Ubaldo’s Parsippany Automotive

Ubaldo’s Parsippany Automotive [parsippanyautomotive dotcom] on Beverwyck Road (Lake Hiawatha) is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The friendly «husband-​wife gimmick» is just that — a front for yet another deceitful auto-​shop that charges as much as it can get away with.
I called Ubaldo’s with a no-​start condition. My engine was cranking but not starting up. I had suspected a battery or alternator issue (due to my own testing). They came to pick it up in the morning (walking distance) with a jump kit. Luckily, the car started in the morning, and I was able to avoid expensive towing fees. This is where the pleasant experience ended.
They informed me I needed a new battery and new terminals — which I likely did. Prior to the work, the owner informed me that a new battery was about $ 150 + $ 70 labor. But upon picking it up, I was dismayed to see a $ 320 bill that included (among all things), a $ 30 pickup fee, and a $ 50 non-​approved fee for checking my car’s codes with a pocket-​reader. I was never informed of those fees in advance, and especially resented the code fee. I happen to have my own reader (they are $ 20 bucks) and was aware of the unrelated code well in advance.
Upon paying the ridiculous $ 170 labor fee for installing a new battery, the car ran for about 48 hours before it again would not start. I figured that the shop would not charge additional diagnostic fees, since — after all — they clearly missed the problem. Shockingly, the owner told me they «didn’t diagnose a no start», despite that having been the issue all along. That my car coincidentally started upon their picking it up, they found that to be enough justification to charge me for computer codes + excess labor without actually doing much real investigation into potential start-​issues.
As luck would have it, the car would not start at all after the problem popped up again, necessitating a tow from their shop ($ 100+ fee), a brand new round of diagnostics, etc. They could have saved me $ 250+ (tow+2^nd diagnosis) had they actually attempted to diagnose the problem thoroughly. I voiced my concerns to the owner about how fair these practices were, and he arrogantly proclaimed it «a stretch of the imagination to think any further work would be under some warranty.»
Pardon my imagination, Ubaldo, for assuming you’d diagnose the problem I initially called about. Pardon my imagination for thinking you’d make amends at your mistake, when it became patently obvious you hadn’t done your job.
Repair shops of sound character do not ascribe to the «guess and test and charge – and repeatedly charge» method. They do a true diagnosis of the issue and fix it. And if their diagnosis was wrong, they don’t re-​charge the customer for their shoddy workmanship. The tow and second diagnosis are the direct result of your shop’s incompetence. Incompetence-​related fees should never be passed onto the customer. It’s just bad business, plain and simple.
Ubaldo’s, once again, is the epitome if a dishonest repair shop. If you want to be taken for every dime you have, then feel free to utilize their services. However, if you wish to find an honest mechanic, look elsewhere. Buyer beware. At the end of the day, I paid nearly $ 850 for a new battery and [ultimately] a distributor cap/​rotor. Likely a $ 500 max bill at an honest shop.