Wheel Works - Vallejo, California

J L.

UPDATE: 6/29/24 - I’m knocking off a star because the rear and emergency brakes ended up breaking for a SECOND time within the warranty period. I made an appointment for 7am today arrived on time. The employee said the mechanic who originally installed the brakes wouldn’t be in until 9. Not sure why he would be required to look at it, and if that’s the case why make an appointment for 7am? So I waited. By 9:30am he still hadn’t arrived. Another 2.5 hours I asked for a status as my car hadn’t been touched. After waiting 4.5 hours they got it on the rack and the mechanic told me that one of the brake adjusters was fully compressed. They could adjust it and if it happened again to bring it back. Asked about replacing it since it’s under warranty. He told me only the manager can approve replacement under warranty and he’s out all weekend. Really? They can’t do any warranty work without the manager. I asked if it is safe to drive with only an adjustment. He then consented to do the replacement and would get it cleared. It would take 1.5-2 hours to get the part to do the work. 2 hours later the mechanic tells me they can’t find the part and it will take another 2-4 hours. I went home to wait. Called after 3 hours - was told the part was being delivered from Sacramento and they’d call me when it’s done. 10 minutes before the shop closed I called for a status. I’m told that they’re almost done and I need to get there as soon as possible before they close. I was not called as promised by the store. I rushed down there before closing. After 10-15 minutes he tells me it’s ready and test driven and there’s no charge. I’m perplexed at why they told me to come at 7am, only to be told it can’t be worked on until the mechanic arrives and he’s late. Only to be told they can’t get the part. Had someone put the car on the rack at least a few hours earlier they could have seen the part needing replacement and ordered it earlier so they weren’t running against the clock. I assumed by 5:50pm the car wasn’t going to be ready and wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t called them.

On top of everything - the mechanic kept calling me “boss” which I found to be dismissive. I relayed to him that I’m a customer, not his boss. He literally told me that it’s a corporate mandate to call customers “boss” and they can get reprimanded for not calling customers “boss.” Wow. I didn’t hear them call any female customers “boss.” What do they call them?

Side note: A month ago I took the car there for a standard oil change and tire rotation- made an 8am appointment and it took nearly 5 hours to do the work.

Except for anything to do with the brake work while under warranty I will never patronize this store again due to the repeated faulty brake job, the lengthy wait and inefficiency despite making an appointment, and the lack of communication.
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Dec 2023 - Right before Christmas Eve, the rear brakes started to rattle and sounded like they were falling apart. The parking brake also felt loose. This was a full brake job done in June of 2023 in Sonoma at Sonoma Tire (now closed).

I was able to get in on 12/22 and left my car overnight. The mechanic showed me how the spring mechanism inside one of the rear wheels literally came apart and was scraping around inside the drum. The job was done and ready the next day. It wasn’t cheap but at least it was done (presumably) well and with a warranty.

About 2 weeks later, the parking brake felt completely limp and it felt like only the front brakes were working. To come to a stop I had to apply the brakes well ahead to make sure I wasn’t going to hit any cars in front of me.

Honey B.

Everyone was very informative and honest. It is hard for women when we seek auto care. Here I felt valued. Everything was explained in great detail. I will make sure that I return for my auto needs. I will share with friends and family that this is where yo want to take your vehicle.

Francene T.

I was pleasantly surprised to know of the discount card offered and was able to apply it to my very first service, which included a free oil change and discount on my alignment. It made all of the world a difference when anticipating only an hour and a half service time which took a little longer. It definitely was worth the wait. I was so glad I came and will be sharing my Wheel Works Experience😀

Dollar B.

I've been going up for the last 10 years I'm highly satisfied every time I visit the service is great and staff is great

Libby ..

Helped me out last minute with a tire inspection and we're very kind - happy holidays to your excellent team!

Enrique S.

The business was pack, several customers waiting and the shop was full of cars in the works. No parking spaces (I had to park at the side of the building), but Ben took me in. He told me: "We are completely book all day, and if you don't have an appointment, I don't think we'll be able to see you?". I told him that I was in no rush and that I could leave my car the whole day until they were able to get to it. He answered "Okay, no problem. Give me you information and your keys, and I'll get to you when we are able." By noon, although pack and full of jobs to do, he called me and said "Your tires need to be change and we cannot do a proper alignment like that." I explained to him that I already sold the car and the new owner was going to buy new tires, but he needed the alignment. He took initiative and did a favor for me doing the alignment. That is what I call real customer service. (Four) Starts for Ben. Keep it up. Awesome Service.

Roberta S.

Everyone I dealt with was so pleasant and helpful. Instead of waiting in the store for a couple of hours, I was given a time to come back on that day to keep from waiting so long. I was a walk in.

Kyle S.

Wish I could give zero stars.. TLDR: This shop is slow, lazy, and doesn’t stick to their word. And apparently creating an appointment doesn’t mean anything because they completely disregarded my appointment time… I called and created an appointment 2 days out, for Friday at 11am. Dropped my truck off early and went to work. Came back after work at 4pm (no phone call update from the shop) and the truck was still in the same parking spot. I was told the brake guy needed a second opinion and the “second opinion guy” was busy, you cant pause what you’re doing for 5 seconds to take a look at something..? I expressed to the shop my brakes needed to be replaced that same day as I had a road trip planned that weekend.. They said the shop would stay late to get me taken care of, but they didn’t call me back until 30mins prior to closing with the report of what needed to be done and they wouldn’t service the truck same day. This shop clearly doesn’t respect appointments and doesn’t have its priorities straight, not to mention the lowest level of professionalism I’ve ever seen at a wheel works. Don’t waste your time here..