British American Auto Care Inc / Simpsonville, Maryland

Rating: ☆

Auto Repair & Service, Auto Oil & Lube, Truck Service & Repair

Address: 9577 Berger Rd, Simpsonville

Postal code: 21046

Phone: (443) 537-9004

This company had to do a simple 60K maintenance on our Subaru. The Dealership (who everyone knows overcharges) quoted $700 for this service. British american quoted $460, then charged over $2200 for this simple service. This company rips you off, and takes all of your money once they have your car when they know you need it back. DO NOT TRUST THIS COMPANY!

Cordell Pearce / 9/13/2011

We have been in business since 1978, voted number one for auto service and repairs for over 25 years. We run an honest ethical service and repari facility.

$579.18 was NOT for a 5 minute job it was for checking two different problems and repairing one problem. Here is the truth.
1. MR Wisch brought the car in and explained the symptoms NOT a fix for the problems he was having with HIS Land Rover. The car DI... view moreD turn over and would crank but would not start INTERMITTENTLY after the car was hot. He also talked about other symptoms possibly related to a transmission problem or another driveability problem.

2. It was not just pulling codes, pulling codes only tells us the system or circuit the problem is happening in. In level one check we check all the basics (battery, grounds, harness connections) we also pull the codes and try to reproduce the symptoms, we also checked the Internet (Direct Hit service) and for service bulletins related to the symptoms reported. The goal is to establish a diagnostic pathway. (The charge for this was one hours labor) We were looking for two problems, our internet search pointed towards a crank position sensor for one of the problems, we tested the car until it failed, we checked and found there was not a spark so we checked for a signal at the coil (located under intake), no signal. The car started, we checked the CPS and harness, hooked up a scope to the sensor and retested until it failed, when it failed next we were able to condemn the sensor. Tyler called Mr Wisch and gave him the price to replace the sensor. ($277) saying he did not know the total yet because we had to install the sensor then retest and road test for the possible transmission issue and to make sure the sensor fixed the starting issue.

3. The time quoted for replacing the sensor was 1.5 hours it took 2 hours, it is in a very inaccessible place and the bolts holding it in position did not come out easily. It is NOT a quick thing to replace.

4. The price of the part, we charge our cost X 1.6 which is in-line with industry standards.

5. The quote ""sorry about your luck"" ! Since this post they have admitted that we did NOT say this.

I think like a lot of the information that has been passed on to Mrs Wisch it has been misinterpreted and taken out of context because of a lack of understanding of complex systems electronic systems.

We reported on the job ticket that we did not experience any transmission problems on our extended tests.

We have very strict policies that our service writers and technicians HAVE to follow, these policies were followed.

Brian E / 12/5/2010

I`ve had all three of my vehicles serviced at British American for several years and keep coming back because they do the job right, and they do it right the first time. This has been my experience even though I never give them the easy jobs because I`m a fairly decent amateur mechanic who enjoys suspension work, replacing injectors, repairing window regulators etcetera. In other words, they only get the more chall... view moreenging jobs that require a lift, specialized tools or are beyond my electrical troubleshooting skills. So far they`ve never failed. Yes, their markup on parts is pretty hefty and their labor rates aren`t the lowest. However, I think it`s pretty lame to go online and bellyache about the cost, because they always give an estimate before they proceed with the repairs. If you don`t like the price, don`t have them do the work! It`s that simple. Period. One final note, if these guys were really shysters, I doubt they would have told me about the federal emissions warranty on my wife`s Saturn, that it just barely still qualified for, after they diagnosed a collapsed catalytic converter. I had never even heard of such a warranty so they could have easily kept their mouths shut, done all the work and left me a satisfied customer. Instead they advised me to take the car to a GM dealer for the warranty repair which meant all they could charge was several hundred bucks in diagnostic fees. Their willingness to forgo the extra work saved me around $1300.

Lee in MD / 11/15/2010

I have used this facility for 20 years. I trust them with both of my cars. The staff are extremely knowledgeable and always available to explain what they are doing. I highly recommend them.

Zz63 / 10/9/2010

These guys are a bunch of thieves. I brought my 2001 Land Rover Discovery II to them on October 1, 2010 because it would not turn over. My husband rebuilt the engine of this truck himself, so he knows it like the back of his hand, but he could not work on it this week and he knew it would be a simple fix, so we brought it to British American because they had such good reviews. He spent about 20 minutes with Mark expl... view moreaining the exact problem and everything he had done to try to get it to start . Mark told him that they would run some tests to figure out what was wrong, it would cost 105.00 if it was a level I diagnosis, but an additional 189.00 if they had to do level II. We said that was fine, my husband was 99% that they would just have to pull the codes to diagnose the problem which was a level I. Since these guys advertise that they are British Automobile specialists, this should have taken them no time at all to diagnose. We spent 5 minutes searching on the Land Rover forum and found literally hundreds of posts about this problem. Tyler called my husband the next day and told him our crankshaft position sensor had gone bad, which is a pretty common problems with the Discovery II. He said it would cost 277.00 to fix it. My husband said fine, go ahead and fix it. I went to pick up the truck that night and was handed a bill for 579.18!!! They had charged us for the level II diagnostic, despite the fact that this problem is extremely easy to diagnose by just pulling the code. On top of that, they charged us 109.00 for a part that costs between 68.00 and 85.00 from reputable Land Rover parts dealers. Then, they charged us 157.50 in labor for a job that takes 5 minutes for an experienced Land Rover mechanic and maybe 30 minutes for a rookie. When we challenged them on what they charged us, they basically said ""Sorry about your luck."" They told my husband that they had to pull the ignition coils off the truck, which is not required to replace the sensor they replaced but is very time consuming. That tells me that they were fishing for more problems to charge us for, they couldn`t find any, and then they had the balls to charge us for the time they spent trying to rip us off!!! Avoid these guys at all costs.

bethwisch / 10/4/2010

I had always heard that mechanics are notorious for ripping people off, British American is NOT one of those places. For years my immediate and extended family, has been using their services. I would recommend British American to anyone who needed their car fixed. Not only are they great with cars, their office staff also great with customers. Although they`re not the cheapest place to go, YOU ARE GETTING WHAT YOU P... view moreAID FOR!!!!

HBSP / 8/4/2009

I just moved to the area and was referred by a friend to go to British American. I couldn`t have been more pleased. I was having a problem with my car but it wasn`t happening when I came in for my appointment. Instead of charging me to look at it they recommended I stop by when it started happening. I went back later in the week when it was happening. They were very busy but were able to squeeze me in. The staff is s... view moreo friendly and they really care about their customers. While I was sitting in the waiting room I spoke with two very pleased customers. They couldn`t stop raving about the place. I had a wonderful experience and will be back with both of my cars.

Weav92407 / 5/11/2009

I`ve been using British American for over 9 years and have had excellent service from day one. The whole staff is very knowledgeable with any vehicles I bring in and the staff is always willing to answer my questions in full detail. I get follow up phone calls shortly after I bring my car in and have had little trouble bringing my car in on short notice.

pjevans1 / 3/18/2009

British American is a business that has operated in the community for more years then I can remember. I have used them exclusively for the last ten years and have never had a bad experience. As a family owned business the focus on quality is second to none in the region as proven by their Howard County Small business awards over the last fifteen years. The other thing I respect about the business is their focus on th... view moree community. I am not aware of another business that cares more about their community and environment. I recommend British American to my family and friends and anyone else looking for quality service.

SEO / 3/18/2009

This Company has extremely bad customer service. I had an issue with my car that they had fixed, and within 6 months; the issue reappeared. When i brought my car back to complain (they have a 2 yr/24000 Mile warranty), i was told that it wasn`t the same thing that had gone wrong before, and they recommended replacement of the whole engine. Obviously, I`m not going to jump on board, and replace an engine. So I brought... view more the car to another shop, who told me that it in fact was the Original Problem. So, they take the car back and start to work on the car, and they continue to drag out the return of my car, it ended up taking over 2 months to get my car back, so much for speedy service.

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