R & S Automotive

So my review might not be representative of the others peoples experiences, but I think it’s a valid observation and might have some important insights. If this isn’t representative of R and S auto, well more 5 star reviews will wash it out.
Basically I took my car to R and S auto to get it fixed after someone with no insurance T boned my car in a parking lot. Ralph seemed friendly enough at our first meeting. They seemed to have difficulty giving me a date for completion, and then this date slid once. But maybe thats normal for body repair, and the work is beautiful and holds up to this day.
However, things got a little weird when I pick up the completed car. I noticed the 12V battery must have been disconnected, this is obvious since all of the clocks and electronics in the car are reset. I assume that’s normal and I drive the car home happy. I drive the car home and run an errand at night… and both my headlights are out.
Well I’ve driven cars for years and I’ve only never a headlight burn out on me. Maybe I’m lucky but I’m pretty sure their lifespans are measured in years. This is a red flag. The chance of even one of the headlights going out while the car is getting fixed is very low. I don’t need to be a mathematician to know the chance of two simultaneously blowing is very very low.
My deepest concern is that the bad headlights are evidence that something insidious happened to the car, like some power short or surge. My car is a hybrid and there’s about 40 different electrical systems. Maybe R and S cut into some electronics by accident during the work, etc. I return to R and S. I see Ralph. I’m polite and open-​minded for possible explanations, but my «BS» meter is also turned on. I get there and I state the facts.
Ralph is polite, but frankly doesn’t seem to believe that the headlights died in his shop, and never seems to even entertain the possibility that his shop had anything to do with it. As I interact with him more, I sense he’s has a superior attitude. I do my first BS test, and I ask him if the shop disconnected my 12V battery. Ralph immediately and casually denies this possibility. Well my 12V was definitely disconnected and it’s easy to tell. Ralph then calls in his mechanic who had something to do with my car, and the mechanic also immediately denies that the shop did anything to the electrical system or disconnected the battery.
Well I guess there is some chance that some kid sneaked into the parking lot disconnected the 12V and touched nothing else, but it’s unlikely. Another red flag goes up. The chance of some insidious electronic problems, and their attendant expenses, is in the back of my head. I’m a little incredulous and more suspicious now, but still polite. I simply ask them straight up, do you really think two headlights burned out in your shop at the same time by chance, when no head lights have burned out in the last two years of driving?
After putting forward this direct question, Ralph and the mechanic seem decide I am an idiot and a pest. Maybe they are annoyed, or maybe this is their tactic to try to intimidate a customer who has critical questions.
I stand my ground. Ralph retains his calm, dismissive and superior attitude. However the mechanic starts becoming visibly angry. Instead of discussing possibility of an electrical problem, the mechanic then loudly and repeatedly accuses me of having illegal, «blue» headlights. What? Huh? This isn’t close to true, is unrelated to the headlights dying, and we all can read the model number on the spot. They are Phillips X treme bulbs, and white. And above all, how does the mechanic seem to know so much about my lights yet supposedly have only done body work?
Next, Ralph fires up his computer, and in between verbal flourishes of his great reputation and experience, Ralph uses the power of google to discover Prius’s HID problems and asks me if I «know about the headlight problem» in Priuses. I ask him if he’s talking about the HID problems and he says yes. More time passes as I get him to realize I do not have an HID system and this is an unrelated problem. Throughout this the mechanic is fuming and muttering something about my «illegal headlights».
Things get more heated, as I keep getting such red herrings thrown in my face. I get dismissed by Ralph and insulted by the mechanic. This version of a «good cop bad cop» routine goes on for half an hour, and my concerns are never taken seriously. In the end, Rs comps me two «new» and inferior headlights (which burn out in a couple months, hmmm…). I replace these with pricier, nicer, headlights which work fine to this day. Fortunately I have had no electrical problems.
If you want a shop with great work, the attitude of a pissed off neurosurgeon, the chance of mysterious problems and are willing to incur the chance of suffering personal attacks instead of having your concerns intelligently addressed, consider R&S.

New to the area n needed to find out why my car failed its omissions test. Went to this automotive shop n they helped me right away n figured it out for me. It didn’t cost me an arm n a leg. Thanks for ur help.

South Tucson is where it’s at for a number of reasons. The latest? R & S for my body shop needs. Mama’s been driving her Caddy with a puncture in the bumper. It’s been like that for two years. The good news? It wasn’t my fault (it may or may not have been caused by my better half). The bad news? It’s not a hot look when I’m trying to pimp my ride around town. For realz.
When it first happened, I took my car to a local dealership and was quoted $ 400 to replace the entire bumper. It wasn’t worth it to me at the time, so I kept on cruisin’ with my bruised rear-​end. Recently my husband and I decided we were finally ready to do something about it. We went back to the same dealership, and get this, now they wanted $ 765 for the same job. After throwing up in my mouth a little bit, and then laughing in their face, I took my biznits to Ralph.
Dude is one cool cat. You ever want to call someone up, just because you love listening to the sound of their voice? Ralph is that guy all the way. Super smooth, totally pro. The first time I met him, he rolled up in his tricked out SUV, aftermarket chrome grill glinting in the sun. That was it, I was sold. I knew we were car soul mates. Ish, if his wheels looked that good, I couldn’t wait for him to get to work on mine.
Unlike the dealership, he provided a quote in 30 seconds flat, no waiting, no bull-​ishing. He outlined the process of what needed to be done, told me the time-​line, and then gave me the best news ever — $ 300 total. Replacing the bumper wasn’t necessary. He had me hooked. He completed the job in exactly the time he said, and from beginning to end, Ralph and his team provided superior customer service. They even delivered my fixed car to my work, washed and shined from front to back — rims looking right! No dents in sight. It was as stunning as the day I first bought it!
Seriously, I wish I had more cars for Ralph to fix. Truf? I really want him to trick my ride, but that’s another, really long convo with my husband, and I’m not sure how successful I’d be. R & S is right next door to Micha’s on South 4^th — you won’t be able to miss it. Look for the bad azz classic muscle cars out front. Enough to make Shae Nae Nae drool and dream… they’re all for sale too.