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Review content:
Went to AJ's Automotive for what I thought would be a routine Emissions Inspection. However when the inspection was done, and I attempted to drive home, my Honda Accord would not start. I waited for over an hour for AJ's to fix whatever they did wrong to my car, but to my shock and utter disappointment they told me that my immobilizer control unit failed, and would have to be replaced at a cost of $500+ dollars, including an $85.00 Diagnostic charge for finding out what was wrong with the car--a charge that I never authorized, as I assumed that they were attempting to fix the problem that they themselves caused to my car. I knew that I was being terribly wronged here, so I requested to have them tow my car to my dealer Curtiss Ryan Honda (and reluctantly paid the unauthorized and unwarranted $85.00 Diagnostic charge to have my car released to me); and to add insult to injury, AJ's had the nerve to charge me $125.00 to tow my car the mere 4.27 miles to get it there! Not surprisingly, the very nice and honest mechanic that I dealt with at Curtiss Ryan Honda shook his head and rolled his eyes when I told him what happened at AJ's, and ended up repairing my car for $250.00--less than half of AJ's quoted price! After speaking to some other very experienced, reputable, and honest mechanics about what happened at AJ's, I decided to file a complaint against AJ's with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, who told me that although the Towing charge appeared unreasonably high, that it was not illegal for AJ's to set this relatively high towing fee; although after speaking to several other towing services, I discovered that I could have had my car towed for considerably less money elsewhere. As far as the unauthorized $85.00 Diagnostic Fee was concerned, I contacted my credit card company to dispute it and won the decision! My credit card company also felt that the towing charge was excessive and immoral, and was nice enough to credit me an additional $50.00 in an attempt to do the right thing for me. I remain convinced that AJ's Automotive caused my immobilizer unit to fail, and thus should have given me the benefit of the doubt and fixed it for free in order to return the car back to me in the same condition as when I brought it to them for an emissions test--working and driveable!!! Thus in summary, beware of additional, controversial, repairs that AJ's claims your car will need over and above the initial repairs that you bring your car in to AJ's for; and don't be surprised if AJ's charges you significantly more than even an automotive dealer, for repairs (and excessively high towing charges, that he can unfortunately get away with), as this repair shop appears to be only about maximizing profits, at the expense of the consumer's wallet. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
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