Auto Logic

Another Carrboro gem!
I usually go to my car dealership to get my oil changed, but I think they are way too expensive and take nearly 2 hours to get it done. Today, on a whim (but also thanks to fellow Unilocalers), I called to make an appointment to get my oil changed (it also includes a tire rotation if needed). Marianne was very friendly and told me to come on in since it’s a slow day.
First off, I love how eclectic the décor is. There’s even a classic soda vending machine; and yes, you can drink one. Besides being won over by the décor, the people who work here are friendly, down to earth and, best of all, truly helpful. I’ve learned from past mistakes that most auto shops like to tell you that there’s loads of crap wrong with your car so you spend more money. Auto Logic is a real homie. They’ll let you know what your car needs, take care of it smoothly (and quickly), and off you go!
(While I decided to wait, I walked around a bit to the local thrift stores to buy some time. Another perk of Carrboro!)

While my daughter was in grad school at UNC Chapel Hill, part of the way my wife and I were helping her out was by providing her with a car. We live in California, so I needed a local shop to take care of the car for me, and my online search led me to Auto Logic. I was impressed that they were family owned and operated, and that they had been in business in the same location for many years while establishing an excellent reputation in their community (there are some nice articles online about this place). I called and spoke with one of the co-​owners, Marianne Jones, and she was more than willing to work with me. By the way… a female owner-​operator is extremely rare in the auto maintenance business, and Marianne is the real deal. This makes Auto Logic the perfect shop for a woman to take her car to… or for a father to send his daughter to!
Over the years, Auto Logic has been more than a blessing to our family. They have done all the routine service my daughter’s Honda, usually during her breaks while she was back in California with us. I would ship them the key, and they would go to her apartment, bring the car back to the shop, do whatever work I asked them to, take care of the bill with me over the phone, return the car to the apartment lot, and then send the key back to me along with the receipt. How great is that?
And they have taken care of every issue which has come up. When the tires needed replacing, they gave me a good price on the replacements I wanted. When one of the engine mounts failed, they replaced it fast. When the window tinting failed its first NC inspection, they steered us toward a shop which did an outstanding job on the redo. And when my daughter picked up a nail in the tread edge of one of her tires, they got her a replacement and got it on the car as quickly as they could.
And it doesn’t matter who answers the phone – whether it’s Marianne or Bo or whoever picks up when you call – they’re always nice! This is easily one of the best auto shops on the planet, and if you need work done on your import, take you car here! You might be able to find a lower price somewhere else, but you’ll never find an outfit you can trust like Auto Logic!

We’ve been using AutoLogic for years now, and we’ve always been very happy with their service, but the thing that has prompted me writing this review is not a visit to AutoLogic, but their advice over the phone when my husband had a breakdown out of state. He called my son because he suspected the price he had been quoted was high, and my son called AutoLogic. They took the time to price out the job even though the car was 300 miles away and they knew they wouldn’t get the business this time. And, as it turned out, the out of state garage (AAA Carolinas in Charleston) was ripping us off royally — they were charging double! Was able to find a different garage in Charleston that must be the twin of AutoLogic (Autometrics) who did the job for the price AutoLogic had quoted. AutoLogic really cares about their customers and are completely trustworthy. Very lucky to have them close by!

The fact that a place like this even exists on this planet blows my mind. These people are outrageously nice almost to the point of you feeling like you maybe need to sit down and explain to them that they have a responsibility to charge you for the work that they do because that’s how the world works, etc. especially when they spend 45 minutes fixing your car, calling around town for parts, calling even more places, printing out pictures of the part for you to buy once you get back to New York with your band that you’re touring with cause nowhere in a 50-​mile radius has the part, apologizing for the fact that no one has the special part, buying you a bottle of root beer from the old pop machine in the waiting area, but more than anything, being a total friendly human! I don’t know the guy’s name who was helping me but he puts every New York auto shop to shame. So kind and helpful you’d almost start to get suspicious why anyone would be this kind. I wish I lived in North Carolina and my car broke down every day so I could keep coming to this place. Next time I’m touring through, I’ll be sure to go over a bunch of big bumps or something and try to get more things to fall apart on my car so that I can come back.

HONEST!!! BEST TRAINED MECHANICS AROUND!!! FRIENDLY!!! FUN!!! Over the past twenty years I have taken 5 cars to Auto Logic. I have also had them assess used cars prior to purchase. They understand how car owners think and have helped me and my family members make wise decisions based on the age of our cars and the likely problems that lie ahead. No question is stupid– they spend all the time necessary for you to understand the issues your car faces. They treat their employees with respect and it shows in their commitment to providing the absolute best service to be found. I look forward to celebrating with them on their 30^th anniversary in 2016.

Everyone working there was extremely kind. The mechanics did great work and were trustworthy. I will suggest them to anyone who needs mechanical assistance.

Update: I was contacted by Andrew the owner, and he did agree that they overcharged by 30 minutes, the front end inspection should have covered under the alignment, a refund has been issued. We did have an in-​depth conversation about the repair, we didn’t agree on everything, but he was professional and obviously cares greatly about his business and reputation. I have bumped up my rating to 3 out of 5 stars but I still feel this repair should have cost less.

Professional and honest.
My car was running rough before a big move so I took it in and they did a complete Mx check. They found a head gasket leak and several other problems that were more expensive to remedy than my car was worth so I decided to junk it. (296,000 miles, we almost made it RIP)
I’m in the military and was in the middle of a PCS, selling my home and a masters. They helped me take care of the junking process, even doing the paperwork remotely since I had left the state and my friend was studying abroad. The manager allowed my car to stay free of charge as I worked with the notorious CA DMV. Finally, they turned down extra compensation and really helped me focus on the other intricacies of moving overseas.
Thanks again Maryanne!

They are consistent, efficient and punctual. The time, price and process quotes I got were spot on. I had a few issues to get taken care of and they helped me figure out the best way to go about it.

I also wanted to note that they are a great shop to use for the long haul.
They keep a database/​list of all the maintenance work that you are going to have to do sooner or later, but not quite yet. This list includes estimated prices, so you can budget out your repair plans. Every invoice you get includes this list of deferred maintenance, so you always know where you stand on future costs. And there is never any upsell pressure to do these repairs until they are actually needed.
Plus, Bo, Gene, and Marianne (sp?.) et. al. are nice folks, so I don’t mind the wait at the end of the day while they prep/​complete your paperwork — you can get caught up with them & chat.

Dropped my car off here for an oil change and coolant top-​off. It probably took an hour and a half. Now, I know I could go to a Jiffy Lube and get it done in 20 minutes, but I know that these guys are going to take good care of me. I’m going to pay more, but they are also going diagnose any other issues with my car that might arise WITHOUT trying to twist your arm into making some sort of pricey fix on your vehicle that you weren’t expecting. I would give it five stars if they had cut a half an hour off my time. It took about 20 minutes to do the paperwork, which seemed a little excessive. However, I’m going to these guys for forever whilst I’m in the ‘boro.

I recently had to get one of my hubcaps replaced on my Toyota. This was, ugh, a very overdue chore. I had heard really good things about Auto Logic, so I just popped in one day to see about a cap and the gentleman who helped me was super friendly. He took off one of my other caps to find a special number, called it in and got me a ridiculously expensive quote from Toyota very quickly. He referred my to Hubcap Annie’s in Raleigh just to see if they had a match and to do a price comparison. I thought this was nice and helpful. We bantered about how totally crappy the hubcaps seemed, how, since I lost mine, I’ve seen about a gazillion other Toyota’s missing one or more hubcaps and he said something like, yes, well, that is because they are crappy. They fall off, then you have to pay almost $ 100 for a replacement. Unfortunately, Hubcap Annie’s did not have a match for me, but the man on the phone did offer me a mismatched set for super cheap. Um, no thanks, sir. I’d rather go sans a cap then have them mismatched, I think. Anyhow, I put in an order at Auto Logic and a couple of days later I went in and purchased my overpriced cap. The friendly employee (wish I could remember his name) and I joked that it was really the fancy bag that the hubcap came in that I paid for– oy, what a scam! Anyhow, I had a very positive experience with Auto Logic, even though it was just for a hubcap.

Took my Volkswagon there with a obvious automatic transmission problem because they listed «transmissions» in their Yellow Pages listing. They confirmed that I did indeed have a transmission problem and referred me to Jake’s Transmissions in Durham. They charged me ninety dollars to tell me what I already knew and had stated to them. I understand (based on word-​of-​mouth) that they do good work, but I feel like they wasted my time and money and I’ll never take my business there again.

This is one of those places that I am afraid to give a good review because I don’t want a bunch more people going there ;) This is hands-​down the best auto shop I’ve ever been involved with. I’ve been taking both family cars here exclusively for the last 4 years and couldn’t be happier. Why? Simple reasons:
PROS:
— mechanics work on salary; not comission (so they don’t try to find things wrong with your car, or jerk you around with labor fees)
— front office staff is friendly, helpful, thorough, and always let you know the deal
— certifications and experience: most mechanics are master ASE certified and specialize in only a few makes of vehicle
— if you spend as much $$ as I have there you get a free t-​shirt!
CONS:
— you get what you pay for; these guys are experts and get paid a salary, but its not the cheapest place. Then again if you get ripped off somewhere else, was the price worth it?
— they are busy, because they are good. It can be inconvenient to wait until 5:30pm to get a call that your vehicle is ready
— not really a con, but a caveat — they only work on imports; no domestic cars
take away — this place is awesome; get towed here if you break down, or come here for regular maintenance. I have never felt uneasy about this place and the staff is genuine and trustworthy.

i’ve been taking my audi’s here for awhile. Bo, and the gang remember my name. I’m not a car guy. so i’m a little nervous when i take something in. the last «engine light» cost me 650 dollars. yikes. That’s 3 car payments. Am i getting um radiator «hosed» not sure, but these guys are the nicest friendliest mechanic shop around.
I had some tire needs and they sent me to one person. «they only guy we trust»
I also left my car there for a few days while I was out of town, no phone calls. they knew I’d come get.
Essentially i do business with them b/​c they have great magazines like National Geographic, NC Business, in the waiting room and my Malcolm Gladwell inspired «BLINK» is set to, «these folks are OK»

I’ve been taking our cars there for quite a few years. I buy used cars off of Craig’s List for the whole family and take them to Auto Logic to check out before I buy. Well worth it since they told me not to buy some of the cars. I often get oil changes elsewhere just because I don’t want to schedule it and deal with the hassle of getting it there. Anything major that needs to be done, I take it there. Excellent service, people who remember you and know your car. Honest and trustworthy.

I have brought a variety of cars to Gene, Coleman, and the guys for almost 20 years now. Never have I felt ripped off, confused, or even had a second guess about their explanations, advice, or work. This is what all shops should be like.

Fantastic, friendly service from trustworthy technicians.
There are some places in life where you just don’t want to skimp, and your car is one of them (especially if you want it to last as long as possible, like my 19+ year-​old Volvo that still runs beautifully). Sure, you might be able to save 10 or 20 bucks here and there at another mechanic, but it’s not worth the hundreds you could potentially lose through careless work. Auto Logic may be a little more expensive than some other options around here, but it’s more than reasonable in terms of value.
I’ve experienced nothing but quick diagnoses and excellent work. High recommend.

Found this establishment through car talk in NPR. After reading the review, I decided to take my car for oil change. And I am very satisfied with the service. I also had a check-​up and a subsequent oil change after that.
They provide good services. (I’ve been to another recommended garage in the area but the service was okie… I didn’t find they were very friendly there). This place reminds me of my other mechanic Kaloci & Son who is so honest and friendly.
Although it’s a little more expensive than others (but I didn’t think it was much much more), it’s totally worth the price. You don’t have to worry about whether the leaking oil or unnecessary repair.
I even talked to one of the customers while I was waiting there and he said he had been coming here for 15 years and trusted these technicians.
I would recommend this place if you would like to have reliable people working on your car. They are flexible with the scheduling as well. Just call to make an appointment. Because they are busy, sometimes walk-​in might not be the best way.

If you’re like me — a girl with absolutely zero automotive logic and thus easily separated from her hard earned Gs by random «issues» less than reputable mechanics «discover» — save yourself from your plight by coming to Autologic! The mechanic, Gene, will explain everything to you in detail so that you actually understand what is wrong with your car, explain your options, and prioritize what problems need to be fixed now, and what problems are coming in the future. While it still cost me a lot to get my car tuned up (probably because it’s a 13 year old Camry that didn’t get the best of maintenance/​tuneups and had some major issues) I have a feeling the prices are pretty fair. I had good service all around — from the ladies up front who asked me all the details of my car problems, to the various mechanics. They’re a business that have earned my trust — I definitely recommend them!