Please be warned before bringing your vehicle to Euro Car Doctor! We brought in our Volkswagen, which had around 135,000 miles and no check engine light, for a diagnostic due to some stuttering at freeway speeds. The car was fully operational and had just completed a 100-mile round trip the day before. The team recommended a more in-depth engine examination, which we approved. What followed was a frustrating and costly experience that ultimately left us without a working vehicle. After several days of minimal communication and unreturned calls, we were told to pay an $800 diagnostic fee. Only AFTER payment, as we were preparing to pick up our vehicle, we were casually informed by a service member that the car was no longer running. This was a complete shock. While we knew there would likely be a repair needed, we never anticipated complete engine failure to occur while getting "diagnosed". We had driven in a functioning car, and now it was undrivable, sitting dead at their shop. There was no prior call to notify us of any engine failure, and no transparency around what happened during their inspection. We tried multiple times to get clarity. Eventually, a manager admitted that the vehicle had experienced significant engine failure while in their care, but insisted they weren’t at fault. They claimed the engine just “happened” to fail on its own during their diagnostic process — a vehicle that had no check engine light and had been running reliably up to that point. To make matters worse, they refused to provide complimentary towing back to our home, despite advertising such services online. We were left to coordinate our own tow, three weeks after initially dropping the car off, and ultimately had to sell it for a fraction of its value. We received a quote of $16,000 for a new engine (nearly the value of the car brand new), and since we didn’t approve the repair, the shop made little effort to support us beyond a second diagnostic, which confirmed the car was now beyond repair. The most disappointing part isn’t even the loss of the car — it’s the complete absence of accountability and customer service. At no point did the owner reach out directly to help resolve the issue. Instead, our experience was dismissed as “fake” when shared on Yelp. We understand that mechanical failures can happen, but the handling of this situation, from communication to responsibility to basic decency, was inexcusable. We walked into Euro Car Doctor with a working vehicle and walked away weeks later with a worthless one, thousands of dollars lost, and a complete distrust in their business. Please take your car to a place that values transparency, integrity, and customer care. This was not just a bad service experience. It was a devastating financial and emotional ordeal.
Hello Johnny, We take false claims seriously, and after thoroughly reviewing our records, we must clarify several inaccuracies in your review. First, your vehicle has no repair history with us. You visited us last year and again recently for the same issue, not for a new one, as you implied. At the first visit, we advised that without in-depth diagnostics, we could not replicate or confirm the issue. We did not charge you then and made it clear that further inspection would be needed if the issue continued. At your most recent visit, you authorized our team to perform extensive diagnostics, which included a full safety inspection and engine tests. These revealed serious internal issues—such as rusted spark plugs and symptoms of a cylinder head leak—caused by overheating or lack of proper maintenance. We did not “damage” your engine; we uncovered pre-existing conditions. You were then given a detailed report and a quote for a rebuild, performed by our experienced engine builders. You can view the inspection report here: https://shop.tekmetric.com/inspection/JHB2-Z6GbprGupElq6w7gBoE8Vms1YZutKxhg6qkCDQ You also stated we were difficult to reach. That is not accurate. We have multiple staff members handling communication and followed up with you at each step. Diagnostic work of this level does not happen in a single day, and we made that clear. What’s most concerning is the complete lack of responsibility in your review. Vehicle damage of this nature doesn’t appear overnight or due to inspection. We did not break or harm your vehicle—we simply diagnosed a long-standing issue that has likely been developing for some time. If we had made a mistake, we would own it and make it right. That’s how we operate—with integrity. But in this case, placing blame on our team for existing damage is misleading, unfair, and untrue. We wish you the best moving forward and encourage any future customers reading this to review the facts before forming an opinion. —Euro Car Doctor
- Euro Car Doctor, Inc. - Irvine