Blanding Auto Repair

Got a flat tire end of day on a Friday and was able to get my car back Monday morning. Lum was always available to call after hours to update me how my car was doing. I appreciate the kindness and turnaround. Would consider coming back for future issues.

I took my Toyota truck in for an a/c service w/ a promotional coupon. Upon checking, the owner immediately said that I would need a new clutch and fan. I doubt it because my truck prior was in perfect condition, quiet, and had no issues. I then left for the owner to work on my a/c because it wasn’t cold enough. As I returned later, he told me the a/c was done but he needed to put the truck up the lift to show me something. Within a few minutes on the lift, the truck was making a loud noise that wasn’t there before. The owner said the noise is from my compressor which needs to be replaced. He then asked me to drive the truck for about a month and then bring it back to see if a leak maybe detected and to figure out how much it is to replace the compressor. It was estimated roughly at about or over $1k, parts and labor. I felt so strange coming here for a minor a/c service that can turn out to be a nightmare, like opening a can of worms. The following day I took my truck to another shop for a 2nd opinion. The shop found that my refrigerant was not at a correct level and I did not have a leak. The compressor noise was still there and I may end up having to replace it unfortunately. Thus, I do feel that Blanding Auto Repair may have deliberately caused my compressor damaged so the owner can make more $ on repairs. For myself , it’s sad that I have to spend much $ on A/C services twice (with the 2nd opinion) plus an expensive cost on a possible future compressor replacement. Anyone needs auto repairs should stay away from this place.

I can't account my entire flat tire nightmare, but suffice to say that the owner was incredibly honest, kind & patient! He ordered the tire I needed and was upfront that he couldn't do it because I'd been given the wrong BMW tire key. He didn't want to break the existing lock. He was incredibly patient despite the massive ticking clock as this was a late Friday afternoon. He could have done a lot of things differently but am grateful for all he did do! Integrity matters.

Terrible experience with Blanding Auto Repair. My car stalled near this shop so I brought it in to be looked at. First, Lum said that he would get to it same day, but he didn't actually start looking at it until the next week. Then, he said it was the transmission ($$$). I called around and found a better price/location for the work, and told him I was coming to pick it up. When I came to get the car he had it on a lift and wanted $185 for diagnosing the problem. Because it was near the end of the day, he said he wasn't able to get off the lift and it out of his shop that day. So, I decided to let him do the work because I needed to get my car back and working ASAP. THEN he actually looked at the car and ran diagnostics (which he said he had already done/had already charged me for!). He found that it was not the transmission. He couldn't figure out what the problem actually was and he cleared the check-engine codes. The next shop also couldn't figure out the problem, which they blamed on the codes having been cleared. I don't know how this shop is AAA certified and I would caution anyone against going there.

Terrible experience, never upfront the situation. Wanted me to charge the storage of my car because he was not upfront the situation I wanted to move my car somewhere else (almost a month in that hoe) and he tried to charge me 2k for the storage of some days, then had to leave my car for him to fix the mechanical which he did, but then he goes and charges me a flat tire out of the claim, and just cause I wanted my car out of that situation I paid him. Next Monday on my way to work guess what, tire flat. Same tired he supposedly fixed. BAD and Terrible experience. I hope to get my money back. Which I don’t think so, don’t ever take your car there specially cause he makes a lot of excuses, and talks over you and don’t listen on what you’re trying to say or make a point.