I called this establishment twice in order to verify price (including labor) for an oil change and brake pad replacement. I was quote $150 per axel and about $52 for oil change. I asked several times to confirm price and about $350 -$360 is what I was continually told to include labor. When we arrived they inspected the vehicle for about 45 mins and then told me I needed to change the brake pads, calipers, and rotors. It was priced at $971.28. Labor alone was 365.93. I told them I only wanted the breaks done and not the rotors or calipers and they told me that they would not do it unless they we replaced everything. It was a dramatic difference in price than what I REPEATEDLY asked on the phone. It should not cost almost $1000. We ended up paying $631 and that was just for the rear axle. Also that price was with a few discounts to include a military discount and it was still ridiculous.This is a RIP off and it's sad because you're taking advantage of people during a pandemic. Customer service was good until I brought up price. I will never go here again nor will I recommend this place. Right before I left I heard them on the phone telling another person the same lie about the how much the breaks would cost.

Karen M. from Lakewood Transmission & Complete Auto Service responded on 03/04/2021

Thank you for your response. It seems that there has been an unfortunate misunderstanding. When you call a repair facility and ask for a quote over the phone, we can only offer an approximate for a best-case scenario.

A best-case scenario: the vehicle has had routine maintenance done and all we would be changing is the brake pads, turning the rotors and doing a caliper service. We can not see what we are dealing with over the phone. For that reason we invited you in for a free brake inspection.

Upon inspection, the technician discovered your vehicle was beyond a routine maintenance brake service.

The front rotors are warped, so when stopping you feel a pulsation. The tech measured the front rotors, the RF measures at 1.095 mm, the minimum allowed for safe vehicle operation is 1.122 mm. So from the start, the rotors are below D.O.T. specs and must be replaced in accordance of the Law as well as for your safety and the safety of others.

Upon inspection of the rear brakes, the tech found the brake pads are metal to metal with the rotors. So that means there was no more brake pad material left on the pad, and the metal portion of the pad is grinding into the rotor. So unfortunately, due to the extreme damage to the rotors, the brake pads with no material and the caliper piston that is over extended and failed as well, a routine brake Service can not be performed. Your vehicle requires calipers, pads, and rotors for the rear brakes to meet safety standards.

I explained this extensive failure to you verbally, I was unable to simply replace the pads, and turn the rotors. Again, for your safety and the safety of others this is a required repair. The price difference is due to extra parts and labor needed to complete the repairs your vehicle requires.

We are here to help educate our customers in what is needed to repair their vehicles. We explain as best we can and want you to ask as many questions as you need to understand the failure and what is needed to correct the condition. Or, if you are more of a visual person, we can walk you over, show you what has happened and explain why we need to perform these repairs. We do this so you can make an informed and educated decision.

At no time will we allow or take advantage of anyone we do business with. We were very upfront with the failure on your vehicle as well as going over all the parts and costs of the repairs that we were discussing. It is your right to decide who performs repairs on your vehicle. Your satisfaction is very important to us, and we hope we have helped you better understand why these repairs were required and the increase to the original unseen phone quote.

Even though you have chosen not to be a return customer, who ever you do choose to have perform your vehicle repairs, always ask as many questions you need to understand the concern, the cause and the correction.

We wish you and your family the most safety going forward.

Timothy V.

Tacoma, WA

08/11/2020

This company uses bate and switch

I had my car in this shop to get the rear brakes replaced. After they had my car in their shop for 2 hours they came out and said they did not replace the brakes, but instead gave me a list of $3510 in repairs that they suggested I have done. They said my brakes were a 40%, but I was not asked if I still would like them replaced. On their list was an oil change (which I did the weekend before I came in), a tune up (done the weekend before), and replace engine torque mount (already replaced 2 months prier). Luckily, I am someone who knows cars. I can just imagine what they do to someone that would fall for their shoty business practices.

Verified Customer

Tacoma, WA

Ford Expedition

Verified Customer

05/23/2020

Bad service , unsatisfactory work

After spending $6500 for my truck and $3400 for my car I had to bring them both back to this place I eventually had to take my car to Buckys to get it fixed. They towed my car and buckled the quarter panel I would not recommend no one to this place.

Mariana L.

Maple Valley, WA

Nissan Sentra

Verified Customer

02/18/2020

Very expensive

I was very unhappy with the price they charge for the service. I called a few other places and they were significantly cheaper however could not do the service. Also, I have been other mechanic shops who do a complimentary vacuum clean and this place does not. The little things go along way to make your client feel happy especially after spending almost 400. The mechanic recommends I service my car once a year. However, upon research that is not necessary. I think because I am a young woman they believed they can take advantage.

Dan H.

Lakewood, WA

Toyota Tundra

Verified Customer

12/23/2019

Very disappointed

I try shop local and small. I was quoted one price and took my truck there. Then they call me in a little bit and double the price on me. I got my truck drove one exit South to Moose's. They did all the work plus had them do more work. With added work still cheaper than Lakewood transmission. Felt bad for the lady that they said they had $4000 in her car so she lost car by signing title over to them at Lakewood transmission. Curious what the heck they did for $4,000. Think they saw a senior and were going to milk her dry.

Jennifer C.

Lakewood, WA

Chevrolet Camaro

Verified Customer

09/14/2019

Disappointed

Was quoted 109.00 over the phone cane out to 140.00 which was great. Then told other services that are completely unnecessary are needed for 370.00 very disappointing in a local company. Over charging and services that are unnecessary, straight up a small shop trying to scam people. Very disappointed in this company.

Shelly D.

Lakewood, WA

Chevrolet Malibu

Verified Customer

06/11/2019

Wrong assumption of what was wrong with my car.

Instead of doing a pressure test, I was told I needed the gasket on the manifold replaced. Took it elsewhere and found out it needed a temp sensor.

Mike K.

Washington

Oldsmobile

Verified Customer

10/31/2018 Category: Service

Spoke with Mike's partner. He said he was not happy with the business because of a staff member named Mike.

Chris C.

Spanaway, WA

Acura MDX

Verified Customer

08/17/2018 Category: Service

Chris said the whole experience was terrible. It took a month and they didn't even call once it was done and he will not ever be going back.

Kirsty M., General Manager from Lakewood Transmission & Complete Auto Service responded on 10/17/2018

Chris, in the process of repairing automobiles we can only estimate the completion time not promise. It was three weeks for us to complete this repair due to locating and purchasing the needed differential hard parts that were damaged from the transmission failure. We did make numerous attempts to contact you during this process and were unable to leave a message due to your mailbox being full. I apologize for the extra time needed to repair your transmission correctly.

Lance L.

Plainview, MN

Ford F-150

Verified Customer

09/08/2017 Category: Service

Lance said that when this business worked on his vehicle they kinked a hose in his transmission which made it overheat. He had to take the vehicle to a second facility to have his transmission repaired.

ELEANOR M.

Tacoma, WA

08/11/2017

TRANSMISSION

I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE SERVICE THEY CHANGE ME $700.00 FOR TAKE MY TRANSMISSION OUT. WOULD NOT PUT IT BACK TOGETHER PUT EVERYTHING IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK WOULD NOT WORK WITH ME.THE TOW COMPANY YOW IT HOME AND IT ROLL DOWN THE HILL RAN OVER MY ANITA BROKE HER TOE HIT MY MR JOHN FENCE BROKE A WATER LINE HAVE TO PAY ANOTHER TOW TO REMOVE IT OUT OF MR JOHN YARD GOT TO PAY FOR THESE DAMAGE.I FEEL THEY SHOULD PUT IT BACK TOGETHER FOR THE MONEY I PAID.PEOPLES SAY NEED TO GO TALK TO A LAWYER NOT HAPP

Larry C.

Kent, WA

Chrysler PT Cruiser

Verified Customer

01/26/2017 Category: Service

Larry said he was recommended to the business and everything that he feared would happen, happened. They were charged for repairs that didn't take place, after the first service was done the engine didn't run the same, and then he was charged another $1500 for the work to be redone. He is very upset with this situation.

Kirsty M., General Manager from Lakewood Transmission & Complete Auto Service responded on 01/30/2017

We here at Lakewood Transmission take great pride in the work we provide to our customers, we would never charge for a service that we did not perform. When I look back at your records I see we were chasing a leak on the transmission, this can be a cumbersome task, yet one we still take great pride in. When you came in we found the leak was present at the solenoid block area. When we removed, the solenoid block we found the gasket was ripped and confirmed the fluid loss was coming from the solenoid block area. We also noted the coolant was low, wheel bearing noise present and the brakes needed attention. At that time, you only allowed us to replace the solenoid block and perform a transmission service. Both repairs were completed. Once the re check was completed after the test drive, no leaks at the transmission were found at that time.

When you returned for a leak check, at that time we noticed the case behind the solenoid block has stress cracks and the transmission needs to come out for case replacement and rebuild. I addressed that the cost of repairs for the solenoid block replacement and the service will be credited back toward your needed repairs. At that time, you declined.

Customer service is a major priority for us here at Lakewood Transmission, we will not mislead or deceive our customers in any way. I would like to invite you in for a complementary in air visual inspection. We would like to lift the vehicle, show you the location of the solenoid block and visually show you the area that is leaking on your transmission. At that same time, you can see that the solenoid block on your transmission is new and the pan gasket also has been recently replaced. The transmission pan will also be clean. The services we recommended are the services that we provided, we never though that the case was the issue since the solenoid gasket was torn. I look forward to helping you in the future with your transmission and automotive needs. Please feel free to give us a call at your earliest convience.

Leon K.

Lakewood, WA

Ford Pickup

Verified Customer

10/15/2016 Category: Service

Leon said his experience at this business was horrible. He took his vehicle there for transmission repair. They charged him $2,400. He needed some work done on his brakes and they wanted to charge him $2,300 for that. They lowered that to $1,400. He paid cash for the work done and the total was $6,100. He said he is very upset with them. They charged him $190 to put his lug nuts back on. His rear main hub is leaking oil. The transmission is not changing gears correctly. He called to inform them how unhappy he was and they did not offer him an itemized statement of the repairs performed. There was no written estimate given to him and he asked three times for one. He regrets ever going to this business. He said he felt they nickel and dimed him the whole way through and beat around the bush when he wanted answers. It was a game the whole way through. He is going to have another mechanic look at his vehicle. He is disgusted and wants to get an attorney.

Kirsty M., General Manager from Lakewood Transmission & Complete Auto Service responded on 10/20/2016

Hello Leon,

Thank you for accepting our invitation to return for a complete visual inspection of all the repairs that we performed on your 1996 Ford F250. After a thorough explanation of all the repairs and a visual inspection of everything that was done, it was clear we had a communication breakdown when we presented the charges at time of the completed repairs. In no way would we ever or did we ever charge $190.00 to replace lug nuts. No leaks are present on any of the repairs that were performed at your request. Explaining to you the customer the transmission is working correctly, that the shifting concern is engine related. We provided a referral to you for further engine diagnostics and repairs since we do not perform diesel engine repairs. When you requested a written estimate, we never tried to withhold that from you, we were currently working on the estimate and you ran out of time due to your very busy schedule. We here at Lakewood Transmission take our careers very seriously and we never want a customer to leave upset or not having a complete and clear understanding of the repairs that were authorized and performed on their vehicle. We look forward to working with you and continuing to take care of your transmission, transfer case and differential needs.

Sincerely
Kirsty Martin
General Manager
Lakewood Transmission

Hugh K.

Orting, WA

Dodge Pickup

Verified Customer

03/08/2016 Category: Service

Hugh said he had a transmission overhauled for his vehicle and to have just a standard rebuild would have been around $2,100 to $2,200, but was advised by the employees to put a better performance part on his vehicle, spending an additional $3,300. Shortly after warranty the transmission went out, and was informed that the transmission needed to be redone again, costing an additional $1,600 to redo after getting it repaired for $3200. He was left with a vehicle he cannot drive with 30,000 miles and a outed transmission. He said he can no longer afford to have the vehicle redone. They didn't stand behind their product and he is curious on how many people would be their customers, if they realized they would only get 30,000 miles out of there transmission and says that there wouldn't be a customer there. He offered to pay an additional $800 and since he did pay extra money for extra longevity, he did not get a proper transmission back. He agreed to pay a little more, if they would extend the warranty and extra year and an additional 12,000 miles but they declined his offer. They will not stand behind their product.

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Lakewood Transmission & Complete Auto Service

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