Budget Brake & Muffler Auto Centres

Had them do a muffler install on my Jeep. It was pretty straightforward yet they had my vehicle for half the day so I figured they'd take the time to do it right. Then as I'm driving away after I picked her up I hear this grinding noise. They installed the muffler right up against this bar, it would have been very obvious when installing it that this would happen, especially for a company that only does brakes and mufflers. The result of this grinding was some denting on the pipe and deep scratches. I told them to fix it, and reluctantly they said they'd bend it into place, but ended up "denting" the pipe even more to make it not rub against the bar. Big difference between the two. They should have taken the pipe out, put a new one in if anything, and mandrel bent it properly, but from the looks of it they just left it in place and whacked it with a hammer or something until it "worked". If you do something wrong to begin with, it's not my fault that fixing it is so much more work. That's your problem, not mine. The tech who was doing the work looked absolutely clueless as to what he was supposed to be doing. Great sign. Needless to say it would still hit every time I went over a bump or anything, but eventually I guess the metal warped to accommodate. The muffler was inexpensive but of decent quality since I needed it changed ASAP, and I was planning on replacing the whole system in a couple years anyways, so I just gave up and ate the loss. These guys definitely won't be the ones to install my new system. I basically paid to give someone a C+ for effort. The WORST part though is the owner, John is extremely rude and doesn't know anything about business or customer service. Makes me feel like I'm a hassle for telling them to fix their mistakes, as if it was my fault. Yelled at my dad in front of customers for no reason and even when he answers the phone he sounds like a grumpy prick and never even says hello, just an unstable old man who needs to retire. Business is not his thing. He belongs in the back of the shop and not the front. Hire someone to train you and your techs properly, stay back there and get things done right, let someone else take care of the business side, and maybe people will respect your shop more. I know it's hard to make a good living as a mechanic working for someone else, and having your own shop is pretty much what you're forced to do to, that's life for quite a few trades, but if you'd rather work on cars than run a business, do that then. His daughter who usually works out front is far better at dealing with customers and would be a good businesswoman. Heck, she knows quite a bit about cars too. Let her run the place instead.
9 years ago (18-11-2017)

I'm really surprised there are any bad reviews because my experience at Budget Newton has always been very good. (The "conflicting" comments kind of seem like they were written by the same person... maybe a competitor shop?) Either way, I've been very happy with the service and work done on my car and recommend them to anyone looking for a shop you can trust. Everyone there is super friendly, knowledgeable and professional. John (the owner) went the extra mile today to discuss a concern I had with my car and worked with me on a very fair price for quality parts I needed; and Adam (the incredibly nice technician) did a great job getting everything done in a timely manner. Thanks again Budget.
10 years ago (14-12-2016)

What a great place to do business. I was super impressed. I called in one evening just to ask a few questions and to get a quote, when another shop had quoted me quite a high amount. Mike reassured me and said that he didn't think it would cost that much to fix and to come down in the next morning and he would be happy to take a look. When I got there in the morning, I was pleasantly surprised that he remembered my name. He had my vehicle in there almost immediately to be looked at, I found out the other shop did want to charge me for parts I didn't even need. They ordered in my part, and I was back on the road in less than 2 hours, and I didn't have to spend a rediculous amount of money. This place is a breath of fresh air. They will be getting my repeat business!
10 years ago (21-07-2016)

Had a great experience. Staff was friendly and they did great work and fast. They even cleaned my truck! Bonus! Definitely taking my business there from now on.
10 years ago (28-12-2016)

Owner, John Podger, is the only person to fix my Chevrolet Impala, and it's still going strong after 16 years! I never once had to return the car because it wasn't fixed properly! John and team deliver great service that I can trust!
10 years ago (20-01-2017)