Frank was great for my initial visit. He gave me details and rough quotes on my car before I even got it towed there. I didn't want to commit to a place without having some estimates and Frank quickly told me some possible reasons for my breakdown, cost for worst case scenario, and estimated timeline. The price and turnaround time were very reasonable, and he was able to start work the next day!
He's great with getting work started quickly. I think the price was a little expensive, but maybe that's South Pasadena. He replaced my spark plugs and wiring, and thermostat and charged me almost $500, given that my spark plugs were very difficult to get out probably due to the overheated engine and rust. However he did get the engine starting again, which was the main reason I went there since my car shut down on the highway due to overheating. Frank wasn't as nice and seemed impatient when I would ask questions and details for what needed to be done and what he had done...
BUT, the main problem seems to be the radiator connection to the cap, which is worn, but he didn't fix this and did the others instead. He did suggest the worn radiator could be a problem and weeks later told me it wasn't holding pressure when I had to bring it back. This is not the order my mechanic friend says he would have done, since the main reason my car overheated was due to the coolant leaking from the radiator. The car overheated again, when I drove it for the first time after Frank's fixes on the highway. So I took it back and Frank checked it out quickly but said the radiator would now need to be replaced.
I had to move, so I drove it on local roads while filling with coolant regularly. I finally took it to a shop, and they discovered that the radiator was definitely bad, but that there was evidence the thermostat housing was leaking coolant and even showed me the leak when the radiator was off. They said the thermostat housing should have been replaced when the thermostat was replaced, too, especially with my rusted car (due to northeast snow and salt). Oh well, a few should have dones...
