Vinson/Haas Automotive, Inc. — Local services in Scottsdale

I feel a little uncomfortable writing this review… simply because I don’t bother reading reviews.

But I think it is important as most people struggle with choosing a mechanic given the safety concerns and cost vs. the number of ‘shady’ mechanics out there. So, I will share my most recent experience and in hopes of both informing and hopefully entertaining you (to some degree.).

My daughter is a senior at Chaparral and going to UofA next year. So, I went online and bought her a Jeep (fun car for college). Unfortunately, the car came from Illinois and even though I was warned there was ‘some rust damage’ I bought it and shipped it to AZ. Of course, the ‘check engine’ light was on, so I brought it to John to get a couple new O2 sensors to pass emissions and check out the ‘some rust damage’. The thought was to put a plan together to mitigate the problem, and who knows… get the oil changed.

Well John called me the next morning and said, “you gotta come down here and take a look at this.” So I did… bottom line, the rust damage was extreme… to the point that John refused to let me drive it back home (had to be towed). Frame was totaled, coming apart, crumbling etc. John rolled it on the ‘lift’ raised it and walked me through my option(s) which was get a new frame and transfer everything else (huge expense) or sell it and take the hit.

Not a cool spot to put him in, nor anything he enjoyed doing. Regardless, John was honest and took the time to explain and show me everything. In fact, he and one of his guys spent probably 30 minutes with me walking me through what was wrong, why and my options.

Why is this story important… because it goes to what we as consumers always say we want but hate when we get… the TRUTH. And it is why I take my cars to John for 25+ years and why I have so much respect. Yes, John may not be as “fleet of foot” as he was 25 years ago, but he is one hell of a good ‘Wrench’ and a solid guy.

What I loved about Mike Vinson’s Automotive is that Mike ONLY fixed what needed to be fixed, did the job right, and told you what was coming down the road to allow you to plan for future preventative expenses. Well John worked for Mike for years and has continued in this path (he also married Amy, Mike Vinson’s daughter… all I’m saying is I’m glad for John’s sake he is a solid guy, and was quicker back then… probably came in handy)

At the end of the day, the Jeep got towed back to my place and I’m figuring it out. John didn’t replace the O2 sensors or change the oil, which I had requested. Nope, he simply explained to me why he wasn’t comfortable with my daughter driving the Jeep and what needed to be done to make if structurally sound. In fact, John and Amy didn’t charge me a thing. And I say John and Amy because this is a family-owned shop… and has been for well over 25 years. On a side note… on a couple of occasions, back in the day when I was broke, Mike fixed a few things and let me pay him back later. I wouldn’t try that now because Amy runs the books. While she’s softer on the eyes than Mike or John, but smarter.

Hope...

My initial business with Vinson/Haas Auto was great. Having been disappointed recently with dealership mechanics and prices for service, I found V/H Auto on Yelp and happily spent around $2000 getting 65k-mileage updates done on my car before a long road trip (replacing both axels, air filters, tire rotation, etc.) after seeing it was a women-owned and veteran-owned business (way better than dealerships!). I also appreciated how conscious they were of the current pandemic situation with everything able to be done over the phone or by email.

However, a day into the road trip, we made it to Idaho and had to stop due to the brand new axels seeping already and the transmission slipping. I had it towed to the closest dealership who replaced the transmission (under warranty) and replaced the axels with the correct ones and supplied us with a lender car to finish up our road trip for free since I had previously been a loyal customer and was in quite a bind so far from home. Our entire route home was changed to go back through Idaho to pick my car back up after being serviced. Upon returning, I emailed Vinson/Haas Auto to let them know of what had happened and to give them the opportunity to win my business back by offering some sort of refund or compensation for the amount of chaos this mistake had caused, which they did not take.

I guess I'm just lucky that my dealership had my back this time. I will definitely be spending dealership prices next time since I know they will be keeping my car and my family safe...

11/26/24 -

Vinson/Haas Automotive always do a great job fixing my Mercedes Benz GLK350 when needed. My vehicle needed the rear hatch struts replaced and I thought I needed a new brake job. They are so HONEST. The brakes were good - have plenty of pad left and may have been some dust/dirt on the rotors. After a few hard stops, it seems to have gone away. They could have easily charged me for a full brake job.

They were able to complete all the work in one day before the Thanksgiving Holidays, which was great timing...

Amy, John, and team always do a great job. The service is always perfect, and they are conveniently located in Scottsdale. I always strongly recommend them to our family and friends. Everyone always needs a great automotive shop from time to time and this is it! They are always very friendly, helpful, and most of all extremely HONEST.

Vinson/Haas Automotive is an amazing family run business and I have taken my vehicles there for many years now.

Thanks for all you...