(Translated by Google) I saw his videos on Facebook. The mechanic seems like a very nice person. I have a truck that needs a new radiator, and I took it in for a diagnostic. They told me they needed to replace the radiator and service the AC, but my AC is working fine. He explained that because of the radiator service, they also had to service the AC, and on the diagnostic report, they wrote "AC not working." They wanted $2,500 to replace the radiator, including parts, and almost $500 to service the AC.
Unfortunately, I said no. For me, $3,000 is too much to replace a radiator; it's 60% of my vehicle's value.
I felt it was unnecessary to add an extra service for "AC not working," and also that the $2,500 replacement fee with parts was too high.
I did some research, and the average price is around $1,600. I also saw that an experienced mechanic doesn't need to damage or interfere with the AC system. They were practically charging me for an unnecessary service.
I had a different expectation.
I liked the attached diagnosis with photos and videos.
But unfortunately, I left disappointed.
(Original)
Vi sus videos en Facebook, el mecánico me parece una persona muy agradable, tengo una camioneta que necesita reemplazar el radiador y fui a un diagnóstico, me dijeron que debían reemplazar el radiador y hacer un servicio al ac pero mi ac funciona bien, me explicó que por el servicio del radiador tenían que hacerle servicio al ac y en el diagnóstico pusieron “ac no working”
Querían 2500 por cambiar el radiador incluyendo el material
Y casi 500 dólares por hacerle el servicio de ac
Desgraciadamente dije no, para mi 3 mil dólares es demasiado para cambiar un radiador, es el 60 % del costo de mi vehículo.
Se me hizo innecesario agregar un servicio extra “ac no working “
Y también una tarifa muy elevada 2500 por reemplazo con material
Investigue y el precio promedio es 1600 aproximadamente
Además también vi que un Mecanico con experiencia no necesita dañar o interferir con el sistema ac.
Prácticamente me estaban cobrando un servicio innecesario.
Tenía otra expectativa.
Anexo me gustó su diagnóstico con fotos y videos
Pero lastimosamente me fui con una decepción
Dear Uriel,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed review. It allowed us to go back through your file carefully, and we owe you a straight answer: on the main point, you're right.
Here's what actually happened, and we found two places where it went wrong:
1. Our technician — one of the most experienced on our floor — was working from the factory removal procedure for your specific engine and model year. That procedure calls for the A/C condenser to be set aside, with a couple of line-retaining bolts loosened, so the radiator can clear. He read that step as calling for the condenser to be removed. It's a narrow difference in wording, but it changes the scope of the job — and that's what put the A/C service on your estimate. On your truck, that work was not necessary. You were right to question it.
2. When that service was entered, our advisor imported it from a pre-loaded job template in our system, and the template carried its own default note: "AC not working." That was boilerplate attached to the template — not a finding about your vehicle, whose A/C works fine — but it printed on your diagnostic report as though it were our conclusion. That's a fair thing to be frustrated by.
We work on a wide range of makes, engines and model years, and no two radiator jobs are laid out the same way. That's why we build estimates from the factory procedure rather than from memory, and why we quote the full scope up front — so we're not handing a customer a comfortable number and then coming back for more money with the vehicle already apart. An estimate is still a projection, though. The real scope gets confirmed with the truck in the bay, and when we get there and find that something we quoted isn't actually needed, we tell the customer and take it off the invoice. That's ordinary practice here, not a favor.
What your review makes clear is that this only protects the customer who moves forward. You made your decision on the estimate alone — and the estimate was wrong. That's the part we're taking seriously. We've corrected that template note so it can't attach itself to another customer's report, and we've gone back over this procedure with the team.
On the radiator price: we'd be glad to walk you through it line by line — part brand and quality, labor, coolant, warranty — so you can compare it fairly against what you found. If it still reads high to you after that, we'll understand completely.
We'd like to offer you a corrected estimate — radiator only, no A/C service — at no cost and no obligation. And if you'd rather not come back, that's fair as well.
Finally, thank you for what you said about the photo and video diagnostic. That level of documentation is deliberate on our part, and it's precisely what allowed you to look at our work, question it, and hold us to it. We would rather be told than not.
Jorge Ordonez
Owner , New Level Auto Repair
- New Level Auto Repair
