They are super nice folks and I'm not claiming that I was ripped off. However, outcomes are outcomes and my outcome was changing my own ignition coil in the Napa Autoparts parking lot after spending $1,200+ on a new mass air flow sensor, air filter cleaning, and spark plug re-torque at Pacific Motor Service. While I'm glad I now have a clean filter and a new MAF sensor, those weren't the issues that caused the misfire and subsequent check engine light. After I brought it back when it threw another check engine light the same day I picked it up the first time, they did another diagnostic (that I wished they had done the first time and saved me $1,000) and discovered that it was an ignition coil. They get two stars because they didn't charge me for the second diagnostic but they also didn't offer to make anything right and pre-emptively argued that they were correct in doing the initial $1,200 in work. They also said they wouldn't want to just replace the one ignition coil and recommended I do it myself. I left the shop with the same check engine light that brought me there after two trips to the shop and out $1,200+. The car ran great after I installed the ignition coil at Napa's parking lot. Would not recommend Pacific Motor Service.
Hello Jeremy, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry you are displeased with your experience. The difficulty lies in the fact that you brought us a 20+ year old car that you had recently purchased and had driven to Monterey from Arizona on a short vacation. Your Nissan had multiple issues, and as you had little to no knowledge of the service history of the vehicle, were forced to start from scratch with the most obvious issue first, and proceed from there in a series of phases. Your Nissan came in with a check engine light. We discovered the mass air flow sensor was very dirty and creating issues for the computer. After installing a new mass air flow sensor, we also found the spark plugs were very loose (finger tight), we retorqued them and test drove the vehicle. The car drove fine at that time. You brought the car back with another miss fire; we followed up with a complimentary diagnostic and found a failed ignition coil. A very common issue with older vehicles. You decided to take care of the issue yourself, which is your prerogative, and I hope the car is running well. The process we follow is in an effort to exercise "minimal necessary force" to resolve issues on vehicles that have never been in our shop. I am glad our staff was friendly and professional. I just wanted to shed more light on our step-by-step process. We always do our very best to ensure our clients understand our meticulous process.
- Monterey