I have a 2003 Volvo C70 that is in relatively good condition. The car has always run well, but it happened upon some engine issues around the beginning of July.
Volvo's are hard to work on and usually take a specialty mechanic in order to repair them. A big box outfit can work on them, but my experience as a multiple Volvo owner has been that specialty mechanics work well and are reliable. I should have taken the car to the Mr. Auto Clinic in Coral Springs bc that's where I grew up.... but I didn't.
I own a business on Galt Ocean Mile and reside in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, so I relied on the internet to bring to the right mechanics. I found a shop online that seemed reliable based on locaton and the fact that they work on Volvo's.
The shop was Prestige Auto Service at 809 NW 1 Street Fort Lauderdale FL 33311 (Between I-95 & US1)
Mauricio was pleasant at first and seemed knowledgable about vehicles. I made sure to have a second ear on every conversation and would only speak to Mauricio when my technician brother Christopher was in-conversation.
After leaving the vehicle for a day, Mauricio finally got back to me with an estimate on my engine, which I failed to mention was overheating due to a coolant leak that led to an oil leak. There were two possible fixes for what was wrong with my car.. sealing all leaks and either 1) the car needed a head gasket replacement 2) the car needed a radiator/waterpump/timing belt.
Mauricio's estimate was very high! Coming at $1600.00 for option #2 assuring me that his experience has led him to troubleshoot the need for a timing belt, radiator, and waterpump. He told me he didn't feel a head gasket would fix the problem and assured me that his estimate would get my car running like a champ!
I told Mauricio that based on his estimate, his cost for parts was almost a 100% mark up from available parts in the marketplace. He told me that he is very experienced and that he would never work on a car without putting the exact parts needed into his estimate. I trusted him and after agreeing to a mangeable $1300.00, he began the work.
The phone went silent for almost two full weeks! Any time I would call Mauricio would tell me "it's going to take a few more days" with not update on what he was doing to my car. Around the two week benchmark, I began to get concerned for this mechanics ability to complete the job.
Finally, two weeks to the day, I contacted Mauricio at the end of business.. and he told me my car is ready, but my bumber was giving him a lot of trouble. My bumber? I didn't really understand, but told him that I have lost several jobs and am just appreciative to be able to get the car back.
When I got to Prestige Euro Service, Mauricio showed me the work that he had done to my vehicle. Upon startup, the car shook. Mauricio told me that he had to replace a coil in my engine. I did not agree to the coil replacement and reiterated that his estimate and agreed cost was $1300.00. Mauricio gave me the option to pay him NO LESS than $1383.00 or else he would not release the keys to my car. I paid and didn't think twice. I wanted to get out of there and extememly uncomfortable as he argued with his merchant services over that fact that swiping my card repeatedly was not ending in a transaction. Ultimately, he was paid $1383.00 and I left.
The car went from his shop, to my apartment, which is one mile up the road. When I started the car the next day, the notorious light that I brought my car in for was back on, and all of the coolant had escaped from the compartment. I contact Mauricio, he explicitely told me, there cannot be a problem unless I caused it using the rationale that the light was not on when I pulled away. I was upset and felt taken advantage of, but I wanted to give Mauricio the chance to stand by his work. He assured me, he would fix it, and fix it right!
I didn't hear from Mauricio for two days, ulitmately it was a saturday at 11:31am. I answered and asked him to hold as I got my technician brother on the phone. I merged the calls. Mauricio told me that my car was repressurized, added coolant, added a radiator cap (which was again confusing bc I paid for a radiator replacement) and was now holding all fluids and running well.
I was so relived, Mauricio offered to pick me up in my vehicle.
Mauricio brought me to his shop and we discussed the ride of the vehicle as he began to give me excuses for why my car wasn't driving up to my standards, even going as far as to blame it on the fact that I was in my passenger seat.
We arrived at his shop and we got out of the car, he told me I am all set, and I profusely thanked him! What an idiot I am. Not two seconds after my thank you's, Mauricio tells me that I now owe him an additional $119.00 for coolant top off, radiator cap, and labor (bc "I dont work for free, I dont care how much money you spent on a repari")
boy oh boy was this a different Mauricio.
Mauricio instructed his son to take the keys out of my running vehicle, granted, he picked me up and brought me there! So I was now stranded, cornered, and verbally threatened to either pay him or say goodbye to my car, told that I would be removed from the premesis if I didn't pay him the $119.00 above the $1383.00 that I had just paid him.
I have never felt so taken advantage of and was embarrased/ashamed for my poor decision making ability. I thought it was over and I could put Mauricio and Prestige Auto Service LLC behind me.
As I pulled away, not less than a mile away, my coolant light came back on the car began to overheat. I immediately pulled into the local Sears where they gave me a detailed estimate. It is a policy to work on the most important components first and based on their diagnostic procedure, would never put a timing belt/waterpump/radiator over the repair of a head gasket.
My volvo did not keep coolant in it for even one day and has not driven well since taking it back from Mauricio. He did not repair what the vehicle needed, he wasted my time and money, and emotionally distressed me while kidnapping me, attempted robbery of my vehicle, and the threatening manor in which he extorted me for additional payments.
I will never return to Prestige Auto Service LLC and I hope nobody ever listens to Mauricio's suggestion for engine work.
Thank you for reading.