AAA Carolinas – Matthews

BEWARE OF UPSELLING!!! Especially if you are female. Went in for a $ 79 alignment. They said I need new tires $ 600, a whole tuneup $ 179, valve gasket replacement $ 179 and a fuel system cleaning $ 119. I just had a complete $ 100k mile tuneup LAST WEEK. Toyota dealership saw the oil leak 5 months ago and advised adding oil as needed. I went to Discount Tire for 4 of their BEST tires for $ 380 with rebate.
Alignment seems fine. Don’t do anything routine and don’t let them frighten you into ALL the other work your car «needs». BE SMART!!!
Added one star for the travel agents. No upselling there. Just helpful and honest.

A lot happened in my last experience with AAA, so I’ll focus on the essentials. Keep in mind, I could have written a lot more than this. If you want an in-​depth review, read this one.
I sent my diesel Suburban into this shop to get a lot of work done in my last visit (new transfer case, drive shaft, tires, routine oil change and state inspection). For those reading, keep in mind that I do not live in Charlotte anymore. I was visiting family and friends for the holidays and my transfer case finally gave in so I had it towed there to get the aforementioned work done on it. This is important. Because so much work had to be done on this thing (my fault, not theirs), I ended up in Charlotte for much longer than I had planned, meaning that I had to make my case with my boss back in Wilmington. Warren Turnipseed (The associate I was talking to during this whole thing) went out of his way to keep in contact with my boss in a very professional, doctor’s note-​like fashion, so my place of employment had the word on what was going on, straight from the horse’s mouth. I worked my first day since getting back to Wilmington, meaning that I am still happily employed, and I thank Warren for going the extra mile to help me out with that.
While my truck was getting worked on, I would periodically visit the shop to see the progress that was being made on it (I’m in love with that car. Couldn’t resist). Each time, Warren was happy to lend me (and my friends who drove me) a pair of safety goggles to go into the shop and see up-​close what was being done. He would even show me on the computer what the parts looked like before they were ordered (Tires, for example, and may I add that I am so happy I got to look at the tire selection, because these BF Goodrich KO2s are an immense upgrade from the model I’d been going with previously and they suit the truck’s utility aspect perfectly) The mechanic assigned to my vehicle (Brice) was happy to update me on the progress of the work, and to answer any questions I had about what they’d spotted, or if anything else needed work. A+ on that, for sure. Both Brice and Warren came off as honest and straightforward. To sum that up, I felt a pleasant sense of transparency working with these guys. Bonus points for that.
No unnecessary hassles. I work at a boatyard, and have experience with marine electrical, plumbing and engine systems (and more, but these are the ones that are most relevant here). Not once did anyone try to scam me with unnecessary repairs. They could have easily told me that I had frayed headlamp wiring, a refrigerant leak, an unwanted short, or that my transmission or a u-​joint somewhere needed replacing, and of course I know those all work perfectly fine but my point here is they stayed on the short list of what absolutely needed work, and were always very clear in explaining something extra if it was necessary (For example, the drive shaft was fused to the old transfer case and they brought it to my attention and explained clearly why it needed replacing AND of course I got to see the damage up-​close in their workshop to get a better idea of what was going on, hassle-​free).
This was not my first time visiting that office, but it was my first experience working with Warren and Brice and I must say it was spectacular. I was so happy with this experience that I’ve decided to go to that specific location for routine oil changes, even though I can do them myself.
For those still wondering how my vehicle fared after the work was done, I drove it 200 miles back to Wilmington without a single hiccup. My 4×4 works again (It’s great to know I can use my truck in the snow and on the beach again), and I can drive back to Charlotte to see my family without worrying about another catastrophic breakdown. I should also mention that I am and have been a AAA member for years. I highly recommend this place and the membership and I hope this review was useful to whomever took the time to read it.

AAA CAR CARE CENTER is the best place to take your car for any type of maintenance. I have brought all of our vehicles in for oil change and née tires. Would highly recommend!

I had a great experience — car had a shudder in the brakes, they had it in and out same day, and had a shuttle that I could take so I wasn’t sitting around the whole time. The staff were super nice and friendly, and the price was on par with other shops, if not a bit lower. I thought they were great! Worked with Steve Guthrie, highly recommend!

Jason Cunningham has been outstanding. Our son from Birmingham came home for a weekend visit and we needed a number of things done very quickly on his car. The service and repairs were done quickly and exceptionally! We now have a go-​to reliable service center at AAA Matthews. We would not hesitate to recommend AAA to any of our friends and relatives. Jason will do everything he can to help you and make certain the work you need is done right. We also found their prices to be very competitive and lower than most dealerships.

This is the only place I will let touch my car! They have great customer service as well as professional and knowledgable mechanics! When being a AAA member you get great discounts as well. They go above and beyond to make sure that the customer is happy!

Do not, I repeat, do not go and have your car serviced at this bait and switch place!
My husband wanted an oil change and we called before coming to check on the price —let me state we are AAA members. My husband got a quote and made appointment for afternoon. When he arrived, he told the man at the counter that he did not want the high performance oil (they try to sell you this) and that the regular oil for his truck was what he wanted.
Well, when the work was done, my husband was presented with a bill for $ 59.00 and on the bill it stated he was given the high performance oil — needless to say, he was furious when he saw this ! Also, the quote we were given was $ 24.95 on the phone — they do not inform you, the customer, that they charge a $ 5.00 fee, a installation charge for the oil — and an extra fee to dispose of the oil.
I was not present at the time of this transaction so when I was told by my husband what had happened, I called the place and Tom Bates answered the phone. I asked what they had charged for the service and told him you charged us for something we did not ask for. He was lying through his teeth when he said my husband wanted the high performance oil change – NOT! What really is funny is that on the bill there is a paragraph that states «if you are not satisfied for any reason contact Tommy Bates to give you the opportunity to achieve our goal». Well, I received no satisfaction when I called to complain so I called the customer service number at the AAA office and registered a formal complaint with them regarding the service. If the matter is not resolved to our satisfaction I will be contacting the Attorney General’s office for the state of NC as well as the BBB in Charlotte. We will never use their services again and I am thinking of cancelling my membership altogether. If any of you folks out there plan to use this place for your car care, please make sure you write out your own instructions as to what you want done so that you have proof as to what you told them — they bait and switch and change your order without your permission. This AAA car care center is located in Matthews on Independence Blvd.

Been here twice, once for an inspection and new tires, another time for an oil change and tire rotation. The staff are courteous if not exactly cheerful, the place is clean and it has a decent waiting area from which you can see inside the shop (could be good if you’re watching what’s happening to your car, or bad if a visit to the repair shop for you is kinda like going to the dentist — a painful wait to find out just how much money it will cost you).
With the tire rotation, I just managed to drive back onto Independence when it became clear the car is not driving in a straight line anymore. Back I go: Apparently the tires were worn out in a way that didn’t allow for rotating them anymore. They hadn’t noticed that before.
After my 30 dollar oil change, I got a quote for another half dozen repairs that according to them needed to be done and would have totalled close to 1000 dollars. Thankful for the pointers, but since I was having no car trouble, a three page quote of stuff that «needs» to be done seems like they’re trying hard to squeeze money out of me. Although to be fair, I am no expert on cars, so I can’t say too much on how fair their quote was.
The inspection and tire change was fine, except for the wait. They said getting the tires would take 45 minutes. It ended up taking them 1.5 hours, and with changing them, the inspection and various wait times in between, I spent over three hours at the shop.
Lastly, I am a AAA member, which should give you 10 percent off labor at AAA car care centers. I asked if they needed to see my AAA card, they said no. No discount applied. I had to ask right-​out for the discount on the labor costs before they granted it.
I came here for the credibility and fairness that I hoped the AAA name would guarantee, but I think I’ll now give somewhere else a try.

Went in to have a state inspection and tire rotation. They were courtious, efficient and only did what was necessary to pass. The shop seemed clean and the mechanics all seemed to keep busy with their work. The customer lounge was comfortable and clean. I am definitely going to use them again.

Very strange of me not to check Unilocal before heading out… But I will have to say that I’m glad I didn’t. Shocker I know!
I had a very nice experience this morning with this AAA — had an appointment for 10AM and they were ready — which is amazing because that never happens in my world.
I actually had an appointment for them to change my oil, check fluids, rotate tires, etc. a package deal.
The waiting room was quite nice — I was able to use their wi-​fi and surf the web using my laptop — nice touch (but they also have PC’s you can you use as well should you not wish to bring your laptop).
It took about an hour and half and they didn’t try to sell me anything… The gentleman that was helping me even gave me a tip on how to save money!!! What? Are you kidding me? Amazing.
All in all, I was very please with the service and the staff — so why only the 3 stars… I will wait for my second return to see if they are consistent…
I always get screwed over at these types of places… So we will see. I have to go back sometime in the near future to get a leak in my something ma-​gigger, but waiting to get a second opinion.

This place has got to be one of the worst places to take your car. I only needed brake service done on the front brakes. I told them that I do not need rotors and that the front brakes were squeaking. They pulled the car into the bay then LOOKED at the car for about 10 minutes and came to the conclusion (without touching it at all) that I needed rotors on the back and new brakes.
They gave me a quote on the job and began work. I also asked for a balance and rotation. After they received the new rotors from across the street they promptly put them on and put the tires back on without doing the balance/​rotation.
I brought it to their attention that the front brakes are what I wanted done and they restated that the front was fine since they checked it (LIE) but they still had not looked at the front brakes. I tell them that this is not true and also that the tires have been put back on the car but the balance/​rotation has not been done. They were going to have me pay for a 40 service that I never received (potential costly LIE of OMISSION).
She then tells me if I want them to check to see if there is something wrong with the front brakes it will cost an additional 50.00. I am too livid to think straight at this point and tell her to forget it since I will be charged an extra 50 in order to have them do what I brought the car there for in the first place.
When they finally finish after about two hours the price ended up being well over 330 (another LIE) since I was not quoted anything like that.
Lastly, when I get ready to leave they hand me a broken emblem from the center of my wheel and told me that it was broke when I got there. I had driven over 60 miles before I pulled into their parking lot and I am sure that if it was broken it would have fallen off before now. The reason it broke is because of one of the techs was handling my car tire like it was a basket ball. That is what broke it. I will not use any AAA Car Care Center ever again. I will use ANYBODY BUT AAA Car Care. They have all but ruined the name of a very respected company.

According to the card in my wallet, I’ve been a member of AAA for 27 years. Interesting, as you would think it would give you a bit of respect when you go into a place. Not so much the case here. Of note: I think it was my parents who actually began that streak, but it’s not really that important, since the card says it, right?
Nonetheless, the signs advertise that you’ll get a quote for service and be taken care of quickly and all the usual fluff. Instead, it seems like they focus on driving you (figuratively, since it’s in the same building) to their tour department to upsell you on something. Anything, really.
You also have the choice of hanging out in a — relatively nice — waiting room as you wait. And wait. And wait some more. You see, I took a tire to get repaired where it was punctured by a screw — a fairly quick process if you have the right equipment.
Go somewhere like Geralds (in Charleston) and it will be done in about ten minutes for a few bucks, and everything (meaning the spare) is put back where it’s supposed to go.
Here it will cost you $ 25, take close to an hour and you then have to ask them to put everything back and also instruct them on how to do so. Lame.