Our recent experience with Tansky's service department, especially with Kirby, has convinced us to…read morestop using Tansky as our primary shop, despite being long-time customers.
Two weeks ago, a possibly mold-related smell appeared in our 2015 Toyota Corolla with no warning. It was strongest when idle or entering the car and came from the A/C vents. It caused minor headaches and allergy-like symptoms, so we were concerned about health risks.
We replaced cabin and engine air filters, checked for water spills, and cleaned the interior, but the smell persisted.
At Tansky, Kirby advised a 'diagnosis and advise' service ($175.87), saying the cost would go toward future repairs if needed. Diagnostics weren't completed until the next morning, conflicting with a planned road trip, but we proceeded anyway.
When we returned, Kirby explained very little and focused on upselling. He said the cause was undetermined, suggested HVAC Refresh/Internal Detailing might help, then pushed a $6,000+ front timing cover seal repair, unrelated to the issue. We had to leave the problem unresolved due to our trip.
Kirby seemed surprised we only wanted to pay the diagnostic fee but said future service would be credited. We planned to revisit after the trip.
Reviewing the invoice, the mechanic found no water intrusions but noticed stronger smells behind the glovebox after I had missed a step replacing the cabin filter. No root cause was identified. Kirby had not shared this, focusing instead on the timing seal, giving the impression he didn't understand the issue.
The next Wednesday, we scheduled the recommended HVAC Refresh ($260.87). A different advisor was surprised the prior diagnostic was charged and not part of a multi-point inspection, then referred us to Kirby when we mentioned the diagnostic cost being credited towards the refresh.
Kirby said the $175.87 diagnostic would not apply because it wasn't a "repair," despite previously promising it would credit toward fixing the original problem. He said diagnostic fees only counted toward a "bigger repair," despite not being able to reference anything specific. He also questioned why we hadn't done service at the earlier visit, forgetting our previous conversation, and then even tried to upsell an interior detailing service.
We asked if the HVAC Refresh would resolve the smell/vapor issue. Kirby said full resolution might require extensive disassembly and deep cleaning down to bare metal costing thousands of dollars, even though no mold was confirmed, and long-term improvement wasn't guaranteed.
We canceled the appointment. Kirby backtracked on promised diagnostic fee waivers, and we had no confidence they knew the appropriate repair. The issue was not thoroughly diagnosed, and we were repeatedly misled about costs and next steps. Kirby appeared forgetful and focused on unrelated add-ons.
We remain concerned the smell could come from internal components like the fuel system or engine, or HVAC issues like a blocked A/C drain, none of which were investigated. The diagnostic confirmed only what we had already reported, yet we were charged for a time-intensive service, essentially they wanted us to paying twice+ for the same reported problem.
We chose service at a Toyota dealership for peace of mind, but Tansky failed to identify or fix the issue, repeatedly tried to upsell (including a ~$6k repair), and only coincidentally noticed the glovebox smell. Their high labor fee didn't reflect actual work, leaving us to question the thoroughness of their checks.
Overall, Tansky seemed focused on upselling rather than genuinely addressing the problem. Kirby did not inspire confidence, and we no longer feel comfortable bringing our car there. At this point, a $40 DIY A/C cleaning kit and a new service provider seem like the most practical solution.
[Shorted w/ AI due to character limit constraints]