Poor Boys Auto Repair

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Merilee Cole
a week ago
Beware!!! Avoid this place at all cost. Zero stars if it was an option. The guy seems nice, he just doesn t know what he s doing. My daughter s car needed a new transmission. Poor Boy s said they d have it done in a few days. Almost 5 WEEKS later, she was able to pick the car up. They ordered the wrong size transmission first, then ordered the right one (which cost an additional $600). They tried blaming us for telling them the wrong size engine, but they had the vehicle in their possession the whole time. Why not look up parts based on the VIN #? Weeks and weeks later they said it needed more parts (that cost $400-600). After consulting with one of their mechanic friends, they changed their mind and the car suddenly didn't need the additional part. Weeks later my daughter went to pick up the car and barely made it out of the parking lot before it broke down. Back in to the shop it went for another week. Then, they had the audacity to request more money for something they broke. Ridiculous. Avoid this place. Get second opinions. And don t trust a word they say.

  Keith Crovisier
a week ago
Poor Boys did some major work on my daughters car. I waited a few months to leave a review. The cost was what they said it would be. It was done when they said it would. The car now runs great! We are VERY happy with our experience. In fact I just had them look at a used Silverado before I bought it, for a very reasonable price. Thank you Poor Boys.

  Ammon Parker
4 weeks ago
Let me just say, if it is lack of knowledge or dishonesty, Poor Boy Auto is not the place to go. They quoted my wife a $4000 fix. I took it to another place in town just to get a second opinion because what they told my wife did not match what my cars symptoms were.Turns out it was a $400 fix and I was communicated with what the problem was and why. This is not the first time poor boy has done this to people I know/family. I'm very disappointed and will never go back again. I will be warning people around not to waste their time or money here. We deserve to know who can help us in our community. Jason's Automotive is great!

  Tony Ramos
2 months ago
Made me feel welcome and prices were amazing. Explained and broke down the bill to the cent. I'm very pleased and satisfied. I'm definitely coming back here to have mine and my family's vehicles worked on in the future

  Mikalah Foster
4 weeks ago
The 2nd time we have been taken advantage of by Poor Boy Auto. (I know, fool me twice, shame on me. ) The first time I just assumed it was a miscommunication and gave the benefit of the doubt. This time I went in for an error code and was lied to (to the tune of 4000$) and when I got a second opinion and all I needed was a simple 400$ fix elsewhere. Knowing what I do about the issue in our vehicle there is no way they actually did the full check for the diagnosis I paid for or it would have been evident that the repair they stated I needed was not in fact necessary. Tried to sell me a used part I didn t need with more 50,000 more miles on it than my car even has for almost 2.5 thousand dollars. (For the part alone) I can t believe the dishonesty or the incompetence because at this point it s one or the other here. Take your cars to Jason s auto in Rexburg instead if you need work done.

  Jacob Bera
2 months ago
I brought my car in because I thought that my power steering pump went out. When I brought my car I told them that I think it is my power steering pump, but before you replace it test and make sure that it is actually my power steering pump. I went and picked my car up, on the way home I lost all power steering again. I called them back and they told me to bring my car back in. A day later they called me and said it was actually my rack and pinon. I had them replace that and it did fix the problem (sort of). They told me it was the power steering pump and in fact it was not. I then again had to go back because the alignment was absolutely horrible, they do not do the alignment themselves, they bring it to another shop to do it. But I guess they did not see that to drive straight the steering wheel has to be turned to the right. Brought the car back again to get the alignment fixed, they offered for me to bring my car to the other shop and when I said yes they changed their mind and said they would do it. It has been two days now and they have just gotten the car into the other shop and said it would be done today. I called them a hour before they closed and the receptionist said she would have the tech call and ask if it was one and she would call me back right away. I never got a call back and the shop is now closed. If I could give 0 stars I would. Would NOT recommend at all.

  Cody Peck
9 months ago
I had an excellent experience at Poor Boys Auto Repair. I brought in a part that needed to be fixed, and the skilled technicians promptly resolved the issue within an hour! This shop has proven to be reliable and capable, and I would confidently return to them for any future vehicle repairs or maintenance needs.Service: Steering & suspension replacementService: Steering & suspension replacement

  JESSICA LAWler
11 months ago
I was stranded in Idaho and got a tow to this place, the ONLY place withing 75 miles around willing to see me the same day. JT was so helpful, and looked at my car the same day I brought it. I had two catalytic converters replaced and he made sure I got the best price for them. He kept me very well informed about what he was doing to my car and literally showed me pictures of what we where talking about. After he replaced them, he explained exactly why it happened and I can't be more thankful!! He answered all my questions and was a pleasure. Thank you!

  Sydney Harris
a year ago
Words cannot describe how terrible this business has been. We went to them after buying a truck with a warranty on the motor from Poor Boys. They fought us on the warranty saying that they had updated their computers and lost the paperwork for it. We decided to go forward anyways since they promised to have the truck back in a reasonable timeline. They had our truck for OVER 9 MONTHS when we had fully paid for everything and then they went over budget. We got the truck back and NO WORK had been done. It was returned broken with the same problem we brought it in with. $2,900 was wasted on this service . My husband ended up having to do the work himself. They are blatantly taking advantage of poor college students who don t have the means to hire attorneys. Blake was the owner at the time and he tried to run away. He now works at Newdale Body Paint and Glass. Do not go to him either!!!Service: Engine repair

  Hannah Thurgood
a year ago
Would not recommend. There was no communication on my car while it was getting it fixed and after getting my car fixed it turned out that they were only giving it a temporary fix per the receptionists response when I brought it back it started acting up again the day I got it back from them. Then they quoted me an additional 2,000-3,000$ possibly more fix after already spending money for them to not fix it! And after calling around deciding if I wanted round 2 of them trying to fix it I found that 3 other shops around gave me estimates that were lower or the same price but the difference is, no one at Poor Boys is ASE certified(an engineering certification) and all the other shops had way more qualifications and had better pricing and communication. Eventually I got everything fixed from a different place for under 1,300$ and wayyyyyy better quality of work and great communication! To be fair to poor boys the people are nice but you can get better quality for a better price, and better customer service else where.Services: Transmission, Electrical repair, Electrical, Auto engine diagnostic, Transmission repair

  Corbin
2 years ago
My Subaru had some serious transmission problems, and ended up needing a new transmission and clutch. I actually switched to poor boys after another mechanic in town quoted me way too high of a price. Poor boys was very helpful from the start of me contacting them. They towed my car to their shop themselves and did all the work on it for a fair price compared to some other local places. My car hasn't had any problems at all since the repair. The only thing I would have changed was being more realistic with their time frame. I understand it was a tedious repair, but a few times I called to check how progress was going and they would say it would be finished within a day or two but it ended up taking about a week and a half. I still give them 5 stars for great service and know that they can probably give more realistic time estimates for smaller repairs. Thank you poor boys!

  Andres Rodriguez
10 months ago
Don't see a recent review, so let me change that.My overall experience with J.T. has been positive. I know every car will have an issue that is different from everyone else's, so in my case J.T. got the work done that I needed. My car kept leaking antifreeze, so I dropped my car off and he diagnosed the issue.J.T. explained the problem in a way that I could understand by the following day and even showed me at his shop. I did not feel like I was left in the dark. There was a bit of a delay in getting the part that needed to be replaced, but that wasn't J.T.'s fault so I don't have any blame for him. Car ran like a charm without any issues.Will definitely seek car services again from Poor Boys.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic

  Uhm Fyre
a year ago
Brought my Honda into Poor Boys Auto Car a month ago because the horn for some reason would not turn off. It was just blaring, even when car was off. Poor Boys Auto promptly unplugged the battery and said they would take a look at it ASAP. Grateful, we left the car with them and waited with fingers crossed. The next day they called and said they had disconnected the clock spring (which disables the horn, cruise control, and radio control on steering wheel.) They charged $200, and said to actually fix it would have to get the part from Honda and would cost another $1600. Bummed out, we went to our usual mechanic (Jason's Automotive) for another opinion.Here's the kicker.Jason's automotive down the street didn't charge at all for an estimate. Had to open up the whole steering wheel just like PBAR, but didn't charge for that labor to give an estimate of $750 to fix it. Skeptical but hopefully we had them go ahead and try. Surely it couldn't end up more than $1600 like Poor Boys was estimating and we would hope that Jason's would communicate if it was going to be more. Well it wasn't. Total charge ended up at $550. Not only was Jason's automotive 3x cheaper than Poor Boys, they were cheaper than their own estimate, and did it in 2 days. I guess Poor Boys really are some poor desperate boys.Maybe they made a mistake? Either way, I won't be bringing my vehicles to Poor Boys for them to charge for estimates anymore. Picture of Jason's receipt below, Poor Boys didn't give us a receipt for disconnecting clock or copy of estimate for actually replacing it

  Darrell Harris
a year ago
DO NOT GO HERE! I brought my truck to their shop and didn t get it back for many months! I would call every week and they would say, oh we have been so busy, we ll get to it soon and when I finally got so angry that I started driving to their work place instead of calling, they had me work personally on my truck! They had me pick up supplies for them! And I even paid them fully upfront! I couldn t get my truck away from them fast enough! They have no idea what they re doing! When I finally picked it up as a fixed truck, it was in the same condition that I delivered it to them and ran terribly! I SPENT THOUSANDS ON NOTHING! DO NOT GO HERE! I AM LITERALLY BEGGING YOU! DO NOT LET THEM SCAM YOU!Service: Engine repair

  Daniel Alworth
10 months ago
Had them scrap a vehicle for me, never saw the money I was promised. Only got excuses every time I called(Reply to owners reply) it was a red Ford explorer that the transmission went out and was towed to the shop. The time was when the Blake owner was switching to a new one.

  Joshua Davis
2 years ago
Even though they were booked, they managed to diagnose a check engine light for me. Ended up being the ignition coil, and fixed it the same day. Charged me 160 for parts and 90 for labor, but to get my car back same day I dropped it off was worth it. Plus, one of the guys offered to stick around late so I could pick up my car. All in all a great experience.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic

  Adrienne Hall
a year ago
No communication. Was having an overheating issue, and was told if I dropped my car off on Thursday night they would look at it on Friday morning. Left my keys and a note and my number in the car like they asked, and explained twice that I was trying to get to Bozeman that weekend. Never heard back, called several times on Friday, and returned the following morning to find my keys still where I left them, not even touched. Didn t want my car and keys sitting there for a whole weekend picked up my car, got it into a different shop. Still no follow up, even though the car could have been stolen for all they knew

  Skyler Rehl
2 years ago
Great service and an excellent job! JT and his guys did an awesome job in my truck and were fairly priced and went above and beyond in their workmanship. It s good to see a good honest mechanic that stands behind his work, those are hard to find anymore. I will definitely be back to give them more work in the future.

  Ratigan
8 months ago
Updated review July 2023:My husband and I have been taking our two cars to J.T since moving to Idaho in 2020. When we had small and medium sized issues everything worked out great. Though back in October 2022 my Jeep started having big issues. First it was the centrifugal clutch/transfer case. A $1000 fix. Then after replacing that, which took about a month, I went to pick up the Jeep and couldn't even drive it around the block before it broke down again. I was told it was running smoothly on the phone. 2 weeks later he said I needed to replace the transmission. And gave me a price of roughly $3000 for a rebuilt transmission.I mulled over my options and asked him a series of questions, including "Is the car worth fixing? Am I going to be dumping money into this car? Will I have a warranty on the rebuilt transmission?" His answers were along the lines of, "Yes, this car is worth it. The place I buy the transmissions from have a warranty, around 6-12 months, and no, this should be the last big expense for a while as long as you take care of the car." So my husband and I decided to go ahead with the rebuilt transmission. The car was repaired by the new year, resulting in a $4000 bill.My car had been at the shop for about 3 months by the time I got it back in January 2023.I didn't drive the car very long and it was back in the shop in January 2023 for not having enough transmission fluid in the transmission. My car was in the shop for 2.5-3 weeks because they were so backed up.I drove the car for about a month and around the end of February to mid March 2023 I had to take it back to the shop due to the throttle body crapping out. Another $400 and the car was in the shop for another month+ since they were backed up.(He was the only mechanic at the time, so I didn't mind the wait)I got the car back around the beginning of April 2023 and drove the car for about 2 weeks when my car started misfiring. I took it back and got coils and spark plugs replaced J.T saying I had a lot of carbon build up. The car was there for about 2-3 weeks. I got my car back end of April 2023 and the car really wasn't much better. It drove, but not smoothly. So I took it back and another 2-3 weeks later I was told it was the crank sensor, so I got that replaced and got the car back at some point in May 2023. The car drove smoothly for about 3 days before I started having problems again, though this time I decided to get a second and third opinion. First I went to the second opinion who had the car for 3 weeks and couldn't figure out the problem and referred me to a dealership in town. I went to the dealership and was told it was the transmission again. The dealership also told me that it looked like the crank sensor was never replaced. (This was their professional opinion).With this knowledge I called J.T to get the warranty information and the name of the company who sold the transmission to him. He said he'd call them and call me back that day. That was the last I heard of him. He never called me back. I called the transmission company and was told there was no extended warranty purchased and that I had the basic 30 day warranty... So I was out of luck.After this whole thing we will not be taking our cars here again. This breaks my heart as I had come to trust J.T with all my car repairs and feel very betrayed from this experience. I'm also very nervous about trusting another auto repair shop because of this.(I should add that while my car was at the shop throughout the year I had to call multiple times and show up to the shop to check the status of my car practically harassing him).March 2021:When I moved here in September, I was wary on who to trust with my car. I researched different places and decided to put my trust into Poor Boys Auto and I was not disappointed! They took great care of my car, called to update me, and they charge fairly. I still bring my car here 6 months later for small issues (luckily no big ones have surfaced) and will continue to bring my car here whenever I have an issue big or small.

  nicholas stevens
9 months ago
These guys are great. I was on vacation having issues with my truck they got me in and fixed asap, and I didn't have a ride back to the shop to get my truck, they came out to the campground I was at and picked me up.

  Clancy Sayer
a year ago
Only shop I was able to get my car into in a timely manner. They had everything checked out within a day and called with updates. Very impressed with this repair shop and will definitely be my go-to for future mechanic needs. I would highly recommend!!Service: General repairs & maintenanceService: General repairs & maintenance

  AL Meza
2 years ago
The first time I brought my car in for a tune-up and coils and it was ready in a day. They have great communication and attention to detail. Definitely brought my car again for some suspension and headlight repairs before this Winter s snow and they had amazing service again. Thanks! I d definitely come back if needed

  Chris Gambo
9 months ago
Terrible customer service. Does not stick to his words and always actively looking for ways to extort money from you. He s almost not a certified mechanic so take your car there at your own riskService: Engine repairService: Engine repair

  Brooke Cunningham
4 years ago
I would give this place a better review but the communication was poor. I talked to Blake a couple of days ago and he told me I could come in the next day for them to work on the car. I called the following day to double check that I could come in. A coworker asked Blake and he said to come, but when I got there he said to come the next day. They did help me out by putting a simple door clip in for a good price. I'm guessing it was relatively quick but I was given two estimates for time and they didn't call me when it was finished like they said they would. I waited over two hours, then waited longer because no one was at the front desk and the bell to ring for service doesn't work. I hope communication improves because this place seemed good.

  Jennifer Bedatsky (Jenna)
5 years ago
I really appreciate the prompt and quality service we received from Blake at Poor Boys Auto Repair. We rented a pickup truck to visit family in the area...and got a bad clear coat scratch on it in a parking lot. Time was of the essence to get the scratch repaired, so we called Blake. He took the truck in and had it cleaned up for us in record time at an amazing price!! It looks better than when we picked it up...and no damage fees from the rental company. If you need specialty work completed on your vehicle by a talented mechanic you can trust, call Blake at Poor Boys. He is a fair, honest businessman who will complete the work you need done within the promised time and price!

  Matthew Smith
7 years ago
I had a really awesome experience here. Got my clutch fixed up on my Honda CR-V and they quoted me a good price and did great work! It was decently fast too. I felt like the employees here are very honest which is what I was looking for. Good work! Would recommend to anyone!

  Scott Callister
a year ago
Tried scamming a friend out of $800 for a $50 repair. Luckily she got a second opinion from two reputable shops. 0/10 recommend unless you're car savvy enough to not get swindled.

  Katelyn Dunn
4 years ago
We needed to get an issue with our power steering diagnosed. We called another shop in town and they couldn't give us a solid price to do a diagnosis. He told us it could range from 50$-150$ to have it looked at. Im not against paying to have a car looked at but appreciate a concrete price to do so. Meanwhile Poor Boys Auto didn't charge us to look at it even after we offered to pay. They were able to find they problem within an hour. If we didn't have the parts under warranty at another shop in Utah, we definitely would have had it fixed here. The guy who helped us was friendly and honest. Highly reccomend.

  Quinn Gardner
3 years ago
So I took my bosses truck(2005 Tundra) here to get the transmission serviced because it was last done 100k ago and was due. When I dropped it off I asked them if they were going to use the correct Toyota fluid and I emphasized that they need to use the Toyota fluid. So the truck is done like a week later and I go and pick it up and pay like $280. My boss literally lives a couple hundred feet away from the shop so I drive it back and it seemed fine. The truck sat for a week or two where I parked it and when someone to drive it they notice the transmission was slipping super bad. So I call up the shop and tell them what's happening they tell me to bring it down and they'll take a look at it. This was on a Monday and I told them I have an appointment at the dealer on Friday if they can't get it fixed. So Friday rolls around and I show up and they haven't even looked at the truck yet. So I'm frustrated again and told them that if the dealer fixes it by just putting the actual Toyota fluid in it that I'm going to be wanting my money back and they kind of laugh at me like I was an idiot. One week later the dealer does the exact same service with actual Toyota fluid and the truck is literally like brand new. No slipping at all. Let me just throw it in there as well that it wasn't slipping at all before we took it to Poor Boys. So a day or two later when I had time I drove it back down there and told them that the dealer fixed it by putting the right fluid in there and that I wanted my money back. The guy at the desk basically tells me I'm an idiot and then they did not do anything to the truck that would cause it to slip. He keeps citing this law that manufacturers can't require you to use their own fluid. And I showed him that in the owner's manual it literally says to only use the Toyota genuine fluid or it can cause damage to the transmission. And he just keeps saying that they can't do that and the fluid they use was just as good. And I just told him my transmission was working before I brought it here and it wasn't working after so obviously something was either wrong with how you did it or the fluid you use. And he basically just told me to kick rocks in that they didn't do anything. So I asked to speak to the owner and he essentially told me the same thing but he was a little nicer about it and said that he would look into the fluid and see if there was something wrong with it. Which basically he was saying I don't think we did anything wrong either but I'm going to give you an answer you like. So I told him I want at least half of my money back and he said he can do that but he has no way to refund money at the shop so he would have to do it later. Of course 2 months later they haven't refunded me any money. So I spent three hundred bucks to have my truck broken here. Stay away from this place!*Please note that the owners probably going to respond to this and refute some of the things I'm saying but this was 100% exactly what happened.

  Matthew Foster
a year ago
I m from out of state Had a fuel leak at the fuel pump, couldn t fix myself, charged me 400.00 and a week later was having the same problem, took it back and they said the tank needed to be replaced now $1200.00 Took it to another shop and they fixed the problem for $160. Not feeling that I was treated fairly. Can t recommend!Service: General repairs & maintenanceService: General repairs & maintenance