Complaint Review: Bennett's Garage

Early in February I took my car to Bennett's Garage to have an oil leak repaired. I was aware of the source of the leak, knew it was a common leak for my model of car and asked the garage to replace the leaking gasket. I picked up my car, noticed some things didn't quite seem right so I took my car to a place where I could inspect it. After an initial inspection it appeared that the quality of work was very poor, but due to the type of repair I was unable to confirm weather or not the work had been done. My car seemed to run OK for a few days, after which I noticed the smell of burning oil coming from under the hood. I found the leak had returned and took it to the garage. The mechanic, Bill, did a very quick inspection of the back of the engine using a mirror and claimed the leak was coming from the valve cover gasket. I didn't feel that Bill had given it a proper inspection and felt I had been brushed off. I went on my way with the intention to do a more in depth inspection at a later time. Later that week my car lost compression in the #1 and #2 cylinders, a problem related to the work that was supposed to have been done. I called the garage, they came out and picked up the car and began to claim that the cause of the failure was a clogged exhaust system. Nobody would give me an answer if there would be any additional charge for the repairs needed, and nobody would say weather or not it was an issue covered under any warranty. After a couple of days I arranged for my car to be moved. I felt I was being given the run around and did not want this garage working on my car any longer. I made arrangements for a highly reputable garage in another city to repair my car. After a few days the reputable garage called me and told me that the parts that I had told them were supposed to have been changed had not been changed in many years. I was given the old parts and found that the old parts were very rusted and corroded and obviously not new. Cost to repair my car after Bennett's worked on it: just under $1200. Additionally, prior to my car failing, I had another car repaired by Bennett's garage. The car had one known problem that affected the operation of the vehicle, but after they made that repair it took me nearly 2 weeks and a couple hundred dollars to get the car running again. The mechanics, Bill and Kevin, took no care in disconnecting the electrical connections needed to make the repair. Nearly all electrical connections that had been removed to make the repair were either damaged or had not been properly reconnected. Prior to this repair there were no problems, and the repair was not related to the new problems. I left the garage with the car and only managed to drive about a mile before the car stopped running. I am fully capable of making any automotive repair and I have the references to back up my claims. I don't make my own major repairs because I don't have time. As a result of the damage caused to my cars by Bennett's Garage I spent many hours making repairs to one car and the other sat in a garage being taken apart and inspected. Avoid Bennett's Garage and Bennett's Towing at all costs.