What clients say about Cardone & Daughter Automotive in Old Saybrook Township (CT)
I could not be more displeased with my experience I had with this repair shop. They held my vehicle in their possession for several months without having taken proper care of it while they had it, but thats just the tip of the iceberg! I was treated as if I knew nothing about the servicing and parts replacement my car required and after all of that I was charged north of 20,000$!!! With no heads up nor any straight forward quote from them!! My ‘
“Verbal agreement” was enough for them to charge me this amount of money which is insanity. The work that would have costed me 3x as less if I had just taken it to another shop that is capable of doing the same work. I do not recommend and will not be returning to Cardone & Daughter automotive ever again.
Beautiful shop, wonderful staff, amazing communication, fair, transparent, knowledgable. I always felt like me and my little alfa were in good hands. Stop in sometime, they have an open shop policy!
I was extremely impressed with how I was treated at this shop. I dropped off my 99 Jaguar XK8 outside of business hours on a Sunday with a laundry list of issues. They saw too it promptly and they helped me prioritize the issues and make it far more manageable than I had originally thought possible. I was invited to the shop twice, once to see my car on the lift and had all issues pointed out to me, and another time to test drive it with Ivan (one of their mechanics) in the passenger seat answering questions in realtime while I drove.
While I hope it’s a ways down the road, I will be back with my Jag when the time comes with confidence in their work. Thanks so much for everything!
Purchased a rebuilt TR6 engine a few years ago from Cardone and Daughter Automotive. Car has been running great for 5 years now! Highly recommend this company!!
Called about a issue with the rpm fluttering with my Mercedes Benz c300, initially I thought it was the spark plugs or something else I’m not too well educated on cars. so when I took it in I was clueless but they educated me and told me about the car and what kinda issue would cause it to do that, they came to a conclusion that it had to do with the transmission! I’ll be taking it to another shop they referred absolutely recommended these guys and girls know more information then the actual dealerships!!
This shop is amazing,,staff is very knowledgeable,,,I have a 64 nova that they rewired for me awesome awesome awesome job the picturesare under the dash, what a mess, they totallycleaned it up,,,I have another project for them,,,hope they can fit me in this winter
I had a midlife crisis last year and bought my dream car, a '71 El Camino (yeah yeah, some of us don't set the dreams bar very high lol). I immediately had safety inspections performed by two independent shops that claim to specialize in vintage cars, both with wildly different results. When I asked to go over the results, both shops gave half hearted attempts, spoke to me like I wasn't worth their time and didn't make any kind of effort to make sure that I, a total newb to owning a vintage car, had any understanding of the foreign language pouring forth from their mouths. Without going into a lot of detail, I had them address some of the issues they identified and it was a garbage experience.
Still not convinced that the all of the demons in my new acquisition had been fully exorcised, I made an appointment with Cardone & Daughter for their vintage vehicle inspection. It was a completely different experience, night and day compared to the previous two. First, I received a full printed report of all the inspection points and their findings and suggested actions, not just some half-a$$ed verbal relay. Second, after sending me the report they scheduled an appointment for me to come in to discuss, and not only did we discuss, but they brought me into the shop while my car was on the lift and walked me through the findings and encouraged questions, clearly wanting to make sure I actually understood.
We made a plan to resolve critical actions and mitigations for non critical and I received frequent updates through the entire process. Unfortunately we ended up needing to replace the engine, but they shared with me some nice cost effective options, I really appreciate that they had my wallet in mind as it seems most other mechanics want to drop a pebble down the well and see how deep your wallet goes.
It's been about 6 weeks since they finished all the repairs and new engine install, and the car is sound, reliable and I have all the confidence in the world in the work done by Cardone. I've already got 1100+ miles on the new engine and not even a whisper of an issue, just tons of fun (and a couple of successful burnouts ;D )
Thank You Don, Mike, Cole, Kymberly, Mary and anyone else at the shop that helped work on my beast that I didn't meet, you guys are the best!
The quality of work is strong, but, what differentiates this shop from several others that I’ve commissioned vintage refurbishment work with is the clear and systematic communication on a project’s progress.
All too often, I send a car out for work, it’s gone for a year+, and I’m not sure where we stand in the process.
Not these guy. Cardone and Daughter Automotive communicates with detailed updates and next steps.
first off, the shop is cleaner that most peoples house. when I saw the variety of cars being serviced I was sold.I brought my 2023 chevy c8 for its first oil and filter change service and could not be more impressed.The care to every detail was above and beyond what I have experienced at a dealership in the past...they love my baby.
Thanks Don and your entire crew for superb service and knowledge ,you guys are the best!
Cannot thank these folks enough.
I encountered an unexpected problem with my vehicle and needed help so I could drive it home safely.
With no appointment, they went out of their way to fix the problem, and got me back on the road quickly.
I had never been a customer in the past, but they treated me like family, a rare trait too few businesses have these days.
Seeing all of the great all cars on the lot didn’t hurt either!
I brought my Mustang in for repairs 5/22/23 .Three days after dropping it off I called to see if there was any updates and to discuss a specific concern. I was told they haven't done anything with it yet beside check basics and drive it. I would gave preferred to hear that, they just havent had a chance to look at it yet.I did make an appointment for this repair. I was frustrated to hear they are only playing with the car and might get to work on it next week. I voiced my concern and was told to come and get it out of their shop. So I did. It must be nice to be so busy that you can treat customers that way. I am aware there are two sides to every story but as the customer, that is how I perceived the situation. Now I have a very dusty/dirty car from their dirt parking lot with fingerprints all over it. I expected better from these guys.
If you have a vehicle that mechanics refuse to work on because of the vehicle's age or rareness, then Cardone & Daughter is the place to go.
Their operation is the most thorough and genuine one I have ever seen. Nothing leaves the premise until they are 100% certain that their work and repairs are truly complete.
Furthermore, there is not a vehicle under the sun that I am aware of that they would turn down. Extraordinary cars are the daily routine at this shop. Don't take my word for it, go there and ask for a tour. I know this because I worked there as a mechanic for a few months.
Four - star rating because of how the owner views his employees - disposable. The owner exudes an unmistakable holier-than-thou mindset.
All that being said, if you need work done to any car old or new, and you want it done correctly, you will find no better shop.
With such great reviews I see on here, it was very surprising that you recently told an elderly gentleman that his ‘84 Trans Am (of which that had been featured as a pristine example of the 3rd gen Firebirds at a recent AutoFair exhibit for the 50 year anniversary of F body cars) was junk with painted over rust underneath and basically worthless. You offered him a fraction of what that car was worth and said it had 130000 miles on it and not the 30,000 -of which I know for a fact was correct. Why would such a supposedly reputable owner do such a thing knowing full well that car was likely the best you’d ever seen of its age? Just so you know, he ended up taking this to a reputable garage of whom confirmed that it was indeed an immaculate low mileage vehicle and in excellent condition. They had nothing to loose by telling him the truth. Thankfully he did not take your advice and loose out on this amazing vehicle so you could resell it for thousands more or keep it in your collection.
The only place around where I know I can get my car worked on and expect stellar results! I have an old Jaguar and the staff are so knowledgeable and helpful. They even let you walk around the shop and look at all of the cars they’re working on! If you have an unusual or old car, bring it here.
One of the most honest and respectable garages on the shoreline - Cardone and Daughter will take care of everything from a 1928 Model A to a 2017 Honda Fit with the care and integrity as if it were their own. They work on any year, any make, any model, and that’s no joke! Just stop by and take a look at what they’re working on; the Open Shop Policy allows anyone to stop by and check out what’s going on in the shop during business hours, and there’s usually some pretty cool cars out there! As for getting your vehicle fixed there, Cardone and Daughter offers the most effective and comprehensive work I’ve ever seen. I recommend a Safety and Maintenance Inspection for any car, this affordable write-up checks all points of the car and lets you know what needs attention first. From there, they check in with you to see how to proceed, and their top-notch techs work their magic! At the end, you receive a nice write-up of literally every step they took to repair the vehicle - overall a very transparent process so you are involved and understand every aspect of the repair. Bring your daily driver there for honest and proper work or your vintage vehicle for the knowledge and skill it’ll take to repair it - Cardone and Daughter does not disappoint!
Side note: every spring and autumn, Cardone and Daughter hosts an Open Shop where customers and friends gather with their vintage cars, pop hoods, and catch up! It’s a great way to check out the work the shop has done and chat with current customers about their experiences.
I brought in a used Jeep I was considering buying. They did a very thorough job and it was well worth the money I paid for their inspection of it. I didn't buy the Jeep. They saved me a lot of money!
Everyone I dealt with was professional and courteous.
I would definitely recommend them to anyone.
319 Middlesex Turnpike, Old Saybrook, CTAuto parts store
Building one Building Two, 123 Elm St #100, Old Saybrook, CTSalvage dealer
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