Northtown Auto

If you are a woman, DO NOT COME HERE! The owner took advantage of my desperation of me needing my car fixed. The owner overcharged me and told me that it was at his discretion to do so. I was quoted one price by the head repairman (who runs the shop when the owner is out) prior to working on my car. After the work was done, I was quoted a new price by the owner which was almost $300 more. Not only was I overcharged for labor I did not approve to be done on my car prior, they also broke a valve on my engine. Instead of notifying me about it and fixing what they broke, they decided to GLUE the hose over the broken valve hole with a silicone adhesive. This of course wore off over time and caused my car to break down only 4 months later! They are the only shop to EVER do work on my engine/spark plugs prior to my car breaking down again 4 months later for the very reason they overcharged me to fix! To overcharge me, speak to me condescendingly, and to break something without properly fixing it is such a horrible way to run a business.

Wife and I have been taking our cars to Northtown Auto and Russell since at least 2013, maybe longer. Have always appreciated Russell treating us well and doing the right thing -- whether that meant making a repair or advising us not to do so. Have built a quality relationship now, where I know that I'll be given good advice -- and he'll be straight with the tougher news, too. And, as someone else mentioned in a review -- yes, I appreciate a repair shop that also hosts art exhibits.

They were extremely friendly and flexible with getting my car fixed. They replied quick and communicated clearly what was wrong without trying to sell me anything unnecessary. My cost ended up being less than the quote and I will definitely be returning!

Echo what others say about great customer service. Customer service seems to be lacking in most businesses, so it is refreshing when you experience it.
Came in for the first time on short notice since I had a slow leak in a tire and needed an oil change before I left town prior to Christmas.
Russel was upfront and said they would try to work me in as well as all other procrastinators. They did and I was a very satisfied customer.
Fair and reasonable pricing.

I love that there is an auto shop that has art shows! This place is so cool, and the owner is very nice and welcoming. They gave me a tire rotation, and even offered me a ride home since I lived nearby and didn't have a ride. They provide quality service in a timely manner, and communicated effectively about any issues with my vehicle. I plan on going back for all my car needs.

Russell couldn't be nicer, and he's also very honest. I had some work done elsewhere and an indicator light was on afterward.c so I assumed it was something else and called Northtown Auto.

Russell's team figured out that there was an issue with the prior repair work. He charged me a fair price for the time his guys spent looking at it. Some other place might have made up some nonsense repair or charged more. I was treated with respect, and I'll be back next time I have any car repair need.

I used Northtown Auto several times in the past with my older car and always had a good experience. I bought a newer car and didn't need any service to my newer car for several years. But today when I called to get a ballpark estimate of cost before I tried to make an appointment, it was a terrible process. He was very short with me and if you're a woman that doesn't know everything about cars then you'll feel silly for trying to give them business. He didn't believe me when I said I had been there before and looked me up to see if I was lying. I would only recommend this place if you live close by and don't mind driving in for an estimate. The drive would have been pretty far out of the way for me but had been excited about returning here.

STAY AWAY!
Northtown Auto and Russell Philips deserve 0 stars. This place is run by a bunch of buffoons. My car started shaking a little after I would turn it on and my heat went out, so I brought it into them to look at. After having my car for 3 days, and claiming I just needed routine maintenance, replacing spark plugs, and a fuel injector, he still couldn't figure out what was wrong with it although he claims he fixed it and I just needed to drive around a bit to let the fuel injector cleaner work. I got my car back in much worse shape than when I gave it to him. Ended up taking it to Thoroughbred Ford a couple hours after because the car was shaking so bad at highway speeds. They discovered that he had replaced one of my spark plugs with a cracked spark plug, causing the terrible shaking. In the end, they had to replace the spark plug and coil in cylinder 1. When I went back to Russell and told them he put a cracked spark plug in my car and asked for them to pay for their mistake and being negligent by not checking his work, he had this long winded explanation on what he would pay for and what he wouldn't. He said he would refund me $266.47 (the actual cost at Thoroughbred was $365.90) because he never charged me for a diagnostic fee in the first place. Okay. But then he said he knew my brakes needed to be fixed and said he would do them for free, which would save me $400. I said I needed to think about it and that I would call him back. I should have just taken the money right then and there, because when I contacted him the next day about just getting the refund, he said he never offered a refund, but only to pay 125.50 for the parts and labor. Because I didn't take his brake job offer, his amount suddenly when down. When I told him this shows extreme lack of character, his fragile ego was hurt and said he wasn't giving me any money. He then gave me the warranty info on the spark plug and said I could try getting something from them. So, this snake doesn't take responsibility for his work. I tell everyone I know now not to go to this terrible place.

Another thing, his diagnostic skills are awful. A week after this debacle, my car was still shaking a little when I turned it on--the reason I brought it to him in the first place--but now it started smoking a little, and died a couple times. I took it into Thoroughbred Ford and they diagnosed it in an hour. I needed a new engine--they found out that coolant had been leaking into my engine, completely ruining it. I took it to Gary Crossly Ford for a second opinion and they diagnosed the same thing after I described what was happening and a quick look at the coolant level--like 15 minutes. So not only did Northtown Auto put in broken parts into my car, and charged me almost $1000 for it, they also missed something that was clearly easily diagnosed. Terrible service and terrible skills.

Trustworthy and quality service. Since Being introduced to Northtown Auto from a family recommendation, I haven't gone to any other mechanics. There have been other places my friends swear by that have quoted me $700 for fixing bogus problems. This is a common worry when it comes to trusting a place to take your car but I know I can trust Russell and the guys at this shop. When they recommend that service is needed, they tell you whether it is absolutely needed to be done, why it is needed, and how to avoid future problems if needed.

Most recently there was some serious dry rot on my tires and I got some advice on how to avoid it on these next tires. I felt like I wasn't doing a good job taking care of my car but they let me know that it wasn't really much I could have done differently since I park in a gravel and muddy/clay parking lot everyday.

Highly recommended. I came in late on a friday expecting that I would need a new tire and I would have to leave my car at the shop for the weekend, but was happily surprised when they explained to me that I just needed a patch up, and that they would try their best to fit me in before they closed. An hour later my tire was all fixed up and ready to go. They also have the sweetest dog I have met named Luna. I would come back just to hang out with the pup; the friendly, speedy, and reliable service was just a bonus.