Jim made the MD State Safety Inspection for an old car very easy. He described, with knowledge, what it took for it to pass and offered very honest options. Would absolutely recommend for any type of service. A really great experience. read more

More parking space because everything went well, except for the fact that they didn't have enough room to park my car and to park the car long enough to get the parts that might be necessary to repair my car read more

Their kindness sense of humor and reliability is unmatched. I was please to be served by you.

Jim is a great person to deal with. Honest, is the best way to describe his service. He deffeniately cares about cars and thier owners. I highly recomend him for service. read more

Everyone at Advanced Automotive is helpful and friendly, and they do good work at a fair price.

Years ago, I was co-owner of a small automotive repair business. From 2012-2022, I was also the GM of a very reputable business. I say these things because, in my experience, honesty, and integrity are the cornerstone of any successful business. I really do refrain from posting negative, but sometimes, bad business practices necessitate candid reviews. I would like to acknowledge the positives first: We arrived without an appointment, and were greeted by two mechanics, who said they could look at my car. Both mechanics were affable & courteous. I drive a 2010 Acura TSX, with 55,000 miles on it. All historical, and current maintenance has been performed in a timely manner. The oil was changed three weeks prior, the car was running fine, until we just left our house. It suddenly started rough idling at the lights, the check engine light started flashing, and it felt like gas wasn't getting to the engine. My partner, who by no means is an ASE Certified Mechanic, but knowledgeable about basic car maintenance, diagnosed it as a possible spark plug/coil issue, and conveyed that to the mechanics. Effectively, what the car needed was a tune-up. Well, before anything could be done, we needed to commit to the Diagnostic Testing, to the tune of $132.13, which we understood. What I do know from past experience is this; These are the first 3 signs that you need a tune-up: -Check Engine light is on -Running rough when idling/stalling -Decreased performance & fuel efficiency Here's when everything took a left turn: *Diagnostic machine shows no issues (screen is blank, mechanic is confused by this). *We wait over 1.30 hours, mechanics milling around, not saying much. *Owner comes in, and helps mechanic figure out how to run the diagnostic machine. *Owner then goes over all the scary impending issues ($$$$) that MIGHT be causing these problems (none of which were notated on the Diagnostic testing). *After a total of approximately 4 hours, with no communication (unless we went to them), they determine that it's possibly a spark plug or coil issue. *Do they fix it? No. 3 hours later, they swapped the spark plugs and the coil around to determine if the coil was faulty. Mind you, this switching around took less than 30 minutes. *Mechanic brings car around saying,"She's running a little better, but she may or may not stay that way. It could last 5 minutes, 1 hour, or even a month. And your check engine light may or may not come back on." What??! *The total for this service (Diagnostic, labor, $25.00 extra labor to swap plugs/coil, and the fuel additive, that I bought in good faith, after owner suggested it) was $211.72. *After this experience, we just wanted to leave. However, as we pulled out into the road, the engine emission light came on, along with the check engine light, and my car is sputtering, bucking, and won't go over 20 mph! The car wasn't acting like THAT when we brought it in. So we turn the car around & go back. Owner sees us, says, "Let's see what's going on.". He hooks the car back up to the diagnostic, and it says the coil that they switched was bad. He then says, "If you leave your car overnight, we can have it done by mid-day tomorrow." I said I would let him know. His parting salutation? "I hope you make it home!" That was the straw that broke the camel's back. *But wait, here's the kicker (sorry!): Owner then decides to call me this morning to give me an estimate. I let my partner return his call. $520.00!! Here's the breakdown: **$290.00 ignition coil (it's $63.00 wholesale) **$140.00 for 4 Iridium spark plugs (it's $40.00 wholesale all 4 plugs) **$90.00 Labor You know what? Instead of bantering about the car's history, or trying to scare me with imminent dangers about what it MIGHT be, the ONLY thing you should have said is, "Your car needs a tune-up". And you know what else? We would have paid for it. And if you didn't have time this day, tell us when you DO have time, instead of making us wait 4 hours for nothing. Your business acumen made it very clear to me that you don't value or respect the new customer. I understand that EVERY business needs to make a profit, but this price gauging was beyond belief. I would have ended up paying you $731.00 in total, for Diagnostic, parts, and labor for the replacement of plugs/coils. The moral to this story? We bought the spark plugs/coils, and went to a reputable automotive business. The cost for parts and labor? $175.00 TOTAL. My car is now running perfectly. We have an appointment next week to complete any remaining items on the tune-up list. Here's some food for thought: As a business owner, it's imperative to maintain integrity, and honesty. Creating customer confidence is how you grow, and retain customers! read more

We're from Delaware, taking a trip to Frederick, and our vehicle's Starter decides to start acting up. Jim was able to take on our repair this morning while we kept to our plan to visit the shops, restaurants and museums in the historic Frederick downtown, and stayed overtime to finish the job so we could make our way to our mom's for Mother's Day tomorrow before traveling back home to Delaware. We highly recommend this repair shop and thank Jim and his crew for doing a great job and for rescuing our trip plans. It was hard to find ANY car repair shop in the area that was open on a SATURDAY and was able do fix our vehicle within a few hours. read more

THE IN-STORE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE WAS GREAT! GREAT STAFF ETC BUT... I will not be shopping with advanced auto any longer. The online customer support is AWFUL!!! I bought a gift card and used it to purchase parts. I needed to return my items and they only refunded the .29 cents that they charged me for the overage. Then they issued the same refund 20 times causing my bank account to freeze. I went online to chat and asked if they could write me a letter stating that they were only supposed to refund me .29 cents one time and they refused to do so. I wasn't asking for the letter, but that's what my bank needed in order to unfreeze my acct. I chatted for about 45 mins (after being disconnected by the chat the first time) and no issues were resolved. They said that they'd email me a new gift card, but it could take 3-5 business days. I asked for store credit, but they can't do that. REALLY?! I'm over advanced auto and will not be shopping with them again. read more

I was treated to some high quality customer service today! So glad to see some people in the service industry still believe in serving a customer with a smile! Jim helped me today and greeted me immediately and was honest with me that there would be a wait for my safety inspection as I did not make a prior appointment and there were cars ahead of me. I took a seat in the cozy, air conditioned waiting room with books, toys for kids and TV playing. After my car was finished, Jim explained all the paperwork to me and recommended some preventative maintenance for my car without being pushy! He then spoke to me about some common interests we had and made me feel like family. Five stars and thumbs up to Advanced Automotive Repair and especially Jim! read more

Great customer service. Very clear communication. Had a state inspection done and a few necessary repairs were identified and taken care of. Owner was very careful to let me know what to expect cost wise, which I appreciate. Even checked to see if I had AAA and gave me the applicable discount (10% labor)... really straightforward and honest guy. The repairs completed were done very well. Will recommend to friends and family. read more

Advanced Automotive Repair - Guest waiting room. - Auto Repair Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Finding an honest and dependable mechanic is not easy. Jim is fantastic and I highly recommend his services to anyone in Frederick. His prices are fair. He doesn't steer customers to the products that are the most expensive. He encourages customers to buy their own oil/parts if they can to keep prices down and he makes logical recommendations for things you need and the time frame in which they need to be done. He always gets in touch with you before doing something as well. For example, during a routine oil change he looked at the tires on my car, noticed some dry rot, and called immediately to recommend new tires. He gave me some options and an hour later I had two new tires. Lastly, and this is the icing on the cake for me, Jim uses smart phones to take pictures of the things he sees so he can actually show customers what he is talking about. He is the first mechanic I've met that does that and I think it is a nice gesture on his part. read more

He looked over a used car I was considering buying and found some serious overlooked issues on a salvage title. He saved my bacon!

took my jeep in for a state inspection and the mechanic fails it because of the fog lights well the lights he apparently was looking at were not fog lights but they were spot lights for when i go four wheel driving fail me for my headlights saying that they were aftermarket so i went to the dealership and all the jeeps had the same tail lights and headlights even had the cover over the steering wheel well i wont go back there they even charged me 120 dollars oh and the tint was even darker at the dealership not at all happy and it seems to me that every bad review they get they seem to get 5 good reviews to cover up the bad ones go figure read more

I have taken my and my wife's car to Jim over the last two years, he is very knowledgeable, thorough, and fairly priced. I highly recommend. read more

James is very courteous and such and amazing technician. I'm new to the area not only did he example step by step of my inspection but it was completed in a timely manner. I had to take my car for inspection to get my TN rags transferred to MD . I would recommend him to all. You want your car done right go see the man in BIG BLUE BUILDING ON THE HILL.. read more

I have been a customer of Jim's for decades, he is definitely a people person and an honest mechanic. He works with you to get your car running and safe, and explains the process all while not breaking your wallet. Great guy, great service and his staff is awesome too! Definitely take your car or truck to him, you will not be sad you did, just sad if you don't! read more

I recently bought a used car in Virginia and was incredibly nervous about the MD state inspection, especially after some of the horror stories I had read online about people's experiences with various mechanics. I chose Advanced Automotive Repairs based specifically off their reviews on state inspections and I'm glad I did. Jim is friendly, helpful, and no nonsense. Not only did he get my inspection done quickly (passed!), but he gave me great advice on developing a plan for maintenance to get the most life out of my car. I will definitely be using Advanced Automotive Repair for all of my mechanic needs and would recommend them to anybody! read more

Stopped in with a tire issue while passing through. Very friendly people. Fit me in and figured out and fixed the problem quickly. Two thumbs up. Highly recommend. read more

Highly recommended; impeccable integrity! My timing belt broke on my way home from Baltimore Monday afternoon and it was a stroke of luck that I was towed to Advanced Automotive Repair. Jim got the parts in that evening and had me on my way the next day. He took the time to check over other neglected maintenance that could have left me stranded in the short term and explained the basics of routine upkeep to me. I can't help but wonder if the one-star whiners are blaming Advanced Automotive Repair for telling the truth about the shape of their vehicles. I admit that I was embarrassed for not having taken simple preventative care of my car, but you can bet I will be going 3 hours out of my way to have Jim and his staff keep my car in good shape. I was stranded overnight because of my own neglect of maintenance, and Jim went far above and beyond to assit me in finding a safe place to stay. I can't put a pricetag on service like that--he showed true hospitality to a stranger in trouble. I would send family and friends to Advanced Automotive Repair if I lived in the Frederick area! Liked: Straightforward, honest information and over-the-top helpfulness. Disliked: Finding out how clueless I've been about maintenance...which is actually a good thing, I'd say. read more

I found this place during a Google search. I got here early in the morning and was happy I came. Atta was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the MD inspection process. I moved here from California and had no idea how to register my vehicle. He walked me through the process step by step and made it painless and simple. This process in Maryland in confusing and expensive. But it's nice to know what to expect. read more

I took my car in for a routine inspection and waited THREE AND HALF HOURS for it to be completed ... and they charged me $75 for the trouble, failed it on trivial grounds, and offered to fix things up for a tidy $660. Oh, and he also tried to scare me to death by running over a litany of other supposedly (though not really, as I found out) imminent issues that would run in the thousands of dollars. Then after my own mechanic had done the specified work for $400 I brought it back to AAR only to have them fail it AGAIN, charging me $38 for their time and declining to give me a concrete estimate on what they would charge to bring things into line. PLUS, after I closed the door loudly behind me on the way out the mechanic followed me to my car, knocked on the window, and when I rolled it down for him he reached inside to unlock the door, opened it, and slammed it as hard as he could, informing me that slamming doors in his shop is not permitted. Uh, yeah. So I'm not going back here, nor should you. read more

If I could give less stars I would. This visit was just to get a State Inspection and I am new to Maryland. Ok so I bring the van in and think it is just going to be an inspection because I had just had $2000 worth of work done in California before I came here to Maryland and the van was running perfectly fine, I never had any issues or problems for the 2600 miles I drove it, not until I brought it into this shop and he says the drums didn't measure up under state regulations. So of course I have to have it fixed if I want it to pass. So he tells me $300 + which I find out later that it should have only cost about $200. Then it didn't stop there, he calls me up and says I need the cylinders replaced and it went up to $536, then again I was stuck if I wanted it to pass inspection, now we are up to $200 in parts and $236 for labor. Oh it doesn't stop there, I take it home and it starts making a noise in the rear left so I take it back and wait there for 3 and a half hours and he can't figure out what is causing the noise, so then he finally says "I have to order a part and you can come back later" well I thought he would call when the part was in but nooooo i had to call him and now he's had my van for another 2 hours and still has not called to say it is fixed. I would never bring my vehicle to him again and would advise anybody to not take it to him, because he doesn't even know what he is doing. he needs to retire. read more

We have been using Advanced Automotive Repair for our cars for many years and have always been satisfied with the excellent service and reasonable prices. Jim is skilled and knowledgeable and he doesn't upsell unnecessary repairs. The shop and waiting room are not fancy but that's okay because we appreciate the repair and maintenance costs being kept low. read more

Highly recommend. Brought my car in for a safety inspection and was met with an incredibly fair and friendly mechanic. The price was very fair, especially relative to others in the area, and there were no surprise charges. After just moving to/driving to Maryland from across the country, he kindly offered some tips for dealing with the vehicle registration process. When it turned out my power steering fluid was just too low to pass inspection, he made it quick and easy to fix the problem and pass. As far as dealing with annoying bureaucratic bs goes, he made it as straightforward as possible to get my car up to par for the MD requirements - he obviously didn't write the regulations, and was very fair making sure my car passed. Will likely go out of my way to take my car there from Gaithersburg in the future for the great service and friendly conversation. read more

I Recommend this place He is wise and had the patience of talking me through all the steps to pass my Maryland inspection. Plus he decent bullshit like my last mechanic... Price wise 75 is fair and he was fast as well. I'd bring my next car here next time for inspection. Thanks Chip read more

Went on a Tuesday morning. He was busy with another car. Had to wait for an hour before he touched my car. Attentive, kind service, but I've been here for awhile and don't see the bathroom anywhere. Wait room is dusty, unkept. drop off your car if you can. read more

Took my car in for a routine MD state inspection, he told me it would take at least 3 hours. Next day I go to pick up my car from him, charged $75 for the inspection and failed the car for inspection. He devised a list of problems the car had and why it failed. The total cost to fix the list of problems totaled $1,500. So as anyone else would do I took my car elsewhere to get a second opinion. $138 later and a simple wiper change my car was passed for MD state inspection. Advanced Auto Repair is a scam. DO NOT EVER use these services, they will scam you. Try running a legit business Advanced Auto Repair. read more

Can't recommend, they misdiagnosed a basic Ignition Switch problem into a major computer failure and couldn't fix it. As a result, I had to tow the car to a dealer, who fixed it cheaply and efficiently. In addition, I had to drive up to pay because they no loner take credit cards/checks by phone because of a previous problem with a customer. read more