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View Full Version : Gili's Automotive, Rockville, Maryland (MD) Review



llll1l1ll
08-22-2011, 09:35 AM
I spent hours looking for a good shop in my area where I could get the car inspected for MD State Safety Inspection. This place has five stars on Yelp from a number of different people. I didn't wanna take it to Sigy's because I didn't feel like dealing with some jerk. So, I took the car to Gili's. Tons of cars out front. Typical shop. Extremely tiny waiting room, but that's okay since I was dropping it off. They told me should be ready by the next day.

They say it failed for exactly what it should have failed for: CABs, wipers, tires. The only thing I didn't catch myself were the rear rotors. They quoted me some average indy shop prices for the stuff to be repaired, but did not do any work since I checked that I do not give authorization to do so.

They had no qualms with me taking care of the smaller stuff myself, and I actually had a nice conversation with the manager about cars and how MD is too strict. They also said I could have Tire Rack just ship directly to them. They also did not mind me bringing in my own CABs to have them install. I brought it back with everything and it was ready the next day. No stains, no new strange sounds, no scratches, etc. Labor prices were cheap, too.

I think the only thing I have a bit of an issue with is how they measured my rear rotors. I reckon they did not remove the real wheels, because when I tried to get them off they were stuck on there. Took me an hour of hammering on each wheel. Leads me to believe that maybe they just glanced at the rotors (they looked bad) and wrote down a random measurement. Also, they take a while to pick up the phone sometimes, but it's a shop. I don't care about excellent customer service - I care about the quality of work done.

All in all, though, they come across as professional and competent. They didn't seem to be dumbfounded by a BMW, either. I would take my car back again if I needed more work done.

billschusteriv
08-22-2011, 09:43 AM
:thumbsup Thanks for the review.


I think the only thing I have a bit of an issue with is how they measured my rear rotors. I reckon they did not remove the real wheels, because when I tried to get them off they were stuck on there. Took me an hour of hammering on each wheel. Leads me to believe that maybe they just glanced at the rotors (they looked bad) and wrote down a random measurement. Also, they take a while to pick up the phone sometimes, but it's a shop. I don't care about excellent customer service - I care about the quality of work done.

This has the potential to be a bit shady. Any one think there is a chance that they were able to measure with the car on a lift? Also, I've noticed that lots of shops have their pneumatic wrenches turned up a bit too high and the lugs/wheels take a bit of finesse (non-marking mallet and some whacking) to remove after the fact.

llll1l1ll
08-22-2011, 11:11 AM
They put it on a lift, as they were able to get me for the CABs. If they did take the wheel off, then they had their wrench cranked to the max. I only torque the wheels to +/-88 ft. lbs. I couldn't get the lugs off with the standard wrench that comes with the car. Granted, I had been hammering and breaking my back on the other wheel beforehand. Plus, I'm not exactly the strongest young man out there.

Methinks it was an act of shadiness, but there's no true way to tell. I wasn't there. They certainly wanted a pretty penny for the rear rotor replacement (they quoted me at 430 something).

Newjack
08-22-2011, 11:23 AM
Good review. I want to thank you for not taking your car to Sigy's. That man is a complete piece of shit.

When I needed an MD state inspection on my ZHP when I first bought it, I took it to Rockville Automotive and Truck (http://www.rockvilleautomotivetruckservice.com/) If your looking for a different shop in your area I would give them a try. Overall great people and know what they are doing.

llll1l1ll
08-22-2011, 11:36 AM
Yeah, I called Sigy's when I needed something quick done (an oil change). He was a bit gruff, but he didn't really even take my name or anything like that. He seemed like he knew what he was talking about. Rattled off all these specs about using Lubro-Moly instead of BMW oil because of foaming. What was your experience with Sigy like?

Anyway, I went to Gili's because I can walk there from my place, so there's no worries about getting home after dropping off or getting up there when picking up. However, they do offer rides if you need it. Aside from the possible scheming on my rotors, they are nice guys there. They might come in handy for stuff that I can't do myself - in this case, it was the CABs and tires.

Newjack
08-22-2011, 11:45 AM
"I called my indy mechanic who doesn't have the tool to do this but he gave me the number to the BMW shop right next door. I'm thinking awesome these guys can probably help me out. I give them a call and I explain what I wanted done. The woman has no idea how much it costs to have it done so she passes the phone to another guy.

Bad sign #1 - The guy answers the phone "WHAT". I tell him what I wanted done and if they could do it. He says $100. I'm thinking jeez I might as well go to the dealer. I say "That's pretty high". He tells me that if I ever call again that he will charge me $200. He then proceeds to call me a cheap bastard for buying a $15,000 car and not wanting to pay his prices. I politely told him to place his mouth upon my balls."

Excerpt from my thread Turning off DRL's in MD area (http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?3809-Turning-off-DRL-s-in-MD-area&highlight=daytime+running+lights) This is why I will never give Sigy business.

Marcus-SanDiego
08-22-2011, 11:58 AM
Do we have a review for Sigy? If not, please write one. Sounds as though it would be very useful.

llll1l1ll
08-23-2011, 04:01 AM
Hahaha I remember that thread. I laughed when I read that. Yelp has similar stories about him, too. When I drove by his area, I couldn't even find his shop.