[localinsight]

Now the questions.
My Toyota is still under full warranty until jan 2014.
Discovered a minor problem w/a seat lock.
Called autonation on w Sahara to ask them to look @
It. They are the closest.

Since I will be needing auto work, it's best to start w/someone
I like. There were some not so great reviews online, service &
Buying.
Does anyone have a recommendation? Centennial is further
But if they are better to work with, I'm willing to go the extra
Distance.

Have heard stories that no one can find a good auto mechanic

When car is off warranty, I would rather take it to an honest
Independent mechanic. I live in 89117, near 89145.
Any ideas about this?

Thanks.

[airics]

When I had the Scion, Centennial was good

[ft_chief]

Japanese Car Service, 5350 Spring Mountain Rd is highly recommended for all Japanese models. They are honest and their service is outstanding.

[Diana5947]

I went to Toyota on Sahara. (now, auto nation, i guess). Awful service. I will NOT go back there. I was there for several hours!!! for a simple brake replacement on rear of my 4-runner. Both the service rep & the mechanic tried to explain (but they couldnt hardly speak english)!! - what I got was - they had to grind down one of the brake pad (thingee's); (??? haha); because they messed up the first time. So, I'm expecting it to cost me a bundle the next time-becaz they screwed up. Should have taken an hour, there about 4!!!! Avoid them.....

Now, I also have a Honda, and the Honda dealership on Sahara is WONDERFUL!.. Well, except for oil changes, they changed their whole service area around, now its bad.... Takes forever, (so, instead of 30 mins tops- its now 3 hrs.)...Grrrr...Guess I wont take my honda there anymore.

I take my cars to "original dealers" for service, because they are suppose to know what they are doing. Be careful. I have been getting my services now at: Sun Auto on Craig in NLV. They are super. They go above & beyond what they should, and I have had lots of services done. I TRUST them completely. I think they have been in biz for like 25 yrs. They are very knowledgeable, have manners, explain, let you look- they are great.!

[airics]

Thanks for the info on Sun. What they did on your truck was replace the brake pads and refinish the rotors. Normally takes a couple hours. If you went to a non dealer they probably would have replaced the rotors. Some rotors are cheap, others are not.

[Croce]

Took a Toyota Corolla to Centennial last year, that was making a front end noise. The service writer, either by design or ignorance told me I needed new rotors. I knew this to be nonsense, since we had just had new rotors and brake pads installed two weeks earlier in another state. Eventually took the car to Mike the Mechanic who adjusted the brake pads for me and charged something like $25 bucks. Unfortunately, Mike has disappeared.

Bottom Line - I don't trust Centennial, nor do I trust Carl's Cool Cars (just in case he comes up in the conversation).

[Caltovegas]

Had a real bad experience with the Volvo dealership on Sarah. Let me just say if you take your car in for a problem make sure you state EXACTLT what the problem is on the service ticket.

[airics]

Originally Posted by Croce

Took a Toyota Corolla to Centennial last year, that was making a front end noise. The service writer, either by design or ignorance told me I needed new rotors. I knew this to be nonsense, since we had just had new rotors and brake pads installed two weeks earlier in another state. Eventually took the car to Mike the Mechanic who adjusted the brake pads for me and charged something like $25 bucks. Unfortunately, Mike has disappeared.

Bottom Line - I don't trust Centennial, nor do I trust Carl's Cool Cars (just in case he comes up in the conversation).

the only reason i suggested Centennial, the op said that they had a full warranty. Without a warranty, I would steer clear of any dealer AND Carl's Cool Cars..... I learned the hard way and now so did my neighbor... he got bit for almost 2 grand..

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by ft_chief

Japanese Car Service, 5350 Spring Mountain Rd is highly recommended for all Japanese models. They are honest and their service is outstanding.

When I look for a independent mechanic, I look at the reviews on Yelp, including the filtered reviews, culling out the obvious fakes, and cross-reference with Angie's List. Most shops seem to have more reviews on Yelp than Angie's List, since Yelp is free. If I do this in Las Vegas, for a Toyota mechanic, Japanese Car Service on Spring Mountain is the one I would choose. I do prefer shops that specialize in one mfgr though, as they're usually better at diagnosing the uncommon problems (by servicing only one make of car, they are more likely to see those rare, model-specific problems more often).

[localinsight]

Thanks. This is really good advice. My full warranty (now called Toyota care)
Expires in jan 2014.
I have learned as well that a good independent mechanic is far
Better than a dealer money wise & as far as info about the basic
Mechanical nature of the car.
I have run into no one thus far however whose mechanic was able
To weather the recession/keep up with diagnostic equipment.

I will take it to a dealer - not autonation - until warranty is up.
Then I will try Japanese car service.
Thanks for sharing your research & school of hard knocks advice.