Stress-Free Auto Care — Local services in Sunnyvale

Edit: Abdullah the GM has reached out on fake promises on trying to make things right, by initially being very responsive to just no response at all. Terrible business. Don't even bother.

Came here as this mechanics shop was highly recommended on google and Nextdoor, but I won't be coming back here again.

I called in to set up an appointment to have the AC system evacuated and recharged especially since their pricing seemed fair online, which was quoted to be around $230. I let them know I'll be waiting in the shop and I was told it wouldn't be a problem since it could be done in about an hour.

I arrive at the scheduled time and get checked in. As I'm signing off and approving the fix for the car, I was shocked by the cost, which was something around $590 (well off the quoted $230). I told them that the online price was around $230, so they checked with another service writer/mechanic, to which they finalized checking me in. Now this service writer ended up charging me for 21.1oz (598g) of R134A because their system said so, where my car only takes 570g +/-20g. I thought it was weird, but they said it's what the system was telling them so I just let it be. The total ended up being $285 with a $15 coupon. From here, they told me it would take a few hours, even though they said it should be relatively quick over the phone. Thankfully the guy did start working on my car immediately, but I was quite unhappy about the interaction so far.

Fast forward to going through the bill after I got home. While I was charged the $285 I agreed on at check in, I see that the bill had also charged me for a multi-point inspection (which I declined) and significantly less refrigerant was put into the system than quoted. In the end they only used 548g of refrigerant (per the bill). If they were honest, they wouldn't have charged me for the multi-point inspection that I declined and reduced the overall cost due to less refrigerant being used than initially quoted.

TL;DR: Online quote was $230, while checking in, I was given an estimate of $590. Another service writer came to the front after I mentioned it being wrong, and the cost went down to $285 with a $15 coupon. Over the phone, I was told I could wait in the shop because it could be done in about an hour, but at the shop, I was told it would take a few hours. Thankfully, the mechanic started working on my car right away. Charged me for more refrigerant (598g of R134A) than my system could take because their "system said so", even though there's a sticker in the engine bay that says 570g +/-20g of R134A Charged for multi-point inspection even though I declined it Total refrigerant use was much less than the quoted amount at...

I discovered my front right light was out on a Thursday night. I called Stress-Free Auto Care on Friday. They said they could not fit me in before Monday. I explained I needed to drive at night on Sunday and needed my light fixed before then. The manager, Mike fit me in at 8:30 Sunday morning, which was fantastic.

When I got there, Michael, the guy on duty was friendly and professional. And the price he quoted me was 1/3 less than the estimate I was given on Friday. I got my car back in an hour. Michael told me he did a free inspection of my car and then told me a whole long list of things that were working fine, which was reassuring. I interrupted him and told him of two things that about my car that concerned me, that my front door lock was broken and that I heard a grating noise when I put on my breaks. Michael laughed at the latter and said he was about to tell me that my brake pads needed replacing. They need to be replaced at 2-3 millimeters, he told me, and mine were down to one millimeter. I thought it was great he did a free inspection and since the one thing he found I was already concerned about I had good reason to believe he was being honest with me. I am getting my lock and brakes fixed in two days and getting a “loaner” to drive because they will need to have my car at their shop for at least most of one day. Great service and they definitely deserve the name...

This is my second time at Stress Free, and both times I've noticed really great customer service from the crew. They're extremely patient and explanatory, and I don't feel taken advantage of at all. They put in the effort make the customer educated, comfortable, and aware of what's going on.

The first time I was at Stress Free, my engine blew out. When they started diagnosing the issue and found a limited warranty for my make and model, they gave me all the information I needed, told me my next steps, and charged me just a fraction of the diagnosis fee given the result of the diagnosis, even though they were fully able to charge me the full fee given the contracts I signed.

The second time I was at Stress Free, they were already in a phone conversation with another customer. I noticed that the front desk worker was extremely patient with all the explanations, and was doing their best to make sure the customer understood the issues and the necessary remediation steps. When it came to my turn, we were able to ask some questions about the damage we were seeing. While they ultimately didn't end up inspecting my car, they gave honest opinions on the damage we mentioned, and sent us on our way after answering all our questions without charging us for their time or pushing us for an inspection.

Super recommend going here if you have...