Automan / Autoplaza

Ethan Ruegemer

★☆☆☆☆

a year ago

I genuinely feel like I was being taken advantage of. Over Thanksgiving we broke down in Kansas City on a weekend and had to stay at a hotel until auto shops opened during regular business hours. I googled Auto repair shops near me and the best rated one was booked out for the next week. The second best rated one was Automan/Autoplaza and they were able to get to us right away. We rented a vehicle for the week as we were staying with my wife's family and were hoping to get our vehicle repaired and pick it up on the way back through. I was told that a bolt broke off when the water pump was being removed and now the timing cover had to be replaced for an additional $2,800. I was told due to the condition of the nut and the difficult access the engine would have to be moved two to three inches and there was still no guarantees the bolt would even come out as its condition was very poor and thus the timing cover had to be replaced. I had spent a total of $6,000 to purchase my family van, and since brakes, rotors, and tires were due for servicing, spending that much money on my vehicle made no sense. I was just about to start shopping for a new vehicle, but thought I'd get a second opinion. My brother-in-law said he had the same situation where a bolt broke off during the water pump replacement and it wasn't an issue to take out the bolt. He said he heard that it was fairly common for a bolt to break. I was giving Automan/Autoplaza my trust and the benefit of the doubt. I assumed there must be something out of the ordinary with the bolt in the location and condition it was in. I sent a picture to my dad, who has been a mechanic his entire life, and he said if it was in his garage he could get it out in 30 to 45 minutes. I then called Automan/Autoplaza back and asked they send me the towing bill and whatever they had into it so far. I then reached out to a reputable mechanic in my wife's hometown, who has done work for us in the past, explained the situation, showed him the picture, and he said that in all the years he's been a mechanic he has never had to replace a timing cover in any vehicle when a bolt broke. He was close once but he has never had to. He said especially since the bolt was not broke off inside and was sticking out it should be fairly quick and easy to get it out. He would reserve judgment until looking at it but he was confident. I decided to tow my vehicle from Kansas City to St Mary's which was an hour and a half and 395 additional dollars. The next morning Steve with Fullerton Automotive sent me a photo of the bolt out and a message saying 10 minutes and a bolt extractor and it was taken care of. He said he was picturing a super tiny space difficult to access, but it wasn't a problem at all. He couldn't believe I was told the timing cover had to be replaced. Thanks to Steve for saving the additional $2,800 I was quoted to replace the timing cover. Automan Auto plaza quoted me $4,600 to replace brakes, rotors, two tires, oil change, the water pump, the tow, and the timing cover. I was sent a bill of $600 to cover the tow and the couple hours of their time to look at it. Fullerton automotive removed the broken rusted bolt, replaced the water pump, changed the oil, replaced brakes, rotors, two calipers, two tires, and a broken motor mount for $2,400. During an already stressful situation the additional time it took away from seeing my wife's family we hadn't seen in 2 years, when we lost our transportation and needed our vehicle to get home, dealing with Automan/Autoplaza over vehicle repairs that should have been much less expensive and complicated was disappointing to say the least. Thanks to the fact that my dad is a mechanic, also to my brother-in-law Michael for his past experience and suggestions, and to Steve at Fullerton Automotive who is a lifesaver, I was able to get my vehicle towed away and fixed without spending more than was reasonable and necessary.

Ahmad Alagha

★★★★★

3 years ago

I recently took my car to Automan/ Autoplaza as my vehicle was making weird noises, and eventually shut down on me. I was freaking out and had no idea what was going on and eventually found a local mechanic shop and towed it over to them. I was extremely impressed with the service I received. The team there was knowledgeable, friendly, and efficient, and they completed all of the work on my car in a timely manner. Additionally, I kept getting phone calls with updates on my vehicle. The prices were also very reasonable. I would highly recommend Automan/ Autoplaza mechanic shop to anyone in need of car repair or maintenance. Five stars!!

Robert Whitman

★★★★★

8 months ago

I have been using this shop for repairs on our Infiniti and Hyundai for 3 years now. I can now confidently say they are a great shop and will always get my business. A+

Mitchell Ramsland

★★★★★

a year ago

I used to bring my car to Hyde Park Auto (also excellent but OOB), but they closed a few years ago. Since then, I tried a few places before landing on automan autoplaza. AJ and his team are Trustworthy and I have brought my car there a few times; always done great work. Definitely recommend

Maggie Sebelius

★★★★★

Edited 10 years ago

Been there twice. They take care of my issues and are very nice! They came highly recommended by two people, one of whom details cars for a living, so he would know more than the average person. Both of those people have taken their cars to Automan for many years. I trust Automan to fix the issue and charge a fair price! I was quoted $1000 elsewhere for a rack and pinion, and they only charged $700. 1/26/2016 Edit: I went again in December to get my car taken care of before a drive to Denver in snowy conditions. Again, they fixed everything very well and for less than I feared it might be! In my opinion, the car drives better now than it ever has in the five years I've owned it. This is not a one-time lucky happenstance...Automan has consistently done excellent work at a fair price for me.

Mayra Carranza

★☆☆☆☆

Edited a year ago

I took my car due to a metal cover coming loose over the exhaust system causing loud rattling. They mentioned the part would be $35 but with labor I would be looking at around $300 plus any additional small parts they needed. Then proceed to tell me I need to get multiple pieces replaced. When I got up under my car to see where the sound came from & it was legit one piece that doesn’t even need to be replaced but just mounted back on with new screws so it won’t be loose anymore. I ended up taking my car to KC Autoworx 39th. They ended up charging me $0 for the washers & screws they replaced. My car is good as new now!

Sheree LeMaire

★★★★☆

4 years ago

They were good at diagnosing the issues of my vehicle. And they didn't do anything without letting me know. Although they are busier than they seem, so they were a little hard to get in touch with, and they kept my car overnight without letting me know. But it was ok considering I expected it anyways. But they overall are very educated in their trade and know what they're doing. And they seem to be a very honest shop. I'll most likely be going back there in the future.

April. Rifen

★★★★★

8 years ago

I can't say enough good things about Automan, owner A. J. and his crew. I have taken my cars there for years, even for services still covered under warranty through my dealership. They are honest, knowledgeable, fix what needs to be fixed the first time, and never try to rip you off with "repairs" that were never needed or inflated charges. Always friendly, and willing to have you come in for service even if you haven't made an appointment. In my experience the best place to trust your car to in the entire KC metro area!

Dan Thode

★★★★★

3 years ago

We were in town for a basketball tournament and our check engine light came on. Stopped at an Autozone to get it diagnosed and it showed as a cylinder one misfire. I called up Automan and they said they could work me in the next day, knowing that I was visiting from out of town. They quickly diagnosed the issue as oil leaking into the spark plugs/ignition coils. AJ sent me pictures of the damage and called with an estimate. They got the repair done that day, so we could head home versus having to get a hotel room for another night. AJ even pointed out a couple non-critical issues he said I should have checked out when I got back home. If I lived in KC, I would make Automan my regular mechanic. AJ was very courteous, answered all my questions and was very polite/professional.

Mike Sydal

★★★★★

7 years ago

They do excellent work and are honest. AJ takes care of his customers. I have taken various cars of mine to this shop for 11 years, and they always do high quality work at a reasonable price. I recommend them to all my friends.

Christina Perisho

★★★★★

2 years ago

I was treated with such respect and the work done on my car was very professional. They went above and beyond. AJ was so polite and honest. I would highly recommend taking your car here!

Dean Boese

★★★★★

6 years ago

AJ, the owner, is the best mechanic in the city bar none. He does quality work at reasonable prices. He's also quite the character. The man is quite literally a lifesaver. I don't care where I am in the city, the only place I take my car for any work I need done is Automan.

Gavyn Brand

★☆☆☆☆

2 years ago

I call to get an estimate on my rear bumper as I had a mixup on my claim. Lady tells me to come in at 8am the next morning. I arrive and am told the estimate guy was in the middle of moving and actually isn’t coming in until 10 and will be there until 5pm. I then come back after work at 4pm and am told no one is here who knows how to work those systems. Communication could’ve gone a long way to not sit here and waste my time.

James Lindsey

★☆☆☆☆

6 years ago

Took my car to have a brace fixed. They did the job and fixed it. However, they replaced a brand new bumper with a used bumper and I wasn't given a notice about it or was informed of this. They also destroyed my wiring harness to my parking lights and blinker, making them no longer operable. Also there is a fuse box in the front of the engine bay that they broke and just left. Parts of my cold air intake are missing. When I picked up the car AJ told me they would fix the wiring harness at a price. The same one they destroyed. Having bad experience with mechanics before I decided to go down and have a chat with Aj and give him an opportunity to make things right. I made an appointment to get my car looked at and they scheduled me on a day they are closed. I have called and left messages and still have not heard back from him. At this point I want to be paid back for the damages done to my car. I no longer will do business with this shop.

Beth Strobel

★★★★★

8 years ago

AJ and his team have taken excellent care of our cars for the past 7 years. AJ takes a personal interest in each of his customers' vehicles and needs. They never propose work that doesn't really need to be done, and they solve the problem the first time. I recommend AJ to everyone I know.

Abdullah

★☆☆☆☆

12 years ago

he will try to charge you as much money as he can. when it comes to fixing cars, me and my friends had fixed our cars at his shop before, and the same problem will appear later. not professional at all. if you love your car, Please do not even pass by his shop. I know people that bought used cars from him before for a high price, and it was not worth it at all. the cars started to have problems, which he fixed and the same problem would appear again. basically not clear with you AT ALL I personally do not recommend him at all.

Shubham Devadkar

★☆☆☆☆

6 years ago

Very poor customer service. These guys were responsible for damaging my car's key which costed me $363. I would definitely recommend everyone to try not to go there. You would definitely find a lot better dealerships/ service centers around Kansas City who will not disappoint you.