1 /5 Richard Lupio Jr: â One Star â They Took My Money and Left Me With a Dangerous, Incomplete Job
I donât leave reviews like this lightlyâbut after my experience with Bryantâs Automotive (Charlie and his son Dustin), I feel responsible to warn others.
I paid them to install a new engine. What I got back was a dangerous, unfinished messâand now Iâm spending even more money at a real shop in Visalia just to fix what they failed to do right the first time.
Letâs start with the basics:
⢠No receipt.
⢠No documentation.
⢠No breakdown of what was done.
That alone shouldâve been a red flagâbut it got worse.
They left the original 1981 motor mounts in the car. These mounts are over four decades old. They installed a brand-new engine but didnât replace one of the most essential support components. Thatâs either lazy, careless, or both.
They reused cracked hoses and kinked linesâand the engine had a major valve leak from day one. They claimed they test drove itâthey didnât. I drove it away and within minutes, I found out the transmission wasnât properly installed and wasnât receiving oil. It burned up immediately, and I had to pay for a new one.
They also used random bolts and washers to secure the exhaust manifold. One bolt was stripped and barely holdingâI didnât even know until the new shop flagged it as a safety risk. Thatâs now part of the long list of things Iâm paying someone else to correct.
I had been pressing them for weeks about getting the proper manifold bolts. Every time, I got the runaround: âParts delay,â âStill waiting.â But the second I challenged themâthey had the parts overnight. Thatâs not a parts issue. Thatâs a respect issue.
And when I brought up everythingâthe sloppy install, the reused mounts, the leaks, the lack of communicationâCharlieâs response was:
âWe donât use common sense around here & People know me.â
Those were his actual answers. Thatâs the attitude this shop operates with. No ownership, no apology, no pride in their work.
Now hereâs where it gets personal:
I was born and raised in Visalia. But because I currently live out of town, I truly believe they thought I was just some random Hispanic who wouldnât come back to question anything. Just another check to cash.
But Iâm not going to stay quiet. Because hereâs the truth:
If this is how they treated meâsomeone who knows enough about cars to ask questions and spot issuesâimagine how theyâd treat someone who doesnât. Someone who wouldnât know the difference between an old mount and a new one. Someone whoâd just trust them and drive away in a vehicle thatâs not safe.
This wasnât a small mistake. This was a pattern of sloppy work, bad communication, and zero accountability. And now Iâm paying thousands more to have a proper shop undo their shortcuts.
I was referred to them by Keith, a mechanic who works independently out of their shop. That referral has now cost me time, money, and peace of mind.
If youâre thinking of taking your vehicle to Bryantâs Automotive, I highly suggest you look elsewhere. This place isnât about craftsmanship. Itâs about cutting corners, dodging responsibility, and hoping you donât come back to hold them accountable.
I have photos to back all of this up. And I will share them wherever I need to.
Bryantâs took my money, gave me back a time bomb, and walked away like it wasnât their problem. But now it is.