Complaint Review: Zip Zap Auto

This place is a letdown. I took my car in for a diagnostic because it was making a knocking sound, and they insisted it needed new control arms, quoting me close to $2,000. I decided to get a second opinion, and another mechanic did the job for $760 all-in, with parts costing only $160. Zip Zap, on the other hand, wanted $300 per control arm.

Given their diagnosis and all the glowing reviews, I didn’t have the second mechanic double-check the issue. He replaced the control arms, but later mentioned they still had a good year or two left. My car is a 12-year-old Nissan Rogue, so I ended up wasting $760 on a repair that didn’t address the knocking noise. Zip Zap didn’t even bother to test drive the car to catch the real problem.

Another mechanic I trust took a look and immediately found the issue—worn-out motor mounts. He fixed it for $900. When I told Zip Zap, they offered to knock off the $600 labor cost I paid for the control arms from their $1,900 quote to fix the motor mounts. I refused and stuck with my mechanic instead.

I spoke with Susan at Zip Zap, who was pleasant but seemed to need permission to make any decisions. The staff wouldn’t give me her last name, claiming they were new (which wasn’t true). Later, I got a call from a guy named Brian to discuss the situation. When I asked for his last name in person, they pretended not to know it and wouldn’t tell me who owns the place. Super sketchy.

In the end, Brian only offered to refund the $120 I paid for their incorrect diagnostic. When I went to pick up my car, they tried to get me to sign a document stating I refused the repairs. They snuck in a clause saying I agreed not to post or have anyone else post a negative review about Zip Zap. Brian even instructed the staff not to issue the refund unless I signed, which I didn’t.

Also, take a closer look at their reviews—they seem fake. They frequently get short 5-star reviews from people with few other reviews, sometimes 3 or 4 in a single day. Check the 1-star reviews to see what this place is really like. Here’s an alternative version of your review:

This place is a letdown. I took my car in for a diagnostic because it was making a knocking sound, and they insisted it needed new control arms, quoting me close to $2,000. I decided to get a second opinion, and another mechanic did the job for $760 all-in, with parts costing only $160. Zip Zap, on the other hand, wanted $300 per control arm.

Given their diagnosis and all the glowing reviews, I didn’t have the second mechanic double-check the issue. He replaced the control arms, but later mentioned they still had a good year or two left. My car is a 12-year-old Nissan Rogue, so I ended up wasting $760 on a repair that didn’t address the knocking noise. Zip Zap didn’t even bother to test drive the car to catch the real problem.

Another mechanic I trust took a look and immediately found the issue—worn-out motor mounts. He fixed it for $900. When I told Zip Zap, they offered to knock off the $600 labor cost I paid for the control arms from their $1,900 quote to fix the motor mounts. I refused and stuck with my mechanic instead.

I spoke with Susan at Zip Zap, who was pleasant but seemed to need permission to make any decisions. The staff wouldn’t give me her last name, claiming they were new (which wasn’t true). Later, I got a call from a guy named Brian to discuss the situation. When I asked for his last name in person, they pretended not to know it and wouldn’t tell me who owns the place. Super sketchy.

In the end, Brian only offered to refund the $120 I paid for their incorrect diagnostic. When I went to pick up my car, they tried to get me to sign a document stating I refused the repairs. They snuck in a clause saying I agreed not to post or have anyone else post a negative review about Zip Zap. Brian even instructed the staff not to issue the refund unless I signed, which I didn’t.

Also, take a closer look at their reviews—they seem fake. They frequently get short 5-star reviews from people with few other reviews, sometimes 3 or 4 in a single day. Check the 1-star reviews to see what this place is really like.