Farmington Auto Repair

In the process of purchasing a used car, I needed to go to a mechanic who would give me a thorough examination in order to avoid potentially higher repair costs if I went through with the purchase. Farmington Garage was honest and trustworthy but most important, thorough.

I called to make an appointment for an oil change in the morning and they were able to get me in in the afternoon. Prompt and polite service as usual. I like FG because they are right downtown and I can walk to do other errands while I wait. The staff is always pleasant and I don't feel intimidated by them. And they gave me a cookie ;-)

Prompt and very courteous.

I went to Farmington Garage last year because they had good reviews and were open on Saturday. I took my van to them where they replaced the 2 engine belts, fixed my air so that cold air came out of both sides instead of just the passenger side, and a few other things They had me come back twice to tighten one of the belts. The last time I left, I was told that if the air started to come out warm on driver's side to bring it back and it would be $100 out the door - part & labor. I was extremely happy with the work and they did at a reasonable price. Earlier this year, I hit a pothole and my strut broke. I went to a website that tells you what it should cost and the garages in my area that would honor that quote of $950. Their garage was on the list which made me happy, but when I called they said the price to replace the struts would cost at least $1300 and that did not include a wheel alignment or if other problems were found. I called other shops, found only one that would honor the price, but that was for struts only. It ended costing me $1150, but that included one tie rod that needed to be replaced and the alignment, plus I was able to take my van in that day because they had a loaner car I could use while they were fixing mine. Well now with the heat, I wanted to use the air in my van, and same problem - driver's side did not get as cold. So I called Farmington Garage, told them the problem and what I was told last year, then made an appointment. When I showed for my appointment I again stated that I was there to have the air fixed to come out cold on the driver's. An hour and 1/2 later, nothing was fixed and they had a list of other repairs they felt my van needed. My van is a 2004 Toyota Sienna which had over 190,000 miles the first time I went to their business and it now has over 210,000 miles. Most of the repairs they state stated were obvious and not necessary - cracked in windshield, windshield wiper streaked, passenger side electric mirror was cracked (still worked with no problem) the rear wiper arm was broke off, light over license plate was out, muffler rattled - all of which I did not bring my van to them to have repaired. Then the air, not just fixing the problem I wanted fixed, but to replace some rings and charge would be $450 So I left paying $63 to have someone tell me what I already knew and not having the problem I brought it to them fixed. The charge was for their time, but the majority of their time was looking for anything to repair instead of just doing what I asked. I was grossly overcharged. If they had just replaced the part I asked to fix, I would have been happy. Since them, the air has been about 1/2 as cold as it was prior to them checking the lines and whatever else they looked at. We have since recharged the air ourselves (the Freon or whatever) is available at an auto parts store and you hook it up to the line and refill - very tedious. If they had just replaced the part I had previously been told I would need, I would have taken it back if I had other problems. Now I wonder why I ever trusted the . I should have called and asked what it would cost to fix my problem (the one problem only), got their quote. Then I should have checked online what the approximate cost would be and called the shop I used for the struts to get their quote, which is what I'll do now. Just looked it up the cost to replace the ambient air temperature sensor is $61-$104. Shops need to realize we have access to so much information. When I called one shop about the struts they quoted a price so high and stated it depended on whether they had to rebuild the struts - found pair of them online for just under $300 delivered.

Return customer. Great service

Timely and thorough. Great job.

Great service!

I needed a rear brake caliper replaced on my vehicle, and not only did they charge a ludicrous price for this service that was significantly cheaper at every shop I called, but they tried to add a bunch of other services on my invoice that I certainly didn't need. I declined the service and paid the $60 inspection fee, which to their credit is fair. However, my experience worsened while I was watching a technician put the wheels back on my car. He used an impact wrench to put the lugs back on, and he didn't use a torque wrench. When I asked him if he torqued the wheels, he gave me a dirty look and said "my gun is pre-set. I've been doing this for 42 years..." like I didn't know what I was talking about. Well, you've been doing it wrong for 42 years. He claimed his gun was pre-set to 105 (I assume lb-ft - he didn't even bother giving units). Even if that WAS true, he over-torqued my wheels; I drive a Honda Civic, and the torque specs are 80 lb-ft. I'm an automotive engineer, so I could see this rip-off from a mile away as soon as I got the invoice, but for less experienced car owners, this shop can and probably will rob you. I highly recommend avoiding this shop as well as their sister locations The Detroit Garage, The Hamburg Garage, and The Livonia Garage. Your money is much better spent elsewhere. UPDATE AS OF 7/5/19: I have not been contacted despite the reply to this review saying this would happen. Also, they completely hid the bad review on their website, and they only display 5 star reviews, which is obviously misleading to any potential customers. Again, I stress that you look elsewhere for automotive repair.

Very impressed. I do not really like taking my vehicles to someone else but these guys were very open, honest and understanding. This time around was just a diagnosis of the issues and going to let me fix them. Even pointed out things I had no idea were issues but not to make more money. To be safe.

As an update to my prior review I have changed my rating to 4 stars: 1 star previously for having a nice facility/lobby area and courteous service advisors 1 additional star for caring enough about their reputation to read reviews and resolve outstanding issues 1 additional star for caring about their customer satisfaction enough to contact their customers and work towards a satisfactory resolution 1 additional star for quality work No 5th star because it took posting a bad review before a resolution was resolved when it could have easily been resolved beforehand. Yes, my AC problems where created elsewhere and, yes, I was unhappy with a previous garage but I chose FG because of its good reviews and expected all problems to be resolved. So, yes, I felt I should not have had to visit the garage 2x and pay 2x for a problem that existed on the 1st visit. Nonetheless, manager Andy and I came to a satisfactory repair and resolution for both parties. Kudos to Andy for calling me and working with me. On that note I can honestly say I would recommend Farmington Garage and have no problem with choosing them for any future repairs on my vehicle. So my son moved to Farmington Hills and, because I couldn't fix the AC on my 2006 BMW X5 before he left TN, we selected Farmington Garage. I specifically mentioned that the fuse for the AC controls was blowing intermittently and, when the controls were functioning, the AC was not cooling. After diagnosis the problem was stated as a system leak but, obviously, troubleshooting went no further. Also, a "safety inspection" was performed on the vehicle, not at my request but as a "service to the customer". Of course I consider this a scam to generate more work for the garage since, IMO, any problem can be found on a used vehicle. Recommendations made to replace rear ball joints and, "since we'll be in the same area and to save labor costs", also recommend replacing front ball joints and CV axles at a total cost > $3000. No thank you. Parts online < $600, I'll do it myself WHEN it's needed. AC repairs made at a cost of ~$350. Wow! But... it comes with a 3 yr warranty! Like that's worth it... A few days later, my son tries the AC FOR THE 1ST TIME and the fuse blows immediately. Because he had just started a new job it took him a few weeks to return the vehicle to FG. After diagnosis, FG found a shorted wire pinched at the compressor and wanted an additional $448.48. Seriously? Not covered by the warranty though I specifically mentioned this problem the 1st time? "2 different issues" and "controls were working the entire time it was here" is their stance. Really? Guess that wire pinched itself on the compressor once the car left the garage because the AC didn't work after that. Maybe better troubleshooting would have helped instead of performing the "safety inspection".?!!! Again, no thank you on the repairs though I had to pay $120 for the diagnosis. MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO FIND A DIFFERENT GARAGE! One that actually listens to the customer, troubleshoots the actual problem, and is not in the business of conducting "safety inspections" to drum up additional work.