Urban Classics Auto Repair — Attraction in New York

Please be advised that I have NOT been paid in anyway, shape or fashion for this review. I say that because I must applaud this establishment for their exemplary service and work. First, I met by the shop's "captain", if you will, DAVID. I had a few inquiries with respect to their labor rates, repair practice and assessed work estimates, which he explained firsthand. During my time at the shop, I was talking with David at the side of my car and one of the customers, who had been in the office, settling his repair order I supposed, passed us talking and as he was getting into his car, he assured me in a confident voice that I "would be totally happy with this guy" (meaning David, whom I share this great name with) or words to that effect. We all smiled in unison, as I was getting a good feeling about having my car repaired there before his statement. Yet, it is always a good sign when the community of customers easily display their satisfaction with a repair shop in NYC.

Upon gaining enough information, I was left to consider whether or not I should allow a road test in order to survey what I had previously been told was the issue by two other auto repair facilities. I did have constraint on time and Urban Classics had already been open for at least two hours. The shop was extremely busy with customers and I felt that I would not be able to get an assessment and estimate in a timely fashion. However, David looked to what appeared to be his lead mechanic to ask if it was feasible for me to get in and out. The shop foreman, if you will indicated that it should not be a problem.

Thus, in about twenty minutes or so, I had gone out on a road test with the service mechanic, who took my vehicle out on his own for survey and had the foreman roadtest the vehicle himself as well for opinion. And also had an assessment and estimate in my hand. During my dialog with the office personnel giving me the estimate, whom I believe to be JOHN, I wound up striking up a brief conversation with another customer. This customer was eager to advise that his years of experience with Urban Classics has been well beyond his expectations. He stated that he now lives in the Bronx, yet he had no problem coming to Brooklyn to have his vehicle serviced by Urban Classics because it's worth it to him. He knows his car will be done properly and he won't be back to argue over repairs. Yet again another great note of encouragement to have my vehicle serviced at Urban Classics. I told John that I would drop the car off in the morning to have the initial repair concerns done.

The following morning I brought my vehicle in at about 8:30am and about 1:45pm, John called me to advised that my car was ready for pickup. Upon retrieving my car, John advised that there was some difficulty getting my vehicle repaired properly without replacing the front wheel axle. I was concerned to hear this since no one contacted about the need for an additional part, which would increase my repair cost. However, John immediately advised that....wait for it, wait for it, THERE WAS NO CHARGE!!! Wow, what a great bunch of people. In fact, I failed to mention that there was an engine ground wire I pointed out to David that had broken off and although it is a simple task to repair, he did so at no additional cost.

All said and done, I cannot say THANK YOU enough to URBAN CLASSICS for having repaired my vehicle to an excellent state, as it rides very well based on the repairs completed. Ladies and gentlemen, in a world where people are so proned to negative reports, I am pleased to give a report of a positive in that I FULLY RECOMMEND Urban Classics as a customer friendly establishment committed to doing the best job possible, pleasing the customer. Located of course in the great borought of BROOKLYN! Thanks again and many blessings...

Original Review (Follow-up to Owner's response below):

The Trunk Lock Actuator broke on my car. Urban Classics charged me $270 for parts and $175 for labor - $445 total.

It's been exactly one year and my Trunk Lock Actuator broke again. I bought the replacement part on amazon for $100 and replaced it myself in 20 mins . $100 total.

I also had them install a Catalytic Converter Protection Shield. They charged me $350 for parts - I found the same parts for $160 online. I confronted them about it and they didn't have much to say.

Conclusion: They drastically overcharge for parts. Their labor costs are slightly more justified since they do decent work and have quick turn-arounds - however I think they also overcharge for labor too.

Follow-up to Owner's Response:

Hey David, thanks for your response.

RE: Catalytic Convertor Shield: The invoice says “Exhaust Muffler Shield, Cat Security 2010-2015 GEN 3/ 2012-2017 Gen V”. I also looked under the car to confirm that it’s Cat Security. This exact product is seemingly around $160 online. There appears to be an up charge of $190 ($350 total) on this Cat Security model?

RE: Trunk Lock Actuator Motor: For a genuine Toyota part, the Actuator Motor seems more accurately priced, but still a little high.

My preference would have been a cheaper, “knock off” Actuator - especially since the genuine Toyota Actuator I received broke after a year. It’s 2024, there’s a lot of competition, and plenty of third party companies in the auto industry are offering decent-to-excellent products for competitive prices.

Even if the Amazon replacement Actuator broke once a year, for 4 years, I would still ultimately pay less than I did for the Toyota Actuator (P & L) that did break after a year.

Your team is full of well-trained technicians, I’m not denying that. However, there are many Youtube videos for simple auto repairs/fixes, that’s just the reality.

If it took 20-30 mins for a Layman like me to replace the Actuator, then your technicians could probably do it in under 15 min. Take 15 minutes to replace the Actuator and add a generous 45 mins to inspect and remove rust - $174/hour still seems like a lot. Honestly though, I respect working people and labor costs are the lesser of my concerns.

Conclusion: I stick by my initial review. I think I was overcharged, especially for parts.

As someone who’s owned a few 10+ year old cars in NYC: I suggest you take a different approach to Elite Customers vs those who just want a working car. Perhaps give your customers the option to choose if they want to pay the premium for...

On Tuesday, January 17th, I brought my Acura MDX 2007 to this auto shop due to its proximity to my home. Once I came into the shop, I immediately felt like I had made the best decision coming here. I was greeted by one of the mechanics at the door. He had a very positive aura about him and made you feel at home. He directed me inside to speak with the service team to relinquish my keys as I asked them to look over the car to determine what was wrong. As I understood, this service was free of charge but I was asked to leave a down payment of $500. I imagined this was to make sure that I came back to get the work down. I was unbothered by this because I was prepared to get down to work. I made the payment, left the store. A week later, I received a call indicating all that needed to be done to the car. The bill totaled 5k. I was not prepared for that. I asked for a print out of everything that I was paying for. Several days went by and finally a printout was sent. I looked up the parts they were charging me for and found that they inflated the price of everything. The $500 deposit was made to seem as though it went as credit toward the work that would be conducted. Feeling uncomfortable with the price, I called to better understand the situation and I was told that they did not have the part (Catalytic converter) I needed most and so I suggested I buy it myself and have them install it. They stated they would not be able to receive my outside part for installation and should collect my vehicle. Not wasting time, I headed over to the mechanic shop where I was asked to make an additional $79 payment. I made the payment to not partake in any conflict and left. I did not receive my "down payment" back since they DID NOT WORK on my vehicle because they did not have the necessary part. This was truly unfortunate but I recognized that this shop has no integrity and everyone should know that. BE WARY OF THIS SHOP. THEY...