Ongoing complaints regarding the Cobble Hill Super Service has neighbors in an uproar over the fact that AAA is still referring members to their mechanics. It seems that despite many complaints to the DMV, and to Triple A, drivers allege they are still getting ripped off. As recently as October this tale of woe was expressed:
I brought my car in for an inspection. I received a call from one of the “mechanics” telling me that I need to replace all 4 struts, the coolant, Oil change, 1 tire and wiper blades. I told him I would pick up the car and get it done. (I used to be a mechanic and I can take care of most of it.) The “mechanic” then back peddled and said all I need to pass inspection was a new tire and wiper blades. Now I was sure this was a scam. I went to pick up the car. I agree the tire was worn. My wiper blades were replaced 3 months ago and I had no problem with them. You are at their mercy at this point because the inspection forms have already been submitted to the DMV. I paid them for the inspection (37.00) and asked how much the re-inspection would cost. He said 10 or 15 dollars. I went and got 2 new tires for the price they were going to charge for ($200) and replaced the wiper blades. I then went back for the re-inspection. They refused to do the re-inspection. They said they only do inspections in the morning. ( This was a lie!! A woman came in while I was there picking up my car at 2:30 and asked for an inspection on the spot. They said OK to her?) They said the owner would be back in an hour and I would have to talk to him. I didn’t wait. I went to L & B on 4th Ave.
Yet other victims stories date back to June 2006:
I’m pretty sure that they are crooked. Either way, they are terrible mechanics. The first time I called AAA, the grarage told me I needed a new battery. They installed it incorrectly, and the car sputtered to a halt on the highway at midnight. The next time they gave me a faulty alternater that also caused the car to break down. The last time (I know, I’m slow to learn from my mistakes), they installed an oil filter incorrectly, and caused hundreds of dollars of damage to my engine.
Another writes:
I was stuck with these guys after a breakdown on the weekend when all other garages were closed. They were hands down the worst mechanics I have ever encountered. They ripped me off by faking work. They left my ride up on the lift and just let the hours tick away. They did not complete the work they promised to do. My car is in worse shape then before. These guys trashed the inside of my vehical with garbage and greasy foot prints. They were not helpful, rather, harmful. Drag your car anywhere else.
It doesn’t end there, it seems there’s a whole community of swindled drivers looking to save others from this fate.
When I called the DMV a helpful but somewhat discouraging rep gave me the news: there are “many” (she’s “not allowed” to give me a number) complaints about this place. But it takes hundreds of complaints to shut a car repair garage down.
Have you had any experience with Cobble Hill Super Service? Share your thoughts in the comments.
—E.C. Stephens
24 responses so far ↓
1 E.L. // Oct 21, 2008 at 9:56 am
Well maybe someone can buy and open up a really good repair shop!
http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/2/C/5/2C5A8837-91FF-4C5A-B3CF-0B105F80EF6E.pdf
2 E.L. // Oct 21, 2008 at 9:59 am
Well maybe can buy it and open a really good service station?
http://www.loopnet.com/Attachments/2/C/5/2C5A8837-91FF-4C5A-B3CF-0B105F80EF6E.pdf
3 Brooklyn Heights Blog » Cobble Hill Super Service Not So Super? // Oct 21, 2008 at 11:53 am
[…] Lounge reports many complaints against Cobble Hill Super Service, the Shell station and garage at the corner of […]
4 Cobble Hill Blog » Cobble Hill Super Service Not So Super? // Oct 21, 2008 at 11:59 am
[…] Lounge reports many complaints against Cobble Hill Super Service, the Shell station and garage at the corner of […]
5 Mikey // Oct 21, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I was towed in (AAA) with a dead battery. The garage changed the battery and were insisting that I have the electrical system checked out. I was pretty sure the system was fine. I said no just let me go. The jack-ass owner then told me there would be no warranty on the new battery. I told him to stick it. The place reeks.
To top it off the battery they put in the car was the wrong size. Stay away from this place.
6 woodendesigner // Oct 21, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This place is a total rip. I have had problems with them before myself. I called AAA and they showed up to tow the car insisting that the car be taken to their shop. I refused and told them that my mechanic was not much further. It went back and forth for a while until I told them to leave and called AAA back so they could send a truck from a different location.
I also know several people that have been ripped off by them very badly. Even if you break down right in front of their shop, get a tow to somewhere else.
7 Jack // Oct 21, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Wow, wasn’t this the same place praised by the neighborhood years ago when they avoided becoming a development site?
What happened? New management?
8 blassfamous // Oct 21, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Can anybody recommend a decent shop in the hood?
9 cyclist // Oct 21, 2008 at 3:57 pm
As a cyclist I like their free air.
10 danno // Oct 21, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Con artists. I brought my car (35,000 miles) in for an inspection. The wiper blades they recommended? OK.; blades are pretty cheap. But they insisted on putting in new brakes and rotors all around. They showed me two sets of pads they allegedly took out — no rotors, just the pads. One set was worn, but not worn down. The others were pretty much OK.
$1200 later, I got my car back. I complained to the BBB; no joy, of course.
Avoid, avoid, avoid.
11 bby // Oct 23, 2008 at 12:39 pm
this place scammed me a few years back when aaa towed me there after an xmas day breakdown.
@blassfamous — try excel motor works on cadman plaza. they’ve always done right by me.
12 Frank Ford // Oct 26, 2008 at 1:04 pm
You won’t believe what happened to me at Cobble Hill Super Service on Atlantic and Henry. I was visiting a friend in Brooklyn when my brakes seemed to stop working, which was scary. So I pulled over and parked and waited til morning (Jan. 6) to call AAA. They sent out a guy (Michael Green) from Cobble Hill Super Service to have it towed there (the nearest shop open on a Sunday). I told the guy the brakes didn’t work but was able to move it a little carefully to get it on the tow truck. I rode with him to the shop where he unloaded my car into their lot. I filled out the paper work with another guy on duty and also told him what was wrong with my car. Right when I was ready to leave, the other guy on duty asked Michael Green to move my car out of the way into the corner of the lot. I said I don’t know if you want to do that, the brakes don’t seem to work. But all he really had to do was wait for a car to finish gassing up and move it slowly forward several yards within the lot, riding the parking brake if need be. Next thing I know, this guy is in my car, gunning it in reverse out of the lot the wrong way up Henry Street, swiping one car at the intersection and swerving around still backwards at a very high speed smashing into a car waiting at a red light on a very busy Atlantic Avenue. It was insane. Cops and fire trucks came, 2 people coming from church got sent away on a stretcher with whiplash, etc. The driver Michael Green didn’t seem to even care or think he’d done anything wrong, and came up to me and said “I don’t think your brakes work.” I was like, duh! That’s why I had my car towed to the shop, like I told you! The cops did a police report, and the other guy on duty assured me that he talked to the owner and that he agreed to fix everything and take care of everything for all 3 cars involved. Well, the next day, the owner Tony called me to give me an estimate for the brake work on my car, not mentioning the accident at all. When I said what about the car wreck your guy caused, he had no idea. The 2 guys on duty from Sunday were trying to cover the whole thing up! Needless to say a million insurance companies are involved in this bizarre situation, but now Cobble Hill Super Service has been completely rude and defensive with me each time I’ve called to see what’s going on, and their insurance company has determined my car to be totaled and I’m sure they’ll scam me and give me the lowest blue book value they can. My car was in perfect condition when I took it in (aside from the brakes), I was just visiting from Washington DC where I live, and I really need my car, it has way more value to me than the highest blue book even would ever give me. Welcome to New York, right?!
13 bessel // Nov 12, 2008 at 9:04 pm
BAD EXPERIENCE — RIPOFF! 11/10/2008 Posted by bessel
Our car had a dead battery and got towed to this place via AAA. Since it was late at night, we didn’t read all the reviews on the website before agreeing to drop off the car there. We asked explicitly to *only replace the battery* for $120 parts+labor. Next day the mechanic called us with a laundry list of things which don’t work (belts, ignition, etc.) and said it will cost $600+ to fix it. When we asked to just replace the battery, they said no, and said if you want your car back pay $65 diagnostic fee which we didn’t agree to. The people in the station were rude and non-helpful. We will be filing a complaint with the state against this company. SAVE YOURSELF TIME AND DO NOT GO THERE !!!
14 Jane // Mar 2, 2009 at 3:14 pm
This is what i just posted on another site. i still dont understand why the bad reviews they were great.
I just found this garage. I changed jobs and now work down the street from him. He is AWESOME! I use to go to the dealership…never again. He just did a 30,000 mile check up and saved me a ton of money. Not only does my car (Toyota Avalon) run great but I don’t feel like he ripped me off! I have no idea why they have so many bad reviews?
15 Jane // Mar 2, 2009 at 3:17 pm
OHH i see now after reading all these reviews i realized it was all in the same day.. so some one is just trying to spam Bad reviews. Probably a competitor.. what an awfully low thing to do..
16 Jane AKA Tony // Mar 18, 2009 at 12:55 am
Jane,
The reason for all of the Oct 21 posts is because the article was written on (guess what),
Drum roll please……… October 21!!!!!!
I am glad you had a good experience at this SCAM ARTISTS shop. Very few people have come out of this place feeling good. Most feel that they have just been RAPED!! I have not met Tony (the owner) but he sounds like a real scum bag tough guy. They tried to scam me about a year ago, I pulled my car out as soon as I heard the list of BS that one of their “mechanic/salesmen” gave me. Anyway, I’d say good luck in the future but you already seem to have it.
Jane
17 Joe Straum // Apr 7, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Yesterday I dropped off my 2004 Toyota for a tune up and oil change at Cobble Hill Super Service. Three hours later I recieved a phone call that my car is ready for pick up. Since I have been going there for about 3 years and never had ANY problem with them I decided to post on a few sites to get the word out about Cobble Hill. The only catch is they are almost always busy so you have to drop your car off early but this is a small price to pay for a FAIR trusty service
18 Joe Straum // Apr 7, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Btw I find it really hard to believe anyone that says that this place is a rip off. Tony …. (I think he is the owner)… has always been straight up with me. To be honest I just read some of the reviews above and I am astonished. I do find it funny that these reviews are all posted in Oct. and yes this article did come out then but when I googled CHSS this link came up on the first page hence the current posting.
19 Jason Dunham // Apr 25, 2009 at 3:34 pm
“My wife couldn’t start our car the other day, with two kids and a lot on her mind, she called AAA for a jump. Cobble Hill Super Service showed up 45 minutes late and told her it wasn’t the battery, it was an electrical problem. They recommended that she have them tow the car to their shop. An hour later they called me: bad battery, bad alternator, and oh yeah, bad rear brakes and leaking struts. I was dubious and I refused service and asked my Honda dealership to tow the car away. I still had to pay $70 for a diagnostic fee. The Honda dealership called me: The dome light was left on all night, draining the battery, The battery just needed to be recharged. The dealership told me the alternator, brakes and struts were fine. CSSI wanted $600 parts/labor for a new alternator and battery (without the brake and strut work). LIARS. DO NOT USE THESE GUYS. TONY IS THE OWNER AND IS NOT TO BE TRUSTED. THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER, REPUTABLE SHOPS. I have filed a complaint with AAA — you can always request that AAA use a different towing company if they suggest Cobble Hill — and with the NYS Consumer Protection Dept. STAY AWAY FROM THIS GUY.” —————- “When I called the DMV a helpful but somewhat discouraging rep gave me the news: there are “many” (she’s “not allowed” to give me a number) complaints about this place. But it takes hundreds of complaints to shut a car repair garage down.” ——————————————————————– As for: Jeanie S, March 27, 2009 08:33 and that post….. This station has not been pumping Gas for the last few months while they are doing work on the site. I have no Idea how this person is buying Fuel there. Suspicious??? —————————————————————————————————————————————— Top Google search results for this place!!– YOU BE THE JUDGE!!!! ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3661 ————————————————————————————————————————– http://repairpal.com/directory/2629-cobblehill+super+service+incorporated ——————————————————————————————————————– http://www.yelp.com/biz/cobblehill-super-service-brooklyn ———————————————————————————————————————————- http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/4295 ————————————————————————————————————————————- http://brooklyn.citysearch.com/profile/32938630/ —————————————————————————————————————————————– http://outside.in/places/cobble-hill-super-service-brooklyn ———————————————————————————————————————————- http://www.gowanuslounge.com/2008/10/21/neighbors-warn-against-cobble-hill-super-service/ —————————————————————————————————————————————–
20 Mei Chan // May 18, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Last week, my car was towed to Cobble Hill station through triple AAA. I had a 2004 Honda that wouldn’t start and I wasn’t sure why. I was kinda of panicking about it cause I love my HONDA and it is my only means of transportation between school and work. During this time I went online and read the reviews for this place and starting having an anxiety attack. Some of the reviews were not so good and quite frankly I really hoped that i wasn’t gonna get screwed out of money that I didn’t have! The tow guy was very polite and nice to me but hey you still never know. Anyway, the next day I recieved a called from someone who worked there and he said that I needed a new fuel pump. I asked him “Is that it?” he said ” Yes Honey” and told me that I could even pick the car up after 5pm that day. I was confused because some of the reviews about this station said that it is a ripp off. The mechanic was in a perfect position to screw me out of money and he didn’t! I didn’t question it and picked up my car and thanked GOD!!! In return I am posting this review on several sites because I feel that people should also read about my GOOD experience with Cobble Hill on Atlantic and Henry!!!:)
21 Mei Chan // May 29, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Last week, my car was towed to Cobble Hill station through triple AAA. I had a 2004 Honda that wouldn’t start and I wasn’t sure why. I was kinda of panicking about it cause I love my HONDA and it is my only means of transportation between school and work. During this time I went online and read the reviews for this place and starting having an anxiety attack. Some of the reviews were not so good and quite frankly I really hoped that i wasn’t gonna get screwed out of money that I didn’t have! The tow guy was very polite and nice to me but hey you still never know. Anyway, the next day I recieved a called from someone who worked there and he said that I needed a new fuel pump. I asked him “Is that it?” he said ” Yes Honey” and told me that I could even pick the car up after 5pm that day. I was confused because some of the reviews about this station said that it is a ripp off. The mechanic was in a perfect position to screw me out of money and he didn’t! I didn’t question it and picked up my car and thanked GOD!!! In return I am posting this review on several sites because I feel that people should also read about my GOOD experience with Cobble Hill on Atlantic and Henry!!!:)
22 melissa // Sep 12, 2009 at 9:11 am
We, too, were sent a mechanic from here by AAA for a dead battery. They guy didn’t even TRY to jump it with the truck. Just used a little hand held thing and said “you need a new alternator, I’ll have to tow it back to our shop and we’ll have it ready tomorrow.” My husband laughed right in his face and told him to tow it to our regular mechanic. Our guy jumped it instantly and sent us on our way with no charge. That was 2 years ago and we’ve had no problems with the battery or alternator since. I’ve even had it jumped again – this time car to car with cables after I left on the interior light. Seriously, AAA, what are you thinking sending people to these scam artist? We didn’t even need the tow and they’re the ones paying for it.
23 Brian // Sep 28, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Joe Straum you have got to be kidding. You are doing your fellow citizens a big disservice with your support of these Blatantly CROOKED, sleazebags who lied tried to rip me off a couple of years ago. After calling AAA for a jump start ( I had left a cabin light on by accident and I had just recently replaced the battery – so I was pretty sure what the problem was…) They send out the Cobble Hill Super Service tow truck to check my car. The idiot put the boosters from the tow truck to my battery (without properly connecting one of the leads – it was on top of a rubber insulator cap therefore not making the complete circuit), quickly tried the car (did not turn) the yanked off the booster cables. His diagnosis – BAD alternator. Said he had to tow me to the shop. I caught the fraud immediately and told him I did not believe him. So he says “Oh you don’t – let me call my buddy and we will try his truck” at this point I am calling his bluff. “go ahead” – his buddy shows up with another truck and ‘low and behold’ again it does NOT turn over. I could not believe the breadth of this SCAM as he was too eager to call his buddy for the ‘second opinion/test’ to try to support his initial fraudulent diagnosis. Fully knowing what was going on I called RIDGE towing to the scene – WHILE the CHSS idiots were STILL there. The RIDGE guy put this booster cables on and the car STARTED in ONE turn!!!! Just as I suspected. As soon as it turned, the CHSS guys packed up and scurried away!!!!! This is not an isolated incident, this company is involved in FRAUD right down to the root!!! They have RIPPED OFF 100’s if not 1000’s of good people in the area and are STILL in business. Shame on AAA and spread the word!!!! These guys are SCUMBAGS!!!!
24 Ono Sendai // Oct 4, 2009 at 3:16 pm
STAY AWAY! THESE PEOPLE ARE LIARS AND CROOKS!
My girlfriend needed a jump yesterday and called AAA. When the tow truck arrived he claimed the battery was dangerous and he couldn’t jump it. He told her it would need to be towed. When she asked for it to be taken to Firestone (we have a Firestone card) he told her he could tow it to his garage for free, but it would cost $90 to tow to another garage (Which isn’t true, AAA will tow for 3 miles or under without charge). Once at Cobble Hill service center they ran a diagnostic ($70) and told her she needed a new battery, alternator, brake pads and struts. Complete B.S. She called Firestone and they recommended another tow company. When we called them they said it was the third time this month they’ve had AAA customers call to have their cars removed from this garage.
When we went to pay the diagnostic and get the keys I asked the manager (Tony I believe) what the diagnostic involved and he immediately flew off the handle. He told me they “hooked up a voltmeter” and mumbled something. He wouldn’t give me a straight answer about anything they did and got angrier and angrier. Then, as we were paying the “diagnostic fee” he asked me if “I had a problem” because I was staring at him, he jumped up, stuck his finger in face and told me we could take it outside and “fix the problem”. His breath reeked of alcohol (it was 3 in the afternoon) and it was just so bizarre I couldn’t believe it. It was how I imagine people in prison act. He was like a rabid animal. My girlfriend asked him what his problem was and he said “You come back here and see how he’s staring at me…”
The funny thing is once we got the keys the car started just fine. We were able to drive it to Firestone where they ran a real diagnostic, showed us that the old battery wasn’t charging properly and needed to be replaced. The alternator was fine and the brake pads had plenty of life left in them.
Cobble Hill Service station should be avoided at all costs. These people are hostile, thieving filth. DO NOT GO THERE!