Dad's Garage

work was done in timely matter, Wayne(owner) is great and makes sure you are satisfied

Over a few months’ period last year, I began to find a few oily stains on the garage floor where my BMW Z3 sits. After consulting Angie’s List, I decided to take it to “Dad’s Garage” on Rancho Drive on October 15, 2012. After they inspected it, they decided that the leak was caused by a defective power steering high pressure line. I authorized its replacement at a cost of $338.65. I left hoping everything was fine, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. The oily stains continued to sporadically appear on my garage floor just as before. Consequently, I took the car back to “Dad’s” to get the problem looked at again on February 21, 2013. After another inspection, Jared, the manager, told me that the new hose had caused too much pressure within the old pump, thus causing it to go bad. That sounded counterintuitive to me as I couldn’t understand how a hose could cause a pump to go bad. It seemed only logical that if one would cause the other to go bad, it would be the pump that actually creates the pressure that would cause the hose to blow, not the other way around. However, I decided to defer to their judgment and authorized the pump’s replacement from a non-BMW source at a cost of $347.82 since Jared had assured me that this non-BMW sourced part was as good as an original. With the supplied labor and fluid, this repair added up to a total of $598.38. So, at this point, I had spent a total of $937.03 to get this leak stopped. As I started to drive off after this second repair, a horrible sound came from under the hood that sounded like a buzz-saw. I immediately returned to Dad’s so they could hear this new, very loud noise. They lifted the hood and acknowledged that the sound was not normal. They took it back into the garage and decided that a pulley was now bad and that it was causing the noise. They checked at some parts stores and found a replacement after a couple of tries. They installed it at “no charge” and started the car. Unfortunately, the pulley made absolutely no difference in the racket emanating from under the hood. Jared and a couple of the mechanics gathered around and told me that some power steering pumps needed to be “broken in”, and that I should take the car and drive it for a few warm-up cycles to give it a chance to break-in. They explained that some types of pumps sound like this did when they are new. They claimed that Ford pumps often had this problem, but that GM pumps always worked right from the get-go. Again, that sounded fishy, but I thought I’d defer to their judgment once more, so I drove the car home with the pump squealing like a banshee all the way. Over the next month, the new pump continued to squeal every time I drove the car. So, on March 18, 2013 I returned the car for the third time. Although the leak had finally been repaired, the noisy pump was just as loud and as disconcerting as ever. This time I asked for a genuine BMW replacement pump. They ordered it from Desert BMW and replaced the defective pump they had previously installed back in February. Jared gave me a credit of $347.82 that I had paid for the defective pump, but told me that Desert BMW had charged $528.78 for their pump, thus causing me to owe an additional charge of $195.62. Jared had told me beforehand that the BMW original part would be more expensive, so I wasn’t overly surprised at the increased cost. Because I had spent almost $200 extra for the genuine BMW part, I asked for a copy of the bill from Desert BMW for my records to show that the pump was truly a BMW part. Should I ever decide to sell the car, prospective buyers would like to know that their BMW is all BMW. The bill with a prominent BMW logo that Jared had flashed at me earlier to show me that it was a genuine BMW part was located right on the wall behind his desk. Instead of giving me a copy of that receipt, he went into the back room behind his desk and returned with a copy of the package packing slip that had no price on it. Since Jared obviously did not want me to closely see the actual receipt from the BMW dealer, I became suspicious of how much I had been charged for the pump. A few days later, I decided to call the Desert BMW parts department to see how much they charged for the pump and the power steering high pressure line. I was quoted a price that was less than $4 different from what Dad’s had charged for the high pressure line. However, Desert BMW quoted me a price of $433.60 for a new pump. Jared had charged me $528.78 for the exact same pump. That’s a difference of $95.18. Now I understood why Jared did not want to give me a copy of the actual receipt showing what Dad’s Garage had actually paid for the pump. I do not feel that it was an ethical business practice to charge almost $100 over their cost for a part, especially when I had been to their establishment three times now to just get a simple leak repaired, and had spent a total of $1,132.65 in the process. I might speculate that Jared decided that he wanted to recover the cost of the pulley that they had replaced on my second visit at “no cost” even though its replacement had made no difference to the problem. However, that is speculation. I just know that I paid $95.18 more than I believe was fair or honest. Whatever the reason Jared decided to overcharge me for their work, I unequivocally DO NOT recommend “Dad’s Garage” for anyone’s repair work. Between the overcharging, the questionable explanations regarding the first pump’s problems, and their debatable statement that a new hose could cause a pump to go bad, I don’t believe that they are running an above-board and principled establishment. Although Jared and the staff are courteous enough, I don’t believe that they are completely honest, fair, or competent. The moral of the story: Don’t be fooled by the homey name of “Dad’s Garage”. If you think you will get treated like a family member, then your “Dad” would most likely be the dodgy black sheep of the family. Look elsewhere for your automotive repair needs.

Good, the ABS sensor was giving bad messages that did not effect the ABS system.

The experience was great.. They even fixed a problem with the rubber molding on my door without charging me. I thought they were very honest and fair in price. I would definitely go back again.

fairly well - nebulous answers but still got what was needed

We were in Las Vegas for a trade show and our Yukon XL developed a significant noise in the rear end. The noise was bad enough that we knew we could not return 1,400 miles for repairs to be done at home. I searched Angie's List to locate reputable auto repair shops in Las Vegas. I found Dad's Garage among four others from my search. Dad's Garage correctly diagnosed the problem as damaged pinion and axle bearings and I received a cost estimate for the repairs. The key problem was we needed the truck in 36 hours to load our materials at the end of the trade show on 1/20/12. The owner of Dad's put his best mechanic on the job and the mechanic was able to complete the work to meet our time limitation. Four axle bearings and two pinion bearings were replaced. Two axle seals and the pinion seal were also replaced. The final cost of $942 was reasonable for the amount of work that was done and the cost matched the estimate. Dad's went out of their way to help us to get our truck back out on the road. They could have taken advantage of us but they did not. The repairs successfully remedied the noise problem.

Dad's Garage called to let us know about the need for a CA cat converter before installing it. They advised us it would take an extra day because they had to get the part from the dealer. We were impressed that they kept us informed all the way through and got the car done in a timely manner.

I really liked them. They used good parts and did good service. Price wise compared to the cheaper ones, they are appropriate for what I got.

I have been a mechanic in the past so I know what should be expected from an auto repair place. I asked them to find out why the check engine light stayed on. They diagnosed problem then said I probably needed a new catalytic converter. Said that I could get the job done cheaper and quicker at a nearby muffler shop. Took their advice and was very pleased with the price and service I received there as well. I also had some noise in my front end. They checked it out and told me what would be needed. They said that they would order the parts and let me know when they came in. This was around Christmas time. They didn't charge me anything for the hour they spent diagnosing the check engine light or ask for any deposits to get the other parts I needed. I called them back in January to see when I could get the additional work done. They worked with me to get it scheduled. They started work on the car and later on in the day they told me that they had received a wrong part for the CV joint and no one in Las Vegas had the correct one not even the dealer. They said that they could get the part shipped in overnight if I wanted and I could either pick up the car then and have it fixed later or keep it overnight and fix it in the morning. I let them keep the car and the next day it was all finished. I am very pleased with their fast, courteous service. I would recomend them to anyone wanting an honest, competant, well run garage.

I went and had my oil changed here and they did a good job. No real complaints. The were a little expensive but they did some inspections that were a part of the service so I was pleased. I would recommend them to people in the future and will be using them in the future myself.

I joined Angies List in August for the specific purpose of finding a trustworthy, caring mechanic. I am also a AAA member and had been checking that list. I am a middle aged woman living on a small monthly disability income. My car is a clunker and I need to keep it moving and safe. I had been having word of mouth inexpensive mobile mechanics come and look at the problem to fix it. I had so far had two mobile mechanics who had replaced different parts claiming that it would fix the horrible rattling sound heard from a block away when I applied the brakes. I had already spent $400 in parts and labor on the mobile mechanics incorrect diagnosis's and still had the same problem. I decided to try to find someone reasonable and understanding. I choose Dad's garage, even though they were not on the AAA list, they had so many reviews and all of them excellent. They were fairly close and the lady who first answered the phone was wonderful in customer service. As I am ill much of the time, I did not get my car in for an estimate for about a week. When I did go in both the owner and his wife were absolutely wonderful to me. He told me right away what the noise was and how much it would cost. I explained my dire finances and ask if I could find the new part cheaper if I could bring it in for them to install. He even agreed to that. I said I would bring it in probably on the following Tue or Wed. He said it should be fine for limited driving until then. I found the part $50 cheaper at an auto parts store, but became quiet ill, I was not able to call them back for almost two weeks. I called the garage to make an appointment to take the car in. I asked and quot;Kenand quot; if he could price the part for me and call me back because if their price was close, I would just have them do it all. He called me back right away with the total price. I said that I had only wanted the price of the part (which I had explained why when I first called). He gave me the price. I said, and quot;OK, I will bring the new part in, I just need to have it put on. He said next Wed or Thur. I said that when I brought it in Wayne said I only needed two days notice. I said today is Thursday, how about Monday so I can have a formal appointment. He said no. I said, and quot;can you please fit it in on Tuesday? (I have a monthly doctors appointment that I would have to drive it to on Wednesday) He said, and quot;possibly.and quot; I said, and quot;can we put me down for an appt. on Tuesday morning for sure so that I know I have an appointment?and quot; With each reply he became more and more abrupt. He responded, and quot;call me Tuesday morning and we will see how busy I am then.and quot; (and then what, he is still really busy on Tuesday so he puts me off for another four or five days? I could not get an appointment out of this man. I had only spoken with Wayne and his wife the first time. This was like a completely different experience. and quot;Kenand quot; was not courtious and I am not sure if I could have gotten an appointment if I had not said that I would bring my own part in (as I had discussed with the owner). It was obvious that this man had enough business and did not care about my $100 labor job. He did not suggest that I make an appointment for the following Wednesday and then call on Tuesday to see if I could be fit in, he just said to call Tuesday and then he would see how busy he was and and quot;go from there.and quot; This is a one hour labor job that has already been looked at and diagnosed, the part will come in with the car. I do not understand not being able to get an appointment for Tuesday when I am calling the Thursday before. When I stated that I had been told that a few days notice should be good, he said, and quot;that was last week, I am too swamped now.and quot; Exactly the point why I wanted to make an appointment. What if he is still swamped next week? I would never get in without an appointment. It is discouraging as I was so happy to find such a nice place with such nice people on the first phone call and when I went in for the estimate. I had even begun to pass out the companies business cards to my friends at church with recommendations about how wonderful they were to me.

Excellent. They explained what probably went wrong with the car and why it happened. Explained why these things happen on older cars and what to do in the future if it happens again. This is the first place that took the time to explain the whys of problems with older cars.

Had a written estimate of front struts and mounts replacement for $700 on 04/20(Wed). Called for an appointment on 04/22(Fri) but shop was short of manpower. Called again 04/25(Mon) but still was busy and finally got my vehicle checked in 9:30am on 04/27(Wed). It was supposed to be a 3-hr job so should be ready by 1pm. Instead I got a bad news around 2pm that their Los Angeles supplier delivered the wrong parts so repair had to be resumed the next day(04/ 28). Picked up the vehicle by 1pm the and the actual cost went up to $730 due to supplier changing the cost. Even the KYB brand was substituted by Monroe's because supplier was out of stock and it would take another 2 weeks of wait. Everything went OK for a couple of days until 04/30(Sat) when rattling noises started to come out from under the hood. Went to Discount Tires to have my regular free tire rotation and had them check the noises. Told them that I just had the struts and mounts replaced. Waited for a good hour and tires were rotated and the noise fixed which was due to a loose nut that holds the front right strut to the body. I would fairly recommend Dad's Garage to anybody who would like to shave off some bucks compared to other Angie's list rated shops here in Vegas. If I had to do this again, I'd spend the extra $40 savings I made and bring my vehicle maybe to Vegas Car Care instead.

They were a little high, but weren't much higher than everybody else that I got quotes from. They completed the job in a timely manner. I really didn't have any interaction with the owner, but they seemed to be good. Their quality is very good. They are very responsive, punctual and professional. I would use them again in the future.

Called for an appointment. Took car in at appointed time. They diagnosed problem, had to wait for parts until the next day. Repair was made a car was available that afternoon.

I went to another mechanic and he was more than twice the price so his price was very reasonable. He is honest and I can trust him. The quality is excellent. It is always a good experience.

They replaced ignition coil pack and let me drive it for several days without charging for the work or coil pack. I went back in about 4-5 days satisfied with the car's performance, and paid my bill. They really are fantastic to have let me try the repair before settling my bill. I went back just two days ago after another mechanic told me (during an oil change) that I needed to replace both axels at a cost of over $500. DAD'S Garage inspected it for me, free of charge, and told me nothing was wrong and I wouldn't need to replace the axels. I'm SOOOO grateful. Thanks, DAD's

Four spot welds on steel lawn furniture. I thought there were only two spots, technician found 2 more. Interrupted other work, did my repair while I waited. Owner saw it was a small job. Cost would be "give the tech a few bucks to buy lunch." Pleasant, helpful skilled.

The experience was good and the people who work there appear to be professional.

They were very nice and accomodating. They called me when they knew what they were going to do so I didn't get any surprise charges at the end. The only thing that I didn't enjoy was them telling me that I needed a general tune up and pricing that at $750. However, I opted out of that option and they just did the work I needed and didn't pressure me into anything. I would go there again, but I would make sure to ask exactly what they are charging for because the pricing seems a bit much.

They are really good. They took it in on a Saturday morning and had it fixed by 1 o’clock that afternoon. Overall I was very happy with them. They seemed a bit more expensive than I would have thought.

My husband likes to do most of his car repairs himself. However, this particular problem involved first diagnosing what the actual problem was, and then required some specialized tools to fix. We looked on Angie's List and saw that Dad's Garage had very good ratings and was close to us. Since the car was not running very well, we definitely wanted someplace close to avoid having to have a tow. My husband talked to Wayne on Friday, and we brought the car in on Saturday, and the work was completed that day, at a fair price. We were as pleased as we could possibly be since having a car not running is not a pleasant experience in and of itself! It's nice to have a trusted auto mechanic available, and now we have one!

I sort of went in with an attitude, I've had so many troubles with prior mechanics. Either the work was shoddy, other stuff went wrong after taking it in, or they just didn't treat me well... whatever the case, I had a bit of a defensive attitude going in to Dad's Garage. They were so friendly and fun. There were thank you notes from other customers haphazardly tacked to the walls. When it was all said and done, I really felt taken care of and respected at Dad's Garage. They communicated with me, even though I'm a girl and they really seemed like they cared that I was on the road in a safe vehicle. (Just like a good dad would!) I went to them based on stuff I had read here on Angie's list and I am so glad I did because after 42 years in Vegas, I finally found a reliable, trustworthy and reasonable mechanic. When we spoke after the work was performed they told me clearly that if anything goes wrong to call them immediatly and they will get it fixed for me. I ended up spending about 20 minutes chatting with several of the mechanics in the shop and the owner... all seemed very caring, respectful and responsible. I definitely reccommend Dad's Garage.

Dad's Garage was very good. Well now I know from a personal experience with them that the service that everyone has been talking about is true. I feel that they gave me a fair shake on the price also. I would recommend them to all.

I have a long history with this company. In fact, I have used him for the past 18 years and my Father had also used him long before that. He has been in business for a long time now. I believe that he stays in business because he is so personable. He has just a small little shop and runs his business well.