Business ProfileforA R E Auto Repair Experts

When my ABS Brake System warning lights came on Nov. 2022, I took it to the garage I have used in the past, Auto Repair Experts (ARE). They charged me $378 to test the ABS system and it took about 5 minutes. They diagnosed the problem as the hydraulic pump booster needed replacement. They charged me $1,972 for the part. All total for the hydraulic pump booster, was $2744. The pump had to be replaced twice as the ABS warning lights came within 24 hours. After the 2nd pump failed to keep the warning lights off, ARE diagnosed the problem as the ABS actuator, which would cost $2,700 more to fix; the actuator price is $1369 so they were going to charge me $1,331 labor! When I asked if they had misdiagnosed the problem, I was told it was possible but unlikely. Their view was that the pump then the actuator can fail and that's what happened. Had that been the case, it is unlikely that the actuator would have failed the instant a new pump was installed. Going to another auto garage and the Toyota dealership, the amount they would charge to replace the actuator was between $1900 to $2,100. When I went to the Toyota dealership to get prices, the cost of the hydraulic pump was $692 so ARE tripled the price of the part. When I talked with Toyota mechanics, they said the pump and the actuator work in coordination with each other but one does not cause the other to fail. I told ARE they needed to find some middle ground with this but they never contacted me. I would like to be compensated for the huge overcharge on the pump ($1279.50 over Toyota price) as well as the labor ($393.89) and diagnostics ($378.74) because the highest probability is misdiagnosis, given how quickly the ABS warning lights came back on and 2 pumps later. This would be a total of $2,052.13. If we do not find middle ground, I will move on toward small claims court as well as bad reviews on the internet.