Empower Yourself

Let’s say you go out to eat at your favorite restaurant. You order your food and when it comes out it’s not good food. There is something seriously wrong with it. Do you speak to the cook who prepared your food? Of course not. You probably don’t even speak to a waiter, they just bring it out. You speak to someone in charge—the manager or the owner or someone who can help you rectify the situation.

Now let’s put you in a similar situation—you order take-out. You open the food when you get home. It’s the wrong order. Do you wait 4 weeks to tell the restaurant and then ask for your money back plus a free meal? LOL no.

I’m getting to my point, I promise.

Today a customer called the shop to tell us about a faulty job. He claims we didn’t put a filter on his truck after we changed his oil, but the kicker here is that he didn’t call us about this until FOUR WEEKS later. He says that he told one our mechanics the day after he took the car home—an old friend of his and he subsequently had the car diagnosed by two mobile mechanics. Our mechanic admits he did not tell us about a conversation with the customer and that he also told the customer to bring the truck back so we could take a look, but the customer never did and didn’t contact us about his situation until today, Monday, December 21, 2020—Sonny and I had no idea anything was wrong. When an automobile leaves our shop and doesn’t come back within a reasonable amount of time, the job is complete and to the satisfaction of the customer.

On the rare occasion when there has been an issue with a customer car, the customer contacts us within 24 hours 100% of the time—either by phone or email. We stand by our work and will help a customer who contacts us within a reasonable amount of time, but a month is unreasonable at best.

Any number of things could have happened to this customer’s truck between when we changed the oil on Monday, November 23, 2020 and today December 21, 2020. Had he called us that day and left a message if it was after 5PM or contacted us the next day, we would have addressed it, but too much time has passed to know we were negligent. He says he’s only driven his truck 30 miles since. Thirty miles or 3, because it is is now 4 weeks later, we can’t know what happened or if anything we did caused it.

Based on what I heard during our conversation, this customer wants us to fix his car and give him a rental plus compensation as recourse, but again, how do we know what’s going on with his car has anything to do with us? It’s been a month.

I do understand this customer is upset because, from what I gathered during our conversation today, he can’t drive his truck and doesn’t have funds for transportation. I know I get frustrated when something goes wrong with my car, too. However, if the truck is so important, why didn’t he call us directly? Ask to speak to a manager or me, the owner? Or after not hearing back from our mechanic/his friend, why did he wait a month to call a manager and owner? It just doesn’t make sense. Something as important as transportation doesn’t wait 30 days to be addressed.

I hope that in the three years I’ve owned this business and Sonny has managed it, that we’ve proven ourselves to be good business owners. Our reviews would certainly seem to validate us. Our goal has always been customer empowerment. We want you to walk out of here understanding your repair. You also have a responsibility to empower yourself, you have rights as a consumer, but you need to communicate in a timely manner. We are not in the business of reading minds. If there is ever an issue with any work we’ve done, bring it in immediately and if you can’t, call us to tell us what’s going on. We will do our best to get to a fair resolution. Don’t wait a month to ask for help.

Our First Special Project

We recently took on our first special project — a Ford F-150 rebuild for Dayton, who just turned 16.

Dayton picked out one of the many F-150s we have sitting in the back waiting to be worked on and put back on the road. The one he picked out also happened to be the most challenging one. His selection? The 2007 Ford F-150 Lariat 4x4. 

Prior to its arrival at AAS, this truck had a small engine fire, which burned up the wiring harness and computer and other important components. Dayton saw this truck in our lot and saw the potential immediately. We talked about raising the truck 2.5" with 20" black after-market wheels and tires. 

After Dayton and Sonny discussed Dayton’s vision for the truck as well as the deadline, now it was up to AAS to get it done.

We used a wiring harness, computer, and other important components from a donor F-150 Lariat we had sitting in our lot. We also noticed the engine in Dayton’s truck was seized up. This was an unexpected expense. Within a day, a brand new crate motor was ordered and delivered to the shop. The engine and all the other parts were installed and assembled on the truck in good working order. The engine ran smoothly and now it was time to install the lift kit, install the remaining body parts, and test drive.

We test drove the truck until we were confident that Dayton was getting a safe, reliable truck. We called in Jeff the Detailer to clean the truck and make it look brand new. Once all the finishing touches were done, Sonny scheduled a time with Dayton to come pick up his truck. AAS is extremely proud of this project and the way it turned out. Special thanks to everyone who put time and effort into this project. Thank you, Viet, Duc, Carlton, Mike and Sonny!

To see Dayton’s reaction watch the video:

Do you fix [insert make/model here]? YASSSSS!

We get this question at least once a day. We’re kinda not sure why. We’re professionals. It’s an auto shop.

🤷🏽‍♀️

Vlog Blooper #1

We usually do our videos unscripted, in one take. We know. It’s hard to tell by the high production quality.

This is our first video blooper. The only thing that surprises [read: shocks] me is that we didn’t have one of these sooner. Enjoy!

Video: The Almost Auto Service Experience

We hope you’re liking our videos as much as we like making them! This one’s on the experience you should be getting when you take your car in for auto service and repair. If you have any questions or topics you’d like to see covered. Drop us a line. We’ll create a video response for ya!

Video: Auto Repair Pricing Over The Phone

AAAND WE’RE BACK!

We get A LOT of calls asking us to price automotive service and repair over the phone. While we get why customers want to do this, it’s not the best way to get accurate pricing. Check out the video we created for this topic:

Sunday Session: Car Check

Buying a used car is not always as easy as it seems.

Are you getting a good deal?

Are you buying a safe, reliable car or are you buying a lemon?

We know not everyone knows about cars. Who do you trust?

Bring your car to us. We offer Car Check - a total diagnostic check to ensure you're buying a good, safe, solid used car. For $25 we'll run a total diagnostic check. We'll test drive the car for you as well as check all warning lights, the car's computer, brakes and braking system, fluids, oil leaks, suspension, tires, and overall condition.

Give us a call at (404) 508-9654 to schedule your Car Check.

Sunday Session: Oil Changes

Took a break from professional video shoots (LOL) to go to Italy, so it's been a minute, but we're back with our one-take Sunday Sessions with Sonny. Let's talk about oil changes. And 4th of July in Italy. 

Sunday Session: Engine Cooling System

As I mentioned last week, Sonny and I are creating a video every Sunday where we'll cover a specific automotive topic. Last week it was the air conditioning. This week it's the cooling system. Next week? Who knows! Maybe oil if we don't change our minds from now until next Sunday. 

These videos are done in one take; so if we mess up, oh well! We're trying to stick to one take. Mostly because neither of us has time to sit down and learn how to create nicer videos, but also it's kinda fun to see how it turns out. We hope you enjoy these as much as we like making them :)

Sunday Sessions

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd own a business - let alone an automotive repair shop. Over the past 40 years, I've learned to expect the unexpected. 

As a woman, I used to dread getting my car fixed. I just came to expect I'd be lied to and overcharged. It's not right, but it is reality and I know I'm not alone in that. It wasn't until I met Sonny, General Manager of AAS, that this changed for me. Sonny is super knowledgable about all things automotive. He explains to every customer what's going on with their car in an informative/non-condescending way. We strive to be as transparent as possible with you, our customers, because it's our mission to inform you of what's going on with your car & replace only what is needed. No one wins when you feel like you overpaid for something you don't understand. 

Sonny and I have been saying for awhile we want to produce videos where we share automotive repair knowledge with everyone. We finally sat down and did it today. It's our first - the quality can only get better! We're also looking for topics, so let us know your car-related questions! 

It's hot out. Stay cool in your car. Here we offer a few reasons as to why your A/C may not be working. Almost Auto Service is located in Clarkston, Georgia.

Our First One-Star Review

They say in business that the customer is always right. Over the course of my career, this is has stood generally true, but every once in awhile, the customer does get it wrong. 

Today we received our first one-star Google review: 

My response is a lengthy one and I'm not sure if Google will approve it, so I'm posting it here because it is important that we be transparent to you, our customer: 

As owner of Almost Auto Service, I take reviews very seriously. I personally investigated this issue today and found the following:

Taquon/Wayne brought his vehicle to A.A.S. on January 10, 2018. The vehicle in question is a 9-year old Nissan and the odometer read 146,373 miles. 

Taquon/Wayne states that he 'received a diagnostic and paid to have the job completed'. This was not the case. He brought the car to us on 1/10/18 having already diagnosed it, convinced it was the power steering pump. We did not diagnose this problem. He even brought us the power steering pump that he had purchased from somewhere else for A.A.S to install. We told him we do not warranty parts we do not purchase - this is documented on his invoice.

After installing the power steering pump that he supplied, we put the drive belt back on the car and noticed the belt tensioner would not spring back. This is a common problem for belt tensioners. We informed Taquon/Wayne that the belt tensioner needed to be replaced. He then went out and purchased the belt tensioner - again, not from A.A.S. - and we installed it. Once we ran the car and tested the power steering pump, we noticed a small leak coming from the high-pressure power steering hose. We told him this when he picked up the car and noted it on his invoice.

Sixteen days later, on January 26, 2018, Taquon/Wayne brought his 2009 Nissan back to A.A.S. saying there was a power steering leak and the power steering was not working. The odometer read 146,865, which is 492 miles after the car was first brought to A.A.S on 1/10/18. We put the car on a lift and determined the leak was coming from the high-pressure power steering hose. This time, the leak was significant, not small, as we had originally noted on 1/10/18. We showed Taquon/Wayne this while it was on the lift. Taquon/Wayne approved us to buy and replace the high-pressure power steering hose. We performed the service and he picked up the car on January 27, 2018 (the next day).

We did not see Taquon/Wayne and his 2009 Nissan again until today, March 15, 2018. He came in stating that his power steering didn't work and he kept having to fill his power steering reservoir with power steering fluid. We put the car up on a lift and found the front of the power steering pump leaking and the rack and pinion leaking as well. We showed him the leaks and he aggressively accused one of my mechanics of sabotaging his car. He asked why his car continued to leak and my General Manager, Sonny, told him that the original parts (the rack and pinion) are wearing out and the power steering pump (that he purchased) was leaking. 

My GM did not like Taquon/Wayne's tone or demeanor during this interaction and told him that he would put his car back together and off the lift so he could take it somewhere else since he very clearly felt A.A.S. was cheating him. Taquon/Wayne demanded a refund for all the work we had done in the past, which we would not honor because the service we performed was not faulty or defective in any way. We gave him back the car, waiving our standard diagnostic fee.

Taquon/Wayne's timeline is not indicative of what happened and to insinuate we try to cheat our customers is wrong. We use these situations as learning opportunities and what we have learned is that we will not work with outside parts/parts we do not warranty. Thank you, Taquon/Wayne - we wish you the very best in finding a mechanic that meets your expectations. 

Carolina Beltran

Owner, Almost Auto Service

Harrison Pulls His First Engine

Harrison has been working at AAS for about 2 months. He goes to mechanic school in the mornings and comes to AAS in the afternoons. Harrison has been well received at the shop. The crew likes working with Harrison and they say he is eager to learn, helping out with brakes, oil changes, and even hoisting an engine out of a car.

See Harrison next to the 1st engine he ever pulled from a car? A milestone in his career! Keep up the good work, Harrison. Good job! 

Part 2: 2012 BMW 650i Convertible - Engine Replacement

Here's the old, blown-up engine - ready to be stripped down. 

After stripping down the old engine, we found a hole in the cylinder wall. The piston seems to have disintegrated inside the cylinder wall. 

A brand new BMW engine ready for all its parts. No holes in this one! 

Here's the existing transmission sitting on the sidelines until everything is ready to install. 

One-piece exhaust - we had to take this off to get to the drive shaft. The drive shaft comes off to get the transmission out. 

Glad I have a big enough shop to store all these parts! Part 3 coming soon! 

2012 BMW 650i Convertible - Engine Replacement

A champagne colored 2012 BMW 650i convertible was towed into the shop. We knew the engine was blown. We discovered there was coolant filling the right-hand side of the throttle body. When we drained the oil, coolant came pouring from the oil pan, then oil followed. We dropped the oil pan and saw bits and chunks of metal in the pan. 

BMW engine looks to be intact...but we'll discover that it isn't

To remove the engine, we had to remove the front bumper and radiator support.

We know there is a catastrophic internal problem because the engine would not turn - it was locked. We had to remove the transmission to get to all the torque convertor bolts. 

This is what a 650i looks like with no front bumper, engine, and transmission. The design of this car is even more interesting when taken apart. 

Coming up, Part 2 - read just how catastrophic the engine failure is and see the new BMW engine!

2009 Volkswagen CC Sport - Transmission Cooler Leak

A 2009 Volkswagen CC Sport was brought into the shop for an oil leak coming from under the front of the car. The bottom of the car and inside the lower valance were covered in oil. Once we located the oil leak, we determined we had to replace the transmission cooler because this is where the oil was leaking from. We ordered a new transmission cooler and proceeded to replace it. This turned out to be a fairly complicated job because we had to remove the bumper and the upper radiator support to remove the transmission cooler. Once we removed all this, replacing the transmission cooler was not that complicated. All that had to be done next was to put everything back together again. You can't be cool if your transmission cooler is a leaker!

2004 Mercedes Benz E320 - Electrical Short

This 2004 Mercedes Benz E320 was towed into AAS directly from the Mercedes-Benz dealership because when the owner would drive the car more than 3 miles, a fuse would blow, and the car would turn off. The dealership was unable to locate the problem. The battery was dead when the sedan was brought to us, so we also replaced the battery with a brand new Bosch battery.

When we went to road test the car to diagnose the problem, the engine was skipping and running rough. We determined the number 6 ignition coil needed to be replaced (there are 6 ignition coils in this car). When we removed the worn out coil, we noticed it was melted on the underside . We found this very odd. After we replaced the number 6 ignition coil we road tested the car again. Within 5 minutes of driving the car, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. A small electrical fire broke out over the number 6 ignition coil and melted the connector and coil. We knew we had a big problem on our hands. When we further inspected the coil on the left side of the engine (driver's side) we noticed the number 5 coil was melted too. We had to replace the electrical coil plug to replace the one that burned up. We could have kept putting more fuses in, but the problem was an electrical short. 

We found the problem with skill, but also a good amount of luck. The picture below shows the frayed and broken wires in the wiring harness. Check out video on Instagram (@almostautoservice). Once we repaired the wires in the wiring harness, the car drove normally and will continue to run normally for miles and miles and miles. All the fuses in the world wouldn't have fixed this car. 

2009 Honda Civic DX - Starter Replacement

This 2009 Honda Civic DX was towed into AAS and the customer was reporting a "no start". When I got in the car and turned the key, the radio worked and all the lights in the car worked. Then, when I turned the key to start the car, nothing - silence. We did a complete electrical test of the ignition system and found that the starter was worn out. If the starter, the component that starts your car, doesn't work when you turn the key, then good luck starting your car. We removed and replaced the starter and the customer was happy to have his car back. Can't start your day if you can't start your car! 

2004 Mercury Mountaineer - Rear Brakes

This 2004 Mercury Mountaineer came in for a rear brake job and did it need it! The customer waited so long to get her rear brakes done that the brake pads were gone and she had metal to metal grinding on her rear rotor. The rear rotor looked as thin as a potato chip (see picture below). After inspecting the rear brakes, we determined she needed two brake rotors, new brake pads, and a new rear caliper. The rear caliper was needed because the piston on the caliper was pushed out too far and we were unable to get it to budge. 

Top photo: Left - old rotor, Right - new rotor

Bottom Left photo: Old rotor (top) is potato chip-thin; New rotor (bottom) is thicker

Bottom Right photo: This is what it looks like when you wear your brake pads down to the metal; you get metal-to-metal brakes. This causes part damage as you can see. 

This is what it looks like when the piston on the brake caliper fails to retract.

Old brake pads on the top, new brake pads on the bottom. Notice the difference in thickness. 

2005 Ford E350 Passenger Van - Rear Axle Assembly Replacement

This 2005 Ford E350 passenger van is one of our fleet customers'. We discovered the rear axle assembly (also known as the rear end) was worn out. This part was very difficult to find; I had to call at least six places to locate it. Here's why:

When replacing a rear axle assembly in a vehicle, you have to make sure the new gear ratio is the same as the old one. What I found with the 2005 E350 is that Ford made it with many different combinations of engine, transmission, and rear axle assembly. I had to find the correct rear axle assembly for this van's particular combination. We found the right one at a local used parts dealer after six plus tries. Now it's on the road. Picking up real live rear ends! 

2010 Dodge Challenger SE - Tune Up

This 2010 Dodge Challenger was brought in to AAS because of two issues. One was that the heat had stopped working. Two was that the engine was running rough (what mechanics refer to as "missing") with a 'Check Engine' light. The customer also asked us to give his Challenger a tune-up. We found the heater core was clogged, so we did a full coolant flush and unclogged the heater core. Now the heat works great! Nice and toasty! 

We diagnosed the 'Check Engine' light and discovered one of the cylinders had a bad ignition coil. The engine on the Dodge Challenger has an ignition coil pack for each cylinder. We replaced the faulty ignition coil first to make sure the engine ran smoothly again, cleared the check engine light, and re-programmed the engine computer. After this, we went on to do the tune-up, so we took out all six coils and replaced the spark plugs. When changing the spark plugs on the right-hand side of the engine (the passenger's side), you need to un-install the intake manifold to get to the spark plugs. When you take off the intake manifold, it is recommended to replace the intake manifold gasket to create a new seal because the old gasket will no longer seal. After that, we reinstalled all the coils including the new one and the car now runs smooth and purrs great. This is one hot kitten!