When we first moved to Central Florida in early summer 2023, this shop was fantastic. It came…read morehighly recommended by the previous owner of our home here, a long-time resident of 28 years, and we had consistently positive experiences for quite some time. Unfortunately, things have taken a significant turn for the worse over the past few months. Our Chevrolet Cruze was towed to A1 due to a damaged engine that required replacement. That work was completed, and we were initially very relieved. Shortly after, however, the car began intermittently failing to shift into reverse. We brought it back, and after nearly two weeks, we were told it was fixed--but the issue remained. We returned the vehicle again, this time also requesting repair of the emergency brake, which was no longer functioning. Despite multiple assurances from the front desk that the car would be ready, several promised completion dates passed with no resolution. When we finally picked up the vehicle, we discovered the shifter had been damaged during the repair and replaced with an incorrect 5-speed component, even though the car is a 6-speed manual. At that point, I chose to purchase the correct part myself rather than go through another extended delay. In the meantime, the reverse issue persisted. Around this time, we also received a speeding ticket from a school zone in Eustis--on a day the shop had possession of our car. While we initially chose not to reach out to the shop/owner about this, that changed when, while merging onto the turnpike, the 5 speed shifter knob that was still in place (the 6 speed replacement had not yet arrived in the mail) came off in my husband's hand. We returned to the shop and brought everything to the owner's attention, including the ticket, the damaged shifter housing (which we had already noticed after the prior repair), and a loose coolant reservoir with broken clips. At that point, we were still hoping these were isolated issues. The car remained at the shop for another two weeks, again exceeding the promised completion timeline. The repairs were done free of charge, with the exception of the reservoir. When we picked the car up, we were told the coolant reservoir damage could be due to normal wear and tear, which is reasonable given the car is a 2013. The 6 speed shifter I had purchased & dropped off at A1 for them to replace was now installed, but concerns remained: the emergency brake is now excessively tight (the lever hardly able to be lifted an inch), the car still intermittently will not shift into reverse, and the shifter housing is secured with a zip tie. Eight days later - today, the shifter detached again--coming completely off in my husband's hand while in traffic. When we called to discuss this, the owner was unavailable, and we were told by the lady answering the phone, "I don't know what else we can do." At this point, we are taking the vehicle to another local shop closer to our home that had previously been recommended to us. We will be providing them with the list of repairs that were reportedly completed and will update this review based on their findings. It is disappointing to write this, as we had genuinely trusted and recommended this shop to others. However, after multiple unresolved issues, extended delays, & same or new problems introduced during repairs, we can no longer recommend their services. I feel it is important to share our experience so others can make informed decisions about where to spend their hard-earned money in an economy such as our current one. There is a point at which repeated issues outweigh the benefit of the doubt. (Regarding the speeding ticket, the City of Eustis ultimately dismissed it and we did not have to pay the $100 fine.)

I took my Mercedes in because I was getting an alert that my auxiliary battery was malfunctioning…read more When I called later I was told my oil change was done, which I had not asked for! I had just had an oil change 4 months earlier, and the car doesn't require an oil change that soon on Mobile One synthetic oil, and low miles. They charged $129 for an oil change I did not request, plus put in STP synthetic. Mercedes states to use Mobile One synthetic, so they took out the better oil I had just recently had changed. They didn't charge me for the diagnostic on the car, but that would've only been $51 an hour instead $129 for the unnecessary oil change. They found nothing wrong with the battery, and for now the alert is not coming on. Not sure why, since they couldn't explain that and said everything was fine. if it returns,I will take it somewhere else from now on.

A REAL REVIEW…read more Both my Toyota RAV4 and Nissan Frontier have been serviced by South bay auto since about 2010 to June 20, 2022. The old man (previous owner) died sometime in the previous 12-14 months prior to the above date, and the quality went down and pricing up. However the customer service is 1st rate, and you will feel great after your experience there, if you know little about cars, and who does.....me. LOL On my (wife's) Toyota RAV4 I had South Bay Auto replace both front axels, the alternator, front, rear rotors + pads, trans fluid screen, trans fluid more than once, various oil + filter changes, Air Conditioning core (requires complete dash board removal), tie rods and a several other repairs. I do believe the heater core was replaced twice. The work was done professionally and at a fair price. However in the last couple of years I did suspect without, any proof, there may have been some add-ons. On my Nissan I did not feel as good about my repairs....I will explain, I kept accurate records, and inspections. On Feb. 27, 2019, I had South Bay Auto replace the upper and lower radiator hoses. After the repairs, I brought my Nissan to my home garage, I inspected the work, and found it faulty. I found the top radiator hose installed rubbing against a bracket on the radiator. With the vibration of the engine, a hole will develop at the hose, when rubbing against the bracket, a year or more later. This actually happened to me on another vehicle. Not trusting South Bay Auto I removed the bracket and installed it 3/8 inch away from the hose. The next day I brought my Nissan to South Bay Auto and showed him the shoddy work his people did on my Nissan. The last time my Nissan was serviced at South Bay Auto was on June 20, 2022. I had them replace the front rotors + pads, and drain + fill the differential oil. I supplied the new parts + container of differential oil and almost always want to receive the used parts from the dealer or repair shop for my vehicle. Two or three weeks later I noticed that the container of oil I had given to South Bay Auto to drain + fill of my differential, the oil that they had returned to me, the seal had not been broken. Looks like either the oil was drained and filled with the shops own oil, and I was only charged with labor, no charge for the oil. Or the oil was never changed , only oil level checked . Now there are times a misunderstanding happens, but never to the customers benefit....LOL

1.31.24 Hey Brandon,…read morethank you again for the MANY times you and your team have done a tremendous job in servicing and repairing our vehicles. You are a quality guy and run a great business that should be the template for all businesses and certainly for the automotive community. Honest and Trustworthy! Don Jenson CFS