Inglewood Auto Repair

SHADY MECHANICAL WORK DO NOT TRUST ANYTHING BRET HAS TO SAY. I had been bringing in my 2005 Honda accord for the past year for routine oil changes (every 3k miles) Every service I had been asking about how the brakes were on my car, & every time I was told they were good. About a week ago I started hearing scraping sound coming from my front right side while braking. I called assuming my brakes were fully worn down, & damaging the rotors. I was immediately met with confrontation from Bret, I explained after my oil service I should be informed my brakes are getting low, & it’s time to replace them, & you did not do that, & now my brakes, & rotors need to be replaced. Bret refused to cover the rotors while I’d replace the brakes, insisted on scheduling me for an appointment a whole week later. I then told him my brakes are a safety issue, & that wouldn’t be feasible. He kept giving me a lame excuse, talking down to me like I’m an idiot. After a brief back, & forth on the phone it turned into a shouting match. Bret then hung up the phone on me. I called back asking for the owner, & he claimed to be the owner. He then said I don’t want any confrontation, & he would look at the car the following day, I agreed & brought it in. The next day sure enough the right front brakes were gone & damaging the rotors. He did nothing but lie to me telling me Jim was retired even though I had seen his name on a recent work order, blamed my problem on a stuck caliper, & the runaround about “brakes just normally wear down over time.” Bret refused to man up, do the right thing, & agree to replace the rotors while I’d pay for the brakes. That is absolutely no way to run a business, my trust has been completely lost. This establishment does not care for your well being, & safety of their customers on the road. Why would you trust them for anything else? I will be filing more complaints against this business. It should not be running based off the way they treat their customers.

All the positive reviews are spot on. They are honest and trustworthy. I worked on my car and made a goof decision, and my van wouldn't start. Turns out it was likely a simple and relatively easy fix. The cost to repair was fair and reasonable, which is wonderful, times are tough at the moment. Thank you, Jim.

Jim is the best in the business! Kind, honest, and extremely knowledgeable about all kinds of cars. He will tell you whether or not your car needs immediate repairs, or if you can live with it for a while. He also looks for good deals on auto parts. Very happy long- term customer!

BROKEN TRUST IS WORSE THAN BROKEN CAR Early August 2024, I had my car towed to Inglewood Auto for an overheating issue. When Jim called, he informed me that the head gasket had blown. I was in shock receiving this news because I’d pulled over as soon as my car started to overheat and had stopped driving it once I realized adding more coolant didn’t solve the problem. Jim told me that the problem was the broken water pump, which then caused the head gasket to blow. To fix my car would have been between $8,000-$9,000, which was more than what my 1998 Camry LE is worth. His recommendation was to total my car. I tried to question Jim’s diagnosis because there had been no white smoke, no milky oil, no rough idling, and no engine knocking or loss of power. There was only visible coolant loss with visible coolant sprays near the engine block, which was most likely from a broken hose or water pump. However, Jim told me that he had performed the "chemical dye test" which confirmed presence of combustion gas in the coolant system, and this was the basis for his diagnosis of head gasket failure. Even if that were so, additional testing (compression test, leak-down test, etc.) should have been conducted, especially when there were no other issues pointing to head gasket failure. When you hear hoofbeats, you shouldn't immediately conclude it's a zebra. As such, I didn’t trust Jim’s diagnosis, I had my car towed to a second shop, and Velocity Motorsports fixed my car for ~$900 with OME parts to replace the water pump, timing belt, and upper + lower radiator hoses. I paid extra money to have the "chemical dye test" (aka, combustion leak test or block test, the easiest/cheapest of the tests for head gasket failure) to confirm or rule out a blown head gasket, and it was negative. Jim’s misdiagnosis caused me extreme anxiety, and I missed some important events because I didn’t have my car for another 3 weeks. I had to spend money for extra towing and additional diagnosis. What makes me sad is not just the misdiagnosis, but everywhere I asked, a head gasket replacement, even with additional work for warped cylinders or engine overhaul, would not have been anywhere near the $8,000-$9,000 that he quoted me. He not only misdiagnosed the problem, but he gave an exorbitant estimate for the repairs! Jim’s broken my trust, and I wonder if this was the first time or had he done similar things in the past (ie, Jim had replaced my water pump + timing belt a few years ago, but was it really the water pump that failed a few years ago, only to fail again this time?). Trust is a fragile thing. Once broken, it’s not easily fixed. I will never use this shop again, and I’ve been a loyal customer since 2011. Now I'm left with the feeling have I been duped since 2011 because in 2011, there weren't YouTube videos that allowed regular people like me easy access to knowledge about cars.

These folks are great! After my last lousy experience with Kirkland Autoworks I was apprehensive to go waste more of my money. These folks took great care of me! In and out on time at a fair price... SO nice! My Ranger runs better than it has in a long time! The shop was clean and organized. I'll be bringing my wife's van there soon. Thanks guys, Ron