Reviews for Auto Medic

From my research, at one time, Gary Barnes was friendly and reliable, but he has changed over the years. He has become abusive and uncaring, at minimum to new and unfamiliar customers. I bought my car from somebody who used him for years, and found out that he had over tightened my oil plug, which was stripped out the first time I went to have the oil changed. Gary denied that it was his fault, even though he admitted it "happens all the time" to him.

He blamed the aluminum oil pan my car has as the root cause. My research subsequent research has found this should NEVER happen UNLESS the mechanic is negligently over tightening the plug, no matter what the oil pan is made of. I have found mechanics who have never had this happen in 40 years of work, yet this is almost a daily occurrence for Gary!

The worst part when I found out what was wrong, and why, and called Gary to ask for help, he was verbally abusive, used profanity, and basically said, "this is their word against mine" and "this conversation is now OVER" and hung up the phone. I complained to the Better Business Bureau, and they tried to contact Gary, but he refused to respond to either me or the BBB itself. The most ironic inconsistency, is Gary's own website (automedicmason.com) claims his business is "BBB accredited" when if you check out the BBB website itself (BBB.org) you will find he is definitely NOT accredited! The BBB ethics and Compliance department has been contacted to look into this matter. The bottom line is take any positive reviews you read about Gary with a grain of salt, they are likely from years ago or from long time customers who still curry his favor. If you are considering a new mechanic in the area, I would definitely cross his name off the list, even (and especially!) in emergency situations. I hope this review helps you avoid what myself and others have experienced recently. Its very sad that someone who markets themselves as the "friendly neighborhood mechanic" is anything but!