BCAA Auto Service Centre

Taylor Thurlin

Feb 5, 2026

If I could give 0 I would. Been a BCAA member for over 10 years straight. I had called the Nanaimo location 3 times previous to my appointment and never got a call back. I came in on Saturday for an oil change appointment. I had recently had work done by another technician and let the tech know that there was corrosive fluid pooling in certain areas and I didn't want them to get hurt. I asked if they could help me clean it during the oil change appointment, they said they would run some water through. I offered to pay extra for it. Did not happen. Got my car back and my heating vent and AC doesn't work anymore. Sure my car is an 07 and there are things that come up time to time to be repaired. But what the hell? It was working perfectly fine when I drove up to the shop. You notice when you don't have heat in the end of January.I called and complained and was upset that my working heat in my car does not work anymore after my oil change. They said they would get me in immediately, and would check it out. I updated them about the blower motor saying that when I hit it, it turns on. I think it got knocked or hit in the inspection . They told me they made a ticket to IT about my messages not being received on their end. All in all I was happy with that. He also gave me a quote over the phone for $80 for the blower motor. Sure great. I bring my car in and have someone who is completely unaware of the pooling corrosive material in the engine bay and the note I asked them to make about it, not just for my sake but for the technicians. Then she proceeds to tell me it's funny timing and my car is old three times so there's probably old parts and if it has nothing to do with the oil change they will charge me for the diagnostic. I tried to ask how much will the diagnostic be. They already have my key and are driving my car when this conversation is taking place. I wish I knew this beforehand. I still never got an answer on how much the diagnostic would be but she let me know the repair for the blower motor would be $340 if it is the case to which I said absolutely not. I did not agree to this and was not aware of this. I requested my key back immediately. I am not completely delusional I understand my car is old and that there may be parts that need to be replaced. But you need to communicate with me so we both understand the expectations here. I felt blindsided. What are the chances something major like this goes wrong right after I get my car back? When it was working literally to the hour before it went in there. The outright lack of communication, mixed quotes, insinuating that the issue was completely unrelated to the oil change before diagnosing and somehow implying I'm trying to pull something on them, not being willing to admit that hey they could have knocked a fuse loose or something, but shaming me for the timing of the issue, and having an "old" car, not letting me know how much the diagnostic would be before they already had my keys, I did not feel comfortable proceeding or trusting them and got out of there immediately. I am just genuinely surprised at this experience and disappointed and angry. Waste of my time and the employees.

t jackson

Jan 6, 2026

They are great for oil changes and basics, but I went in for the new vehicle inspection and was told they couldn't get the back breaks apart to inspect them. When I looked myself, they had clearly used a pry bar to try to take the drum apart and broke the backing plate in a few spots. Granted, it is rusty, however, I was easily able to take both apart with bolts, by hand. No hammer, no power tools. I'm not gonna lie, it made me lose faith in their ability to work on my car safely.

Marie Shulz

Dec 24, 2025

Been having service here for several years. Had brakes done, brake flush, oil changes. Scheduling appointments is easy to do online and availability is usually 1-2 weeks out which is nice. 5/5 Common repairs were done on time at the scheduled appointment date without any issue. 5/5 Service Center will call to approve all new found work and gives updates frequently. 5/5 4/5 stars rating for this event: I scheduled an appointment online and wrote a description of the work needed. Made arrangements with family member to leave vehicle and get ride for work. Center called the day of the appointment saying they weren’t ready to do the requested work because they don’t read online booking info before it is time to bring the vehicle in. I had to schedule the same appointment for weeks later. When I needed a tow to the shop, the BCAA tow driver was friendly, knowledgeable and quick. The process to get a tow was quick and painless. The needed repairs were replacement of coils/plugs for the engine which was done next day. BCAA members have discounted costs for tow, diagnostics and labor. 5/5 There was a repair that took an extra week past the expected completion date but a rental vehicle was provided to me for free.5/5 In general, all staff are friendly and have a good enough level of knowledge of vehicles for the average person. This shop can do the basics well and costs are reasonable. Staff will recommend repairs found in inspection reports but will not do unreasonable upselling.5/5

Dawn Diamond

Dec 22, 2025

Went for an oil change. Get 10 percent off if you are a member. Smooth experience

William Cohen

Sep 2, 2025

There’s never a good time for your vehicle to stop running. However, in particular, it’s inopportune on a hot Friday heading into a long holiday weekend and the day before you plan to travel. In our case, it was really unfortunate that our vehicle wouldn’t start when we were scheduled to leave Vancouver Island and return to our home in Oregon. The silver lining in this case was that we have reciprocity between AAA in the states and BCAA in Canada. Although there was an initial technical glitch with my service request in Nanaimo and we were pretty sure that it was not just a battery but something more involved and expensive, the rest of the emergency incident was pleasantly resolved. Before the service person arrived in his van, perhaps a couple of dozen people asked if we needed help, a jump start, or other assistance. Once Tim arrived on a priority basis, he quickly diagnosed that it wasn’t just the battery and probably the starter, he called your service center in Nanaimo to expect us, and ordered one of your tow trucks. He was very sympathetic and friendly, and we owe him our gratitude. Unfortunately, I did not get the name of the tow driver (a big guy with a beard!), but he was also prompt, efficient and friendly. As we drove to Auld Rd, we were still concerned about our travel plans and worried that we would have to postpone until perhaps Tuesday after the holiday. But when we arrived at the BCAA service shop, Sean assured us that he had already ordered the part and we should be out of there by late afternoon. Sure enough, we saw that our vehicle was quickly in the garage on the lift. Soon after Sean returned and gave us the good news that it was all done almost an hour earlier than expected. He was professional and also sympathetic. We were relieved and happy, not to leave the island, but that we could keep our travel plans for the next couple of days. I know there are other names involved besides Tim and Sean, but everybody was very helpful. Please pass along our thanks! We have been automobile association members for decades, and are glad that we maintain it. It’s the “insurance” that you hope you never use and that gives you peace of mind.