Covington and Mandeville Auto Repair

I originally reached out to them about what I suspected to be a failing AC compressor. After they inspected the car, they informed me that the issue was actually the evaporator since it was leaking. That's fair, but that can often lead to a bad ac compressor as well; so I said all right, but what about the compressor? I was told it was working perfectly fine. Seemed strange to me since the symptoms I offered to them are a literal checklist of a failed ac compressor but all right, they're the experts. It should be noted that the price to fix the evaporator is costly and on the high end for the area, but nothing insane given the amount of labor involved. You could get this done cheaper elsewhere, though, and I probably would have if I took the time to do more homework. But I'll eat that since it's my fault for not looking around more. Fast forward to when I receive my car back and lo and behold, the problem persists. I return the car knowing full well it's the ac compressor, and they inform me less than an hour later that the ac compressor is indeed in need of replacement all of a sudden, but claim it worked perfectly fine before. How strange. The issue I have is that the cost to fix both of these issues at once saves you a ton of money because you have to evacuate and charge the system twice instead of once, saving you in the ballpark of literal hundreds to $1000+ of dollars in labor, parts, and equipment. When I asked if they could do anything about the price to change the ac compressor and do the job they should have done the first time they informed me they were "already doing it at cost". I called around to other auto shops to get their pricing for my make and model and it was nearly exactly the same, plus or minus $100, so I guess Covington mechanics just operate at a loss these days en masse. I was not satisfied with this service because they were either manipulative maliciously, incompetent, or lackadaisical with the initial inspection. Whichever the case, I'll get the problem fixed elsewhere and write this off as a learning experience of where not to take my business.

I originally reached out to them about what I suspected to be a failing AC compressor. After they inspected the car, they informed me that the issue was actually the evaporator since it was leaking. That's fair, but that can often lead to a bad ac compressor as well; so I said all right, but what about the compressor? I was told it was working perfectly fine. Seemed strange to me since the symptoms I offered to them are a literal checklist of a failed ac compressor but all right, they're the experts. It should be noted that the price to fix the evaporator is costly and on the high end for the area, but nothing insane given the amount of labor involved. You could get this done cheaper elsewhere, though, and I probably would have if I took the time to do more homework. But I'll eat that since it's my fault for not looking around more. Fast forward to when I receive my car back and lo and behold, the problem persists. I return the car knowing full well it's the ac compressor, and they inform me less than an hour later that the ac compressor is indeed in need of replacement all of a sudden, but claim it worked perfectly fine before. How strange. The issue I have is that the cost to fix both of these issues at once saves you a ton of money because you have to evacuate and charge the system twice instead of once, saving you in the ballpark of literal hundreds to $1000+ of dollars in labor, parts, and equipment. When I asked if they could do anything about the price to change the ac compressor and do the job they should have done the first time they informed me they were "already doing it at cost". I called around to other auto shops to get their pricing for my make and model and it was nearly exactly the same, plus or minus $100, so I guess Covington mechanics just operate at a loss these days en masse. I was not satisfied with this service because they were either manipulative maliciously, incompetent, or lackadaisical with the initial inspection. Whichever the case, I'll get the problem fixed elsewhere and write this off as a learning experience of where not to take my business. Edit: A few weeks later, I found a nearby cheaper mechanic in Mandeville. This place wanted to replace my AC compressor as they claimed it was the “cause” of my issue. It took the other place about 14 seconds to identify that my coolant pump was actually failing, and the AC was cutting off on purpose to save my engine from overheating. They showed me this in action by forcing it to stay on and, lo and behold, it started to overheat. Smartest decision I ever made was going somewhere else. My engine might have been irreparably damaged otherwise. Beware.

They did a great job on my vehicle

I am very pleased with the work done on my car. Richard and his crew continue to take great care of our vehicles. I highly recommend Riverside!

Prompt professional service as always. Highly recommend Riverside Auto for vehicle services. .

Riverside has taken care of all of our vehicles for a few years! When we use them, we know we can trust any recommendations for safety of our family and not for their benefit!

Very trustworthy and reliable! Always does great work

Riverside’s service is great. The staff is very efficient and easy to work with. I trust them always to service my car!

You can TRUST these wonderful people! They are excellent mechanics and the office staff treat you with honesty and respect.