Canadian Tire Sucks at Auto Repairs - Unnecessary, over-priced, incompetent, incorrect and incomplete!

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Brad C.: canadian tire dont do repairs they do replacements tried to charge me 1200$ for a complete exhaust system when all i needed was a weld and a clamp got it done for 75$ at a local garage CT needs to learn what customer service is and what it means to keep people wanting to come back i wouldnt doubt that in the next 5-10 yrs it will be sold out to nappa or some other us owned company like everythign else canadian at least the us companies do what they can for the customers not tell them sorry we cant help see on our polies board we dont help you after so many days sorry come again buy over priced things that break

 

[CTH8R]

Carol A-H.: Do Not Use their automobile depart. I use to take my mustang there and they took me to the cleaners!

 

[CTH8R]

Consumers respond to spam (about the Crappy sawhorse product, actually):


George Y.: don;t get your car fixed there unless you like paying for unnecessary repairs

Teresa F.: I bought a lot of things from Canadian Tire and have no problem with them but one thing I could agree with the previous comments. Car repairs are outrageously expensive. I heard that CT mechanics have quotas. If they are behind with their quotas they have to create to make it up. I never go there since then.

 

[CTH8R]

Joni A.: Actually car repairs, not good, at least at the store that I went too. Spent about $2000, fixing this that and everything and never did fix the problem. Took it somewhere else and they fixed it for $50.

 

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Egay F.C.: Anything about automotive avoid Canadian Tire, they're a bunch of crook inside...

 

[CTH8R]

Strong words from Mike:


Mike B.: You once tried to charge me $1,500.00 for a fuel pump, I said NO WAY it would cost that much, since I found what the parts cost and time it takes to install. I ran my own diagnostic, and found it was ONLY a $15 wire harness that needed to be replaced.....Where I'm from, that's called being a thief.

 

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Dale W.: ... ,Don't ever take your vehicle there for repairs ...never ever ever. ...

 

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Marc B.: I brought my car at my local CT store to install parts that i had previously bought, not having the proper tools, i felt they could have my confidence by installing those parts for a reasonable price that i agreed with.I returned to pick up my car approximately 10 hrs later only to find my vehicle untouched, brought the car back home very unimpressed with their unethical answer to my business request, especially to the fact that it was a 45 minutes job with proper tools, very unprofessional i will add.Never will i bring another vehicle in there, not even for an oil change

 

[CTH8R]

I think Chris has 'upselling' confused with 'scamming':


Chris B.: Yep, I have had nothing but people upselling whenever I use Canadian Tire. Two winters ago I bought a set of tires to go out west with and was told that I needed new wheel bearings, because it was dangerous. I was leaving the next morning and wasn't able to get it repaired. I went anyway and the car did 17595 kms before the wheel bearing even made any noise. Another time I had my clutch replaced and drove 4200 kms when I got an oil change at CT, I asked them to check to see if it needed adjustment and they told me it needed a whole new clutch and was going to need $3500 in repairs, including new brakes. I told them not to touch it and went in to speak with the mechanic that had done the not asked for inspection. He hadn't even looked at the clutch, and just noticed that the rotors seemed warped, so figured that they should all be replaced. They were 4 months old and not warped at all. Now I won't even buy tires there. Rip off artists that make a commision off of upselling parts is what I've been told.

 

[CTH8R]

Keith M.: 1 'lifetime guaranteed' lower balljoint lasted 2 years. 2 Replacing that balljoint on warranty plus mate on other side quoted $460. Got both done by a real mechanic for $290 tax in, including oil change + tire rotation. Nuff Sed!

 

[CTH8R]

J B.M.: The so called "trained" mechs at CT are usually just out of school, go by the book supervised by managers (that don't care about anything but profit) kids. If your brakes were squealing it means you probably went metal on metal. They said you need rotors which is true to an extent only because they want to sell it. A real mech will turn your old rotors to repair the groves caused by metal on metal. Some rotors can't be turned. Anyways, lesson is never bring you vehicle to ct for repair. By the way, yard works is imported garbage and poulan (the saw in the pic) sucks balls...... Horrible ad

 

[CTH8R]

Just lovin' that CT spam - even if it IS for a dub-Assad saw horse, it still inspires the telling of automotive horror-stories:


Darren M.: I had many bad visits to the auto center at Canadian tire, Went for a free brake inspection, myford f150 brakes we squealing and after the free inspection they were worse. they said Needed front pads and I was fine with that. Needed new rotors. They were only 2 years old. and an axle seal.I asked why it needed a seal and they said it was leaking. bottom line I was looking at $1200 for the brakes plus almost $700 extra for the seal after labor. I went to my old Mechanic and he put better pads on that canadian tire wanted to. The rotors were fine,he machined them. he said come here I want to show you the so called axle seal leak. It was dry!!! we had and humid weather and it was sweating. so t was fine!!!! total cost at canadian tire would have been at least $1900 plus taxes. My at the other garage under $300. I went back and showed the manager and assistant manager how much they wanted to charge and how much I paid, and there was nothing wrong with the axle all they said was there mechanics were trained more then My mechanic. that was my last time taking our car and truck there

 

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Garland B.: A friend of mine had a rear wheel bearing replaced there and it should have been a $400.00 job at the dealership!! ( found that out later) $725.00 later, several calls and three days she got her car back. It was less than 5000km later the wheel was almost ready to fall off with the same bearing that was replaced. It was literaly wobbling. She had just came back from T.O. with her kids in the car and mentioned to me that there was a noise coming from the rear of the car. I jacked it up and found the wheel wobbling! The bearing had to have been installed wrong. When she went back to get them to repair it they charged her another $250.00!!! Customer service at it's finest!! NOT

 

[CTH8R]

A story from the other side of the service desk:


Alan Y.: I should explain my hatred towards Canadian Tire. As a 1st year apprentice, I was supposed to be paid 16 dollars an hour, but instead I was paid flat rate which was illegal. I wasn't paid for brake check or suspension check. I wasn't paid to put spare tire on customers. I wasn't paid to take out the garbage for the entire shop. I was making less than minimum wages. The lowest wage I got was 4 dollars an hour. I should have taken them to court but when I decided to it was already too late.

 

[CTH8R]

Short, but representative of many complaints we hear:


Leonardo R.: They broke a a lug on the wheel and refused to fix the problem

 

[CTH8R]

They've invented a whole new system for booking auto service ... Guess what? It sucks!



Dave R.: Why Canadian Tire doesnt understand about what people say abouttheir service......just recently been told that new policy for making appointments so I did. I had a look at the schedule book and it was empty. Only my name on the list, I see cars going in and out, been sitting here for 30mins, its an oil change. See staff on their phones texting. I would have loved to stayed at home to spend time with my family. I have lots of patience....not anymore, I gave too many chances. I will pay extra next time to go somewhere else and be out in 30-45mins. You have lost me as a customer, call yourself Canadian company, as far as I know most Candians give a crap when it comes to people.

 

[CTH8R]

Response to spam:

Gerald C.: Canadian tire auto service in sherwood park gave me very poor service. Shame on facebook for allowing me to see their sponsor page. That is insulting to me

 

[CTH8R]

This CT 'spam' thing? REALLY not work in' out for them!


Rick H.: The "technicians" (because they don't have real mechanics) at their Nanaimo store screwed up an axle seal replacement. Their technician (probably some 18 year old kid) failed to notice 1/8" of wear on my axle (that is huge). I had to take it back to get it fixed, and then it failed again 3 weeks later. They then offered me some backyard mechanic solution (Speedi Sleeves). I took it to a real mechanic who replaced the axle as should have been done in the first place. When I threatened to sue to recover the lost income I incurred as the result of their incompetence, their national investigator informed me they would reimburse me for the botched work...the amount they charged me for their 2 botched repair attempts. And rather than apologize for my inconvenience and offer me maybe a free oil change or something to retain me as a customer, he told me that the axle was not worn at all when they looked at it. It somehow magically wore a full 1/8" in 2 weeks. They called me a liar even though I had pictures and the affidavits of 3 licensed mechanics to confirm the state of that axle. I used to browse the Canadian Tire flyers that come in our newspaper. Now they go straight in the garbage. I will never set foot in another Canadian Tire, and I will tell anyone who will about their store, where the customer is sadly views as the enemy.

 

[CTH8R]

Ouch!


Greg D.: My engine was dying without warning. They replaced my carb with a crappy rebuild that didn't solve the problem. The replacement carb couldn't pass air-care!! The real problem? A little dirt on the coil!! The replacement carb cost me thousands!!! I really wish someone would shut their mechanic shops down.

 

[CTH8R]

This CT 'spam' thing? REALLY not work in' out for them!


Rick H.: The "technicians" (because they don't have real mechanics) at their Nanaimo store screwed up an axle seal replacement. Their technician (probably some 18 year old kid) failed to notice 1/8" of wear on my axle (that is huge). I had to take it back to get it fixed, and then it failed again 3 weeks later. They then offered me some backyard mechanic solution (Speedi Sleeves). I took it to a real mechanic who replaced the axle as should have been done in the first place. When I threatened to sue to recover the lost income I incurred as the result of their incompetence, their national investigator informed me they would reimburse me for the botched work...the amount they charged me for their 2 botched repair attempts. And rather than apologize for my inconvenience and offer me maybe a free oil change or something to retain me as a customer, he told me that the axle was not worn at all when they looked at it. It somehow magically wore a full 1/8" in 2 weeks. They called me a liar even though I had pictures and the affidavits of 3 licensed mechanics to confirm the state of that axle. I used to browse the Canadian Tire flyers that come in our newspaper. Now they go straight in the garbage. I will never set foot in another Canadian Tire, and I will tell anyone who will about their store, where the customer is sadly views as the enemy.

Follow-up from Rick today, to their Robo-Reply:


Rick H.: There is nothing you can do. You guys had ample opportunity to provide satisfactory automotive service, conscientious remediation of the problem, and diligent customer follow up. You succeeded at neither of these steps. Your organization cost me in excess of $3000 in downtime for my business as the result of your Nanaimo store's incompetence, and countless hours for me personally in getting my van properly repaired and in correspondence with your organization via phone and email. In the end I did get my money back for the two original botched repair attempts, but ultimately was called a liar by those clowns in your Nanaimo store who insisted that there was no wear on that axle when they botched the two repair attempts on it. There is no way that an axle will wear 1/8" deep at the bearing in two weeks' time. And the fact that they claimed this to be so goes further to prove that they know very little about mechanics. And that they would go as far as to call me a liar is to me unconscionable. If I had the time, I would have enjoyed pursuing this in court. But in business you have to know when to cut your losses. So, I have cut Canadian Tire from the equation.

I now live in Langley, but spent the first 40 years of my life in Nanaimo. I will enjoy recounting this story of incompetence to everyone of my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances in Nanaimo I can possibly get to listen.....or anyone else anywhere for that matter.

Rick H.