The Nichols Bros are a couple of dishonest auto mechanics in town to whom a lot of people entrust…read moretheir cars. They did a job for me a little over a year ago, and because they did it wrong, I just had to pay $800 to have part of it redone the right way by someone else. The job they were supposed to do was the head gasket and at the same time, change the timing belt, for which they charged me $1300.
So, just about a week ago, I heard a tapping in my engine. I brought it to someone else because these knuckleheads had been messing up with other things (*more about that later), and I just didn't trust them anymore. It turned out that the tapping was the timing belt they put in... it was ripped. I'm just fortunate that I heard the tapping because, had I not, it could have torn completely, which would have damaged my engine. I called and told one of the brothers what happened, and he offered to replace the belt, but said that I would have to pay him for the labor!! #1 why should I have to pay for labor for him to replace a belt that he messed up on in the first place?!, #2 who would even trust him to do the job right, when he didn't do it right the first time. AND #3 why would I trust them to not do harm to my car for revenge at having to redo the job.
As for the other things they messed up on:
1: Last year, I heard a rattle under my car... it took 4 visits to get it fixed, and the only reason it was fixed was because I, figured it out!!! The first time I brought it in to them, they drove it, put it up on the lift, and said there was nothing wrong, so I left. The second time, they tightened up something, and charged me $30. The 3rd time they said, it's your sway bar, and charged me $70. Finally, the 4th time I came in for that rattle, I said, "I think it's a heat shield", which it turned out to be, and finally, it was fixed!! I was the one who had to figure it out for them to fix it.
2: Another time, my car was jumping while driving in stop and go traffic. They took it for a drive, they said they thought it was my transmission. I asked them if they if maybe it needed a tune up, and asked them check the spark plugs and the air filters. One of the brothers checked all that, and said the spark plugs were fine, that they had been changed when they did the head gasket. He said the filter was also fine, and charged me $78 for that. The car continued to jump when driving in stop and go traffic. They said it was what happens when the transmission is going. I got all anxious because I knew it would cost a lot for that. HOWEVER, not trusting these "brothers" anymore, I decided to bring it to another guy for another opinion. He checked the spark plugs and said that they were the original spark plugs, that they had never been changed, and that the filter was badly blocked up. I had him change everything, and VOILA, the jumping stopped!!! Just think, if I hadn't gone for another opinion, and listened to them, I'd have had to pay thousands for just a rebuilt transmission!! I went back and told one of the "brothers" and they just shrugged it off. That might have been the end of my dealings with them, but for the timing belt!!
Fast forward, I had the other guy do the job fixing the timing belt, and according to him, there were many things that weren't done that should have been done, which could have contributed to the belt ripping. After the work was done, I went back to the "brothers" and showed them the bad parts, and told them what the other mechanic said. I wasn't about to accept just a "shrug" for this.
I asked them to reimburse me for some of the cost for fixing things, and they outright refused. I got nowhere in my attempts to get some reimbursement for their bad work. We got into a heated exchange, and they threatened to call the police, so I left and as I did, I told them that I would inform everyone I know about the bad business they conduct.
So, now, I'm stuck with an $800 bill, and just want to warn others, you take risks with your automobile and your finances if you go to them.
There were other ways in which they messed up, but this is already lengthy, so I'll end it here.
