3 /5 Buddy R: The guys at McClains are very nice and professional. Long story short, they fixed my car (replaced the starter) quickly and for a fair price. But they forgot to attach a hose when putting it all back together which caused an annoying issue for a couple of weeks (until I discovered the problem myself).
Thats the short version...Heres the longer version if youre curious...
I contacted McClains because (1) my normal mechanic was not available, (2) they are nearby my house, and (3) have good reviews. The starter went out on my Nissan Armada and they were very helpful and responsive in referring a tow service to get my car to their shop (thanks Martin Towing!).
I needed it fixed relatively quickly (within 36 hours or so) because I was going out of town with it in 2 days. They got it diagnosed, got the part, and fixed it in less than 2 days. Great job and thank you!
After getting the car back and driving it for about 50 miles (on my trip out of town), the check engine light came on. Ive never had the check engine light come on on this car before, so I thought this was probably not a coincidence and perhaps they didnt assemble everything correctly (my suspicions were correct). I have a FIXD device so I could scan it right away and discovered it was a minor issue that only affected emissions testing so I didnt worry about it until returning from my 3-day road trip.
I called them after getting back and they were very nice and gracious to check the car right away. I mentioned this has never happened before and thought it might have something to do with the work they did, but that suggestion was quickly dismissed. After looking at the testing device for several minutes, the mechanic said the part that most likely needed replacing was back under the car behind the fuel tank and may be hard to get to (expensive labor). He told me to put a can of sea foam in the gas tank and maybe that would clear it out and fix the issue, at least temporarily.
I appreciated the fact that he wasnt trying to gouge me and just trying to make some money off of me.
After doing that and driving for several more days, the check engine light issue remained. So I did my own research and my first try in fixing the issue was to replace a part that was near the top of the engine. The part was only $30 and super easy to replace on my own so I did that.
When I went in there to disconnect that part, I discovered the hose attached to it was disconnected at the other end. It was super easy to connect and that solved the issue.
I wish they wouldve taken a bit more care in both putting things back together and checking the car when I brought it back.
Other than that, I appreciate how kind they are, and the fact they replaced the starter quickly and at a fair price. Id recommend these guys if you need help with your car, but will also try to use my main mechanic for future needs. Hope this helps.
