Duncan’s Automotive

I went in for the AC on my 2000 Honda Accord. I was worried because you hear the horror stories of «you have to replace the whole system $ 2000 please. Well it turned out that the Schrader valves were slowly leaking because of the age of my car. A $ 3 part actually 2 of them. What a relief! Totally honest mechanics.

There are two Duncan’s locations in the Roseville/​Citrus Heights area. One is off Sunrise, and is run by Charlie. That is the MAIN location. The other, is in Citrus Heights off Auburn, that is the SECOND location. This review is for the SECOND location. (I have also posted a review for their MAIN location)
I took two of my cars to this location, and my wife took one of our cars there as well. At that point, we still trusted Duncan’s as a brand, and the SECOND location was actually closer to where we lived, so we used it more than the MAIN location.
The first time we went there, my wife brought the car in. She told me they tried to strong arm her, and sell her services she didn’t need. I was appalled that in the 21^st century, mechanics are still pulling this garbage with women. *I* went down there with her later that day, and stood there making sure the guy wasn’t being a creep, and sure enough, magically all of the stuff he had been doing before, went away.
When my wife went to pick up the car the next day, they had REMOVED OUR LICENSE PLATE FRAMES, WITHOUT ASKING US, AND REPLACED THEM WITH THEIR OWN (advertisement) FRAMES. Needless to say, she had to demand that they put our chrome frames BACK on our car. She reported that they initially told her they didn’t have them any more. When she told them in that case they owed us for the cost of replacements, they were magically able to find them. She reported that they glared at her the entire time they were swapping them out.
The next two times, I dealt with them. Once was for a simple battery replacement for our older car we had to have towed there. That went more or less fine.
The last time, though, was a PROBLEM. The brake pads needed to be replaced on our newer car. So, we brought it in. When we got it back, the brakes squeaked/​squealed terribly. I called and asked them about it, and they told me to just wait until they were «broken in.» Since I had never had to «break in» brake pads before, I took the car across town to my oldest, and most trusted, regular mechanic. Sure enough, the problem was (again — see my review for their main location) that they had used 3^rd party, cheap parts, and charged me what I would have paid for 1^st party brand name parts. I had them replace the pads with 1^st party parts, and magically, the problem went away.
I have had TERRIBLE experiences at both the MAIN and this SECONDARY locations for Duncan’s, BOTH experiences involved their mechanics installing substandard parts at BOTH of their locations on TWO of my cars. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that this is standard operating procedure for them, and I will not be doing business with ANY of their locations again.

Just got my smog test here. They gave me the coupon price, and I didn’t even know there was a coupon available! Gary and Victor are awesome. I’ve used Duncan’s 3 or 4 times in the past and have always been pleased with them.

They give you both expensive & inexpensive options for you to choose.
They were quick.
I was more than satisfied.

I have used Jon and his crew for over 10 years and have been very happy with their integrity and honesty. We recently moved to southern California from Folsom and when our son needed his Jeep worked on I suggested that while he visited friends «up North» that he have Duncan’s fix some issues. I would rather have Jon mechanics work on my car 400 miles out of our way, then try to start all over and find someone with similar values down here :) Thank you Jon.

Duncan’s Auto Service is the BEST!
Gary and Victor were verb helpful in repairing my Ford pickup. I have been using this Auto repair shop for many years. I have noticed that if I have any questions they are willing to listen

Great job Duncan’s Automotive! Finally a trustworthy auto mechanic who knows what they are doing! You have me as a customer for life! I will definitely pass along the referral to my friends and family!

I took my truck in for a break and lamp inspection and they were very kind. Victor is very professional and fit me in right away. I had a busted wheel cylinder and the mechanic Greg was very helpful and even aligned my lights for me without charging. They were able to get my parts in while I waited and were very friendly to talk with. Brittany even authorized a $ 20 discount for me to match a coupon that was not even for thier shop. Nice people!

Worst Experience at a Mechanical shop to date. In the past, I have worked many years owning my own mechanics shop and wanted to give business to the community.
Spoke to Gary on the phone, seems like a nice guy and promises the world. When arriving to the shop, I waited to be served. Not an issue.
I bought a new (Used) Luxury exotic car and before my insurance company could insure it, a licensed mechanic needs to confirm that the car has no visible damage, check engine light is not on, no noises, etc.
Gary did not price me a quote, but he did mention that he would need to take apart the interior to make sure all the airbags are in place, My initial though was wow, My car will be taken apart and put together by people that deal with old american cars, and also wow this will cost me an arm and a leg if you put all the labor hours together… This car has over 12 airbags.
I went down the street, $ 25 for a simple inspection, signed and verified. I told them the story from this shop, and they were not surprised of how I was treated.
STAY AWAY!!! Dont take my word for it… Read other reviews for this shop.

This place is ridiculous I go get my car fixed they’re really nice cost 300 dollars out the door a few weeks later my car is still having problems and one of the girls all me I think her name was Brittany? I tell her how my car isn’t fixed and is having the same problem she says they’ll check it to make sure it’s not their part, they check it find another problem and want to charge me another 300 dollars, they should of fixed it the first time get it together now I have no car and I’m out 300 thanks

I should start by saying I used to be a Sales and Service District Manager for DaimlerChrysler Corporation so I know a little about auto service departments and had some ASE certifications as well.
My vehicle failed smog and Duncans first diagnosed a bad catalytic converter at about $ 800. When that didn’t repair it they said they needed to replace the spark plug wires and give it a basic tune up. They initially gave me a high estimate based on the turbo version of my car (which mine was not) so I had to correct them on that. Then I saw on the new estimate that they were going to charge me about $ 90 for spark plug wires on my basic 4 cylinder engine (not including labor). I thought that was excessive so I called an auto parts store which priced high end Bosch plug wires at about $ 20 and then I EVEN called the dealership and their price (RETAIL MIND YOU) was $ 24! I was so upset at this ridiculous repair quote that I wrote Mr. Duncan a letter explaining my dissatisfaction and why I wouldn’t be back or refer anyone to his repair facility.
To his credit he wrote me back but unfortunately what he had to say made no sense at all and there was no apology either. The gist of what he said is that because they offer a parts and labor warranty he has to charge more for the parts! So I’m thinking ok, you have to charge 4 TIMES what the part cost you (at wholesale) JUST IN CASE it fails and you have to pay for labor twice? UNREAL. What a way to do business.
Sometimes you can blame this on an overly aggressive service writer but this letter came from the owner himself.
I do believe in being fair and honest and will say his employees were nice and even gave me a ride home but that didn’t make up for misdiagnosing my vehicle and trying to take advantage of me with inflated rates.
In the end, I bought the factory wires from the dealer and put them on myself in about 5 minutes.

After over two years of service, I’ve never had a bad experiance with Duncan’s. They are honest, professional, and reliable. They even drove me home when I couldnt get anyone to pick me up. You cant go wrong with Duncans Automotive.

I am a real estate appraiser and drive a LOT of miles. I depend on my car for my income and lose money if it is not up and running. I’ve been taking my car to Duncan’s for the past few years for regular maintenance (oil change, tire rotation, regular chek-​ups and maintenance, etc). Owner Jon Duncan is trully one of the nicest people I have had the pleasure to know. His staff is professional. His shop helps to keep my car up and running so I can keep my business up and running. I don’t take my car anywhere else.

Breaking down and ending up at a mechanic you don’t even know has to be one of the worst things to happen to a woman that knows nothing about cars. All kinds of questions start racing through your mind and immediately the amount of cash you have just seems like nothing compared to what you feel they are going to charge you. You are afraid of getting ripped off. You are afraid of ending up at a place with one thing broken only to have them trying to make a dollar out of 15 cents worth of work.
So frazzled, confused and nervous I ended up at Duncan’s as per AAA recommendation when I called for the tow truck. I arrived and immediately a gentleman named Jon greeted me and it was really weird but I instantly felt at ease. I started joking with this man, telling him that I didn’t want to get ripped off, that if it could be duct taped not to go ahead and charge for something that didn’t need to be done, blah, blah, blah. I was carrying on. He was cracking up. He offered me a ride to the car rental place, called them for me and had the young woman behind the counter (I believe her name was Brittany) take my information so that they could get started on the vehicle.
As I am still in the shop I looked them up here and my heart dropped when I saw the ratings. I figured I was already there, I was tired, I had my son with me and I just wanted the car to be fixed so I hoped for the best.
Water pump, fan clutch, thermostat, and coolant expansion tank. I can honestly say that I felt I was charged a very fair price for the make and model of my vehicle. Prior to doing any of that work a woman named Jennifer called me and explained what I needed immediately (coolant expansion tank) and what could wait but that I should keep an eye out because the repairs needed to be done sooner or later. I was quoted, I did research and their price was fair. It’s definitely not cheap to get work done anywhere but I didn’t feel ripped off and I am very happy about that. I also got a 10% discount because of my AAA membership.
When I went to pick up my vehicle a guy named Andrew stepped out and sat with me to explain everything that had been done to the car, showed me the old parts and went over every single code that came up when the vehicle was «diagnosed». I was super impressed. I couldn’t believe this guy was taking the time to explain all this so patiently. I was a little lost at times (alright a lot lost) but they wrote it all down for me so I can at least research it.
Their customer service is supreme, their work is great and the price is fair. I am very happy to give Duncan’s Automotive 5 stars. Oh and the guy I was babbling to and cracking jokes about getting ripped off (Jon)… I found out later, was the owner. He was so relaxed and cool about everything I would have never guessed.
BTW They sell gift certificates… What a great idea! I need a few things done in the near future so I know what to ask for my birthday ;)

Cruising along I-​80 the other day, it happened… that most dreaded sight on your dashboard (duh-​DUH-​DUHHHH) the check engine light came on.
Oh that helpless feeling of knowing that you are about to part ways with hundreds of your hard-​earned dollars. As you ponder who you could have possibly wronged to bring about this horrible twist of fate, the question of who to trust with the repair ordeal comes into play. I purchased my used car from Jon Duncan, the owner of this shop, about a year earlier. Felt like I got a fair price for a vehicle that up until this point, I didn’t have any significant issues with.
Jennifer called the next morning to let me know that the diagnostic had shown that the timing belt and water pump were going to need to be replaced at a cost of $ 1200. At this point, I’d had all night to worry, anticipate best and worst-​case scenarios, struggle with doubt that I’d taken it to the wrong place after reading the previous Unilocal reviews and just generally get worked up over the situation. Kudos to Jennifer for being calm, explaining why these things needed to be done and not pressuring me to decide right away.
I took a couple of hours to do some research on the Internet and eventually came to the conclusion that with the amount of miles on my car (94,000), the repairs were legit and the price was comparable to what other shops would charge, plus they were giving me 10% off on the labor after I mentioned a coupon on their website. Almost three weeks later, I’m oh so happy to report that the car seems to be running fine.
Especially as a female with very limited car knowledge, I think it’s worth mentioning that both ladies in the office, Jennifer and the effervescent Tai, are car savvy, but never condescending.

Took my mother’s car in after an already failed smog at another shop. They did the diagnostic saying everything was fine and I should get it smogged right away. So, of course I had them do it. Well, they failed it for another reason that the other place didn’t catch somehow and offered to do a failed diagnostic for another 200 dollars… When I had already paid them 125 for the first one, on which they found nothing. So, like the other reviews have said. Looks like all these guys do is diagnose problems for about 25 dollars more than I’ve seen many other places doing the same thing… And then diagnose it again for more money. Thanks guys for putting me right back where I started with less money in these awesome financial times, especially when I’m trying to do a good deed for my mother.

At first seemed understanding and friendly. As a AAA member it seemed convenient and trustworthy to have my car diagnosed with them. I was told the cost of the diagnosis would go towards any repairs if needed. When I was called they said they had not figured it out and it was going to cost WAY more to keep searching around in the dark and that in fact the cost of the diagnosis would not go towards anything. I was getting different answers/​prices by different people within the shop so I took my business somewhere else.

My wife was stuck without AC in Sacramento and dropped off the car there. She was charged 60 dollars for a diagnostic. The result of the diagnostic was that the AC does not work! huuuum. That helps! They kindly offered to charge us an additional $ 300 for more diagnostics… some nerve. Don’t go there.

My 99 Subaru failed smog so I had Duncan do an analysis at a cost of $ 250. Diagnosis — two new catalytic converters at a cost of $ 2100.00, two new O2 sensors which they said were oil soaked (they were not, I personally checked them), Oil soaked and fouling ignition wires (which were not), dirty air cleaner (which I replaced less than 6 months earlier), a leaking radiator which they recommended be replaced. total estimate… $ 4000.00.
By contrast, Autocraft diagnosed the whole problem of smog failure to a fuel air ratio sensor. Total cost including diagnosis, new sensor and a pre-​test which showed the cr passed with flying colors, $ 381.
Conclusion Duncan Automotive is in the business of taking advantage of its customers to enhance it’s bottom line.
Recommendation STAY AWAY FROM DUNCAN AUTOMOTIVE!!!