My Review Of Manhattan Mazda:
I would NOT trust these guys, and would only recommend them to people I strongly dislike. Brought my car in for an oil change/tire rotation using the online coupon, which included a free “inspection”. They called me up and told me my axel boot was split and I needed to replace the entire axel immediately because it was a safety issue. They also told me the bushings on all of the lower control arms were cracked, and therefore the entire control arms needed to be replaced. The guy gave me the hard sell over the phone, telling me that the car wouldn’t even pass state inspection in its current condition. In total, he estimated the cost to deal with these and other issues was $3000, but suggested I try to claim mechanical breakdown with my insurance company to help defray the cost.
Well, after checking with a family friend who’s a mechanic, here’s the reality: a split axel boot is not a safety issue, it’s common on cars with the mileage I have, and since it wasn’t even making a clicking sound unless the wheels were turned all the way sideways it wasn’t even urgent. Furthermore, another option in these cases is to replace only the split boot (and not the axel), but he didn’t give me this option (though in some cases the amount of labor involved means that this costs as much as replacing the entire axel anyway – but a knowledgeable and honest mechanic will explain this to the customer). Worn out bushings on control arms are natural wear and tear, and are also not safety issues, and most of the time don’t even need to be dealt with at all. And as far as passing inspection, my car had passed just 2 months before, and had put on very little mileage since then because I drive it infrequently – so his claim that it wouldn’t pass was clearly an exaggeration, used as a high-pressure sales tactic. Lastly, the suggestion that I claim mechanical breakdown with my insurance company is just shady. And he was quite pushy in suggesting it, saying: “OK John, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to get off the phone with me and call up your insurance company and tell them…” Personally, I don’t appreciate being talked to like that.
In sum, my advice is: bring your car to be serviced somewhere else.
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