AVOID NAPA ON 96th & PACIFIC

[Trailtoy1993]

I just wanted to let you know that the NAPA machine shop on 96th and Pacific in Tacoma that was recommended by a fellow wheeler here on the site is not recommended by me!

I sent my nephew there to get his head skimmed on the recommendation of this site. They say $29.95 to skim a head and since my nephew has no job and is in high school he needs the best price he can get. Its his first wheeler then he blew his head gasket on the way home from my house after we SAS'd it (see thread "project RockStar" http://www.nw-wheelers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=739283#post739283 ) Anyway, he took his head in and without a call to check if additional charges were ok, after quoting $29.95 when he dropped it off, they disassembled his head charged him, charged a cleaning fee after telling him how to avoid a cleaning fee and he cleaned that head up spic 'n span at home with a wire brush and brake clean (i saw his work, it was CLEAN), PARTILLY reassembled his head and charged a reassemble fee, and gave him the rest in a box of parts, and charged him $80!!!!!!! Would not negotiate at all even though he told them he didn't have that kind of money, he had to borrow from his friend to get his head back!

My nephew is a gearhead, and he is 18 years old, he will probably be getting alot of junk machined in his lifetime, these guys could have cut the kid a deal and made a customer for life. Instead, they chose to jack a poor high school kid, (he needs his truck to take care of his little brother, his mom is a single parent and doesn't make much and his dad is a POS)



So, I wanted to let you all know that Tacoma NAPA machine shop on 96th and Pacific are a bunch of jackers and are not to be trusted they may be cheap up front but will back end a poor kid to death so what would they do to someone with money!?!?!!?

 

[Ty.]

Too bad he paid the $. That would have made a good People's Court episode..

I won't be going there.

 

[JOOP]

Sounds like they machined it and pressur tested it, or magna fluxed it. Pretty typical charge when I send heads over to them.

 

[Dubshot]

Thats crappy to hear funny thing they did the exact same thing to me a few years back quoted the 29.99 or whatever then got there and it was like I was buying a newhead with old valves. Needless to say STAY CLEAR!

 

[Trailtoy1993]

Sounds like they machined it and pressur tested it, or magna fluxed it. Pretty typical charge when I send heads over to them.

Which would have been fine if they would have told him, IN ADVANCE!!!! Thats the problem, not what they did, but doing it with out telling him there was going to be a charge.

 

[CHOP SHOP]

Sounds like they machined it and pressur tested it, or magna fluxed it. Pretty typical charge when I send heads over to them.

hey joop, does your shop pay them to Magna flux an aluminum head? :corn:

 

[slednecks1124]

Thats why if i get a quote anywhere I like to have it on paper, that way if the price in the end changes I can refer to the quote:awesomework: And yes they should have stated that those charges would be applied under any normal circumstance, Sorry this had to happen to an innocent guy

 

[Trailtoy1993]

Thats why if i get a quote anywhere I like to have it on paper, that way if the price in the end changes I can refer to the quote:awesomework: And yes they should have stated that those charges would be applied under any normal circumstance, Sorry this had to happen to an innocent guy

Yeah you or I know how to deal with this type of stuff, he has no experience and doesn't know any better.






Update: talked to Dave the head machinist and he never talked to Derrick, only the counter people actually talked to my nephew and they "should have" told him there would be extra charges..... But, no one did tell him there would be extra charges so the shop wrote up the work order like normal and when he came to pick up the head the cashier just said "pay up sucka, or you don't get your part back" Sounds to me like uneducated front counter staff, the machinist seemed ike a decent guy on the phone..... Not that that helps my nephew any!

 

[JOOP]

hey joop, does your shop pay them to Magna flux an aluminum head? :corn:

DUH... NO I'm just saying I'm sure they pressure tested it or had to dissasemble something so they coudl machine it. Plus what was all on the head, maybe we aren't getting the full story. I've used that Napa for a year now without any issue's of what I was being charged..

 

[Jaydog]

hey joop, does your shop pay them to Magna flux an aluminum head? :corn:

They charge double to magna flux an aluminum head. :haha::haha:

 

[Jaydog]

Yeah you or I know how to deal with this type of stuff, he has no experience and doesn't know any better.






Update: talked to Dave the head machinist and he never talked to Derrick, only the counter people actually talked to my nephew and they "should have" told him there would be extra charges..... But, no one did tell him there would be extra charges so the shop wrote up the work order like normal and when he came to pick up the head the cashier just said "pay up sucka, or you don't get your part back" Sounds to me like uneducated front counter staff, the machinist seemed ike a decent guy on the phone..... Not that that helps my nephew any!

Regardless of who what where, he should only pay what he was quoted, When I have had stuff done, they always call me, if it is going to be more, to get my approval. Isn't there a law that they can only exceed the quote by a certain %

 

[slednecks1124]

Yeah you or I know how to deal with this type of stuff, he has no experience and doesn't know any better.


Update: talked to Dave the head machinist and he never talked to Derrick, only the counter people actually talked to my nephew and they "should have" told him there would be extra charges..... But, no one did tell him there would be extra charges so the shop wrote up the work order like normal and when he came to pick up the head the cashier just said "pay up sucka, or you don't get your part back" Sounds to me like uneducated front counter staff, the machinist seemed ike a decent guy on the phone..... Not that that helps my nephew any!

Only one way for him to learn, someone needs to educate him. Unfortunately he had to learn the hard way & hope he will learn from this for the future.

You should of asked if they would re-imburse him as he was forced to pay a different amount than what he was originally quoted on behalf of Napas screw-up

 

[JOOP]

They charge double to magna flux an aluminum head. :haha::haha:

40-60% mark-up thats all :flipoff:

 

[Jaydog]

40-60% mark-up thats all :flipoff:

:eeek: They always charge me double, you think that's bad you should see what I got charged for a new rotor cap, wires and plugs on my CTD

 

[TreeClimber]

Trailtoy. Perhaps Napa is deserving of the distrust. Perhaps the young man's naivety simply caused him to not ask the correct question regarding the total cost, and how much work Napa would be doing.


Jaydog. Don't give up your day job.

 

[JAWS]

Its legal for a shop to add up to 10% of the orignal bill onto the total without contacting you. I understand they exceeded the 10% in your case. Im just sayin.

 

[JOOP]

He should of paid for it in advance that way then he has a leg to argue with.

 

[Ed Bister]

I use Gosney Napa in auburn and they are freekin great! :beer: I have a toyota head there right now as a matter of fact. Doug in the manager......good guy:awesomework:

 

[Jaydog]

Jaydog. Don't give up your day job.

Too late

 

[Lucky Jeff]

Trailtoy. Perhaps Napa is deserving of the distrust. Perhaps the young man's naivety simply caused him to not ask the correct question regarding the total cost, and how much work Napa would be doing.

hmmm, so you should know everything the shop knows before you trust them to do the work? I'm pretty sure that everyone who brings their vehicle into a shop, wants the thing fixed, and for a given/agreed on, price. They could care less how it's done.