Downtown Automotive

Downtown Automotive is a gem! They are so warm, welcoming, accommodating and efficient. I dropped my car off before work for a transmission fluid flush. Not only did they call me when it was done to let me know that everything went well but also let me know my oil was abnormally low and due for a change in about a week (from the sticker date). After getting my OK they changed the oil also. They told me to come back in about a month to come back and check the oil level for free. I will continue to come back for my auto needs!

I live next door to this auto shop and had a flat tire one day. As I was taking off the flat to put on my spare to drive to Firestone (where I bought my tires) the nice guy who works at Downtown Automotive offered to repair my tire for only $ 20. He also helped me put the tire back on and was just really wonderful. It was absolutely 5 star service.

I love these guys. They always take great care of me and my 06′ Colorado when I need regular maintenance. Typically I drop my truck off in the morning and give them as much time as they need to complete the work. I work and live in the neighborhood so it’s easy for me to live without a car for a day.
They always call me a few hours later with a detailed update on the vehicle and recommendations of what steps to take. Even when there are extra items or unexpected repairs, Lori explains which items are urgent and which we can plan for down the road (pun intended). It’s really nice to not feel pressured into lots of spendy repairs each time I bring my truck in, and at the same time feeling like they give my truck a thorough inspection and that all issues are brought to my attention.
Been using them for several years now and don’t plan on going anywhere else.

I took my 2006 Ford Ranger in because it was having engine trouble and had shut down. They helped the issue and quickly alerted me that I would eventually need the engine repair or a new one but did not pressure me in buying it from them. They fixed my oil filter and replaced the oil for a very reasonable price. Lori was great to work with and runs the shop very well. They are very friendly and a pleasure to work with.

I came here to fix my car because the engine light on. The price seemed expensive for the repair but I am not a car guy so I just trust what the experts say. BUT NOT AFTER BRINGING THE CAR 3 TIMES AND STILL THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES BACK ON! And each time I paid more and more for the repairs. I have been driving this car for 5 years and I never had to repair it so many times. And that was when I used to drive it 60 miles a day. Now I only drive maybe 20 miles a week. Am I paranoid? What are the chance multiple parts require pair at the same time and why can’t they detect it. ARGGGG. I wasted so much time coming early to drop it and pick it up. If my car is crap just tell me so; not try to micro charge for months! Keeping the car is already expensive enough in Seattle. Anyway I give 2 stars for at least nice enough people working but not currently happy with the repairs.

Ambience. B
Service. C
Price. D
Needed an appt. brought early in the morning, they called in afternoon to give different options for service and price quotes. I was quoted a total around $ 565.
Sadly, when I get here, I’m given a bill for over a $ 1000. Seems she forgot to mention the labor cost of over $ 500. That’s one bad miscommunication!
I’ve always liked the service and attention in the past. However, this was ONE BAD QUOTE!

I am not a big Unilocal reviewer; this is my 13^th review in over a decade of having an account. But my experience at Downtown Automotive was so nice, and they were so friendly, that I owe them.
My Honda Civic broke down on the highway in the middle of the night, and I had it towed to them. Despite having me over a barrel (I would have had to pay for another tow to leave them), they gave me a cheaper price than anyone else I checked with. So I gave them the green light.
The next day they called me up and told me my car body was rusted and they had to spend an hour or so extra dealing with frozen/​broken bolts. This is totally plausible as the car is from NY and does have a lot of rust. In NY the situation would have gone like this:
«I had to spend an extra nineteen minutes because of a frozen bolt. Our shop rate is $ 250/​hr. and we round up. So you owe me an extra $ 250 or I will drop your car off the Brooklyn Bridge.»
At Downtown Automotive they apologized and asked for a few extra bucks.
They close at 5pm, so got there to pay and pick up the car at 4:59. Everything worked fine. I casually asked about the check engine light. I was honest and told the man there that it was on before the repair. Instead of just giving me a quick answer, he spent an extra half hour with me, after they closed, checking the error codes with a computer. He found nothing wrong and reset the error codes. When I offered to give him some extra cash, he said don’t worry about it.
Perhaps this is just an east-​coast/​west-​coast thing. I am used to mechanics being jerks and am especially not used to them being nice. These guys are fair and friendly. A top notch outfit. Thank you!

Fixed my friend’s passenger side window for free. It was stuck in the down positive. They won a lot of goodwill points from me! :)

My Mechanic, Mike I’ve gone to for about 3 yrs starting working there. I told him what was going on w my car, he told me he’d try to work on quote so I could bring in and then few days later died on me-​this Mon am He gave me # for friend who tows. They got it there and started working on it right away. Lori was wonderful to speak to. When I called Mike walked in & told her I would be calling and she said she was speaking to me now. She kept me updated through out the day and I had it back that night. They helped me a lot as I’ve been a loyal customer to Mike and anywhere he works that’s where
my car will be taken to. They were fast, friendly and reasonable. I would recommend them to everyone I know. Absolute pleasure doing business w them!

The ENTIRE staff at Downtown Automotive is great! I took my car in because the check engine light was on. They diagnosed it and turned out it was something I had to go to the dealership for. Lori called over there and made the appointment for me! She walked me through everything that was going on with my car and what needed to happen at Subaru. When I arrived at Subaru, I was told I needed my O2 sensor replaced for the 3^rd time (all covered under the NAPA warranty). Lori helped me through the process to have NAPA cover the 3^rd O2 sensor. She went out of her way to help me even though the previous changes has happened at a different shop. I felt very comfortable and in the know when I was at Downtown Automotive.

The alternator this shop put in 4 years ago just failed. It is the only part on my nearly 20 year old car that has broken more than once.
Stay away from this shop if you value your time and money.

I found Downtown Automotive by searching through AAA Washington’s list of approved auto repair service providers nearly four years ago. The shop’s expertise has contributed significantly to my car’s great performance, despite having over 170,000 miles on the odometer. Lori and Ron make it easy for me to schedule appointments for repair, and provide excellent customer service.

I’ve been here twice, and both times the service was outstanding and the work on my car was done very well. The staff are friendly and helpful and honest.

We got off to a pretty shaky start with a «hard to source part» keeping me down a few extra days. Once we picked up the repaired vehicle it died on my way home… (right downtown too and a AAA towing nightmare ensued — not their fault) Luckily they stand behind their work and had us up and running the very next day and at no additional charge. I feel these guys while un-​perfect (who is?) are honest and care about their customers.

I see the mixed reviews here, but I had good service. My car’s «check engine light» went on – on a Saturday – a day before I had to leave on a trip. Nice timing! They got me in last-​minute, checked it out, and suggested a very affordable option (it was an emmisions leak, possibly due to an old, ill-​fitting gas cap). Didn’t upsell, was straightforward and kind. While these guys aren’t my current go-​to auto repair, I’ll definitely keep them as a valuable back-​up.

Downtown Automotive was able to help me with my seized lugnuts when 2 other places said they were unfixable. The manager Lori was super friendly and helpful.
They will definitely be my mechanic from here on out!

My husband and I broke down on I5 and were towed here. Not only were the staff friendly and knowledgeable, but they got us in right away and fixed our car as fast as they could. Top notch! The car is running like a charm and we are back on the road for Thanksgiving.

These guys charged me $ 1000 to find trouble with a $ 90 oxygen sensor. In the process of diagnosing the problem, they had a few stabs in the dark — including replacing a fuel pump that had no issues and doing a fuel system flush. Thankfully, I’m wiser now and have a much better mechanic.

Yeah. Definitely not coming back here.
I saw that Downtown Automotive had almost perfect reviews on Google and some good ones here, and since it’s hard going into a mechanic shop for the first time and really knowing what you’re getting, we decided to give DA a chance. BAD IDEA. They seemed nice enough, but then the communication was ridiculously inadequate: they were to call my boyfriend with mechanical questions and me with billing questions. Instead, they called the wrong person at the wrong time quite frequently and then DIDN’T EVEN CALL to let us know the car wouldn’t be done on the first day, even though we had added some services due to their (overpriced) estimates.
All we wanted was to get the car back up to freeway speed. $ 750 later, we can still drive only under 40 without a serious vibration and it’s not even much better than before. Not only that, but they put in a used part and it was WORSE than what we had before — and when they called me to let me know (about 45 minutes before closing) they said we wouldn’t get the car until AFTER Thanksgiving. Um, NO. We were told we would get it today. They attempted to save face by putting the old part back in, but there is no way this kind of shoddy service is acceptable. STAY AWAY.

I was referred to this shop by AAA after my car broke down while on a road trip.
The staff are friendly and efficient and will go out of their way to help.
I explained my situation to them and they got right to work. They effectively analyzed the problem and fixed it in a timely manner.
I was back on the road in time to get where I needed to be.
Their service rates are comparable to most other shops I’ve used.
The only real down side is their markup on parts. They are a NAPA affiliate, but their markup on the part I needed was about 60% over NAPAs own retail price, which tend to be high anyway.
So yes they will fix your car and do it quickly and well, but you will pay a premium for it.