***PLEASE, STAY AWAY*** I'll begin this review by stating that my '06 Highlander Hybrid's AC was inoperative -- that is, the car's computer had communication with the AC compressor, but the compressor itself could not engage. Turning the AC button on yielded no result. I took my car in to this shop and they charged me $100 for a diagnostic and "free" all-inclusive inspection. Whatever, that was fine. After diagnosing the issue, Elton suggested that we replace the AC compressor. I asked him if we could utilize a used one. He stated their shop does not install used components. Total charge came out to be $1,300. We went with it. The fun part of this whole process begins here! I get a call the next day stating that they had mistakenly bought the AC compressor to the REGULAR version of the car, not the HYBRID version. This mistake is pretty funny considering their website explicitly states they deal with hybrid vehicles. I thought, alright, whatever, obviously I'm not paying for their mistake. Elton stated that a brand-new compressor to my vehicle, along with labor costs, would total just short of 2 grand. He also mentioned that a used one could be utilized. The latter option totaled to around $850, so we went with it. The next day, the shop notifies me that even this compressor will not engage. Subsequently, they bought another used compressor in hopes of restoring my car's AC. After installing the second used compressor, it rendered my car completely dead. It would not turn on. Thus, they reinstalled my original compressor, and we went with the more expensive option: a brand new compressor. Here's where things don't really make sense -- first of all, they denied installing a used compressor at first, even though it became an option later on. This would have prevented the initial hassle of buying a brand new one that didn't even fit my car. Second of all, it seems quite fishy that neither of the used compressors would engage, which, determining through induction, suggests that the compressor is not to blame for this issue. After spending another couple days at the shop (which, by the way, called me maybe once every 24-30 hours), guess what happened when the brand new compressor was installed? It would still not engage. At this point, Elton suggested replacing the car's computer module as well, stating that total costs would increase by another $800 or $1800, depending on whether the computer would be used or new. I asked him, "May we install the computer module with my ORIGINAL compressor?" Elton replies with "I can't do that", and continues to explain the situation, reinforcing the fact he can't guarantee to fix the problem even after all of these repairs take place, since "this might not be the only issue", "there might be another leak", etc. I told him to get my original compressor installed ALONG with the full level of freon that the car possessed prior to entering the shop. He said that that would be fine. After acquiring our vehicle back from them, we took it to a local mechanic. Apparently, Sloan's Automotive did not refill my car with freon even though they promised me they would have done so. I didn't want to bother dealing with them again, so I had my mechanic do that task. Upon diagnosing my car for free, he immediately stated that my car's automatic climate control module was not functioning properly (half of the buttons were not working). Thus, he bought a $300 climate control panel off eBay, and upon installation, the compressor engaged and the car blew ice cold air into the cabin. I fixed my car's issue for $300. Sloan's wanted almost $4,000 to fix components that didn't need to be fixed. Probably the most ridiculous auto "repair" shop I've ever been to, and the one star that I gave on this review should've went on top of my Christmas tree instead. Merry Christmas!
Carlo, I don't know any other way to respond other than saying we blew it on this one. It looks like we misdiagnosed the main problem and created a lot of distrust and inconvenience through the process. I sincerely apologize for the experience you had with us. We felt terrible we weren't able to give you a confident resolution to this problem. I think our only saving grace was not charging you anything and pulling out from moving forward since we lacked the confidence in a repair at that point in time. I completely understand your frustration and I thank you for leaving your review. This failure on our part is definitely worthy of being noticed by others. I believe moving forward we can be more clear on our policy with used parts, do a better job of staying in communication through the process, and do a better job of getting it right the first time.
- Sloan's Automotive