Amaral Auto Sales and Service's Reviews

4.8

(108 Reviews)

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Salvatore C.

Lyndhurst, NJ

03/18/2023

Fraud committed / could not diagnose properly a blown head gasket.

I brought my daughters car to Amaral to have a blown head gasket replaced. I spoke with Mike who insisted that they could do it and had the experience. They insisted that 2 small repairs be done 1st, I insisted that the repairs be done all together. They said they needed to do diagnostics 1st. I said I had done the diagnostics myself and had diagnosed a blown head gasket. I agreed to the small repairs, a thermostat, and a coolant outlet that had a hairline crack. I made it clear I wanted the replaced parts. I got a call from Mike the service manager that the car was repaired, and the head gasket was good and did not need to be replaced. I was in Spokane Washington at the time and my daughter got the car and the next day was driving it and the engine warning light came on, I told her to go back to the shop, I told them it was probably because the head gasket was still leaking. They said the new outlet was defective and leaking and replaced it. Again I specifically asked for that part, and was told I could not have it, I only got a lame excuse. When she got the car home, she drove it a 1/4 mile I asked her to check the coolant level, it was low, I told her not to drive it till I checked it. I got home from Spoken the next day and checked the engine ran some diagnostics on it, and again diagnosed a blown head gasket. When I checked the parts that my daughter got from the shop, the coolant outlet was missing. I called the service manager Manny and asked why one of the parts was missing I specifically requested all parts, the answer I got was unbelievable. He said he had shown it to my daughter and felt that was satisfactory enough for me for them to throw it away. After much complaining he finally got it out of the trash (keep in mind that this part was only available after the second repair and not handed to my daughter as requested after the 1st repair) and now I wanted the coolant outlet from the second repair, and all I got was an lame excuse that I could not see it, “they needed it to get money for it from the warranty” I was not happy to put it mildly, as I wanted the replaced parts or at least the opportunity to see with my own eyes the replaced parts as proof that the work done was actually done.I looked at the coolant outlet given to me and it was obvious to me that a cheap repair of the hairline crack was attempted by melting it with a soldering iron. It’s obvious to me that this shops only intension was to make as much money as possible for as little work as possible. (seems to be a trend these days with most shops) I brought my car to this shop needing a head gasket replaced and left this shop 2 times still needing a head gasket. I ended up finally successfully repairing the head gasket myself which if this shop was honest and competent should have done. I would not use this shop for anything!!!!!! The thermostat they insisted that needed be replaced would not cause symptoms of a bad head gasket and did not have to be replaced 1st to diagnose it. The coolant outlet had a hairline crack that leaked very little and was insignificant in diagnosing a bad head gasket. It’s sad when a customer brings a vehicle to a shop for a major engine repair, and ends up having to repair it themselves. Amaral and their incompetent mechanics also caused more damage to the engine and its components by running the engine in the condition it was, with a bad head gasket. Never ever again would I use their shop.

Salvatore C.

Lyndhurst, NJ

03/18/2023

Fraud committed / could not diagnose properly a blown head gasket.

I brought my daughters car to Amaral to have a blown head gasket replaced. They insisted that 2 small repairs be done 1st, I insisted that the repairs be done all together. They said they needed to do diagnostics 1st. I said I had done the diagnostics myself and had diagnosed a blown head gasket. I agreed to the small repairs, a thermostat, and a coolant outlet that had a hairline crack. I made it clear I wanted the replaced parts. I got a call from Manny, the service manager that the car was repaired, and the head gasket was good and did not need to be replaced. I was in Spokane Washington at the time and my daughter got the car and the next day was driving it and the engine warning light came on, I told her to go back to the shop, I told them it was probably because the head gasket was still leaking. They said the new outlet was defective, and replaced it. Again I specifically asked for that part, and was told I could not have it, I only got a lame excuse. When she got the car home, she drove it a 1/4 mile I asked her to check the coolant level, it was low, I told her not to drive it till I checked it. I got home from Spoken the next day and checked the engine ran some diagnostics on it, and again diagnosed a blown head gasket. When I checked the parts that my daughter got from the shop, the coolant outlet was missing. I called the service manager and asked why one of the parts was missing I specifically requested all parts, the answer I got was unbelievable. He said he had shown it to my daughter and felt that was satisfactory enough for me for them to throw it away. After much complaining he finally got it out of the trash (keep in mind that this part was only available after the second repair and not handed to my daughter as requested after the 1st repair) and now I wanted the coolant outlet from the second repair, and all I got was an lame excuse that I could not see it, “they needed it to get money for it from the warranty” I was not happy to put it mildly, as I wanted the replaced parts or at least the opportunity to see with my own eyes the replaced parts as proof that the work done was actually done.I looked at the coolant outlet given to me and it was obvious to me that a cheap repair of the hairline crack was attempted by melting it with a soldering iron. It’s obvious to me that this shops only intension was to make as much money as possible for as little work as possible. (seems to be a trend these days with most shops) I brought my car to this shop needing a head gasket replaced and left this shop 2 times still needing a head gasket. I ended up finally successfully repairing the head gasket myself which if this shop was honest and competent should have done. I would not use this shop for anything!!!!!! The thermostat they insisted that needed be replaced would not cause symptoms of a bad head gasket and did not have to be replaced 1st to diagnose it. The coolant outlet had a hairline crack that leaked very little and was insignificant in diagnosing the bad head gasket. It’s sad when a customer brings a vehicle to a shop for a major engine repair, and ends up having to repair it themselves. Amaral and their incompetent mechanics also caused more damage to the engine and its components by running the engine in the condition it was, with a bad head gasket.

Joe M.

Rutherford, NJ

08/23/2021

Damaged my 2014 Range Rover Sport during detailing and will not cover cost to replace/fix damage.

-Poorly handled communications and customer service
-Damaged my 2014 Range Rover Sport during detailing and will not cover cost to replace/fix damage. They offered 25% of the cost of the parts only (no labor) despite acknowledging they did the damage.

Be careful with these folks. I will not do business with them again. I had my SUV detailed by Amaral Auto on 8/10/2021. They damaged the "Range Rover" letters on the front hood during the cleaning process. Initially, they said the letters were not damaged by them. I disputed this and asked they check their video footage when the truck arrived, check with the employee who performed the detailing (he saw every inch of the truck), and with the person who did the "Vehicle check" for the "pre-existing" damage. This is what they do when they take a vehicle in to protect themselves. Surely, damage like this, which is very noticeable, would have been noticed and documented (It was not). This is common practice for all places that perform work on vehicles. They eventually acknowledged they caused the damage but refused to cover the cost to replace the "RANGE ROVER" letters. They offered initially $44 and then $88...seriously??!!?? Read on for the full details of the two week back and forth with no acceptable resolution.

FULL DETAILS
After speaking with "Mike" and "Neil" on 8/10/Tues about the damage, they took photos and said they "would get back to me". On 8/16/Mon, after not hearing from them, I called and spoke with "Mike" and asked for an update, he said "he would call me back" shortly. On 8/17/Tue, after not hearing from "Mike"...., I went onsite and spoke with "Mike". Mike said, "Neil" who is on vacation this week will make the decision when he returns. On 8/18/Wed, "Mike" called me, said he spoke with "Neil" and agreed that the last letter "R" in "ROVER" was damaged by them during the cleaning process. I thought, OK, this is progress! Then he said the full set of letters (parts) cost $176 with "Range" costing $88, and "Rover" costing $88. But...they would only cover half the cost (i.e. $44) of the "Rover" letters because it was a 7yr old truck and the letters had some wear from age.(Seriously???..!!!) I disputed this with Mike, and he made a second offer to cover the cost of $88 (still not the full $176), but again only for the "ROVER" letters, and would not acknowledge they also damaged the "RANGE" letters during the cleaning process…..despite the same cleaner being used during the detailing on the letters. Labor costs were not negotiated at this time. They are aware, as a used car dealer, that you cannot replace half of an emblem on a vehicle unless the vehicle is brand new-ish. It simply will not look right as the new "ROVER" letters will look..well brand new..and the "RANGE" letters will look..well 7yrs old. The same is true for a repainting of a vehicle...you cant paint a fender on a vehicle with the same shade of paint it was when new...it has to be color matched for the fading of the paint on the other fenders adjacent to it. I will not do business with them again. Folks be careful doing business here....if they handled me this way, after acknowledging they did cause damage...how will they handle you if there is a problem?

Paola T.

Cliffside Park, NJ

Audi Q5

06/22/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Paola said they are excellent and she recommends them to everybody.

Recommended

Debra J.

East Orange, NJ

Volkswagen Golf GTI

06/21/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Spoke with Phillip. He said the staff is very helpful and they provide him with information and keep him updated.

Recommended

Marta V.

Lyndhurst, NJ

GMC Terrain

06/14/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Spoke with Marta's husband. He said they would recommend this business for service.

Recommended

John F.

Lyndhurst, NJ

Mercedes-Benz ML350

06/09/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

John said the service was good and he got a good deal.

Recommended

Eric W.

Newark, NJ

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

06/06/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Eric said he recommends this business for service.

Recommended

Alex C.

Belleville, NJ

Toyota Yaris

05/30/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Alex said the staff was very attentive and helpful. They went out of their way to tell him the other things that needed to be done to service his vehicle. They did a great job and took care of his problem right away.

Recommended

Ruth I.

New York, NY

Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class

05/22/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Spoke with Ruth's husband. He said the business provided him with great service. The staff was able to correct most of the issues that were occurring with his vehicle. They completed his services at a low cost and in a timely manner. Neal was very helpful with the work he did. The whole crew went above and beyond with the quality of service they provided.

Recommended

Evan A.

Jersey City, NJ

Ford Police Interceptor

05/19/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Evan said the facility was very accommodating. Everything he needed, the facility supplied.

Recommended

Michael P.

Cedar Grove, NJ

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

05/19/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Michael said the staff took care of everything he needed promptly and correctly.

Recommended

Aubrey W.

Clifton, NJ

Nissan Murano

05/19/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Aubrey said the staff are good people and provide the best service experience.

Recommended

Kathy C.

Red Bank, NJ

Hyundai Sonata

05/16/2018

Verified Customer

Category: Service

Kathy said she would recommend the business for service.

Recommended

CHRIS S.

North Arlington, NJ

Porsche Cayman

05/12/2018

Verified Customer

Great Service

I brought my Cayman S in for a detailing and the shop did a great job. Friendly, accommodating and great work. Very happy with their services....chris

Recommended

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