Southern Cross Automotive Review

Fantastic service, used them over the last few years, and didn't charge recently for service when a fault couldn't be found. Wholly recommended.

I sent my car to them for Safety check then they made that my tyres not in good condition and I need to replace them which is I just changed brand new recently so at the end they charge me 42$ for nothing they done as a inspection fee then I went to different mechanic shop which is just 2 min from them and I ve got my safety check without any faults , absolutely unprofessional business

Friendly and highly professional, they've done all services on our car for 2+ years.

These guys have been very good to me in the past, and I've only had good experiences with Andrew and the boys.

Honest, great communication and nothing is too hard.

I know where I will be taking my vehicles for all their mechanical work.

Thank you to Andrew and his team.

Andrew is a legend. Sorted out a complex electrical issue super quick and didn't charge arm and leg for that.
Appreciate the honesty and customer service of this place.

Summary: For swapping an ignition coil of Honda Accord Euro 2009, Southern Cross quotes $580 ($130 for diagnose, $130 for labour and $320 for parts) which my other mechanic quoted $280 for new parts (including labour charge) or $100 for a second hand part. Even they suggested changing all other 4 ignition coils for $1,440, which is unnecessary. After I received second quote, I decided not to go with Southern Cross, they still charged me $130 for diagnose.

Conclusion: You may find this place useful when you want to do simple job e.g. pink slip/blue slip or regular services, as per they re located near main road of Mascot. I guess that s all.

Beware; if you ask for a job where you re not sure about, they may rip you off badly.

The rest of this review will explain how one of their crew, Andrew Crabtree, tried to rip me off.

It was 25th Aug 2018, when my 2009 Honda Accord Euro has engine warning light on the way. I diagnosed it with my OBD2 tool and it shows error code P3030 , and I googled it and it was 3rd cylinder misfire usually it is ignition coil or plug issue.

Went to Southern Cross because it s the closest one and I did pink slip in this place before. Andrew Crabtree, took my car and called me an hour later and quoted $580 for an ignition coil swap. He explained the breakdown is: $130 for computer diagnoses $320 for parts and $130 for labour charge. He even suggested changing all ignition coils for $1,440 and he told me you need it because one coil breakage means others may break soon.

I agreed what he told me and asked him to do but got a weird feeling so hung up and called my usual Honda place in Smithfield (I won t say its name because this review is not for promoting that place) and they quoted $280 for new coil include labour, or $100 for second hand part. (At the end I have further discount so they only charged me $80, invoice attached)

So I called Andrew again to stop them and pick my car back, and he told me I still need to pay $130 for diagnose. He told me that he did computer diagnose so I thought they might have done a comprehensive diagnose for whole car and may give me some sort of report. However what they give me was a one line explanation on the tax invoice locate misfire cylinder number 3, which is same information I already get from my OBD2 and I advised them already when I asked them to repair. Seriously what they have done and why they charge for this?

Anyway, I paid $130 (invoice attached) and went to my usual mechanic, took me an hour though. Before I get there, my mechanic told me it will take 5 minutes to be fixed and it really was. What he has done is open up engine cover, pull every single ignition coil to check which one is fail and swap. You can search a youtube link of how to change ignition coil, usual length of video is less than 4 minutes it s that easy task.

And also when you looked up a genuine part of ignition coil, the price was $180.

This can be a common story you may encounter and it s not a surprising thing merchants rip you off especially you do not know the price, procedure and lack of information. I could be a loyal customer of Southern Cross Automotive repairs, as they looked they are well maintained, and more importantly, they re close to people who lives in Mascot. However, I do not trust them anymore, of course not recommend anyone near me to go there even for simple service. Of course, it is very important to know what you re after so don t forget to get a second quote, search enough information otherwise you can get ripped off badly, as Andrew Crabtree tried to do over a single ignition coil.

I have just read through all of the other reviews and agree with all of the other 5 star reviews. Great professional, honest, service. Quality workmanship and a fair price. Spotless workshop with amazing mechanics who go out of their way to help you.

I have multiple vehicles that I bring here. I even bring friends cars in here. Cannot recommend Andrew and the team more highly.