Gravois Auto Repair

We’ve taken our cars to Gravois Auto Repair for years. Generally very good work at a fair price. The shop is clean, and the service is reasonably fast; almost always the same day. Today, however, there was a mistep. When they called to explain the need for motor mounts, I was quoted a price for each mount. When the work was finished and the call to pick up came, one mount was 120.00 more than the quote. Upon picking up the car I was told the supplier quoted the wrong price. It would have been a courtesy to receive a phone call explaining the mistake. It would have been an act of good will to either absorb the mistaken difference, or at the very least, scratch the 69.50 diagnostic charge. The latter would have satisfied me and show this long time customer some consideration. I am disappointed and this should have been handled better.

I have been using Gravois Auto repair's services since I was a kid. My dad found them to be trustworthy and reliable, so I used them when I had vehicle issues, as well. They were never perfect, like they would never call you when your vehicle was ready, but they did good work. Things change over a couple of decades, i guess. A few years ago, I started noticing there were no familiar faces among the mechanics. I was mostly going in for oil changes, though, so I continued to use them. Then, the oil changes got sloppy. I don't like to have to clean oil from the underside of my hood, and random parts of my engine bay. The last time, someone cracked the plastic cover over the engine. This part is thin, but doesn't nee to be removed for an oil change, maybe something heavy was dropped on it? The spot that was broken had been cleaned off so they could assess the damage, but they didn't even bother to tell me about it. I saw it a week or two later when I opened the hood. So, when my 2013 Jetta had a power steering leak, I was considering taking it to a dealer. I ended up rolling the dice and hoping the last few experiences were just a fluke. They weren't. The car sat there for weeks because they couldn't find parts. It's not a Lamborghini, it's a Volkswagen Jetta, one of the most common cars on the road. When they replaced the high pressure return line, the rack and pinion seals blew out. I don't think this was a made up problem, the vehicle had 165,000 miles on it. The problem is, they ordered parts and increased my bill without even calling me and asking me about it first. When I got the bill, it was about a thousand dollars more than I expected. Part of that was air conditioning work that I didn't ask them to do. A few months prior, I had them do diagnostic work on the A/C. This involved putting dye in, so they could spot a leak. When I dropped it off for the power steering, I said to the lady at the counter, "A few months ago they put some dye in my air conditioning, while they are in there, if they see where it leaked out, let me know." This somehow resulted in $300 dollars of A/C charges. The bill also had a diagnostic of the alignment, showing that it couldn't be properly aligned. I needed the car back and had to get to work, plus I was too mad not to yell at someone, so I paid and left. I was able to contact Dan Dierzbicki, the owner and talk to him about the extra charges and not being called about the parts and labor. He did send me a check for the A/C work and some of the labor back. I still had the alignment to deal with though, and was not going to bring it back there. My Jetta would not drive in a straight line, it pulled right badly. After cooling down for a week or two, I started searching for a new mechanic. When I felt I had found someone reputable, I took the car in, showed them the invoice, and gave them the story. My new mechanic said he was shocked by the bill. He had the car up on the lift for 5 minutes and came back in and told me the reason why it wasn't aligned was because Gravois Auto Repair had put the lower sub-frame on wrong, and was completely crooked. The car could not have ever been aligned like that. No One at Gravois Auto Repair ever addressed that issue with me at all. It cost me another $386 to fix. The car is now aligned, and will drive straight. To add to the list, I also noticed that the paint on the underside edge of my hood had been chipped. I can't prove it at this point, but it looks like someone at Gravois Auto Repair dropped the hood, while they had tools sitting on the engine bay. Again, no one manned up and apologized for this. They knew what they did. I have tried to get a hold of Dan, and left messages, but he has avoided my calls. I am looking into small claims court, but don't know how to wade through the process. What a great system we have. So, I am probably just eating the costs. I'm not rich man, I live paycheck to paycheck, so this kind of money hurts. I guess, at least, I can keep some other people from getting screwed at Gravois Auto Repair.

5 hours later they start on my oil change. After charging me a diagnosis fee of $80 dollars. They want 2 hours of labor to tell me what the problem is on top of the $80, and still not having a real answer for my air bags. Thanks for charging me $100 dollars for no real answer. You want $600 dollars for a $50 dollar sensor and a hour of labor. That’s jacked sideways. Going back to someone else for sure

I wouldn't take my car anyplace else. Their work is excellent, and at VERY fair prices. Everyone at the shop is friendly, kind, patient, and understanding. They have always fixed problems correctly, and completely, the very first time! I have been going there for over 10 years, without one complaint. And, I tell all of my relatives, friends, and neighbors, that Gravois Auto Repair is the BEST!

Very good experience thus far! Was able to get my car towed in and figured out all within just a few short hours. Super friendly and courteous! After pricing my own replacement parts and labor, I would say they are more than fair and competitive!! This is the first time I have had to take a vehicle into Gravois Auto and based on the speed and professionalism and how close it is to home, I think I just found my go-to shop!!