Aspen Auto Clinic is a premier award winning "dealership alternative" for all automotive maintenance and repairs. We are one of the fastest growing businesses in the Front Range region and proudly serve customers with quality parts, excellent service, quality team of experts and with the BEST warranty unsurpassed in this industry. Bring Aspen Auto Clinic is a premier award winning "dealership alternative" for all automotive maintenance and repairs. We are one of the fastest growing businesses in the Front Range region and proudly serve customers with quality parts, excellent service, quality team of experts and with the BEST warranty unsurpassed in this industry. Bring your car to us, we'll earn your trust! ...more
I brought my car in because the check-engine light was on. I was told that the only issue identified at that time was the spark plugs. I was not told of any catalytic-converter issue or any other diagnostic code. I authorized a diagnostic only. After several hours, I was told they had tried to remove a spark plug and, in the process, broke a major part of my engine. No one asked for my permission before trying to remove the spark plug. I was then told that my engine needed to be replaced.
My car was kept for approximately two and a half months while the engine was replaced. During that time, the shop provided me with a rental vehicle. However, I was repeatedly told how much the rental was costing them and that they needed to get me out of it because it was costing them too much money. Instead of feeling supported while my car was in their care, I felt pressured, rushed, and guilty for needing transportation.
When I finally got my car back, the check-engine light was still on before I even left the parking lot. I immediately went back inside and reported it. I was told I would need to pay approximately $200 for them to look at my car again. When I asked whether the replacement engine had a warranty, I was told, “You got your engine for free, so you don’t get a warranty.”
I was not offered follow-up support, goodwill service, a complimentary inspection, maintenance, or other assistance after my car had been kept for so long.
Within about two weeks of getting my car back, I began noticing serious problems. I could visibly see multiple bolts near the front of my engine coming out, and my car struggled to drive uphill, only going around 35 mph. I took it to another mechanic, who told me that wrong-size bolts had been used and said he would not repair my vehicle until the original shop corrected its own work.
Throughout the original repair, the approximately two-and-a-half-month wait, the conversations about the rental, and my first return visit because the check-engine light was still on, I dealt only with male employees. No one connected me with a manager, and no manager spoke with me.
I returned to the shop because I could see bolts coming out near the front of my engine and because my car was struggling to drive uphill. I came back into the office and spoke with a new male employee at the front desk.
Only after that conversation was I connected with a manager. This was the first time a manager had spoken with me directly and the first time I received an apology. The female manager apologized and told me that I did have a warranty. However, I was never given anything in writing explaining what the warranty covered or how long it lasted.
The shop kept my car again after I returned because I could see loose bolts near the front of my engine and my car was struggling to drive uphill. I was told that the loose bolts had caused a hose to come loose, affecting how my car ran and causing it to struggle uphill. The shop tightened the bolts, reconnected the hose, and ran another diagnostic. At that time, the shop told me that the catalytic converter was going out. The catalytic-converter problem did not appear until after Asphalt Auto Clinic replaced my engine, and it remains unresolved.
Separately, after I picked up my car, another mechanic found that one bolt was still loose. I also began hearing a ticking sound while reversing, which was not an issue I had before bringing my car to the shop.
I brought my car in with one problem: a check-engine light. My experience resulted in an engine replacement, approximately two and a half months without my car, continued mechanical concerns after it was returned, unclear warranty information, and no meaningful support until I returned with serious concerns. I did not feel heard or taken seriously when I raised concerns about my car, the warranty, or the work performed. Based on my personal experience, I would not trust this shop with major vehicle repairs.