We purchased a new battery from Armstead and after a few months the battery started to die when the vehicle sat for 3 days or so. I did a battery health test and the battery was somewhat below the specified cold cranking amps but still passed the overall health test. Because the battery kept failing after a few days I took the vehicle to Armstead to see if it needed replaced. Armstead’s tests showed the battery was a bit low on cold cranking amps but returned a pass on the overall health. I had Armstead do some testing to see if my vehicle had a parasitic electrical draw. They couldn’t find anything pulling current when the car was shut down. The testing cost $62.30 and I still had a car that would not start after a few days of sitting in my garage. In an effort to figure out what the problem was I took the vehicle to another garage and the battery passed an overall health test there too. They did extensive testing to see if there were any parasitic electrical draw when the vehicle was shut down. They found no parasitic draw. They told me they suspected the battery was failing even though it was passing the health test. The bill was $105.00. I still had a vehicle with a battery that would fail after a few days. One of the things that complicated troubleshooting was the battery wouldn’t fail when the vehicle was in the repair shop but it always failed when it was in my garage for a few days. As a last resort I contacted Armstead again. They were very nice and told me they would troubleshoot the vehicle’s electrical system again at no charge. This time the battery failed during some testing and Armstead got it replaced under warranty. I haven’t had any problem since the battery was replaced. I’m not happy I’m out $167.30 to get a battery that was still under warranty replaced. In fairness to Armstead the battery was a bit squirrely but still passed health tests until the last test finally revealed the problem. To their credit they stuck with it and eventually figured things out and replaced the battery. We have had two vehicles worked on over the past year or so at Armstead and have been very happy with their service. Their facility is neat, clean, and very professional. The waiting room has coffee, cookies, bottled water, and a TV. The guys on the service desk are extremely pleasant and helpful. Armstead’s pricing seems fair and they will accept competitor’s coupons. I consider this situation a fluke and an unusually difficult troubleshooting event anyone could have faced and appreciate the way Armstead stuck with it until they got it sorted out. We still have confidence in them and will continue to use their services.
Thanks John for the review. Sometimes issues are tricky to find. And they take a few times to get to the bottom of the issue. Thanks for sticking with us so we can fix the issue and get you back on the road.
- Armstead Automotive in Holly