Meineke Reviews

Original Review: July 12, 2024

Meineke was supposed to fix my air conditioner. Something broke in my anti theft system and currently is still there trying to be repaired. Seems after 7 weeks of trying different things to fix it, it's not getting fixed! I wouldn't be so upset right now if I didn't have to in return pay for my own car rental which is over $1,600! I just want Meineke corporate to finally return my call after the 5th call today and agree to pay for my rental. I brought it there running perfect, now it's not running. I am NOT responsible for this bill. Meineke please call me and fix this. Ya know, my husband passed away 2 days before this unexpectedly. So I've had to deal with all of this Meineke stress while grieving for my husband. It's not right.

I’ve reached out to BBB and consumer protection. One begins to here at consumer protection. Why they are so against providing a detailed receipt after no less than four requests. What kind of brakes did I buy? I asked for ceramic and was quoted ceramic. Will update this until I get my GD detailed receipt. And taking it to another on Tuesday to tell me what brakes I bought. Meineke will be responding to the SEVERAL reviews I’m going to write and to the BBB and consumer protection for starters. If I told my client and I work for a bank, and that I bought something but failed to provide a detailed receipt, and after four requests, I’d be fired. Again will update. Unacceptable and they are going to be very unhappy with the multiple reviews and online complaints unless it’s remedied immediately. Mark my words. Dismal and dumb situation to be spending hours of my time on.

Several days later he went to pick up the car and was presented with a bill for an additional $ 5,876.74. He paid with his credit card and left. Unaware that all of this transpired, I saw him the next day and told him that he now had almost $ 8,000 wrapped up in a car that was still worth around $1,000. He responded with "I'm Sorry". I told him that I was also sorry for him since he had now drained most of his bank account. I now have complaints filed with the Illinois Attorney General's Office + Better Business Bureau. I am also looking into his protections under the disability rights act and possible consumer fraud claims. I tried to work this out with someone at management level, however after several attempts of calling the Manager at Meineke and being told that "there's nothing we can do". If an Attorney should read this and would be willing to take this case on, it would be greatly appreciated. **

The next morning my check engine light was back on. I had to take it to the dealership for an actual qualified professional to service it. Come to find out I shouldn't have been driving it! When I called him on it he LIED and said he told me that and then hung up on me. They are unprofessional, unqualified and seriously over priced. Do yourself a favor and take it to someone worth it. Once the BBB complaint was filed, they have refused to respond to the requests by the BBB.

Another three weeks went by, and Matthew informed me that he gave me the incorrect part numbers. I asked him to send them back to BMW and he did, but that process took five weeks. By then, it was now January 2024. I was understanding because of the two major holidays and things move slower then; however, I found out on January 9th, 2024, that my parts had not been shipped back and he finally did so on January 10th, 2024. On January 16th, I found out that BMW would not accept one of the parts they sent back because it had been "used". Matthew claimed it was still new, but BMW insisted it wasn't. I decided to just accept the loss on that part at that point.

They sent me an estimate of $840 and said it required my electronic signature for them to proceed, and I signed it. By then we are well into late February 2024, and Matt called me and said that they could not fix my car and that I would not have to pay anything. The really sad thing is that there were only two hoses visible and accessible on the top side of the engine that had to be replaced. Even though I felt I had wasted 3 months with them, I said okay and asked when I could come and have my car towed to BMW. He said there is no problem leaving your car here as long as you need to.

When I called to inform them that I was coming to have my car towed and asked to speak to Matthew, I was told that he was no longer there and that my car had been towed away. The new Manager, Richard, was extremely rude. I told him everything that transpired and asked him to simply have my car towed back so I could take it to BMW. He refused and treated me badly, but I will leave that alone for a second. I went to the place where the vehicle was towed and told them what was going on. I asked for the key to see if the parts that I paid for were in the car. They (JR) told me they did not have the key, and that if the key was sent with the car, it would be unlocked with the key inside. They were also very nice and respectful and had specific procedures for what they do with a towed car.

I went back to Meineke and spoke to Richard. He held the phone to his ear and mouth the whole time I was there, and he appeared to be afraid. When he was talking, I asked if he was speaking to me or the person on the phone. He said he was talking to me and would not put the phone down after I asked him, and he started being rude. He said that I was trying to argue, and I said no, I am trying to get my key. He said that he gave the key to the tow truck driver, and I told him that I just came from up there and they do not have the key.

Richard again told me that the key was not there and that was it. He then told me to have a nice day. if you ever must deal with this Richard guy, please know that you have been warned! They have now left me with no alternative but to file a lawsuit against them while I simply wanted to get two oil hoses replaced so that I could give the car to my Son.

I asked them about the yellow fluid under the gas cap, they said, "Oh we didn't check that." NOW I'M NO MECHANIC BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS Very ODD. They said no yellow fluid was seen on the oil dipstick. It was after that that they said now I needed an engine flush. I was already over $2,000. Plus I had to pay any overages at this point. I told them I'd get the other stuff done - additional flush and tire rods -since the 'Engine' Report Diagnostic was good. If that initial engine report was bad I WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN ALL OF THAT WORK DONE. It would not have made sense. Repairs were made I assumed. I picked up the truck on Jan. 19, 2024 and all of the windows fogged up, and the defrost wasn't defogging that same evening!! So I took the truck back the Very next morning saying "Why are all windows fogging up even during the day!" They said -turn the defrost heater all the way up. That was it!

They didn't check anything else! That didn't work! I only drove for 2 days and the very same issues that happened when I first had it towed occurred again! The steering wheel started making sounds when turning, the brakes locked up, the truck loss power, and smoke started billowing from under the hood! I coasted to an area of grass off of a street about 5 miles from home and put it in park. I jumped out, I was so afraid, I called an Uber to take me home!! Then I called Meineke to tell them the Same thing happened to my truck! It was towed back to Meineke. I called the corporate office to complain! I called Snap FINANCES who put in a dispute. They couldn't believe these issues either. I talked to 2 local Mieneke Managers - Now Meineke says I have a Blown Head Gasket and the engine is DONE! and to come and get it. That truck was my only source of transportation!!

Meineke received their $2100.00 and said they aren't refunding me or Snap FINANCE. So SNAP FINANCE AND MYSELF HAVE NOTHING! It's a classic RIP OFF. I ASKED THEM WHAT ABOUT THE INITIAL 'GOOD ENGINE' REPORT? You all should ask them to explain that too. Now they are trying to place the blame elsewhere. Meanwhile I have no transportation! So - To any woman, senior citizen or anyone for that matter. DON'T GO TO MEINEKE! THEY JUST LITERALLY DON'T CARE WHAT THEY TELL YOU AS LONG AS THEY GET PAID. Those Meineke guys and Corporate Guys, CEO too Should be ashamed!

After looking into my problem over several days, they called and told me it was the transmission that needed to be replaced. I wasn't happy about this but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. They replace the transmission. It drove okay for about a week but I noticed the shifting was a bit rough. Now it's been a couple weeks and it is doing the same thing it was doing prior to them replacing my transmission. I should have taken elsewhere. I hope others have a better experience but as for me, I will no longer being taking my vehicles to this shop or any Meineke for that matter.

They called, said my car was done but something was wrong with one of my tires which I didn’t understand because it was just on my car and it had no leaks but now he said it wouldn’t hold air. So then I ask about the check engine light and he said oh he didn’t remember the codes but take it to the dealership. So I brought the car home but my son said it wasn’t driving right. So I cleared the code and he drove the car and the light came on as soon as he drove it. Now the car had 2 codes instead of one so I looked the second code up, code 2a82 bmw and YouTube said if you got an oil change recently check that first. So I took it to another Meineke and ask them to check the oil, change the previous Meineke did they said they did, nothing was wrong and clear the codes.

I told him the light was going to come back on, "Did you check the oil change?, he said. "Yes as soon as my son start driving the light came on so I took it back to the original Meineke" and show him my receipt. Told him what the other guy said and ask him to check the oil change because no one was checking it, they only check the codes. So he said he checked the oil change and that the code had nothing to do with a oil change but I knew I was right so I took it to a third place and told them to just take the oil cap and filter off, I know some is wrong.

The guy took it off, the oil was dirty, the the wrong Filter Housing Cover Cap was on my car. I took it back to the original Meineke and he said it was his parts. But he had to call all the places I been to check my store. But if you would had did your job I would’ve to take my car to all these places. I haven’t heard back. I’m disputing the charge for both Meineke. Thank god for common sense and the internet. So my car was driven for 12 day with the wrong part. And he said he is the boss and I can’t talk to anyone else. Aaron at Burlington Meineke, bad service.

The following day, I immediately took my truck to Toyota of Dallas for an inspection. To my utter shock and dismay, they informed me that one of my wheels was loose. I personally witnessed this and discussed the issue with their service manager, who confirmed that three lug nuts on the driver's front wheel could be easily loosened with my fingers. Even more concerning, I was informed that a lug nut was entirely missing from my front passenger side wheel.

I requested that Toyota of Dallas retorque the lug nuts, and I decided to address the situation with Meineke, expecting an earnest resolution. The diagnostic report from Toyota of Dallas stated, "Retorque all wheels to spec upon customer request, then found all four wheels not torqued properly to spec." I promptly contacted Robert at Meineke Car Care Center #2827, who assured me that the matter would be escalated to their Operations Manager, Robert **. Despite reaching out to them on multiple occasions, I received no response, no apology, and no indication of any corrective actions taken. This blatant disregard for customer safety and lack of accountability is deeply troubling.

When I reached out to Meineke Corporate for assistance, I was informed that this location operates independently and that there was little they could do to intervene. This response left me even more disillusioned with Meineke as a whole. I am appalled by the fact that a simple phone call to rectify a potentially life-threatening situation was seemingly too much to ask from Meineke Car Care Center #2827. I commute on highways daily, often with my wife and 13-month-old child in the vehicle, and the negligence displayed by this location is simply unacceptable.

I want to emphasize that my primary concern is not just for myself but for the safety of others who may unknowingly visit this establishment. Meineke's lack of action and indifference towards customer safety is inexcusable. I now feel compelled to share my harrowing experience with friends, family, and coworkers, urging them to avoid Meineke Car Care Centers altogether. I sincerely hope that Meineke Corporate takes immediate and decisive action to address the alarming practices at this location and to ensure the safety of all customers.

I called and wrote the Meineke company. They said they could not do anything because each store is independently owned. This is a company that steals money out of the pockets of good honest hard-working people. I know I got a raw deal from the local Meineke store I went at 1321 Diamond Spring Road Va Beach, Va. Please avoid that store and all their stores because if something goes wrong like it did for me, the Meineke company will just back their local store and you will be at a loss. I lost $2804.05 because of Meineke shady practices.

Based on your advisor’s recommendation, we agreed to have the major tune-up completed and include an oil change and paid $1172. We received a text 2 weeks later stating that the vehicle was ready for pickup. We picked up the vehicle on Thursday and the check engine light came on; we parked it until Sunday when my husband drove it to the corner store and on the way back home the car stalled and never started again. On 2/27, we called back to your location and informed them of the problem, and they sent a tow truck to pick up the vehicle for further examination. The vehicle remained at your location for another week. Mr. ** told the service advisors that he works overnight and to contact his wife, Reshonda **, during the day since he is a day sleeper. No calls were received.

During this time, we had to rent a vehicle for 2 weeks while the vehicle was being serviced because we are a two-car household and Mr. ** needed transportation to and work from. Due to the nature of his work, he only gets paid for hours worked and Mr. ** has already missed 3 days of work. I called and spoke with Jose, who was quite rude and very unprofessional when speaking to me. He kept talking over me, stating that they had been calling and texting me to receive approval for the new recommended services to have the catalytic converters that needed to be replaced and the new total would be $2890. As I was trying to explain to Jose that we have not received any calls or texts on either phone. He begins to raise his voice. I could hear on the phone that we were on speaker phone and that the service employees in the background speaking of the car as he was telling me he was looking through the notes.

I repeated myself again stating that we have been speaking with Meineke Corporate customer service and awaiting a call from the owner to discuss this situation. After multiple calls to the Meineke Corporate customer service line, no return call from the owner was received. He then proceeds to give the phone to Junior, and I again attempted to explain the situation when he rudely and loudly interrupts me stating that I was telling a lie about the service initially requested and that I have not been calling and speaking with anyone there. I stated that I have clear notes of whom I spoke to when I called and what was discussed in addition to the repair notes provided during the first service. When I could clearly look at the paperwork and CARFAX where it shows the service received on 2/27.

Then Lawrence takes over the phone call and begins to very aggressively talk to me yelling at me that he has never spoken to me and I politely say, "You are correct, I have never spoken to you, I have only spoken to Jose 3 times." By this time, the level of unprofessionalism was more than what I could handle mentally so I woke my husband up to take over the call. Lawrence then begins the conversation with “no disrespect to your wife but...” Lawrence continues the conversation with my husband, Andre **, as I am listening via speakerphone. My husband explains the situation to Lawrence who responds that he will personally look at the vehicle on Monday when he returns because he had a family emergency on would be out for a few days, and he would call once he has looked at it.

That Monday, no call was received so my husband called on Tuesday and was informed that the vehicle was ready. We arrived at the location the next morning at 8 am, when my husband got off work and upon arrival was informed that the vehicle in fact was not ready and that upon final inspection there was a tear in one of the catalytic converters and that the vehicle would be ready by noon. The next morning no call was received so my husband called and was told that the part needed to be ordered and they would call when it was ready.

We finally got the call that the vehicle was ready, and my husband and the service advisor test-drove it through the parking lot, with no issues. Upon the ride home (13 minutes and 7 miles) on 3.24, the vehicle started to beep very loudly and the lights on the dash start to flicker “Oil pressure low stop engine and service tire system” (video and pictures were taken) and the vehicle sounds like a diesel truck, none of these sounds and lights were on when the vehicle was dropped off initially or the 2nd drop-off. We brought the vehicle back on 3.25 and were told that it would be ready in a few hours. As of 3.27, we have not received any calls or updates on the status of the vehicle.

3.29- I called and spoke with Junior at 11:20 am and he stated that they tested the oil pressure sensor, and it tested fine, but the oil pump is not pumping. He stated he will call me back once he reviews the notes further and that it was a line of customers in the lobby. 3.29- I called several times between 2 pm and 6 pm and left a voicemail. No callback was received. 3.30- Called and spoke with Junior at 12:17 pm, he stated he did receive the messages I had left the previous day, but no explanation on why a return call was not made. Junior stated that the exhaust and spark plugs were all okay. The oil pump and pressure were all okay. They performed another oil change (unauthorized) but the vehicle was still dropping oil pressure.

Junior stated that more testing needed to be done by the mechanic and the mechanic was the only one that could complete the work, however, he was the only worker there as he had 2 call-ins that day. Tomorrow he should be fully staffed so the mechanic will complete then. I asked how long the repairs would take to complete; he stated it would be 1 hour. I asked where on the list of repairs my vehicle was, and he stated first on the list and to call back around 11:30 am.

3.31- I called on 3/31 and spoke with Jose. Jose stated that they completed another oil change, which was unauthorized and could not state why so many oil changes had been performed. They completed a short test drive, and no noise was heard. Jose said that the short test drive is only a couple of miles to 1960 and Aldine Westfield and back to the service center. Jose stated that another longer test drive would be completed (Service center to Imperial Valley and 1960 and back) and that should happen today the mechanic will call when he returns from the test drive.

4.3- I called at 10:12 am and spoke with Jose and he stated that Eric, the mechanic, did not have time to call me back Saturday and that he was off today, Monday, and only works Tuesday through Saturday. From the mechanic’s notes, the motor needs to be repaired and it would be the same amount of labor as previously. I asked to speak with the mechanic and Jose stated that he was busy doing another customer’s oil change and that I should come into the service center to speak with him in person. As of today, your service center has been repairing our vehicle for over 30 days with no actual resolution, only faulty diagnoses, unnecessary repairs, inadequate work performed, missed time off work, a 2-week rental, and a lot of frustration, dissatisfaction and not repairing my vehicle in a timely manner.

In sum, I was told by the manager that by law he does not have to provide the invoice for parts and that he was not going to give a copy to me/adjuster. He also told me that he was still going to charge me for the parts ordered because he could not return the parts even after I told him to stop the work before speaking with my insurance company. I would advise anyone to not deal with this company, due to not being able to produce a copy of the invoice for parts, charges keep changing, they have now sent me 4 different estimates of the invoice since my adjuster had gone to due my insurance adjustment.

After sitting in the waiting area for over two hours I was told to come to the garage. I was informed that two bolts from the transmission needed to be mounted to keep the transmission in place. No worries, I thought, assuming that they were still looking out for my best interest as a customer. They also told me that they figured out why I wasn't able to keep coolant due to a clip not being placed where it originally should have been. Still assuming that they were doing me a favor. I said, "Fix it, no worries." I went to sit back in the lobby area and proceeded to watch movies on my phone to pass the time.

About an hour later, Another guy comes and tells me that he has bad news. Now I'm told that I now need to Remove and Replace CV Axle Assembly for 479.99, Remove and Replace the Catalytic Converter for 1,655.18, Flush Coolant System for 183.98, Synthetic Blend Oil Change for 89.42, Remove and Replace all Brake Pads for 1,250.39 totaling 3,712.45. I'm shocked and panicked because I didn't have 3,713.45. I need a car to get to work, and to get my kids to school. They presented me with an option to apply for KarCare reassuring me that I could get approved for the majority of the financing. I applied and was approved for the majority of financing with roughly 800.00 out of pocket costs. Assuming that they were still doing me a favor I sat for several more hours until they were done at about 6:30pm.

My car was ready to drive and the heat was working! However the front desk machine who also approved me for Karcare informed me that I still needed a Radiator Hose. It was a Friday. They told me that they didn't have the part and to come back on the following day at 12 noon. I came back at approximately 12:00 noon with my 4 year old in a cold car because the heat was no longer working. I got there and they told me that the wrong part was sent and they were about to call me, so I asked what I was supposed to do about the car overheating in the meantime. I was instructed to get some green coolant and shown where to put it until the part came.

As instructed I got the green coolant. Meineke was closed on Sunday. Monday they didn't call and Monday was also the day that my car completely stopped working. I was stranded with my kids in the car in the middle of a construction zone during morning rush hour traffic. I got a tow back to the house. The following morning I called Meineke because they still hadn't called me about the Radiator House and this was day 4. At that point I was livid because at that moment I realized I had gotten played for a fool.

Cars rarely need a catalytic Converter replacement unless the converter is stolen, misfiring, bad odor from the exhaust or sluggish engine performance. And all brake pads rarely need to be replaced at the same time. In addition to charging me for services that could have been postponed, they even tried to sell me an oil change (which should have been a red flag) without checking the oil because I had just had an oil change at Jiffy Lube the previous day. And it's been several days now and they still haven't called me about the radiator hose. A business that is concerned about their customers would never do this but they already got me for over 3,000 grand so the joke's on me, right?

I called on March 7th 2023 to inform them about my vehicle and they told me to go on the website to schedule a tow and the first 5 miles would be free. My gut instinct told me not to bring anything back to them because they seem like the type to do even more damage so I followed my gut instinct and got it towed to the one on Union in Memphis TN which is where I originally wanted to go. It seems that they push Karcare on a lot of victims. Also, I am sure that they installed aftermarket parts and still charged me the full price. I will definitely get a second opinion and add this to the lawsuit as well. I am by no means a carologist. Meineke picked the right one to play with on the wrong day. Never take my distressed moments as a sign of weakness because It will only cost you more in the long run!

This car is total crap and they have no idea what they're talking about down there. Total junky place. I'll never go there for anything again. Not to mention he put the oil in the top of the motor. Why would you do that?! Everything he said was a lie. Figured because we're girls we'd just bring it in for everything he said it needed?! I don't think so buddy. Nice try loser. Get a diff job you can actually do right. This was the Nampa location. Older fat dude with dark hair.

When they were done I drove about 4 miles, the check engine light came back on and the same exact problem resumed. I took the car back to Meineke. They said they would look more deeply into the issue. After about 45 minutes they found the real issue, fixed it without needing any more parts and the problem was solved. So, Meineke charged me $1874 for parts and work that didn't fix the problem, replaced parts that were not outdated, because they were wrong about what was needed. I told the manager flat out that I knew they had charged me to replace parts that didn't need replacement. He gave me a ** story about why they were, aka they had no intention of making this right by refunding any part of the $1874.

I contacted Meineke's so-called customer care center to complain and was told that Meineke shops are independently owned so corporate doesn't handle disputes. In addition, their parts are way overpriced. Mass Air Flow Sensor: $267.64. ABS Wheel Speed Sensor: $313.45. Direct Ignition Coils: $196.47 each. And of course, they'd insisted that I needed to have all four Direct Ignition Coils Replaced. Of course. Taking my car to Meineke is now on my list of the worst mistakes I've ever made. If you take your car there then please, please do yourself a huge favor by at least getting a second opinion from another business. Customers Beware!

I called Corporate to file a complaint. The police were called. I will call Better Business Bureau, I will continue to escalate this. Alton is a tyrant and has been getting away with this for far too long! Something must be done. Service here is crap, because again I had to wait 1 week for an oil change. Stay away from Alton if possible! He is a bully and a horrible person.