A-Z Auto Center

Excellent service done in a timely manner! Everyone was kind and knowledgeable and kept me update to date on the happenings with my car. I have been a loyal customer and highly recommend AZ Auto

My car had a lot of problems, and even the dealership and Firestone couldn’t figure out how to fix them. I decided to take it to A-Z Auto Center, and they repaired everything within a week! I highly recommend them—the mechanics are truly skilled, experienced, and professional.

They are the absolute best! I’ve been there a few times to get work done on various things from engine to windshield wipers motor issues to inspections. Time and time again, they are the loveliest people and my go-to guys for any car related issues or inquiry!

I had today the most amazing tire service! My tire was leaking air...I came in...and yes!! 15 minutes later I was out and wasn't even late to my appointment! Just amazing! And the price was right ...they were so nice...so efficient...the waiting room was lit up and clean! The bathroom as well! I'm hooked! Hopefully I wouldn't need them but please if you gave an issue...visit them! They are great!!🙏

tl;dr: - Poor timelines and communication - Helpful advice regarding inspection and issues I took my car in on Wednesday for a repair and inspection. Aside from the initial communication about the inspection report, the communication about timelines has been quite poor. I understand the instinct, but they repeatedly gave me overly optimistic timelines and did not update me when they were not able to meet those timelines they set themselves. I had to call them to get an updated timeline, and then they would have to delay it again (which I had to call about, time and time again). The fix I needed on the car was relatively complicated so a longer timeline ultimately makes sense, but I would have been happier had that been communicated from the start. They were helpful when I wanted advice about how long I could delay a fix for one of the issues they highlighted in the inspection report—friendly service overall. I recommend they revisit training for whoever is on the phone to set more realistic expectations for what the the workload of the mechanics is and what timelines they are able to realistically deliver.

After being a customer here for the past 3–4 years for routine maintenance and inspections, I never expected to have an experience this frustrating. We dropped our car off Saturday morning around 10:30 a.m. and were told we would receive a text and email with the inspection results and estimated repair cost. We waited all day. Around 4:30 p.m., I called to check on it, only to find out they had already closed. Apparently, no one thought it was important to mention that my car would be staying there overnight. So, because of their lack of communication, I spent the entire weekend without my car, was essentially stranded, and had to miss plans I had already made. Not because there was some major unexpected repair taking days to complete—but because apparently no one thought to pick up the phone and tell me they weren't returning my vehicle. I received the estimate Sunday morning and immediately responded. I even drove down there, only to find out they were closed until Monday. Monday morning came and went. No response to my email. No response to my phone call. Finally, around 2:30 p.m., I called again. And this is where the customer service really took a turn. Instead of an apology or even an acknowledgment that keeping someone's car all weekend without telling them might be, you know, inconvenient, I was told I should have told them when I dropped the car off that I needed it back that day. Apparently, when you drop your car off at 10:30 on a Saturday, you are now expected to specifically announce that you would like to have your car back sometime before Monday. Good to know. They also told me the website references them being closed on Sundays, but it also said they are closed on Saturdays which is not true. So not much of a valuable source. I was also told I should have called earlier Saturday to find out what was happening. Because apparently the customer is responsible for chasing down the service department all day to find out whether their own vehicle is being returned. Meanwhile, I still haven't gotten a satisfactory explanation for the actual repair issue. They replaced my muffler in 2023, and now, only about 15,000 miles later, I'm being told it needs to be replaced again. I asked a very reasonable question: Why? Was the part defective? Was there an issue with the installation? What caused it to fail so quickly? I still don't have a clear answer. And then there's the $75 inspection fee. I was repeatedly reminded that they were doing me a "courtesy" by not charging the full $150 inspection fee. After being left without my vehicle for the weekend and receiving essentially zero communication, that "courtesy" didn't feel particularly generous. I completely understand that repairs take time. I understand that businesses get busy. I understand that sometimes a vehicle can't be finished when expected. What I don't understand is why communicating that to a customer seems to be so difficult. A simple phone call Saturday saying, “We won't be able to get this back to you today, so we'll need to keep it until Monday,” would have prevented this entire situation. Instead, I was left without my car all weekend, missed plans, had to chase them down for information, and then was told that the whole situation was essentially my fault because I didn't specifically ask for my car back that day. I've been a loyal customer for years, but this experience has seriously changed my opinion. The repair itself is one issue. The way a customer is treated when something goes wrong tells you much more about a business. If you value your time, your transportation, and basic communication from the people working on your vehicle, I would think twice before using this service department.

I make appointments but when I went to here he told me we don’t have available time know and leave car here Rainy day Not good experience

I am sure these technicians are very good at their job - fixing cars. They unfortunately are terrible at communication, which is just as if not more important to me as a customer. Re: response I came to A-Z Auto center for an emissions test. “Connecticut Emissions test” was the exact request. I was told to wait 25 minutes - sure thing. 45 minutes later - not a peep from them. I get up and only then do they tell me my car is ready. They show me the test result - which I ask if the emissions passed. They said sure sure, just the safety failed. At this point, they had wasted my time by not alerting me when my car was ready, and they had told a small lie. They did not do an emissions test on my vehicle, like I asked. Only when I got home and clarified with the CT DMV did I realize they did not perform an emissions test. The AZ technician on the phone essentially talked me in circles - you can see their response below, none of which I am refuting. I do, however, want to point out that not once did they say “hey, by the way, your car doesn’t need an emissions test according to our system”. That would have saved me an hour and $35. Instead, they did the test and never mentioned that they did not do the emissions test. The technician on the phone claimed no wrongdoing as he is simply going by the system. If you want to take your car here, where the technician admits to just being a conduit for machine-like service, go ahead. For many cases, that’s actually probably a good thing. However, if you want to go to a shop where the technicians think about what the customer actually needs done, look elsewhere. The technicians admitted wrongdoing on the phone, only after I explained to him my perspective as if he was a 5 year old. I literally needed to use an analogy about apples and oranges before he said I was right to be upset. Everyone is doing their best at AZ. I just think the technicians best was not where I was hoping it would be. Re: re Lol, it’s quite legal to get an emissions test in MA and send it to CT DMV. The CT DMV even showed me a picture of an example MA emissions test for me to compare to. If they’re willing to talk out of their rear on a public forum, just imagine what they’ll do to your face (unfortunately, I don’t have to imagine).

This morning, I went to this repair shop for a vehicle inspection. They first told me the exhaust system had a leaking issue, but after I said it is hybrid engine so it sounds fine to me, and at the end the exhaust system passed the inspection. In the end, they claimed there was a problem with the steering and suspension, but I had just done a wheel alignment a few days ago, and there were no issues with the control arm or suspension. The steering is also working fine. I believe they are trying to scam me. The shop also wanted to charge me $150(Their hourly pay) for a diagnostic fee per hour, and if I didn’t get the repair done there, I would have to pay that fee. I think $150 per hour is too high. I want to share this experience here so others know what happened to me.