I brought my car to Steve's for a 2nd opinion, after I originally had my car serviced at another shop. My AC was only blowing hot air, unless I was driving over 60 mph. The other shop evacuated and recharged my AC twice and insisted the problem was fixed when it was still only blowing hot air. So I brought my car to Steve's simply because they are conveniently located on my drive home from work. I explained the problem I was having to Reid, and he pointed out that it was odd that the other shop evacuated and recharged a 2nd time (foreshadowing). I left my car overnight. The next day I got a call from Reid telling me that they found a leak in my AC hosing, and would need to replace the hose assembly. He believed this was causing my issue. The parts would need to be ordered from out of state, and I could come pick up my car while waiting for the parts to arrive. Fast forward 4 days and the parts arrived (a day sooner than expected, so bonus points here). I pad just under $900 to have the AC hose assembly replaced, and was thrilled when they called me the next day to say it was done, and that my AC was blowing cold air once again. I picked up my car that same day, and was extremely disappointed that it was still only blowing hot air when idling, stopped at a red light, and while driving on city streets. On the freeway, I was getting cold air. I immediately called Steve's and told them that my problem was, in fact, not fixed at all. I told them I couldn't bring it back until next week, as I needed it for work. Fast forward through a week of hot air, and I bring my car back to Steve's for a 3rd time. They keep my car overnight again, and call me the next day to tell me that everything is fine with my AC, and that it blows cold air just fine. But they went ahead and evacuated and recharged my system again (see foreshadowing comment above), and went to a higher pressure this time just to be safe. So I returned and picked up my car, and hallelujah, I had cold air. It was a Christmas miracle in August. 3rd time's the charm. Only now, my car's exterior thermostat wasn't working. It was stuck saying 79 degrees, and it was well over 100 outside. Whatever, small inconvenience. I had working AC, all was right with the world. Until the next morning when I noticed a large blue-green puddle under my car in the driveway. Coolant leak. A big one. I had just enough coolant to make the drive back over to Steve's (4th time now), where they diagnosed a crack in my radiator. I was quoted $1,475 to replace the radiator, hoses, and cap, and charge with clean coolant. That seemed extremely high to me, so I made some calls to other shops. I ended up having my car towed to another shop, who replaced the radiator, hoses, and cap, as well as clean coolant, for under $900. That's almost $600 cheaper. And out of curiosity, I asked them their price for replacing the AC hose assembly that I paid Steve's just under $900 for, and was quoted $500 for that. Steve's is extremely overpriced, and after needing to bring my car back a total of 4 times, I won't be back with any vehicles in the future.
Michael, I’m sorry this experience required multiple visits and left you frustrated with both the repair process and our pricing. I appreciate you taking the time to explain the situation in detail, and I’d like the opportunity to review what happened with your A/C diagnosis, subsequent concerns, and the estimates you received. Please contact me directly at 801-694-7936 so I can better understand what happened and work toward a resolution. —Richard, Owner
- Steve's Automotive Specialists - Clearfield