Douglas Radiator And Auto Air

I was traveling down the 395 with my wife on our honeymoon, and my radiator crapped out on me in Gardnerville, NV. After calling the two local auto mechanic shops and finding out that they were both booked for days, the tow-​truck driver brought me to Douglas Radiator. What a lifesaver!!! As he lowered my car to the ground from the truck, no less than four of the guys from Douglas Radiator were already there helping and diagnosing my car. The were all very friendly and understanding of my wanting to get back on the road and back to my honeymoon, and they had my car all fixed up within a few hours. One of the gents even took a look at my air conditioner – which had been acting strangely – and he fixed it with some elbow grease and zip ties FOR NO CHARGE!!! Thanks guys, my wife and I appreciate you very much!!!

We drove our 1988 4Runner into the shop yesterday to have the AC checked without an appointment. We had been told the Compressor and the Dryer had to be replaced for $ 1100 by a shop in Yerington. We are from So Cal and we stay for the season in Bridgeport/​Twin Lakes for season so we were essentially «on the road». Dave and Tim could not have been more friendly, accommodating, professional, efficient, or just plain nice ! After Tim diagnosed my 4Runner he recharged the AC and checked for leaks. All this great service for a grand total of $ 82 ! The AC is really cold now and I can go enjoy my off-​roading in the heat of the summer to come. I highly recommend this shop.

Douglas Radiator and Auto Air restored my 1967 Galaxie 500 Convertible and my 1959 Chevrolet Impala. They did the best job that could ever be done on both cars and covered everything down to the finest detail before delivering it to me. Every little thing I brought to their attention to fix was handled to my satisfaction. I couldn’t be happier with all of them! They are a full service automotive business and do not just fix radiators and air conditioners. They do it all and they wont let you down. What an outstanding business! Tim Hinkle and his crew Travis, Marlin and Dave are great guys and their services are exceptional.

Yes. Let me reiterate, they’re the best. They go above and beyond. Their team will fix your problems and then some. They treat their clients with kindness, generosity, and understanding. Women as well as men. Today was my first experience in this shop and I will trust them with any issues I have in the future. I saw another woman in the shop who said, «this place takes care of you.» and that couldn’t be more true. I highly recommend them. If you do end up here, you can expect good, quick, honest work at incredibly reasonable prices from real people who aren’t trying to scam anyone. And that is what we need.

This time the fuel pump went out, leaving stranded. Towed to Douglas Radiator, who, despite their name, can fix anything mechanical. They diagnosed the problem immediately on a Thursday afternoon, They called to say the truck was ready about noon on Friday. That’s a big job, involving dropping the gas tank, emptying and cleaning it out and installing the fuel pump module. Tim offered to pick me up at my house about 8 or 9 miles from their shop, saving my wife a trip. These guys are good, I believe they are honest and they provide great customer service. I’ll keep going back if anything else crops up!

What things could I say about this shop that would do them justice?
So I started off with my 2000 Jeep Cherokee, and I was going to attempt to replace the heater core on my own at home. First mistake. Luckily, I found Douglas Radiator, who was willing to discharge my AC for free when everywhere I had called in the area wanted about $ 100 to do the same thing. So that was awesome. When I came in, Tim also gave me a couple pointers, and said that we should be fine to do it at home. He also mentioned that if I encountered any issues, he would have no problem helping me out.
After we attempted to pull apart the dash assembly, we ended up with an issue of getting the evaporator line to detach. Called Douglas Radiator, and of course, Tim said to bring it by and he would look at it. We brought it by, and I swear him and a few other people sat there prying this piece off. He didn’t charge me for this either, so I was EXTREMELY appreciative.
We went back to trying to do it at home, and got stuck, but ran out of money. So we were at a pause for a long period of time.
I ended up having to bring my Jeep to Douglas Radiator in pieces (literally the WHOLE dash was dismantled — we ended up pulling way too much apart), but they were still willing to put it back together for me. They also reassured me that the only people who would be touching the car was Tim and Travis. This took about a couple of weeks, but there was a snag. Apparently, buying the after market pieces, the heater core ended up being too thick for the HVAC box, and was causing friction preventing the AC/​Heater to be switched back/​forth from the inside. You’d have to do it manually. Well, because of this, it was going to cost another… huge chunk of change to get it redone, and about 800 in parts. Tim ended up digging through the car, pulling it apart, and fixing it for just labor.
When I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for the work, they were willing to do a payment plan with me. Throughout this whole unpleasant process, they have helped me immensely. Travis, Tim, and Marlin all kept in great contact with me, and even wrote a statement up for my registration reinstatement.
All I can say is that if you want a shop that KNOWS what they are doing, is extremely friendly and understanding, and won’t rip into your budget TOO badly — this is the place to go. I wish they did ALL mechanic work, because I wouldn’t go anywhere else!

I called the shop on a Sunday just to get the hours so I could bring my car in the following Monday. To my surprise, a young man answered the phone and after talking to him about my radiator problem he said to just bring it by. The radiator was ordered on Monday and I brought the car in on Tuesday at around 8am. Car ready same day, excellent customer service and very polite guys. Highly recommend this shop! Oh and the prices are very reasonable to boot.

Great service, knowledgeable staff, A++ highly recommend taking your car to them. They also have fair pricing, they fixed my ac for $ 200 less then what the dealer quoted me at.

Douglas Radiator put a new motor in my car in a timely manner and did the most excellent job! Very friendly service and always willing to make sure the customer leaves happy and satisfied. I recommend Douglas Radiator to all my friends and family!

These guys are wonderful. I have had nothing but great experiences bringing our cars to them for service. As someone who is not very car-​savvy, I feel like it can difficult to find a mechanic that not only does the job, but is someone that you can trust. These guys fit the bill. My boyfriend, far more savvy than I, agrees.
One example. The first time I say them, my BMW had broken down. Originally, they said I needed to replace the whole radiator; they quoted me the bill and I accepted. Later — after the part had been ordered and they had started working — they realized it was just the hose and called to let me know that my bill would be several hundred dollars less than they originally quoted.
Since then, they have worked on my BMW several times and have also worked on my boyfriend’s old Toyota. And they do so much more than radiators… brakes, wheel bearings, air conditioning. Great work every time.
I highly recommend. If you’re having car trouble, these guys are the ones to go to.

i would give them more stars if I could. I have had some issues with my brakes and rotors on my dodge and had them replaced at TIRES PLUS, bad idea. I had to replace them about 4 times within a 6 month period. Anyway not in the mood to get into that mess and save it for a tires plus 0 rating review, my husband took his dodge truck over there and TIM and the other technicians have done such an amazing job letting us know what is wrong and fixing it right away. I then took my car to have the brakes and rotors replaced and so far it has been running great. I have been there often to get my oil change and other services. I will not trust ANYONE else with my car but them. If you want to be able to trust anyone with your car, it would be douglas radiator. They are very friendly and give you all the details with no BS. I have brought my car needing a same day fix and they are ON IT, I love going here so much that I have a license plate cover with their business on it. Our vehicles are important to us and it is nice to take it to a place who cares about that.

So helpful
nice people
fast and great service
they got the part that was needed so fast
fixed the problem
and it was all just right and did not take too long
from out of town and treated right
grateful they were so knowledgeable and pros
thanks for honesty and good work

took 2 times to fix air conditioner but its finely fixed now. it seems I have to take back my car twice to get anything fixed. I would use them again but they charged me twice to fix air that they should of fixed the FIRST time.

While camping in Tahoe we blew our radiator, got aaa to tow us in and these guys fixed us up with a new radiator in a few hours.
Great service and a great price too

My husband and I have taken both our vehicles there and were very happy with the service.

I showed up in a special vehicle with the need for a recharge. This place took great care of me!

Recently on a fishing trip my Jeep ate a radiator, stuck with no where Togo I had a tow to Douglas Radiator. I thought I had blown a head gasket was I relived to find that I only needed a radiator replaced Travis and the guys got me back on the road in two days.
They did a good job replacing all parts and the jeep runs great no over heating issues. So if your in need of good radiator service call these guys.
I say check them out!

I can verify that Tim and Douglas Radiator are excellent. Same experience as Martin W. Minor repair and no charge. (Although I had just spent a bunch with him on another repair). I still would have been happy to pay. A mechanic you can trust? Hard to find in Douglas, but the one I know lives at Douglas Radiator. They don’t do general mechanic work, only specialize in cooling systems and heat and air conditioning. Don’t waste your time going anywhere else for radiator, cooling system or air conditioning repairs.

The following letter appeared in the July 15, 2009 edition of the Douglas County Courier-​Record newspaper. (Thus I’m doing this review in a surrogate manner, but ANY auto repair place that will do a minor repair at NO charge is worth 5 stars in my estimation.)
Here’s the letter:
(quote)
EDITOR:
It is a rare occasion when you go to an unfamiliar community and an unfamiliar business and are treated honestly and fairly. At least this is what I thought as I traveled to your community on July 8.
I had been having trouble with the air conditioner in my Kia Sedona for about a week. After a week of me being frustrated, my wife contacted Douglas Radiator and Auto Air at 1467 Southgate Drive, Gardnerville. She asked if they would look at the air conditioner and diagnose what was wrong. They told her to bring it in.
I was skeptical, as I stated above, and had my wife call Douglas Radiator and Auto Air a second time while en route. I wanted to make sure they would be able to diagnose the problem we were having with our air conditioner.
When we arrived at Douglas Radiator and Auto Air, we were treated respectfully. I was asked to describe the problem and Tim, the person helping us, explained what he thought was causing the problem. He then asked if I wanted him to check it out. I said I did and in about three minutes he had the problem diagnosed. He asked if I wanted him to fix the problem and I said I did. Within 20 minutes he had fixed the problem and had our van ready to go. When I asked him how much I owed him, Tim said I didn’t owe anything. He just asked that I remember his business the next time I needed some work done.
Tim could have, and should have, charged me for fixing a problem caused by someone else, but he didn’t.
If Douglas Radiator and Auto Air and the men who work there are representative of the businesses in the Gardnerville-​Minden community then I plan to do more business in your community.
Thanks again Tim.
Darrell Holloway
(end quote)
The link to the letter can be found at