Strong’s Autocare

New to the area and very appreciative of this company’s honesty. Firstly, I checked BBB record, Google and Unilocal reviews. I liked the record I found for Strong’s. I had a laundry list of possible car repairs based on a consultation from a dealership in my home state. Strong’s was very honest and concluded I didn’t need all the stuff the dealership said! So stoked to not fork over tons of money! Love the eye contact, hand-​shakes, and re-​assurances offered by this business. We feel very very comfortable trusting this business with OUR business (and vehicles carting around our precious children).

I took my car to Strong’s because it was making a whirling sound at the back and they are the closest to my house with the best reviews. Obviously a no-​brainer. When I dropped the car off, I told them I was making an out-​of-​state trip in the following days. Mistake. Don’t tell them that. They did their «complimentary 25-​point inspection» and decided that my car needed upwards of $ 2000 worth of work to be ready for my trip. I asked them to prioritize the things that needed done, but, according to them, all the work was absolutely essential if I was taking such a long trip. Since I didn’t want to get into any issues away from home, I acquiesced.
So, what’s on the list of absolutely essential work that needed to be done?
+ Wiper blade x2 — My wiper blades would not have won any awards, but they weren’t broken and did not need replacing.
+ Antifreeze at $ 42.56 — The antifreeze in the car was recently topped up. I also have antifreeze in my car. I’m just really hoping that their antifreeze has some sort of special diamond crystals in it to make it that special.
And this is what I could determine. For the others, I have to take their word for it. But it’s difficult to not extrapolate and conclude that at least a few of the items they replaced were either not essential or overpriced. What Strong’s did was, they took advantage of the fact that I was making the trip and took me for the sucker that I was.
«So how was your trip? Didn’t you have a great issue-​free trip because of that 25-​point, fix-​all-​essential-​problems inspection, you c**ting ingrate?» I hear you ask. About that: I found that their inspection did not cover the Sway Bar Links, because 2 weeks later, there was a horrible grinding noise coming from — you guessed it — the sway bar links. Like the idiot that I am, I went back to Strong’s, who (after not much of an inspection, to be fair — though the front desk guy *was* pretty certain based on the noise he heard) said it was the struts, and would be another $ 800 to replace. Since the car wasn’t worth the amount that I was having to pay to fix it within a ¾-​week stretch, and given my previous experience, I decided to engage my brain and shop around.
I have now had the sway bar links replaced. The noise is gone, and the struts — like the windshield wipers — won’t win the coveted Best Newest Struts in Connecticut award, but they are fine for now. I won’t be going back. I like keeping my money.

I already have a review on Google from 2 years ago, but I had to come and chime in again. 2 Years later I had to visit the good guys at Strong’s to get my car re-​aligned. I had just installed new suspension components on my car, and after the incredible experience I had 2 years ago, they were my first call. Reaching these guys by phone is easy, there is usually someone always reachable by phone which is a great sense of comfort. I spoke with them on the phone, and they had my information from my last visit. I told them that I would require basically the same service, and was hoping that although this is 2 years later, that I could get a similar (amazing) price. Of course, with time and the economy one would assume that prices would raise up, so I was prepared. The gentleman on the phone said he would do his best to get me a similar price but it would all come down to the car. No problem! Their work is worth it.
I scheduled the appointment for Thursday morning. I was ok with dropping off my car and letting them take their time. Trust me, I dont do that just anywhere, and am usually that guy that stands outside by the bay door watching the tech work on the car. Given my past experience, I dropped off my keys and told them to take their time. I gave them the specs that I wanted, and they gladly accepted
A few hours later I got the callback. The car was ready. They couldn’t get one of the numbers exactly to where I needed it, but what they did was get it as close as they could, and match the rest of the car to that adjustment based on my specs.
When I went to pick it up I couldn’t be happier. My car was safely tucked away in a corner, and visually the alignment looked fantastic. After speaking with the guys, they told me that their owner does the alignments (great guy, met him a few years ago, VERY knowledgable) and he had made adjustments to compensate for driver weight (VERY RARE that people do this).
It goes without saying that once I drove the car I had a big ear to ear grin. I autocross with my car, so an accurate alignment is VERY important to me. They have my business for years to come. Oh and one last thing, the price for my alignment, they not only matched it, but somehow managed to knock a few bucks off of what i payed a few years ago
Thanks a ton guys.