Al's Garage

This will be wordy, but if you are considering Al’s I hope you'll read it and save yourself some hassle. When I first took my car there, they were under different management or ownership and most of their positive reviews seem to come from that time.

I took my car in to get a blower motor replaced and was quoted $390 for that and an oil change. I said I couldn’t afford it and asked them to just do the oil for now. I found the part online, new, for $36 and found that I could repair it myself in about 5 minutes.

I had my boyfriend’s car in for an estimate on the same day. They wanted to do the front brakes, not the rear where a bad caliper was causing uneven wear. I learned from another shop that it needs just the opposite. The estimate, with other work, was $1400. I told them we’d have to budget for that and to please just change the oil that day.

I then had the pleasure of arguing with the mechanic over the phone about who last changed the oil. At first, he wouldn't believe me that it was Al's because the work was shoddy. He proceeded to tell me that “either the plug or the pan has to be replaced and I don’t know which and the pan could be much more expensive.” So I told them to just stop working on the car and I would come get it.

I had a lot of questions when I went in, namely about why the brakes were wearing out so fast and they offered no real explanation. I then reiterated that my boyfriend and I are college students and just can’t afford the lump sum and would be driving my car for now. I then asked, “If we have to prioritize something, what should it be?” And instead of walking me through that or even just explaining that everything was equally dire, the mechanic said, “Well do you want brakes or steering?” like a true smart alec.

They then expected $70 for a diagnostic fee which they didn’t warn us we would be charged, and still tried to convince me to leave the car.

Moral of the story: do not waste your time or money at Al’s.

These guys bent over backwards to help us. I HIGHLY recommend this place.

This is a great place. I called them on a Friday morning with a problem my daughter had with her car and they fit her in and completed the work that day. I am out of town and they handled the communication beautifully, did a great job and charged me a fair price.