A good, honest, reliable business in central Florida is hard to find. We recently moved to the St Cloud area from a mountain town in Idaho, and it was like moving to a foreign country. I have been appalled at the ethics of the people running businesses in central Florida. So I was pleasantly surprised by Joshua Fromme at FloState Auto Diesel. My first positive impression was how organized and clean the shop was. I asked Joshua about this and he said that he encouraged his mechanics to put the tools back every time and clean up the mess after each job. I work in aviation, and such practices are mandatory in aircraft repairs, because every nut, bolt, piece of safety wire and tool has to be accounted for, much like a surgeon accounts for every sponge after a surgery. In both cases, this is for obvious reasons. My mini van was intermittently overheating, so I took it into FloState. When it overheated, it would vent coolant. FloState pressurized the cooling system, and found no leaks. They checked for water in the oil, and found no water. They examined all the hoses and fittings, and found no leaks or deteriorated lines. They drove the mini van extensively, but could not get it to overheat. I discussed the problem with Joshua and we decided that it was probably the thermostat sticking. Joshua was hesitant to replace it as he did not want to sell me a new thermostat and charge me for labor if he could not duplicate the problem. I could not believe the honesty. Most garages would have tried to sell me an entirely new coolant system: hoses, thermostat, water pump and all. Joshua agreed with me that changing the thermostat would probably take care of the problem, but we would not know it until we removed the old thermostat and looked at it. That meant replacing the seals and a labor charge, even if the thermostat was good. I told him to do it. We pulled and replaced the thermostat, and after a few hundred miles of driving the van has yet to overheat. The diagnosis was correct, but like a good doctor, he consulted the patient before recommending extensive surgery. I also want to commend the mechanics who did the repair and the office staff who communicated effectively with me throughout the process. I am sure that if you are like me, you are tired of businesses who shuffle you off to their website or a rotary phone answering system. What separates FloState from other businesses is customer service. Will they be able to fix your car? That depends on what is wrong and if it will be cost effective to repair it. As a customer with broken vehicle you are trying to make a decision. What you want to know is this; "If I take my car to FloState will they work with me to make the best decision for me and my car, and will we achieve the best possible outcome." Yes, together you will.
Mark - We sincerely thank you for the impressive review of your experience with us! There are many points that we love about; it all comes down to Customer Service. It makes us very happy to hear that you left with a solid impression and that you are now one of our loyal customers. We thank you for your valued business and for taking the time to tell everyone how your experience was!
- FloState Auto Diesel Repair