F & M Auto Center

The only garage I trust in working on my car for the past 5 years.. They're practically like family. Very well experience on German cars.

Honest mechanic? Yes!

I own a 1991 Lexus LS. The AC just quite on me and the engine light came on. I had a problem with the AC a few months ago and did a little internet research so that I could go to the mechanic's with some information. I learned "How to Check Air Conditioning Diagnostic Codes on the 1990-1994 Lexus LS400" from a website and successfully performed the check. When I went to the mechanic I knew that my code was "00", or normal. This likely indicated that I just needed more fluid. He concurred and filled me up. This was three months ago in Florida.
Now to F & M: My AC has again quite on me and after performing the check I got a "33". (This means "Open in air mix damper position sensor circuit. Or, open or short in air mix servomotor circuit. Or, air mix servomotor locked.") The diagnostic check takes about 45 seconds to perform. I called F & M and a man whom I can only presume is the owner (from his sense of self-importance) answered the phone. I told him the make, year and model of my car and the basic problem (lots of air, none of it cold). I asked how much to get a basic diagnosis of the problem. He said, "Thirty-five dollars."
I tried to help him out, I really did. I suggested that that was a lot of money and I asked would it REALLY be $35 just to look and see what might be wrong with the AC. He launched into a whole song-and-dance about "hooking it up to the machine". He further stated that it "probably needs freon" and that the $35 would be knocked of the price if I had them fix it. I told him I'd just had it charged with freon and he acted like THAT was the trick and I should have told him. I told him that I knew he didn't need to hook it to the machine for a preliminary diagnosis and he said if I knew so much I didn't need him.
Before writing this review, just to make sure that my expectations were not totally out of line, I called Ramos Auto Repair. I asked the guy who answered the phone the EXACT SAME QUESTIONS. He said, "A basic, preliminary check will be free and only take a few moments. It could be a complicated problem that would require more invasive investigation, and we might have to charge for that, but we'll let you know first." That is an honest answer.
For the record, I've never been to either of these shops. I am not affiliated with either of these shops. I'm going over to Ramos now to have them take a look, and I will review them on their page. But I can't say how strongly I feel as though I've just dodged a bullet by not going to F & M.