Budget Auto Repair and Transmission
reviews and complaints

I took my car to Budget Auto Repair and Transmission for a transmission flush. After three days, the mechanic called me and said the repair would cost $4300. He assured me that I could finance it for six months without any fees or interest. I explained that I was unemployed because of the pandemic, and he said they wouldn't check my credit. I picked up my car two days later and paid $1030 in cash. To my surprise, they had put the charges on both a credit card and an installment loan with a whopping 78% interest rate.

The mechanic had told me that I had 90 days to pay off the $2500 installment loan to avoid any interest. However, when I checked the contract and spoke to the loan company, they said otherwise. Unfortunately, the car still had the same issues and didn't show any improvement in performance. Frustrated, I asked the mechanic for assistance with the interest since I had been misled. Instead of addressing my concerns appropriately, he responded inappropriately and told me to calm down before discussing my car further.

wen they diagnosed my 2005 Chevy Suburban, they told me i needed sum extensive work done wich included electrical problems, oil pump and more. i paid over $3,000 for the services. apprx 2-3 months later, my car was having the same problems as it did prior to them servicing it. Tom who is the service manager told me to bring it in, but was asking for more money. i told him that i shouldnt have to pay any more money because, my car is still shutting off due to electrical issues wich was causing my fuse to burn out. they kept my car for over 1 month the first time and 3 months the 2nd time. i called periodically to check on my vehicle because they didnt call me to inform me of what was going on. finally, i go to pick up my car and found out it was vandalized due to the loud sound my car made, the catalytic converter was damage and the issue that i had prior wasnt fixed. the oil is leaking and the prior remains the same while i spend over $3,000.

I dropped my car off on Monday morning because it was overheating. They didn't even look at it until Wednesday when they gave me an estimate. They said it would cost $2900 for repairs that we didn't even need. We told them we only needed a water pump and hoses, nothing else. They lowered the price to $1600, but we didn't realize they were still overcharging us by about $600. We had no choice but to authorize the repairs because we desperately needed the car for work. We didn't want to pay them the $199 diagnostic fee for nothing and waste three days without getting anything done. Later on, other shops quoted me about $600 less for the same repairs.

I also brought in a second vehicle right after, for brake issues, without knowing they were overcharging me. They took the car in on Friday morning and on Monday, they called to say I needed new front rotors and brakes. They quoted me over $700 for that. I told them we only needed brakes, not rotors. Finally, we got fed up and picked up the car, taking it somewhere else. It's going to cost us $600 for four brakes, resurfacing, and an oil change.

I've been having bad experiences with this shop. I've been taking my car back and forth to the same shop, so if anything was to go wrong, I know blame. It's like every time I bring it to them, it's another problem. They tell me one price and then end up telling me something else totally different, which isn't fair. I spent so much money here with them, and I'm just over it, to be honest. All I want is my money back because I feel like they didn't even do anything. The problem that I had when I went in, they charged me, and I'm still having the same exact problem. It's a waste to me. I would not recommend the shop to anyone. I went in for spark plugs, which I had a warranty for. Then they end up telling me that my car was leaking coolant, which wasn't true because I never had a problem with that. Then they say they fix my oil holes, and I'm still having the same exact problem and more. 08/20 2,773.14 11/21 2,147.86 12/05 1,250.00. They were supposed to do their job and fix it, and I see no results.

I went to Budget Auto Repair and Transmission to get my check engine light fixed, so my car could pass a smog check. The manager, ***, told me he could also do an oil change and smog check along with fixing the check engine light. These were the only things I asked him to do. He mentioned that he would need my car for a couple of days. However, he then started telling me that there were additional repairs that needed to be done. By the time he was finished, I ended up with a bill of $2,181.20. I felt trapped into signing for work that I didn't request and couldn't afford, especially considering I only paid $600 for the car. We tried talking to him multiple times, but he insisted that he was the manager.

The work they claimed to have done was either poorly done or not done at all. The manager assured me that the check engine light would reset after a week of driving, and if it didn't, I should come back and they would fix the problem. However, even after a week of driving, the check engine light was still on. When I returned, they told me they could fix it for $300 in a way that would work or for $1,000 the right way. This made me so upset that I started crying because I felt like I had been taken advantage of and all my money was being drained. Another auto shop said they would have fixed it for free because Budget Auto Repair should have addressed the problem when diagnosing the check engine light. They told me I had been robbed and charged for unnecessary fixes, including things I could have done myself, like putting in spark plugs for $150.

On 2/14/22, I had a mishap on the freeway and ran over a tire. I had to get my car towed to Budget Auto Repair. They gave me a quote a few days later, and it was a whopping $2700 to fix my car. I explained to them that I had just started working and was waiting for my tax refund. I wanted them to know that I really needed my car, but I didn't expect the repair to be so expensive. Fast forward to 3/11 when I went to pick up my car. They informed me that the new balance was $4535. This included $1600 in storage fees, a $475 lien fee, on top of the initial $2700 quote. I was surprised to hear about the lien because I was never formally notified. Where's the proof that they sent me a letter about it? It seems like Budget Auto is all about scamming and taking advantage of people in their own community who are already in unfortunate situations. If I had known about the daily storage fees and the lien, I could have tried to find other ways to pay sooner. On top of that, on 3/11, the office manager told me that my car still wasn't drivable. So why did they place a lien on it when the work wasn't even fully completed as they claimed? It's really frustrating. I was quoted $2700, went to pay that amount on 3/10/22, and yet my car still isn't drivable. When I think of Budget Auto Repair, the first words that come to mind are shady and scammers. It feels like their hustle is taking customers' cars and reselling them for a profit. I regret bringing my car here and I wish I had read the reviews and done more research beforehand. The Yelp reviews for this company speak for themselves. I just want my car back for the initial quote of $2700. Please spare me the excessive and outrageous fees because I simply can't afford them.

I took my car to Budget Auto Repair and Transmission for some basic repairs, like an oil change and wheel alignment. However, after they worked on my car, it started leaking and blowing black smoke from the exhaust. I informed them about the issue and stopped driving the car for safety reasons. Due to the pandemic, my children and I had to quarantine for two years, so we didn't use the car during that time. I texted Ramsey, the owner, to let him know about the situation.

When we were finally able to go out again, they towed my car on 01/10/2022. They told me there were multiple issues that needed to be fixed in order for my car to run smoothly and without any further problems. They quoted me a price, but I mentioned that I couldn't afford it and would rather use the money to buy a newer vehicle. However, they insisted that my car was good and could be fixed, so I agreed.

Days later, they called me back and said that my engine was scratched, but they could replace it with a rebuilt engine at no extra charge. I was hesitant about this, but they convinced me that it was necessary. When I arrived to pick up my car, the bill was $1000 more than what was initially quoted. They explained that it was because of the extensive work required. However, they did reimburse me the extra $1000.

On 03/14/2022, my car broke down and started smoking. Thankfully, it was still under repair warranty, so I had them come and pick it up. After inspecting the car, they informed me that it had a completely different problem and needed an additional $1500 to fix it. This was after I had already paid them $4,609.83 (minus the $1000 reimbursement) with the promise that my car would run well. They claimed that the issue was with the A/C heating system, which caused the engine to overheat and burn out the starter, and therefore, it wouldn't be covered under warranty.

I felt deceived because I was told that the engine had been replaced with a rebuilt one, which cost $2,561.86. Additionally, I had a brand new battery that only needed a jumpstart because it had been sitting. They already knew about the leaking heater hose, so they were aware of the issue beforehand.

Due to all these problems, I ended up selling the car for $400, resulting in a significant loss of thousands of dollars. The promised repairs were not done properly, and I feel like I was misled by Budget Auto Repair and Transmission.

On 2/22, I took my car to Budget Auto Repair for an oil change at around 11am. They finished the oil change at about 1:30 pm. After leaving, I went home and then took my fifteen-year-old daughter to her CIF championship game. Later that night, around 10 p.m., my car broke down on the freeway while we were on our way to Los Angeles. We were stuck on the freeway until around 1 or 2 a.m. The next day, Sunday morning, I had to get my car towed from Los Angeles to Moreno Valley. On Monday morning, I contacted Budget Auto Repair to explain what happened and see if it was their fault. I wanted to know if they forgot to put the oil back in my car or didn't put the cap on properly because my car was making loud knocking noises and couldn't move. They told me to tow my car to their shop so they could check the problem. So, I had my car towed to them and it stayed there for about two weeks. I called them multiple times, but they never called me back or gave me any updates on my car. I had to rent several cars to go to work and take my kids to school. Finally, I spoke to *** the manager of Budget Auto Repair, who told me that they didn't do anything to my car to make it not work. I explained that I had only had my car for about four to five months and this was my first oil change. My car had no check engine light or any issues before the oil change. He then said I had to pay a $200 diagnostic fee for them to check my car. They had my car for over a month, and last week they contacted me to say that the rod bearings were out on my vehicle, which turned out to be a manufacturer warranty issue. They couldn't fix the issue, so I had to get my car towed from their shop to Kia for engine repairs. My problem with Budget Auto Repair is that they still charged me $1,900 just to get my car from their facility and have it towed to Kia for repairs. I explained that I work for the Moreno Valley Unified School District and I'm currently out of work, so I don't have $1,900 to pay for them checking my car without fixing it. They told me that the $1,900 charge was just for them to determine that it was an engine issue. *** told me that my car had pulled cold, but when I asked for the codes to the car so I could look up the issue, he refused to give them to me. I had no other way to get my car from Budget Auto Repair, so I agreed to a payment plan where I would be paying 189% interest on the $1,900, totaling $213 a month for repairs that weren't even done. Before I authorized them to check my car, they told me that if they found it was their fault, I wouldn't be charged this fee. I contacted Silver Rock, the warranty on my car, and they also said I would only have to pay a $200 deductible for them to check my car because my engine was covered under warranty. I feel that Budget Auto Repair intentionally created an issue with my engine so it would be covered under warranty and they wouldn't have to pay for a new engine. *** repeatedly told my husband and me not to give too much information to the warranty place about what was wrong with the car. They didn't want to be held responsible because my car had no issues until they did the oil change. They said there were metal flakes in my oil, which they should have noticed when they removed the old oil. After taking my car to Kia for repairs, the mechanic there advised me to contact the ComplaintsBoard.com because I shouldn't have been charged $1,900 just to find out what was wrong with the engine. It should have been the basic $200 for diagnostics, and I should have been directed to take my car to Kia immediately for the manufacturer's warranty on the engine. So now, I'm stuck in a contract to pay triple the $1,900 fee to Budget Auto Repair for no repairs done, and they had my car for over a month. Once Kia received my car, they had it for 3 days with constant contact and completed the engine repairs within four to five days.