Alpha Automotive McDonough - a Main Street Auto shop

I dropped my 2022 Audi Q5 off on Friday , April 10 at 8am for scheduled service to repair a radiator leak. I called them around 4pm to see if my car was close to being done as they close at 5pm and are not open on the weekend (red flag number 1). I was told they had to order part and it should be in on Monday; Monday came and I had to call again to get an update because once again this place lacks communication skills. My vehicle was still not ready on Monday and one cared to update me (red flag 2). I had to go out of town on Tuesday so I assumed that surely my vehicle would be ready on Wednesday. I call as I’m on my way back Wednesday around 1pm to see if my vehicle is ready for me to pick up….guess what it’s still not ready because now they’re waiting on a different part. So at this point I’ve already spent $1000 on a rental and I can’t keep wasting money because of well the economy. It is now Thursday and my vehicle is still not ready but they had the part and it was on??? (Red flag 3). I tell them I need my vehicle by Friday as it’s already been a week for a 2 day max job! Today is Friday, April 17, I finally get a call asking if I can come between 430-500 and it should be done. I arrive at 445 I sit and wait until 530 when it’s finally done. As I’m driving I notice it’s driving funny and I’m like ok maybe everything needs to settle (red flag 4). 1 hour after I pick up my vehicle and paid $2,236.85 a warning comes on my vehicle DRIVE SYSTEM: MALFUNCTION PLEASE CONTACT SERVICE Guess whose business is closed over the weekend. Please DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE and if you’re a woman don’t go alone get a man to take it because I know for a fact I was overcharged! I will be contacting the BBB

Was a busy day, however they worked my son’s truck in. Great Technician, enjoyed speaking with him. Awesome crew at Alpha Automotive. Besides the problem that it was brought in for, they inspected the vehicle for other preventative maintenance, with items noted. Was just made aware of them, with no pressure to preform the work. Will keep them in mind for future work on any of my vehicles.

I had my AC recharged at this shop, and initially, everything seemed smooth. James gave great customer service and got me in quickly. But just a few days later, my AC stopped working again. Thankfully, they had a warranty, so I returned. After diagnostics, they told me I needed a new condenser. What confused me is that when they first recharged the AC, they say they used dye to check for leaks—and no leaks were found. Now, on the second check, they say they found a pinhole leak in the condenser. They wanted to charge me around $300 for an aftermarket part that I know costs about $150–$200, The OEM condenser doesnt even cost $300 I undertsand that shops make money of parts but i feel like charging almosy double for a after market condensor is unreasonable. On top of that, they wanted $600 in labor—bringing the total close to $1,000. I don’t think that’s fair, especially since I feel the leak should’ve been caught the first time. When I asked, they couldn’t explain why the leak wasn’t found initially. I feel like I was overcharged and scammed out of the $400 recharge fee, and they won’t refund me.

I want to be fair, but honest in this review. Friendly people. Busy shop which may cause slower than desired service. If you can be patient, they are kind and offer electronic communications for quotes and payment. That is helpful when you're from out of town like I was. They do provide images of your vehicle and videos of things they find or the condition it is in when received. This is nice. They did a "diagnostic" on my car and charged $170 (which is high, but not unreasonable) plus an additional $23.80 for "shop supplies". I don't think they did more than hook it up to the computer to get the codes. That's the same thing I got at Autozone for free! When I questioned what supplies were used on the diagnostic they didn't have an answer except that their machines are expensive. I questioned whether the machine's use should be covered under their diagnostic fee and was told that shop supplies are included no matter what on every service. They would not refund the $23.80. The shop recommended a full engine replacement after their diagnostic and said it would be $10,500 for the remanufactured engine plus removal and install. I chose to take it elsewhere for a second opinion so they cleared all of the check engine codes from the system (which makes it harder for the next shop to see what's going on!). I was frustrated they didn't leave the codes in place for me or for the next shop to see. Despite being told I needed a whole new engine, I managed to drive it 53 miles home without an issue. No check engine codes reemerged. Confused about how reliable their conclusions are after my experience. It wasn't all bad, which is why I leave 3 stars. But I don't think I'd be back in the future if I had a choice.

The team at Alpha Automotive service my vehicles regularly. I trust their opinions and they do good work. I LOVE the pictures with their inspection reports and the upfront pricing when it comes to you being able to make an informed decision. Mr. Dave and Mr. James will treat you well. It's best to make an appointment because they can get rather busy.