Essential Auto Care

Reviews

• RE

  Romane ESTIME

  5 days ago
  1.0
  Terrible Experience: Waste of Time and Money. Avoid these Scammers. This place is dishonest and just trying to take the most money possible out of you. I will never go there again. Beware of these scammers. I don’t trust their reviews and want to explain what happened also posting pictures of the diagnostic receipt) so you don’t make the same mistake. I failed my inspection and received the code U0284: Lost Communication With Active Grille Air Shutter Module A. Later, I realized the core issue was just a broken wire in one of the connectors. Here is a breakdown of their dishonest practices: 1)Exorbitant Diagnostic Fees: They charged me $476.46 before taxes just for a basic diagnostic ($530.41 in total). I was so confused after I paid this money I went to the Nissan dealership in Bay Ridge, and they quoted me $199.00 before tax for a full diagnostic—less than half the price. Only scammers charge more than double the dealership rate. 2)Bogus "Parts Kit" Fee: As if $476.46 wasn't enough, they also charged me an extra $10.73 for a "Parts Kit" for a full diagnostic. This is absurd. 3)Lying About Disassembly: They claimed in writing that "some disassembly and testing procedures will be performed" for the diagnostic. From the pictures I posted, you can clearly see there was no disassembly. They simply lifted the car and took pictures of the underside. They are liars. 4)Wasted Time and Money: I sat there for over six hours while they allegedly worked on my car. Every time I asked the front desk for an update, the answer was, "Not ready yet, but someone is working on it." Someone was working on it for six hours just to lift the car, take pictures of a broken wire and a damaged grille shutter, and then charge me $530.41? When I asked why it cost so much, they said, "It also takes time." It takes time to scam people, apparently. 5)Upselling Unnecessary Repairs: They claimed my car had "other issues" that could cause the code and insisted they couldn't do "half the job." They even mentioned a non-existent "alignment code" for NYS inspection purposes. They quoted me $1,190.22 just to remove and adjust the radiator/condenser (the first "required step"). Then, they quoted another $1,940.28 to replace the air flow shutter actuator and harness. Their total repair estimate was over $3,000 for a simple problem. In Conclusion I just needed to buy a new connector for $37 online to replace the old one with a broken wire. That fixed the communication code instantly. (I also fixed the physically damaged grille later to save energy, but the wire was the only issue causing the inspection failure). This shop is dishonest, overpriced, and predatory. Do not make the same mistake I did.
• FM

  F.X. MACASAC

  6 days ago
  5.0
  Recently visited essential for my first time to have my car inspected and I met Daniel who was very friendly and professional. I was in and out and under an hour had some nice fresh coffee on a nice comfortable couch and experience with a good one and I’ll be back as a regular customer from now on.
• JD

  Jacqueline and Danny

  Jan 2, 2026
  5.0
  When I moved to NYC from a small town in Virginia, I tried to find a car mechanic who I could trust and provide a “small town customer service” I had grown accustomed to. After much search I walked into Essential Auto Care. They are honest, efficient, friendly and knowledgeable. I strongly recommend going to them.
• SG

  Silvia Garcia

  Dec 18, 2025
  5.0
  Daniel es la persona más amable que he conocido en el servicio al cliente, me explicó cada pequeño detalle sobre lo que necesita mi auto y también siempre priorizando las cosas más importantes y cuáles pueden esperar a ser arregladas.
• MB

  Marland Bowen

  Dec 18, 2025
  5.0
  First off wow. The place is so clean and inviting but that’s just the appetizer. I spoke with a Daniel and a Kelsy on different inquiries I had and they both were the most polite and down to earth people I’ve come across in a while . In person they made you feel like family . Now to the real work . I come from a family with mechanics everywhere and we could not figure out my check engine light problem all year . I even went to different places to get there opinions . It took this shop 3 days to find fix and improve the situation . I have 09 civic si and I LOVE driving that car , but I couldn’t drive it the way I wanted for a while . I took my baby to Atlantic City the day I got my car back from here and it was ripping . The car feels brand new and everything that I was worried about before, in regards to my car, is no longer an issue . I will be doing business here for as long as this crew is here. Thank u soooo much .

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