Raben Tire & Auto Service

Went to the west-​side Raben before a long road trip to California, and asked them to replace a failing solenoid valve, do a compression leak-​down test, a detailed inspection, and to do a summer service special on my Subaru Outback 2002 with 116K miles. Was prepared to spend $ 500 or so.
One hour later, they come back and tell me that ‘the rear wheels are awfully bad’ and need replacement, so I’m like ‘fine, whatever’. An hour after that, they tell me that they’re not going to replace the solenoid valve, that their ‘inspection’ indicated that I’m burning oil, and present me a bill for a premium oil change and a new set of tires. At that point, I realize these folks are incompetent, and I decide to go elsewhere.
15 miles later, the car is dead on the side of the road. After getting it towed and looked at by an ASE mechanic, what we know is that the radiator coolant container was empty, the failing solenoid valve was still in the engine, there was a broken timing belt, and the engine is basically totaled.
We’re not entirely sure what caused the timing belt to break; but we’re guessing a) the radiator coolant wasn’t filled during the summer service special, and overheating led to engine strain that snapped the belt; and b) their ‘detailed’ inspection doesn’t involve inspecting the various engine belts in the engine.
Cost of repairs is going to be $ 1500 to $ 2000 dollars.
Long story short, the folks at Raben are unable to do even moderately complex engine diagnostics. Things like solenoid valves and compression leak-​down tests and checking the engine belts are beyond them. They’re only useful for the most simple and basic maintenance, like oil changes, changing tires, and replacing air filters.
Rely on these folks for auto servicing of cars at 100K miles at your own risk.

I used to take my car to this location quite frequently, for everything from oil changes to standard preventative maintenance, but I have had two problems over the years that have lead me to question the quality of their service.
First, there was a problem installing the oil filter on my car during a routine oil change which led my oil to get very low. If I would have let it go (which is easy for someone who doesn’t know much about cars to do), there’s a chance I could have destroyed my engine.
Second, I had my timing belt replaced with other belts three years ago after one of my other belts (I can’t remember which) started to get worn down. Timing belts are usually replaced every 60K-​150K miles. The job was affordable, but they failed to mention that most folks usually replace the water pump with the timing belt, since it’s so difficult to get that far down in the car and the timing belt is usually only replaced a handful of times during a car’s life on the road. Now it’s three years later and my timing belt is only half worn, but I have to have it replaced prematurely because the water pump now needs replaced as well.
Maybe this isn’t Raben’s fault. Maybe it is. It certainly contributed to more business for another garage. And I think it does say something about their level of customer service that a conversation about preventative maintenance was not a part of the initial repair.
In sum, Raben is probably a fine place to buy tires, but their auto service reminds me a lot of Wal-​Mart. It’s cheap and convenient, but the depth and quality of service is anything but guaranteed.
If you have an oil change done here, make sure that you check for leaks in the first couple of weeks after it’s changed. If you have more substantial work done to your car, make sure to ask a lot of questions about related problems that could appear further on down the line.