Independent auto repair in Sandy Springs, Georgia needed.

[A930Rocket]

My mom is 94 and has a 2005 Toyota Sienna with 86,000 miles on the clock. She doesn’t drive, but has a caretaker that takes her where she needs to go. The caretaker said the brakes might need some attention, so they took it to the Toyota dealership. You can see where this is going. Long story short, they came up with a laundry list of items to be taken care of for about $6500. Obviously that’s not going to happen.

Take a look at the following. My thought is get the brakes repaired and the axles replaced. For the rest of the items, the car will last longer than she needs to to be driven in it. For the oil leaks, we just need to keep adding oil to the engine as needed. It’s not leaking like the Exxon Valdez, like the dealer is making it out to be.

So, does anybody know of a good independent auto repair shop in Sandy Springs/Dunwoody?

Edit: I find it strange that they would change the front and rear brake pads and rotors, but not bleed the brakes. They want to charge extra.🙄

[A930Rocket]

[MBAtarga]

User rattlesnak probably has a recommendation or two. I don't live close enough to make a recommendation.

[Alan A]

Why would you think you need to bleed the brakes to change pads and rotors?

[MBAtarga]

They are quoting flushing the brake fluid - not just bleeding.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by MBAtarga

They are quoting flushing the brake fluid - not just bleeding.

I saw that, my question was about bleeding after a pad/rotor replacement.

Depending on the car - and Toyotas aren’t my thing - you may need to access the ecu to do a flush - to power cycle the abs pump and solenoids. It’s a big part of why I pulled the ABS off the toy car and went to a Haltech rather than a hybrid Pontiac / GM setup.

[Roswell]

That particular dealership is known for pulling that sort of BS.

It will be hard to find a shop that is reasonable in Sandy Springs. Kelly and Stans in Roswell is good:
Kelly and Stan's Automotive Service and Repair - Roswell - GA / Georgia - 30075

Send me a private message if you need more recommendations. I am very familiar with the shops that service Toyotas in the area. happy to help in any way I can.

[Baz]

Rocket:

First - good on ya for looking after Mom!

Second - try to use the term Caregiver - not Caretaker. I was making the same mistake - but kept catching myself and finally shook the bad habit.

Third - hopefully someone here will help you with the info you need but you could also reach out through their Nextdoor app for that area and see what shops come recommended by the folks living there.

I have a great mechanic here but it seems like every week someone in this area posts in Nextdoor "Who can you recommend to work on my car?" Followed by many replies and in those you'll see the same outfit repeated several times and that's when you know you have a good one.

I think your logic is acceptable on how to proceed with repairs but of course having a good shop looking at it would provide much better data for you to make your decisions.

Good luck and {{{{HUGS}}}} to Mom!!!

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Alan A

Why would you think you need to bleed the brakes to change pads and rotors?

I guess cause I've always flushed the brakes on my cars.

[A930Rocket]

Thanks, Baz. You're right, I should be using the term caregiver.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I guess cause I've always done it.

I never have.
Only ever flush the fluid if I need to change a piston or MC seal or it’s really old and the pedal is crap.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Roswell

That particular dealership is known for pulling that sort of BS.

It will be hard to find a shop that is reasonable in Sandy Springs. Kelly and Stans in Roswell is good:
Kelly and Stan's Automotive Service and Repair - Roswell - GA / Georgia - 30075

Send me a private message if you need more recommendations. I am very familiar with the shops that service Toyotas in the area. happy to help in any way I can.

I'll send you a PM shortly. Thanks!

[Norm K]

The timing belt replacement has some merit, as the recommended interval is probably somewhere around 90K miles.

That said, I'm guessing the mileage driven these days is minimal, and given that Toyota's original timing belts have been known to remain serviceable far past 100K miles, I'm not sure I'd worry about it. Then again, if the belt does break it likely means catastrophic engine failure. I wouldn't be surprised if a good indy would do the work for as little as half of what the dealer quoted.

_

[MBAtarga]

Timing belt - regardless if 90k interval service - it's 18 years old.....

[A930Rocket]

I spoke with Roswell this morning. Super nice guy who gave me the name of a couple places and I've booked an appointment on 5/31. That was the earliest date they had, so I take it as a good sign. I will get the brakes, steering rack and timing belt done. The small leaks, we will leave alone.

Thanks everyone!

[Baz]

That's fantastic, Rocket. Please keep us posted on how it goes.

Much respect to Roswell for stepping up!