wait a little longer before replacing them...giving me time to save for them. Total bill $309.00. I will never go anywhere else. While I was in the show room talking to other people, they all laughed at my story because they all had found Expert Car Care the same way. Pros: Friendly service you can trust more

I have been to Expert Car Care before with not many problems. Yet my car was under full warranty then. I went in about a month ago for an oil change and they told me h the calipers were leaking and that if not fixed soon I could ""be driving and the brakes would not work at all"". Their price for changing front calipers, rotors, brake pads, and brake hoses $529. before taxes. I was told the labor was $179. and the rest was for parts. \r Went to AutoZone and got the calipers for $39.99 each, brake pads for $22..., couldn't get the hoses since they needed to be ordered and I already had an appointment at Expert Car Care, but they would have been $11.99 each. This was way lower than what Expert Car Care wanted for the parts. \r Go in today to get my car fixed and I tell them I brought my own parts. The person up front says that it would take 2.5 hours and the labor cost will be $205. I let them know that not even a month ago they told be it was $179 and he changes something on the computer and comes back with $176 but with tax is $188 and some change. I say okay and they begin on my car. Fourty minutes later they come and tell me my car is done. They still want me to pay for the 2 1/2 hours of labor eventhough it only took them 40 minutes. I let them know it only took 40 minutes and not 2 1/2 hours to complete the job. I would not mind paying the full hour rate of $80, but a job that only took 40 minutes to do, does not deserve 2 1/2 hours of payment. Imagine going to the gas station and them telling you it took 15 gallons to fill your gas tank but it only took 5 gallons, would you pay for the extra 10 gallons?\r The manager finally agreed to have me pay for the one hour instead of the 2 1/2 but was very upset that I made the challenge. \r This will be one place I will not ever go to again. Cons: Manager is very rude. more

I took my car into Expert Car Care on Alafaya by UCF on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007. It needed the 30-50 mile maintainence tune-up, possible brake replacement, and an all over check up. While I was there the man who took charge of my car came in off and on to tell me what they were doing and/or what the condition of the car was. They ran it through every test, did the tune up and found that not just my front brakes were gone, but the back brakes were leaking brake fluid and needed to be fixed. In addition, the main belt that operates all of the mechanisms in the car was cracked and about to break. Being a single woman who was referred to this group by a trusted friend, I felt good about being there and having people work on my car as if I were family to them. I was very pleased at the performance of the car, and how smoothly it ran. It wasn?t shaking anymore at 70-75 Mph, and before the guys worked on it, the car shook a great deal at higher speeds. They did a tire rotation and wheel balance which also helped the operation of the car. When I asked questions, they did not hesitate to answer them. The manager, James, also came out to make sure I didn't need anything and let me know, had I needed a ride home, or to go shopping they would have been glad to take me there and pick me up as that is a service they provide. So, for any single women who are worried about where to take their car, this is the place and just tell them, Elizabeth sent you. Be sure though and get a rough estimate before they start the work. If you are like me with little to no experience in having these things done, this step will save you any surprise at payment time. Afterwards I did research and found their pricing to be a bit less than most places that do this type of work. And if you go to their web site: Expertcarcaregtx, you can download and print coupons for some of the work you are having done, thus saving you some money. more

I brought my 99 Jetta to Expert Car Care. I am very grateful that I did. I was having issues with my air conditioning. They took the time to explain the problems with the air conditioning to me instead of just giving me a grand total. Their staff was very friendly and helpful. My air conditioning is very cold now (and we all know we need that in Florida). Thank you for saving me from the heat, expert car Care!!! Much appreciated!! I highly recommend this shop, i had a great experience. My friends are now bringing their cars in! Pros: Customer Service more

I brought my 2000 Jetta to a large chain store to check out an overheating problem. They told me I blew a gasket and would cost me 1500.00 to fix. I was a little uncomfortable and told my Professor at UCF. He recommended Expert Car Care because that is where he brings all his cars, and the University uses them also for campus cars. So I gave it a try. I told them the problem and what the other people said. They were nice enough to look at it the same day and then gave me an estimate of 69.00 to replace a thermostat!!! That was it!!! Needless to say, I don't bring my car anywhere else. Also used their bodyshop and got great work done there too. Best price in town for paint & body. Pros: Honest, Student Discount, Great Service more

My car was cursed. No one could figure out what was wrong with it due to its complicated nature and rareness in the world. On my last attempt at getting a repair I brought it to Expert. The technicians were able to quickly diagnose a problem that THE DEALER couldn't even figure out. I was shocked. The price for repair was also about half of what the dealer would've charged for the same procedure. It was frickin awesome!!! It was done about 20 min after they thought it would be because of a parts delay (not their fault). 20 minutes is worth the wait in my opinion! lol The service manager... I think his name was John? he was excellent. Very professional. Pros: price, professionalism, skills Cons: slight parts dealy more

I took my car on sat 3/18/06 for an oil change. I dropped my car off at 10am, so the manager told me give us 1 1/2 hr, cause we have many works to do, I said fine, I left their little plaza and 3 1/2 hrs later came back to pick up my car, guess what? nothing, zip, nada, they did NOT do anything to my car after 3 hrs, and the MGRS excuse was """""" oooo the person in charge left"""""""", and I was like so, If he left were not YOUUUU supposed to find someone who can do the other guys job? he was like ooo welll. DO NOT EVER GO TO THIS PLACE IN YOUR LIFE..... And as you guys can see this is the third BAD review about this company. Cons: Bad customer service, No organization more

I am only 20 years old and have a 1998 Ford Taurus with a transmission problem. Yesterday was the third time they had to tow my car because they did not relieve the issue. My car was stuck on the side of I4 after the first time they tried to fix it, and then I got stuck in the middle of an intersection after the second time they tried to fix it. This was all after we spend $2400 to get the car fixed. I just started a new job and it is imparitive that I be on time, so having to deal with finding rides to work for at least a week while they refix the car is not something easy to do. Needless to say, the staff is trying their hardest to make me comfortable, but maybe its time to hire a new mechanics crew. more

Motor was skipping and sputtering-diagnosis was the ignition coil requirerd replacement as ""has already blown a spark plug"". The repair costs included parts/labor & diagnosis (most repair places deduct the diagnosis fee from the repair fee); the battery was dead as they had left the lights on. A mile down the road it was clear the car was not repaired. I called & found out that they had not replaced the plugs. The next morning they said the car would require a tune up at $89, but would give it to me for $69. The next day they said it would be $99, but they would give it to me for $89; they said it was more since the car identifies 1.6 hours of labor to replace the plugs. They should not even have let me drive off the lot with the vehicle in that condition. Pros: very friendly, fit me into the sched Cons: no attention to detai, price unreliable, required mult trips more