Inspection okay but overcharged for the work. ORIGINAL POST (reply to owners comments attached at the end) 1) Broken Axles labour rate is $110 per hour. I had a 25% discount reducing it to $82.50. The Ford dealership was $150. Based on difference of $67.50 per hour, and 7 hours of labour, I thought I would save $496 over the dealer, and didn't bother to get other quotes. That was a big mistake. Ford quoted $283 for 2.5 hours for labour. Broken Axle charged $440 for 4 hours. They were also almost double on the parts (a requirement to get the 25% off). 2) Although it was an estimate, not a quote, there was no adjustment for actual hours. I was told the job could cost me more if there were complications, but when I called after a few hours I was told the job was done and went smooth, I was still charged for 4 hours. 3) When I asked the owner about the difference between the Ford estimate (2.5 hrs) and the hours I was charged (4) I was told: 1) I approved the estimate (yup, my error) 2) We allowed you to combine our 2 offers which we wouldn't ordinarily do. If they don't normally allow you to use the 25% discount, then their pricing is even further out of line 3) They use an estimating program and add on extra time for any vehicle over 5 years old, in case they have unforeseen problems. I have no problem with them estimating high, to prepare me for worst case scenario...but if everything goes smooth, I would expect a reduction. Otherwise I have been charged for potential problems that never came to be. They estimated 60% higher than the dealership 4) I was estimated 1/2 hour to change both cable connections for the battery. They decided that only one needed changing, but when I asked if they were adjusting the labour portion, I was told there would not be an adjustment. 5) My estimate from Broken Axle indicated $770 for 7 hours of labour. When I went to pay, I was told that the discount did not apply to $150 of the labour. 6) I was having my spark plugs changed because I was buying a vehicle that was a 2005 Ford with faulty spark plugs. They are a 2 or 3 part plug that can cause grief if you wait until 100,000 miles to change them. The person I purchased it from had no idea if these faulty plugs had been changed. I told Eric that when he pulled the first plug, if it wasn't the faulty plugs that they may have been changed out, and he didn't need to change them. They did the full change. Eric then told me on the phone that he had good news. That my van did not use the faulty plugs. But I had called a Ford dealership and they told me all vehicles had them initially. So my assumption is that Eric forgot to stop pulling plugs, and that I paid for a full spark plug change that was not required. They seemed nice and the reviews I read were decent, so my best guess is that they discount the inspection to get you in the door, and quote you a reasonable labour rate, but make up for it in the number of hours billed for each job. Get several quotes before approving any work. One the plus side, they did spend about 25 minutes speaking to me, and Eric was very helpful. UPDATE AFTER OWNERS COMMENTS: Since my 'Ford' estimate was so far off from what the owner says he obtained, I asked Universal Ford for a written estimate. I have attached that to their home page, along with my Broken Axle invoice. Without the 25% discount I would have paid $127 more at Broken Axle for these 3 maintenance issues. Spark plugs alone, I would have paid $184 more at Broken Axle. With my 25% discount I saved $17.00 over the dealership...yet their quoted hourly rate was $67.50 less per hour and they charged me for almost 7 hours of labour? I should have saved over $460.00. Their parts, which were a condition of getting the 25% off, were billed at almost double the dealer price. I found out Ford dealerships do not all charge the same rate. The owner never ever dealt with my one question. Why does it take you 1.5 hours more to do the job? Is it because they claim to be a specialty shop, and were unfamiliar with my vehicle? They claim that they use the same estimating program as the dealerships, so why were they 60% higher? At no point did the owner attempt to discuss my concerns. Instead he told me I approved the quote...period. Definitely get more than one quote. read more

Broken Axle - Broken Axle quote - Auto Repair Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

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Share details of my experience..? Well here it is! About a week ago my Jeep Wrangler started making grinding noises upon firing up the engine and on one occasion it wouldn't even start. It was disclosed to the mechanic at least twice before they started the work. I looked around for a Jeep mechanic shop online and I came upon this one with great reviews. They said that they were Pros for these kinds of vehicles as described on their website. I don't know why small shop mechanics still think it's fine to rip people off even now at this day and age while everything is searchable in the Internet. I called and described the issue of how it wasn't starting and about the noise and suggested it could be the clutch needing replacing. The guy on the phone was knowledgeable and even mentioned that the clutch usually needed replacing around 150K km and mine was at 112k so that might not be the issue but gave me a quote to fix the clutch anyway. I booked it in to replace the clutch if it was that issue but ultimately I needed the Jeep to start and told them that. They never called me to explain what they had found and I had to call for an update. By then the clutch had been replaced. They didn't let me know what was the actual issue that it didn't start. At this time I had to return the rental car and so I passed by after hours to grab my Jeep. When I started it up, the same scratching noise was there and literally there was no change to the initial issue. It was drivable at the time so I took it home and left a voicemail and went back down the following evening after work and asked why is the Jeep acting the same way as when I had dropped it off? The Professional mechanic there basically said the clutch wasn't the problem with your Jeep, it was your starter. All because I inquired for a quote for a clutch thinking to myself that that might be the problem. The current odometer reading is at 112K and that clutch was good for 150K so it had 38K left of life in it since that was now revealed to not be the issue. I got ripped off in two ways - around two years of life left in that clutch, and over $1375 dollars. I'm not a professional mechanic and they claim to be One so I was relying on their expertise but they never bothered to call me. Instead they just did the job that wasn't necessary. I believe what goes around comes around. If they have to be doing this kind of dishonest business there's a lot of coming around on their end. In the end I had to take the Jeep to a dealership to get the right part fixed because I wouldn't trust them touching it again with a 10 ft pole. Ps. The starter job cost $550 parts and labour. read more

Broken Axle - Unnecessary work. - Auto Repair Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Timely and affordable. Always reaching out before added expenses/repairs are done not AFTER like my dealership. They do great work and are dependable. Not going anywhere else! read more

Completely disgusted with service and customer service! I bought parts giving them exact details of what my Jeep had and was. Parts did not fit, they compel themselves on being honest but I have heard nothing but lies has they denied I gave them proper information when I know 100% I did and was very adamant of what I was looking for. They deny and lie, and take zero accountability. A company where the customer is always wrong and if you read the reviews you will see nothing but excuses and that there very argumentative. I expect bs excuses and lies from this review as well. My experience is I wouldn't recommend these guys to look at a pedal bike never mind an automobile. read more

My son took his 87 Jeep YJ to these people to switch out the original steering wheel for a custom. Six weeks later, he experienced complete steering failure. Fortunately this did not occur on the Deerfoot at 120 km. Upon examination, when they fitted the wheel they chose NOT to bolt the new conversion bracket to the column, instead they relied upon just cranking down the centre nut. They did not even bother with a locking nut! As one might imagine, the nut eventually backed off leaving a free spinning wheel with no way to control direction of travel. Fortunately no one died, no thanks to this bunch of negligent amature grease monkies. Whoever issued them a licence should rescind it immediately! read more

Broken Axle - Why bother with bolts on a steering wheel boss! Refund? No way! Broken Axle expertise! - Auto Repair Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The people behind Broken Axle are a honest, hard-working family. Rather than dealing with a giant, international corporation, you get one-on-one service with the individuals who poured their heart and soul into something they believe in and love. This is the type of business I want to put my money towards - a business where I am dealing with people who care about what they do, and care about who I am. read more

I have been to Broken Axle for several vehicle inspections for cars I was looking to purchase. I am by no means a car expert. They are friendly and explain everything. Great customer service. I will definitely come back again for maintenance/repairs. Easy to deal with. I was even given a ride to the Southcentre Mall and picked up when the inspection was done. Great service! read more

Personal experience: do not go to Broken Axle to do your out of province inspection. The AD on Kijiji states that the out of province inspection is $75 and is very misleading based on the wording. Once you go into the shop, you are asked to sign a invoice for a $150 for inspection, that will be reduced to $75 (IF YOUR VEHICLE PASSES) thats the kicker. So I got an out of province inspection done by another company earlier in March that stated (on the motor vehicle record of inspection sheet) my only issue was a tie rod end and wheel alignment. I went to my mechanic and got the issue fixed. Of course, at Broken Axle it wasn't just one thing that was wrong with my vehicle, it was 3-4 new things (the tie rod end and wheel alignment passed this time) that came up to a total quote of $1000 to repair. While I do understand that each business must properly do the vehicle inspection according to their standards, how can there be such a glaring difference between what needed to be repaired amongst the two shops? Overall, the business will charge you $150 if your car fails the inspection, rather than doing $75 for the initial inspection, and then $75 if you want to get it reinspected. So what does that mean? Even if you choose to take your vehicle somewhere else for repairs, they will still pocket $150 for your inspection, which is the normal cost of getting it done at your Canadian Tire or trusted source (if your initial plan was to do it here for the discount of $75). I'm sure the business does a good job of getting things repaired, but the integrity and practice of the business is definately in question. read more

Got an Out of Province Inspection. Owner said I needed to remove tint in order to pass. They said they would charge me $200 to remove it from two windows which is a rip-off so I wanted to get other prices. Owner said if I get the tint removed, I can just come back & they will pass my OPI. I called them 3 weeks later and they said I would have to pay them for the OPI again because I didn't read the fine print of their documents that said I only had 10 days. I complained and the owner said "I'm not going to hold your hand through the process". They wouldn't offer me any kind of deal to do the OPI again and they said they would only give me a discount if I paid them $200 to remove the tint from my windows. Tint master's did my tint for $50. They are a rip off and over priced. Their front desk is covered in paperwork and crap and they are unorganized. read more