I'm reading the less-than-flattering reviews and I'm a little puzzled. Harvey and Songer's prices,…read moreas far as I can see, are in line with other shops that do quality work. I've had two of my what-may-almost-be-called vintage vehicles worked on there and, in both cases, I was happy with the work and, in particular with the Lexus RX330, Nick's willingness to try a method I'd found on YouTube from another professional mechanic who claimed that his method would save money. True. Saved me about $1000: On the Lexus, to replace the support arms, the tranny and motor have to be lifted to gain access to the support arm bolts. Changing them is easy, getting to the bolts is not. To make a long story short, Nick was willing to try this particular method, but, "If I get halfway through, and it's not working, James, I'm going to put it back together and that's that." I agreed, figuring that if he got halfway through and it wasn't working, I'd approve his going the official "book" method. He gave me an estimate much lower than the book suggested and I crossed my fingers and went home. He called next day and said "You can pick your car up at 2." When I came in, I thanked him for his willingness to try the unorthodox method and asked "How was it?" He replied, with a wry smile: "Like building a ship in a bottle." But... he did it successfully. I had asked other mechanics to consider this approach and all had refused, insisting to stick with the official methodology and estimate, which was $1000 more than Nick charged. He came in just a couple of dollars below his estimate, maybe as a kind of humorous gesture, lke MichaelAngelo leaving the score marks on the David's head that were made by a previous sculptor who stopped working on the precious Carrarra marble block for fear of ruining it.
The other vehicle I took in was my old Tacoma 4WD. The front end was in bad shape through wear and tear on these North Yuba County dirt roads, reminiscent in topography and maintenance to what I imagine one would find on Mars. The quote was shockingly high and the proposed work comprehensive, including a new set of tires and Nathan threw in a complementary brake job considerate as he was of my pain financially. At the time, during Covid, used trucks of the same vintage were selling for more than the estimate and you don't know what you are going to get mechanically, do you?
I could mention that when I brought the truck in, Nate remarked that the fact that I made it 35 miles to the shop was proof that Toyota makes great vehicles-- because I actually made it. I left the truck in his and his mechanics' hands and picked it up a couple days later. It drove like new. It was great.
Now here is an interesting twist which I think separates H&S from other shops: A year later I noticed the front tires wearing unevenly, so I took it in for an alignment. Nate went back in the shop and came out half an hour later with his phone to show me some pictures. "James, look at this. See those parts? They should not be wearing out given that you haven't driven that many miles." I reminded him that wear I live, it's not necessarily how many miles, but rather the character of the miles driven. He laughed, the said that he was going to repair the issue. They did exactly that and when I went to pick up the truck, the mechanic, whose name I don't know, plopped the keys on the desk on top of the paperwork and said, "You are good to go."
"Wait," I said, "I think I owe $330 from the diagnosis last week." He checked the computer and said, "Hmm, I don't see that. Let me ask Nate." He disappeared into the back and returned and said, "No. Nate said he didn't need to use any of those parts, so you're good to go." The work performed, and I hope they don't get mad at me for mentioning it, was above $1000. Took my keys, breathed a little sigh of relief and was once again impressed with the above-and-beyond service that I'd received.
So, I get it, negative reviewers. You feel you didn't get what you paid for. My only question is about the validity of your criteria for making the judgments you did. Ask yourselves, are you really in a position to understand the work being carried out and its quality/inegrity? Based on my experience, I call into question some of these negative, and, frankly, kind of pissy reviews. Nobody likes paying stout prices for repairs, not me, not you, but how certain are you of your position? Could it be that resentment about repairs actually costing significant spondoolix is coloring your evaluations? Just a thought from another point of view for you and readers of your reviews to ponder.
Happy motoring, -- james
