Denton Location
Our experience with Barebones Automotive unfortunately did not turn out the way we had hoped. We originally took our son’s 2012 VW Jetta to Barebones for an AC repair, and they replaced the compressor. For a total repair of about $1500.00. A few months later, after our son had moved several hours away, the AC stopped working again. We took the car to Christian Brothers Automotive, where we were told the compressor which Barebones installed had seized internally and needed to be replaced. We were also told that the compressor failure had caused additional damage within the AC system, meaning this was no longer simply a matter of replacing the failed compressor. Additional work and parts were needed to properly repair the system. Since the compressor had been replaced by Barebones only a few months earlier, we contacted them about the warranty. Barebones did agree to cover the replacement part and contribute toward the labor, which we appreciated. One of my biggest frustrations was that I did not feel the limitations of the warranty—particularly the labor reimbursement—were made clear to us when we originally had the repair done. On the original receipt the warranty stated that their standard warranty was 24 months/24,000 miles and covers “parts and labor”. However when we actually NEEDED the warranty, we learned there were LIMITATIONS on what they would pay and when there was another shop performing repairs. I contacted the shop and later received an email from the general manager, Stephen, who explained what they were willing to cover, including the compressor and expansion valve and 3.5 hours of labor at $80 per hour, or $280.00 in labor. We were also told that the additional damage caused after the compressor failed was considered consequential damage and would not be covered. He also stated that the warranty does not reimburse work done elsewhere unless approved by them in writing. Which when my son called someone from the Denton office told him it would be covered, so they honored that related to the compressor, but with the limitations. I was also trying to handle all of this from Ohio while our son and his car were in Texas, which made an already stressful situation more difficult. Thankfully, Brandon at Christian Brothers actually worked with us to lower the repair cost after contacting Barebones on our behalf to try to get additional assistance. I understand that businesses have warranty policies and limitations, and I appreciate that Barebones did contribute toward the second repair. My disappointment is with how much we were still left paying after a recently replaced compressor failed, as well as how difficult the process became. I’m sharing our experience because I think customers should ask for the complete warranty terms—including exactly how parts and labor will be covered if a repair fails—before having major work done.