1 /5 John Swift: I have done business with Snowden since 2016 and I have recommended them to ALOT of friends & family. In October, ‘23 they quoted me $26,000 to replace the engine on my 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser (a vehicle that, IF RUNNING is worth about $8K). I get it! They didn’t want to do it but I didn’t realize they were telling me to eff off. Snowden said local trades were unable and/or unreliable to offer a rebuilt engine. I got the message and determined to seek a different mechanic for future needs. Unfortunately, I did not do my homework to find a reputable mechanic.
In February, ‘25 my 2010 Infinity FX35 started “smoking” upon starting. Clearly there was a leak in the radiator/coolant hose and since I hadn’t researched ANY mechanic, I took it to Snowden. I knew the “heater T” was blown and that’s a relatively inexpensive repair.
Snowden agreed the heater T was blown but it would appear this repair would not generate enough revenue for their business. VERBALLY** they claimed they tested the head gaskets and hydrocarbons were found in the coolant fluid. They suggested and quoted AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT with a USED (not rebuilt!) engine with ~120K miles on it. The quote was $9K.
Here is where their integrity problems come to light:
1) **Snowden provides a text message link that gives customers EXCELLENT pics of your car, the damage found, their quote, etc. Snowden provided photos of the head gasket test. FYI, when a head gasket is blown or partially compromised, the presence of hydrocarbons will cause the testing fluid to change colors. THE PICS THEY SENT CLEARLY SHOWED NO COLOR CHANGE!!!! Therefore, there was NO evidence of a head gasket leak/problem.
2) Head gasket replacements have been done since Jesus was in junior high BUT Snowden claims they didn’t want to do a head gasket replacement. Their reason was “new head gaskets would put undue ‘pressure’ on the bottom half of the engine” AND “would likely cause a failure in the bottom half of the engine.” This smacks of total BS.
So Snowden felt the best course of action should be…
3) replace my 208K mile engine with a used but NOT rebuilt, 120K mile engine (with NO history) and a limited “warranty” I now feel they would never honor.
Remember(!) Snowden said in ‘23 they would only offer a NEW engine swap if I was stupid enough to agree to a $26K repair for a vehicle worth $8K. Now they want to do a swap for a used engine for $9K WHEN THEIR OWN DATA SHOWS THE REPAIR IS UNNECESSARY! The heater T repair has fixed my problem entirely.
Run away. Do not walk. This place is a financial trap waiting to happen.
