Kayo's Auto Service.

They failed me for NC safety inspection. They said they found a bad upper ball joint, a loose control arm bolt and both lower control arms were damaged and need replaced.



I asked them if they could put the car on a lift and show me the issues but they refused. I said how are the lower LCA's bad(they had new solid rubber bushings) and asked them did I get in an accident on the way here? I declined their repair bill.



I took it home, replaced a bad ball joint, tightened up the LCA bolt they said they couldn't tighten up(how they saw it was loose who knows, it was 1/8 turn loose) and magically neither lower control arm was damaged.



They wanted $1000 for parts/repair, cost me all of $40 and 30 minutes of work.



Took it the next morning and passed. Lady at counter is also very quick with an attitude based on co-worker experience and myself a witness as I never spoke to an employee again after that personal incident with my inspection.



Don't trust them on work vehicle repairs either.

On my way home from a trip to the coast, I became concerned about a strange noise related to braking. Since I wanted reassurance that I could get home safely, I stopped at Kayo's and explained my intent. Bill immediately test drove, inspected and then drove my vehicle again before giving me the ok that it was safe to continue on my journey. On my return, I had the car serviced and found out that he was accurate with his diagnosis and recommendation. Bill was very kind, considerate and honest and I was fortunate to have found Kayo's!

I took my vehicle in for a transmission problem. I dropped it off and was told they would take a look at it. Received a call a couple of hours later and was told that the technician looked at the car and it needed a new transmission which they could take care of for roughly $2400. I said that I was not interested in buying a new transmission and was then informed that I owed $60 for the diagnosis. I was fine with that at the time. When I picked the car up I asked about having the transmission serviced and was told that would not correct the issue. Left with the car and took it to a different shop a day or two later. They advised on servicing the transmission first as it was not that expensive and then go from there. Paid under $200 to have the transmission serviced. Was told to drive it 150 miles and see how it acted. I took a trip over the weekend and put over 550 miles on the car with no problems whatsoever. Transmission fixed, no need for a new one. Went back to Kayo’s to inform them I was able to fix the transmission for under $200 when they had advised I needed to pay $2400. I also asked for I refund of the $60 diagnostic fee as it was obvious wrong. Was not given a refund, simply told that what they gave me was a recommendation and that they were glad I was able to fix it for a cheaper price. Now, the people there are nice but after this experience, I tend to think Kayo’s is like many businesses in Jacksonville that throw out the most expensive remedy because so many young Marines will accept it and pay. At the very least, do not take your vehicle to Kayo’s if you have a problem with your transmission as I seriously question their ability to accurately diagnose the problem. Also, if they recommend you spend a lot of money on whatever your problem is, it is worth your time to get a second opinion. Lastly, when you leave your car, find if they are going to charge you to diagnose your problem; some places do, some do not.

I took my car to Kayo's this summer when my A/C stopped working. They charge $14.99 for an A/C inspection. They checked it out and said that the valve was corroded and they'd need to replace the whole upper line, and it would cost about $350.00. Since I couldn't afford the $350.00, I paid the $14.99 and took my car to Advance Auto Parts to see if they could help me. They sold me a valve stem tool and told me to try to take it out myself. I did and it came right out. So I fixed my car for the cost of a $2.00 valve stem tool and Kayo's was trying to charge me over $300.00. When I went to the shop to ask them about it, Kayo, the owner, told me to leave. He kicked me out of his shop for trying to get an honest answer. Kayo is the most dishonest mechanic I've ever dealt with.