Mark "The Spark Plug" D.'s Profile

I like this place.  They're the third mobile install place I've dealt with over the years, and by far the best.  The people I talked to there seemed honest and knowledgeable.  They weren't random high school kids looking for a random job--they were people who actually know shit about car audio.

And I like how open their shop is.  Like, the installers are easily accessible if there's a question that the salesguy doesn't know.  And the salesguy I talked to was pretty familiar with their products, too.  It seemed like he either used to do installs or he still helps out, which makes things a lot smoother.

I have no complaints about the install job for the alarm I got here.  Everything works perfectly, and I haven't noticed any scratches or broken plastic bits or missing screws or anything.

My only complaint is that it seems like the markup on the products they sell is pretty high.  I don't have much to base it on, but I feel like they charge twice over invoice for DEI alarms (not including the install--just the alarm itself).  But that might be normal for all I know.

I don't know, I thought this place was ok.  My car was stolen then recovered.  The damage was: a fingernail-sized scratch in the paint on the rear bumper, needed the ignition lock cylinder thingy replaced, some scratches on the interior trim around the stereo, and needed a replacement plastic frame thing around the stereo.

They did a fantastic job painting the bumper.  You really can't tell that it was ever scratched.  The scratch on the interior trim and the key cylinder were also fixed with no problems, but I believe they outsource those tasks to other companies.

My three complaints:
I dropped off my car on a Tuesday morning and it wasn't ready until Wednesday around 10am the following week.  I feel like it shouldn't have taken 5 full business days to finish the three things that they did.  Three days MAYBE.

They forgot to provide me with the replacement plastic frame thingy for the stereo slot (but I was charged for it, since it was on the itemized list of stuff to be fixed).  I went back the day after I picked up my car and they were apologetic.  They had me come back later that day to pick up the replacement frame.  So all it well now--just a little annoyance.

They didn't replace a few friction/pressure clips that hold the plastic liner of my trunk in place.  I noticed this after I picked up my car.  I went back the next day and they were apologetic and replaced the missing screws with new ones.  So all is well now.  It's a pretty minor problem, but I think it's something they should have taken care of on their own.

Summary:
They did a great job with the painting, and I have a feeling they'd do a great job with general body work, but I think I would probably not have them do much else.  And I'd double-check their work. They're nice people, maybe just a little too laid back for me.

My fiance took her car here for an oil change, tire rotation, and maybe a few other minor maintenance tasks.  For the most part everything was fine.

A week later I'm riding in her car for the first time since the oil change and I smelled burning oil.  So we decided to have a look under the hood and lo and behold, Jiffy Lube had freaking forgotten to screw the oil cap back on.  There was oil splashed on the underside of the hood, the top of the engine block, and running down the back of the engine.  How do you screw that up?  Changing oil isn't that complicated...

The oil cap was somehow resting on top of the engine block upside down.  I have no idea how it hadn't slid off onto the ground.  The oil level was below the lower dot on the dipstick, but still barely visible at the bottom of the dipstick.  Apparently her car (Toyota Corolla, 2001 I think) has some kind of valve at the top of the engine block that keeps oil from gushing out.  Instead it slowly bubbles out.

So we took it back and they sprayed degreaser all over the place and generally cleaned things up pretty well, then topped off the oil.

I noticed that the oil level was ABOVE the upper dot on the dipstick, which always bugs me.  I had taken my car there a few weeks earlier, so I decided to check the oil level in my car and it, too, was above the upper dot on the dipstick.

I'm so never going to a Jiffy Lube again.

This place is kind of a snazzy, up-scale sandwich place for lunch and dinner, and I think it becomes more of a bar at night.  They have a pretty broad menu, and I have no trouble finding something I like.

Their menu items are also a bit quirky... definitely not in a bad way.  It just seems like they tend to throw stuff together that you wouldn't have thought would go well together.  I can't really think of many examples right now, but my friends like their Apple Bacon Cheddar ("ABC") sandwich.

The atmosphere is good, too.  It's small, in a building with some history, upstairs and right on Glenwood South.

Definitely a good NCSU hangout.