Clar Auto Group

I really liked South Ave Auto when I started going there. Pragmatic, flexible, generally good natured people. Then something happened in October after a $2K repair; their subsequent decisions showed either their true colors or their utter decline in commitment to their customers. I should say first off that a couple of their employees were amazing throughout and deserve to run their own business or at least work for someone better. The job was to pass inspection and change O2 sensors that were triggering a check engine light. Upon inspecting they also required a water pump, brake booster, link pins and a wheel bearing. The car was otherwise in great shape and 1/2 the miles on it as my previous RAV4 and I trusted the shop so I had them do all of it at once. When I got the car back on a Friday it began misfiring within a few miles. I panicked because it was Saturday and I had to drive to NYC for work. Luckily Jessi was monitoring their FB page and was nice enough to come out and help diagnose what happened. Turns out the mechanic who did the job didn’t properly attach the hose back to the brake booster and it sucked in air all through the system. They fixed the hose right there and I was off with the advice that if it misfires again that I should replace the spark plugs. Low and behold it did later that day but it was Saturday night so I spend hours replacing them myself. The car worked but still stalled sometimes when accelerating from stop and felt wobbly at high speeds. I drove back up to South Ave Auto to have them diagnose it and the mechanic there lifted the car up and checked the codes but couldn’t tell what was wrong. They sent me over to the Elmwood shop where Jessi (again) took one look and knew it also needed a new ignition coil. I replaced that myself and it seemed better for awhile but not back to how it was before. A month passed. It stopped wobbling at high speeds but my LF tire (of less than 2yrs) was going flat. It looked fine from the outside so I just put more air in. Two weeks ago it went dead flat on the highway. Turns out it was totally misaligned and wearing from the inside out. Luckily I found a reputable open on Saturday who ended up having to do almost $1K in work and put two new tires on the car just to make it safe and make up for the bad job from South Ave. Another LF wheel bearing, a proper alignment and balance (which they allege South Ave likely neglected), LF brakes and pads (because they said South Ave forgot to put the hardware back on), LF rotor (which they said was likely from the misaligned wheel and pad), and another engine and sensor check to again clear the codes. Even as I write this I’m looking at maybe having to also replace the whole spindle knuckle because of the damage done by pressing the original bearing too hard. Here’s where it gets sad. I approached Wade with these issues and his first response was “well we fired the mechanic, what else can we do?” When I told him that the new shop let me keep the bad wheel bearing and showed him all the pictures I took he then said “Well we’ll refund you the wheel bearing but you can’t prove all the other problems were our fault” (glossing over the cost and time of me learning how to change spark plugs and ignition coils on my own on the fly) “But if you bring us the bad bearing we’ll refund you that”. At that point I felt like he was ready to let me sue him. I told him I would never expect to make my car perfect again, but at least respect the thousands of dollars I’d put into his shop over 2 cars and 8 years to ensure that I at least have a safe car to drive. If they had admitted fault and offered to scrutinize all the area involved, I might have let them. But besides Jessi nobody seemed to care too much about their mistakes. So when I finally did go return the bearing, the poor attitude turned indignant rage I got from the owner was enough no never let them near me or my car again.

I am a first time car buyer however John and his staff were very kind and helpful through my car buying process and sold me a decent car without really any problems

Very good people brought car to me personally to look at Unfortunately not was I was looking for.Thank you! I appreciate the effort and will contact again if needed

Stopped in looking for used car ,customer service was impeccable.looking forward to doing business with the wonderful staff very great first genuine honest full of energy team??

Just bought 2nd car from South Ave Auto. Did not shop anywhere else. Vance and John went out of their way to satisfy. Looking for a used car? Go here if you're looking to be treated like you're the #1 customer in the world. Total satisfaction! Thanks guys--you are the best. It was more than worth the trip.

Needed a replacement van and john could not have been more helpful.

Such amazing people and help!!!! I got an amazing deal and a safe reliable car!!!

We purchased two vans from Clar-Hagan Auto Group when our old vehicles died. Not only were the sales team honest and professional, but they went out of their way to assist us even after the sale. Vance in particular ensured we were completely satisfied. We?ll gladly shop here again when our teens get their own vehicles, and we highly recommend their service and support.

Very professional and handled everything in a timely manner. I would definitely recommend to family and friends.

After I was involved in an accident, I found myself suddenly in search of a replacement car. Vance immediately responded to my inquiry through this website, and he worked with me while I waited to find out what the insurance proceeds would be. We worked together on the price (I was limited by the amount of the insurance payment), and when we were ready to finalize the deal, South Ave. Auto actually took the car to my own mechanic on my behalf in order to get his approval. The couple of minor things my guy found, South Ave. fixed without a question -- Vance and the dealership took care of everything. When I picked up my new van, there were a couple of minor things that they'd ordered the parts for, and as soon as those parts came in, I dropped the car off, and the finished in record time! All in all, this was the best car-buying experience I've ever had, and I would not hesitate to do business with, or to recommend, South Avenue Auto to anyone looking for an affordable used car. The company itself seems to be well-run by people who like and respect each other and their customers, and the employees that I met seemed content - like everyone liked working together. I think that helped make the whole experience as pleasant as it was.