3rd Ave Car Clinic

Never again. The past few years I've taken my car to this station for inspections because it is near my home, and each year they have required more and more unnecessary repairs. This year was the worst. Despite passing inspection the past several years, my headlights suddenly needed to be adjusted this year, I needed a new bracket to secure my battery, my outer tie rod ends needed to be replaced, and one of my tires needed to be replaced. The price quoted for a new tire was $25 more than what I pay for the same tire at Burt's Tires in Sugarhouse. Three days later, when my car was ready to be picked up, I took the papers they gave me and was walking to my car when I noticed they had not given me the inspection certificate. I went back and had to wait while they put my car information into their computer and printed out the certificate. While I was waiting, the mechanic who had replaced the tie rods brought me the old rods to show my how much ""play"" there was in the joints and why they needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, he was unable to show any ""play"" in the joints, so he mumbled something about having a vice in the back he could use to show me the ""play"". When I finally drove away, after about four blocks I made a wide turn and suddenly heard a rattling noise under the hood. I pulled over and leaned down to pop the hood with the lever under the dashboard, and discovered that the plastic lever head was broken in two pieces. The mechanic had clearly broken it, not repaired it, and not told me it was broken. Did he really believe I wouldn't notice it was broken the first time I needed to open the hood? After several minutes of tinkering, I managed to piece the plastic back together and get the hood to unlock. When I opened the hood I discovered what had created the rattling noise - there was a screwdriver on top of the engine. Fortunately it had not slipped down to get caught in the fan belt or something of the sort. I went to this station for a simple inspection and ended up paying over $400 dollars for needless repairs. This is the last time I let this station touch my car - they create more problems than they solve. more

When I took my car in a few months ago to have the radiator fixed I got ""Bobby"" who gave me so much attitude I thought I was talking to my teenage daughter! He had an excuse for everything! And then in the end after my car was finished he ""did me a favor"" by not charging me $20 for the computerized test that turns off the check engine light! Wow, what service. THEN, 3 months later I again began having problems because the radiator obviously wasn't fixed, (although with his prices you'd hope they have a lifetime guarantee!) so I took it to my usual mechanic--the reason I didn't just go here the first time was because he's in Provo and with an overheating car that's not an option. When I took it to my regular guy he replaced the whole radiator- why Bobby didn't do that before is beyond me. And he said that the radiator fluid container was cracked in three places. How could that have happened when it was supposedly brand new from 3rd Ave. 3 months before?!? My guy said to call them because their parts should be under warranty for a whole year. Apparently that's what you should expect from any mechanic. When I called Bobby I got a load of sass that was unbelievable. He actually told me that he can't guarantee anything through the phone. He can't ""look through the phone to see what problem is"". ARE YOU SERIOUS??! DID I ASK YOU TO LOOK THROUGH MY PHONE?! I think he thinks everyone else must have an IQ of 5. I couldn't believe it. He was no help at all, just a bunch of excuses and rip offs. Find some one else. more

I love taking my car to 3rd Ave. Car clinic. Not only are they professional and knowledable in anything your car could possibly need fixed, they are a trustworthy family company! Bobby, the owner, could not be any sweeter. I highly recommend this shop to all of my family and friends!! more