FAQ’s and Guidelines

How much?  79.00 MINIMUM. That’s $39.50 for service call (the expense to come out to your location and/ or provide  expertise, equipment and resources necessary for quality, cost effective, repair service) and $39.50 for UP TO one half hour for testing and inspection to evaluate what’s wrong and estimate the time and cost of the repair.

Do you give free estimates/ can I get an estimate?  You will always be able to find cheaper if you look hard enough. If you are simply shopping price please feel free to call and get quotes from other reputable shops and then make me your last call. If presented with an estimate for comparable service using comparable parts from anther shop; I will try to beat that price any time I can. Estimates given without evaluating the symptoms in person are rarely possible except under rare special circumstances. This includes “phone estimates” and is discouraged due to an inability to properly evaluate the problem and will almost ALWAYS be hugely inaccurate.

I typically list pricing of some jobs (mostly maintenance operations- very few REPAIRS) on my website to give you an idea of possible costs. Prices listed there are the “starting point” and typically are the minimum cost involved with that job; however that function is down at the moment being updated. Other unforeseen circumstances and car’s condition and job conditions will ALWAYS affect pricing. Some other points that apply with estimates are as follows:

*Payment is expected to be paid in full at the time of initial service call

*Repairs requiring parts over $100.00 in most cases require deposit to begin work.

*Checks are accepted with prior authorization only please.

*Credit cards may be used if e-mail access is available at time of service

How does your service work?  You call (214 403 3104) or e- mail (Nathan@ValentineAutomotive.com) or fill out the form here in “request Service” and request service and provide a description of your cars symptom /problem. I will contact you to establish when (approximately ) you want service and where. I will come out (as soon as possible) and evaluate the problem. Once I have verified and evaluated the vehicles symptoms, I will estimate the repair costs and time needed. I strive to custom fit a solution by estimating the options for repair, the possible/ probable costs and time frame necessary to complete the repair and come as close as I can to meeting your individual needs or limitations. It is sometimes necessary to charge additional time if the problem required disassembly to gain access to individual components for testing and inspection to be completed.

How soon can I get it looked at? Service is scheduled by appointment only. Time and/or day of appointment will be made as close to your convenience and needs as possible, but is subject to work load and what is already scheduled at time of request.

Can I set an appointment for a specific time? Scheduling appointments is necessary. I have ongoing appointments booked as far as 3 weeks down the road; this is not to say that I am booked up for three weeks; some appointments have three empty days between them or some days I only have one appointment booked for a portion of the day either morning , afternoon, or evening.

Exact times ARE RARELY possible, due to travel time, distance, traffic, weather conditions and not knowing the nature of repair without having assessed it or the same conditions applicable to prior appointments made that day or the day before. It is not necessary for anyone to be present; however we require the following:

1.   access to the vehicle and keys

2.   the vehicle must have a minimum of ¼ tank of gas

3.   a contact number/ person for authorizations and payment

4.   Permission to be performing service & be on property where the vehicle is to be worked on.

I may alter scheduling to cover as many customer’s needs as well as yours in a given day as I can.

What if I need to postpone or want to change scheduling? Postponement or rescheduling is no problem. I will always try to conform to what is most convenient for you; however if you need to reschedule I may have to move the reschedule into the next available time slot and not just to the next opening business DAY. There are also times I HAVE TO  reschedule due to another repair running over into the time slot and cannot slide the entire appointment schedule into the future by the amount of time that was lost and in that event it may become necessary to reschedule to the next open time slot.

Where can it be worked on? *Explicit permission/ authorization must be granted to be performing service & be on property where the vehicle is to be worked on and permission for Nathan Valentine (or employee of) to operate vehicle herein described wherever necessary for purpose thereof. If your issue does no meet criteria of what can be done on site I can make arrangement to have it transported to the shop for more extensive repairs such as engine repair/ replacement, Transmission replacement, or extensive front end and alignment issues, or crash damage issues.

What kind of warranty do you offer? Standard coverage for repairs made with new or O.E. parts is 1 year/ or 12,000 miles. NO warranty is expressed or implied other than what is stated in writing. NO Warranty of any kind under any circumstances is given on repairs made with used or remanufactured parts. In addition ALL warranty work must be performed by Valentine Automotive only and will not exceed the original cost of repair. ANY Warranties may be voided if any evidence suggests cause of failure was due to customer abuse or negligence in any way. Any/ all “Leak” repairs will be voided if any other impeding circumstance could be a contributing factor in its failure. Towing or other per Diem expenses are not covered. Fluids or other consumable items are not covered. NOT RESPOSIBLE FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE TO VEHICLE OR ITEMS LEFT IN VEHICLE IN CASE OF FIRE, THEFT, OR ANY OTHER CAUSE. No parts will be saved or returned unless requested in writing on the repair order document.

What are your references/ credentials? Nathan Valentine DBA Valentine Automotive is a member in good standing with the Dallas Better Business Bureau since 2005. Nathan is ASE certified in 7 out of 8 specialty areas: Steering and Suspension, Engine Performance, Brakes, Manual Drive-train and Axles, Electrical and Electronic Systems, Heating and Air Conditioning and currently holds several other certificates for Electrical/ Computer related problems, Service Writing Consultant certification, Automotive Management, Chrysler Engine Performance, Honda/Acura Engine Performance, and Toyota service, Duramax diesel service, to name a few. Nathan also regularly attends many other classes in continuing education scheduled for this year. I have access to most factory service manuals, Technical service bulletins, recalls and access to the country’s leading Technical Hotline service to keep your costs down by expediting diagnostic processes to pinpoint the problem and accuracy to replace or repair only the necessary components to the repair/ service issues.  

What if I have a complaint? I strive always to meet or exceed your expectations and your feedback is always welcome.  Nathan Valentine DBA Valentine Automotive is a member in good standing with the Dallas Better Business Bureau. By entering into a service contract, you agree to waive any right to legal action against Nathan Valentine or Valentine Automotive or its employees and instead agree to arbitration through services provided by the Dallas BBB in the event that a dispute may arise. To date (as of 03 15 09) there have been 0 complaints filed.