1 /5 Dane J: Its getting toward the end of my new vehicle warranty and I wont be receiving anymore perks at the car dealership. I figured Id test out Batavia Automotive with a vehicle inspection. This would allow me to get a sense of how they operate before trusting them with any larger jobs down the road.
The Good:
The receptionist was quick at her job, even driving some customer vehicles into the shop herself. She spoke clearly and did not beat around the bush with me or the other customers while I was present.
The Bad:
My vehicle had a loose fastener on one of the wipers and the mechanic flagged it as a safety violation. The receptionist offered to sell me a single wiper for $25- what appeared to be a Service-Pro branded mixed-material wiper blade. I declined because I had a pair of pure silicone blades back at home.
Even though windshield wiper violations are at the discretion of the inspecting mechanic, the receptionist said it could not be reversed. I told her that I would be back shortly after I installed my wiper blades at home up near Albion.
The Ugly:
When back home I gave a quick search about New York state inspections and wiper blades. The inspecting mechanic was supposed to run the windshield washer fluid and see if the blades functioned as intended. If the wipers were unable to function, they fail. Otherwise the wipers are doing their job and arent a safety violation- regardless of a loose fastener.
Batavia Automotives mechanic did not test the wipers in this manner. The windshield was not wet when the car was returned to me just a couple of minutes after failure and my wipers had always functioned for me during rain/snow/windshield washing.
I gave their Service-Pro wiper blades a search and found them elsewhere for around $11 per blade!
Batavia Automotive also rents out U-Haul trucks. This might not seem like a problem to some people, but it greatly complicates matters inside their cramped parking lot they share with another business. It also shows that they are not focused on automotive matters and might just be looking to make a quick buck...
After some digging around, Batavia Automotive does not appear to be locally owned or operated. The business is registered in Brooklyn and the property is owned by people from Massachusetts.
I will not be going back to Batavia Automotive.
