Sun Devil Auto
Reviews and Complaints

On 7/24/2023 I brought my Toyota Prius to Sun Devil auto downtown Phoenix. To

address an engine light warning. They informed me that my Hybrid Battery was in need of replacement and that they would check a cooling fan but it would cost $200 just to check it I said OK, they checked the fan and said it wasn’t working and I would charge another $700 to fix it🥲. In total repairs would have been $7000 for the battery and the fan.

I informed the customer service attendant that the fan had been recently replaced by Sun Devil and asked him to check their records. They found that it had been replaced and was within warranty and should have been free for them to inspect it and replace it.

I then took my car to a Hybrid Specialist for an inspection of the battery, the hybrid specialist told me that the battery did not need replacing and the only error that they could see with the car was the cooling fan which Sun Devil had replaced and was under warranty.

I am so disappointed in the service that I received I have been going to this location for 10 years! The quality of service is not very good anymore.. it’s hard for me to believe that they would’ve charged me $7000 for some thing that was not broken and another item that they should’ve fixed under warranty. I was thinking of getting rid of my car because of their diagnostic.

I paid $200 for the diagnostic, which was incorrect. Very very disappointed with my service.

On 5/16/2023 took my 2001 mazda protege to sun devil auto on van buran store #1202 for a non starting issue. On 5/17/23 representative ken called and stated was a engine timing belt kit with wa timing belt rr. Was quoted 996.66 I picked up vehicle after work was done on 5/18/2023 I drove 2 blocks car shut down I took back to sundevil the mechanic said he test drove was fine they then proceeded to tell me spark plugs were bad causing car to run bad they changed spark plugs, note they did not test drive, I left store got about 30 miles towards my home in casa grande car shut down I pulled over opened hood everything under hood was covered in green fluid, I called sun devil they gave me a number to call for their warranty dept. For tow to a shop in casa grande they diagnosed car with a faulty pump and caused engine to fail and not be operable. I then called sun devil spoke with alvin he states the warranty does not cover engine, I said it was the pump your mechanic put in you are responsible he proceeded to tell me sorry nothing he can do. This is totally unacceptable. Very bad business and no one from sundevil corporate has responded to my calls or emails

They where supposed to do a brake maintenance but later called me saying I needed unnecessary work like brake calipers and a ton other stuff which I later confirmed with another mechanic was Bs and they tried too charge me for over 900 dollars of work and as I was upset on the phone about there pricing although I did not curse I used the statement BS they called me back very aggressive saying that I was calling them [censored] which had never happened I was mad at the pricing for my front brakes. When I came too pick the car up I let him know that I wasn't cursing anyone and I was upset about the pricing not the work they did, Jamie the front end man was getting extremely aggressive when I told him that they where the ones being unnecessarily rude as if I wasnt a customer, they even threatened too report me too authorities for spacers on my wheels which was also a ton of [censored]. Hope something can be done too this place they where very rude and need too understand people can get angry at outrageous prices especially when a car helps people function in the world

We took the car, 2002 Buick, to Sun Devil Auto in Sun City West for a new battery. Then got a call from Sun Devil saying they had inspected the car and it needed $2717.87 worth of work. Electrical, wheel bearings, rack and pinion steering, wheel alignment, front brakes, wheel cylinder and disposal fee. George, person in the front office, said the car was low mileage, his granddaughter had one just like it and if we spent the money the car was good for another 50, 000 miles. BIG MISTAKE - we told them to fix the car. Actually the final bill was $2689.43. Got the car back 3 days later and my wife said they didn't do an oil change and called them back. She talked to Michael who said ok he would note it in our file and bring the car backin a week and they would do it for free. I noticed some fluid drips on the garage floor, took the car back and was told by George that nothing was in our file about an oil change. After a bit of an argument he agreeded to do it and would inspect the car for the fluid drip. After the oil change I ask George about the fluid drip, he said they replaced the seal on the drain plug on the transmission. Again nothing about that was noted in our file.
The fluid drips continued and after several more weeks I took the car back. Another inspection and George told me the new rack and pinion was leaking and they would order the parts and replace it for free. A week later took the car back, again, and told another person at the desk what George said and what they needed to do. He said "I don't care what George told you, I'm his boss and I'm inspecting the car". I left it at that and several hours later got a call saying they would replace the parts but had to order them and it would take several more days. This is a week after they said they would order the parts. He went on the say, guess what?, that they did another inspection and found an oil and coolant problem that would cause a engine failure and the work needed to be done immediately. I ask why this wasn't caught during the other 4 inspections, answer I don' know must have just happened. I told them just to replace the parts and don't do any more work. He said, "I don't think we can do that as the car is unsafe the drive and I need to talk to my manager. An hour later he called back and ask what I wanted to do. I had to remind him that he needed to talk to the manager. He said,"Oh ummm ok we will just to the warrenty work. Got a call about 2 hours later saying the car was fixed and ready to go. I want back again and said I thought you had to order the parts. He said, "I'm the manager and I have no idea who told you we needed to order the parts".
We took the car to another auto shop who did an inspection and said there was nothing wrong with the car and it was safe to drive. Did Sun Devil really do the work or repace anything? Who knows. While sitting in the waiting area I heard George tell 2 other men that their car needed work done right now, the car is dangerous to drive and his granddaughter had one just like it, the cars were nothing like mine. DO NOT GO TO SUN DEVIL IN SUN CITY WEST!

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(link to more shady practices by Sun Devil Auto)

Went to Sun Devil for an alignment on my car (I recently had new paint and body work done). I requested them to be careful with my car. Manager assured me that my vehicle would be well taken care of. I requested for them to NOT let a young kid drive my car, it has a lot of power for an inexperienced driver. I left my car with them for about 5 hours for a simple alignment job. While next door at Discount Tire before picking up my car, I see my car coming around the corner and there is a young kid driving my car (Remember I asked Manager to not allow any young employees to drive my car, Mgr did not listen). That's not all though... I receive my alignment sheet and notice the castor was out by 1.2 deg, Camber out by 0.5, the Toe was the only thing set on my car. The way they set the alignment will cause the car to pull to the left and the inside of the tires to wear. When I questioned the alignment specs, manager said it was the best they could do, they only adjusted for tire wear, not to factory specs. Manager also said they pulled the K frame, which is interesting since my car has to be adjusted by lower control arms (There were no signs of lower control arm adjustment at all). Sun Devil did a Toe and Go only on my car, not a true alignment. Someone who doesn't know any better would be cheated out of an alignment. So end result, my car still pulled to the left (which is why I brought it then to fix in the first place). To top it off... when I got my car back I noticed a 4 inch dent on my right rear quarter panel along with the paint chipped. I showed the manager and he said they are not responsible for "body damage" left in their possession. Manager did not even care that my car was damaged and refused to fix the damage that was caused while in THEIR possession (before taking my car to Sun Devil, I had just had a $3, 000 dollar paint and body work done, so my car had no dents). So I decided to call Sun Devil Auto Corp, spoke with the General Manager Maynard. Maynard gave me the run around of how they are not responsible for body damage, said my alignment was maxed out because of my strut suspension (which is interesting because my car does not have struts yet Maynard continued to argue with me that my car does have struts). It amazes me on the lack of knowledge from a General Manager of an auto repair store. I am now in contact with a lawyer and was advised that there is a "GARAGE KEEPER LAW" that when a company has your car in their possession for monetary gains, they are responsible for damages caused to a car when its in their possession.

[protected] Camaro

The Fourth Generation Camaro has a short-long arm (SLA) front suspension, which is fully adjustable for Camber, Caster, and Toe. Camber and Caster are adjustable by repositioning the lower control arm where it attaches to the crossmember. (Illustration) A special turnbuckle tool is required and is readily available. The rear, solid axle suspension is not adjustable, so the recommended alignment type is THRUSTLINE. Wheel alignment specs with adjustment illustrations are available for all Camaro models HERE

Trust me. Just avoid this shop. Used this shop or several years with several vehicles. They always took too long and seemed on the pricey side - but they were convenient. Transmission on an 1993 Ford started dripping, other wise fine. While it was probably just a seal, they concluded it was "major". Kept it for about 7 days and charged me $3, 000 for a transmission overhaul. When I finally go it back it slammed into gear very hard and would downshift early. Took it back, waited another 10 days, and it came back same way. Took it back again, and waited another 10 days and it came back same way. They decided the problem was with the trucks computer but they could not find anywhere after days of searching, and I would have to live with the terrible shifting. I went to O'Riley Auto Parts and for $150 had a new computer the next day. It all fairness they installed it for free, and that solved the problem. I don't believe it was defective when they took the truck the first time. They should have never sent the truck home after charging me $3000 - with it not shifting. After four trips and about 30 days combined without a vehicle, I conclude they are not worth the trouble.

I took my car in to have the hoses replaced. The mechanic only replaced two radiator hoses. I left and immediately had a Check Coolant Low light. Made a U Turn and went back to the shop. Was told it must be an air bubble. Two days later the light was back on. This time I was told by Craig Globokar (store Manager) that it must be the sensor. The next day the light was back so I went back in and was told by Craig Globokar it was the sensor again. Today, I returned to Sun Devil auto and was told by Mike that there was a leak in the heater hose. Evidently, the store manager, Craig Globokar, cannot find leaks or identify any major issues with cars. I was charged $358 to replace the hoses. I now have a major leak.

The General Manager, Chris Doster, is very dishonorable man and completely lacking in integrity. When I brought this to his attention, he indicated that they would not refund my money for labor despite the mechanic's indirect admission of ineptitude. These shops charge $82 per hour, they are not worth $.05.

I want to let everyone know Do Not Go to Sun Devil Auto! They are the most dishonest scam artist i have ever seen! I took my car in because i needed some work, and heard a piece of metal hitting while i was driving. I was told that i needed struts and control arm and that this is what the cause was. They said it would be 2000 dollars to get fixed. I told them i didnt have 2000 dollars so they tried to make it seem that they were doing me a favor by having me pay with no interest for over 4 months. I thought at this time that they were honest but still thought that was a lot. After i got my car back i heard the same noise. So after a few weeks i took my car in for a oil change and informed of hearing same noise. I was told this time that i needed calipers for my car and that it would cost 800 dollars and they would do the same monthly payment. I said no and decided to ask another repair shop about the cost of the caliper repair. I went online and got a website that gave the honest charges for calipers and a honest repair shop to do the service. The true cost was about 250-300 dollars and so i took it to one of the repair shops on the web. The repair shop gave me an estimate of 250 dollar which is what they charged me. I was furious that i was scammed by Sun Devil Auto and how im sure they cheated me before. This just goes to show that Sun Devil is a scam don't even go to them to have them put air in your tire! All of them need to go out of business!

My son purchased a vehicle on July 19, 2010 form a private owner. That owner had the A/C serviced by Sun Devil on July 10, 2010 The A/C stopped working on July 30, 2010 so my son brought it back to Sun Devil for repair. He had a copy of the receipt from the previous owner which stated a 90 Warranty on the work. They would not honor the warrenty since the vehicle had changed owners. Obviously they do not stand by their work or warrantly. Very poor business practice. I would recommend they not be used for an Auto Services.