Hubie's Auto Repair

BEWARE!

On my way home to VA from Kentucky, on HiWay 64 near Ona, WV, July 2012, my old 94 Geo Metro blew a head gasket. The A-1 tow truck driver suggested Hubie's. I asked if he was related or had any interest in Hubie's and was told "no" but that Hubie was good, and reasonable. So we went to Hubie's and after explaining the car problem to him I drove a rental car home to Virginia. You may ponder as I do whether this driver had a stake in the repair.



I was floored when Hubie's charge came to $587. I had gotten two estimates on the job at home for info and comparison. One from a larger garage, the other from a smaller one. Both came to approx. $400. Let me mention that I am a pretty good mechanic. In fact I rebuilt this engine 5 years ago. so I know the engine. Let me point out that the Metro has the simplest engine in any modern car. It has only 3 cylinders and is so simple to work on a one-armed blind man could have done the job in less time than Hubie charged me for-- almost 5 hours labor. So you can further see what you might run into with this mechanic here are the charges on my invoice: $174 for a gasket set which his own NAPA dealer priced to me for $102; $37 for a timing belt they priced to me for $18.99; $36.95 for changing the 3.5 quarts of oil and $18.50 for replacing the 1 gallon of anti-freeze. Note by these capacities that the Metro has a very small engine!



Facts are facts. This man saw a stranded motorist 200 miles from home and took advantage of him. I expressed this to him as well as my reasoning given above. I'm sure he assumed that no one else would ever know…sorry to disappoint him. If you are thinking of using Hubie's Automotive services this review of his ethics may be of help. Though I was a traveling stranger, If he will do this to me what's to keep him from padding your charges too? Good luck with your car.