Veenstra's Garage

I brought my car in because the engine light was on and there was an oil drip on my garage floor. I was told that the engine light was resolved by reconnecting a ""mass flow air sensor"" and latching an air box. The oil drip was simply caused by a loose drain plug. Easy fix. No problem.\r \r The tech then asked if I would like an inspection. I agreed. He then recommended what I was led to believe was a 60k Subaru service. He quoted me $1900 which I thought was high but he said that he was going by the book and that the price might actually be a bit lower. This led me to believe this was a Subaru recommended service so I went ahead and paid.\r \r Problem #1: I later learned that dealerships and independent shops estimate between $500-$600 for the 60k service.\r \r Problem #2: The check engine light came on the next day. I was told this was unrelated and caused by very old oil. I was charged $101.93 for that.\r \r Problem #3: There is an oil drip again on my garage floor. They say they will look at it but will make no promises about cost.\r \r #1: I never would have paid $1900 for the 60k service if I had not been led to believe it was a standard service. I was misled.\r \r #2: I had the oil changed one week before I brought it in so I am suspicious about how it could be needed.\r \r #3: The original problem is still present after $2043.19 worth of service to the car.\r \r I did contact the owner via email and did discuss this with Brad over the phone. Their position seems to be that that what they charged is fair and that they are happy to look at the oil drip. (I've never understood why a business's solution to bad service is to offer additional bad service.)\r \r I took the car in for an oil drip. I was sold $2043.46 in service UNRELATED to the drip. The drip is still there. \r more

I was recently towed to Veenstra's Garage when I was driving to school for the semester. I had all of my stuff that I was hauling from my home to my apartment in Grand Rapids and when I got to Veenstra's, they welcomed me with open arms. They offered to drive me to my apartment and even used one of their personal cars to transport all of my stuff because it would not fit in their usual car that they offer to give people rides in. So they drove me, and all of my stuff, to my apartment and they even helped unload all of my stuff into my room. They worked very hard to find out what was wrong with my car and made sure that they did everything possible to get it running again. I NEVER once felt like they tried to swindle me and I felt like I was family the second I walked in. They are great people and they do great work. Give them a shot! :) more

Generally, pretty disappointed when I've used them. Over the years, It seems I'll come back around to using them again because of the location, but then I usually regret it. I know in the past I've reluctantly gone in fearing the ""diagnostic trail"" that always seems to happen. It usually leads to a seemingly simple thing that ends up being a much bigger thing. I've had them tell me once that I had a head gasket problem that, when I took it to another place, ended up being something completely different (and way less expensive). I hate having the feeling someone would intentionally screw me, but I've walked out of there more than once wondering, are they just fixing one thing and loosening something else for the next time? I can say I've never walked out with the feeling of ""hey, these guys really took care of me, they explained things well and I feel good about coming back."" Be aware and don't necessarily agree with whatever they say is the issue. Get a second opinion. more

Tiffany, \r I guess the best way to explain my reaction to this is WHAT???. When you got back to me you stated you got a cheaper estimate from a muffler shop on 28th St. and that is all you could afford. I matched the price and quality of the other shop quote, but recommended that you not to go this way unless you absolutely had to. I also provided a free oil change to keep everything affordable. Some businesses compete on price some compete on quality. I am sorry that we could not satisfy your needs. \r \r -Phil\r more

Terrible Experience, Felt Very Taken Advantage Of, and Will Never Go Back. \r \r I have recently been to Veenstra's because my car was overheating. They told me that they didn't charge to take a look at the car to check out the problem. After an hour, they called to tell me it would be $130 to do a pressure test and overheat test to diagnose the problem....(so technically, opening the hood was the free part). Okay, no big deal, run the tests. \r \r They came back, and quoted me $525 to replace the radiator, and $687 in total when adding in the tests. I couldn't help but feel like this was terribly high so I called another shop in town and was quoted $309 + Tax. I have heard from people that Veenstra's does quality work, but over $200 higher than a competitor? \r \r Once I posed this to Phil (the servicing mechanic), he immediately drop his price almost $150 and ""threw in"" and oil change (I did find a $30 coupon on-line that I used in the end as well). \r \r Are you kidding me? It is amazing to me that they felt it was okay to take advantage of me in that way (due to being a female or just have poor business ethics in general). They have completely ruined my opinion and confidence in them. I will never be returning to this garage again. more

I took my van in to Veenstra's because I had a coupon. My car was overheating. I asked for an oil change and fluids to be put in. They did the oil change but not the fluid top off. (I found that out because when I got home, my husband took one look at it and there was no fluid put in it.) While I was waiting, I witnessed Brad at the counter treat an elderly lady extremely poorly. She wanted him to look at something real quick and he had no time for her. He acted annoyed at her when she told him her car was running and she didn't want to waste gas. He told her a couple times she wasn't wasting gas. He acted as if he didn't care. She got really flustered and I could tell she didn't know what to do. He could have reacted a lot nicer to her. Usually when people are busy behind a computer, they put it aside for the person in front of them, out of respect. When they got through with my car, Phil told me I needed a bunch of expensive tests, and they were willing to keep it over night. (Which from talking to other people, is what they are known for doing. ) I told him I'd rather take it home and talk to my husband and let him know. To which his reply was: ""Well, you could go a mile down the road, and it could blow, but that wouldn't be my fault."" When I go to the counter, attached to the bill was the coupon I wanted to use, but they didn't give me that price. So when I asked about it, he said ""it has already been billed"" and tried to give me my coupon back. I told him that wasn't fair, and after waiting again, while he went to talk to someone.....he finally gave me some money back. After receiving a text from them, I replied telling them I was extremely unhappy. After a week I received a phone call asking how my service was. I told him how unhappy I was with the way they treated me and the sweet old lady, and he replied.....""well there are 2 sides to every coin..."" .... and I know my guys..... and you don't really know what he was doing on that computer anyway.... and we have great service here, and maybe 1% might be bad...... this is not worth my time to pursue it any farther..... sorry you feel this way...."" So, it's pretty obvious to me that they don't really care about how you feel. My complaint is about how they treat people. ( I wonder if they treat men the same way. Something tells me they don't. ) My challenge would be to WOOD TV8 to investigate. I will never go to Veenstra's Garage ever again, and I will tell everyone I know to not waste their time. more

I have brought my car to Veenstra's Garage twice in 2009 and both times they have not only not completed my simple repair in less than a day (as they stated they would both times) but they also charge $100/hr for labor and then jack up the time it will take to do the repair over twice as long as the actual time it will take. The GM Brad was unapologetic for their lack of follow-thru and costs and actually told me he couldn't make me happy so he would not even try...WHAT??\r \r I have dealt with a number of garages in the GR area and can say with 100% confidence that Veenstra's is the worst I have ever been to. They overcharge for the job - have a horrible turnaround time - and could care less for whether a customer is happy or not. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! Cons: Customer service is horrible - cost is double of other shops more

I took my car in because it wouldn't start and paid them to do a diagnosis. Based on the diagnosis, they identified the problem and I authorized the repair. Later on they found an additional problem that the diagnosis missed. Some auto shops might try to charge you for unforseen repairs, but Veenstra's worked with me and finished the repair on time for the agreed-on price. Phil was very understanding and professional and explained everything very well. I'd recommend Veenstra's Garage to anyone. Pros: They'll make it right if something doesn't go right more

I have been going to Veenstra's Garage for over 8 years. They have always taken care of my needs. I have had 4 different cars during those years, some of them imported and they have been able to solve all of my problems. Recently, I took it in and after paying for a repair it seemed to be doing a similar thing to what I brought it in for. They took care of me immediately, offered me a loaner, and offered me a ride and fixed it for free. This has not been my experience with other places that it may take three tries to repair my car and I pay each time. They are not the least expensive place to bring your car to, but nothing is more expensive than having to pay for a repair twice because it was done wrong or cheaply with and is out of warranty. Brad, the main guy at the counter, has always made sure I was happy with the repair. I don't think you can find better service for the price anywhere. You can tell that they really really care about taking care of your car, and keeping you happy with their service. Pros: Honesty and obvious effort to make sure things are done right, customer happy Cons: Parking can be hard to find sometimes, the place is busy. Noisy waiting room. more

Its slogan is something like "" we fix everything"". But the question is ""at what price"". If you they charge your $20 for a $2 spark plug, $150 for a $40 belt, put a whole differential in when you have broken emergency brake pads, that is not so smart. That is exactly my experience with them.\r At first, they charged me for windshield fluid (only $1.20) but they forgot to put in any. Lucky me, they did not FORGET to put in engine oil when I have oil change.\r The second time, I went to them when I heard some ""squick"" noise on the left rear end. They told me to redo the whole differential system. That thing costs a fortune. But it finally turned out to be a broken brake pad.\r They do provide you a ride, of course with your car, if you need it. But remember, they will include that in your labor cost. And believe me, it will be more expensive than renting a limo.\r Pros: a ride is available but at your cost Cons: bad mechanics, poor judgement, very expen$ive more