HC
Howard Caraway
Aug 4, 2026
My family has been loyal customers of Ray Pearman Lincoln since 2010. We've purchased vehicles there and have trusted their service department with virtually all of our maintenance and repairs over the past 16 years. Because of that history, writing this review is especially disappointing.
On August 3, 2026, we took our 2014 Ford Edge in to have several items completed that were noted and recommended during our 5,000-mile "Works" oil service: The items listed included an oil additive service, fuel injection service, drive belt replacement, and a repair for what was described as a power steering pump leak.
Around 10:30 a.m., our service advisor, Danielle, called with an update. She said the technician had performed a "leak analysis" and determined that the vehicle also had a leaking water pump. The estimate was approximately $4,600 to replace the water pump, including nearly $3,000 in labor at $249 per hour. The estimate for the power steering pump leak was approximately $1,200. Altogether, we were looking at nearly $6,000 in recommended repairs.
This immediately raised concerns because we had never seen any evidence of leaking fluids under our vehicle other than normal air conditioner condensation. Before approving such expensive repairs, I decided to get a second opinion.
I took the vehicle to Richard Miller at Miller Auto Repair in Huntsville. He put the vehicle on a lift and carefully inspected both areas. He showed me where an internal water pump leak would normally appear, and the area was completely dry with no staining or evidence of a current or previous leak. He then inspected the power steering pump area using bright lighting and again found no signs of any leak or fluid residue. The entire area was dry.
I was relieved that my vehicle apparently did not need thousands of dollars in repairs, but I was also deeply disappointed. After trusting Ray Pearman Lincoln for 16 years, I had been presented with nearly $6,000 in recommended repairs that a second inspection found no evidence to support.
I returned to Ray Pearman Lincoln and spoke with the service manager, Steven, for about 20 minutes. During our conversation, he made several statements that stood out to me. He said, "That's not how we do business," mentioned that the technician was recently hired, suggested that maybe I should continue taking my vehicle to Miller Auto Repair, and apologized for what had happened.
My wife asked what I felt was the most important question: If there was no leak, what repair was Ray Pearman Lincoln going to perform? What exactly would we have been paying nearly $6,000 for?
That led us to an even bigger question: Can we continue to trust Ray Pearman Lincoln with our vehicles?
After 16 years as loyal customers, our answer is no.