Generous 4 stars (3.5 would be more accurate for me) There's a few things I love about this shop and a few I don't. Firstly the loves: - I love the convenience of this shop being walkable to me - Woman-owned and operated - Supportive of other local businesses Things I don't love: - It isn't the cheapest. Even oil changes cost a bit more here. - At our last visit, we scheduled our oil change, dropped it off the day before, and it still took all day the following day before the service was completed. Not having a car all day for a regular oil change is not great. For me, it can be worth it for some services, but know that you will be paying a bit more and may not get the fastest completion of services. read more

I loved everything about my experience at Alternative Auto :) Their website alone had me hooked. I needed an oil change and was prepared to do my norm...wake up early and try to be one of the first cars at the shops in hopes that I don't end up spending my whole day waiting. I go to their website to check their hours and boom, there's a scheduling option where you can make an appointment and log all of your concerns ahead of time. They even had an option to reserve transportation to and from the shop. I got a text when my car was ready and a link to the inspection results along with a breakdown of any future work needed, talk about convenience. The woman I worked with at the shop was also friendly and reminded me how close they are to Short North, so you can easily walk to grab food or shop while waiting on your car. Easy breezy experience! read more

I wouldn't recommend this place. I didn't plan to leave a review for this place despite being over charged. But this shop adds on an additional 10% for "shop fees'. My overpayment for my service should cover your rags. I was told I'd get my car back the next morning first thing. I called twice at noon and no one picked up. They shortly after told me to come get my car. I loved having to explain to my boss that I had to work from home since my mechanic couldn't be reliable. Finally, I get a call today that they didn't fully charge me for the work that was done and I still had a balance. Doesn't look good for a company to be this disorganized and a total inconvenience for me. I wanted to support a local woman owned business but I will not be back. read more

Charged insanely high diagnostic fees. Lied about price of parts in order to upcharge

Can we give a round of applause to the ladies out here doing great work with our vehicles? I swear I wish I would have known about them sooner! Alternative Auto Care is women-owned and uber chill. I was needing liners and a splash guard put on my car and they made it easy to get work done. They put me at ease that my baby (my car) was going to be okay with the operations. They were thorough and efficient since my car is the only way I could get to work, they made sure to have the work done by 2 pm. I am an anxious person by nature so to have them call about parts needed and estimated times of completion was helpful. I got a bulb replaced free of charge and a list of things my car will need. I do not skimp on my car, cheap service = expensive fixes for your vehicle. I love my Honda Fit so I will make sure she is in tip-top shape. 5 stars for great service. read more

They charged me $100 for a diagnostic, only to tell me that they don't know what's wrong and they need to charge me $600 more just to find out what's wrong. Needless to say, I declined. read more

Buyer beware! Feeling a little taken advantage of...We took my daughter's car in for an oil change and check engine light. The quote for all things recommended was over$2800. They saw a young female in college and thought they could take advantage and over charge. Nice thing is they provide the reports for your once over, but then gouge you when you aren't in the same city. Where should I start...$663 to replace a battery...really???? $1500 to front and rear breaks. Thankfully, my son is an auto mechanic in another state and saved us a lot of money by taking a look at what they were quoting. We sent him the inspection results and the invoice for the recommended services. He was floored at the cost of the potential repairs. He works at a dealership; which is typically more expensive...and their estimate was much lower...even the local Kia dealership was 300 less for the brake repair. They even charged $56 to put the car on a diagnostic run with no codes to pull and the oil change (with regular oil; no synthetic) was $121. Outrageous!!!! Lesson learned. read more

Prices are extremely high. They quoted me $3,555 total. I went to the dealer for a second opinion and they said nothing needed to be done other than oil change, so I feel quite taken advantage of. One charge, for instance, was for the transmission flush and they quoted it as $700 and the Toyota dealer quoted me $250. This was just one of many charges that are not standard practice. I will not be returning and I basically paid $130 for absolutely nothing. You have been warned. read more

Well this place was freaking awesome! I had what I call a couple, others may say several, things wrong with my '17 Nissan Juke. They told me every single thing that was wrong AND told me the order of priority in which to fix it. (Even a few things I could probably get cheaper elsewhere/ fix at home) Not to mention they sent picture updates of the broken things BEFORE they fixed it and didn't do any work without telling me. I've honestly never get better about getting my car fixed! read more

Severely overcharging. Took out my spark plugs without asking. Took two days to replace my brakes even though I made an appointment in advance that was confirmed. Just go to a big name auto place instead! read more

My car wouldn't start and I had a friend recommend alternative auto care. She had a great experience with them, and I thought why not give it a try. The shop is women owned and operated, so I felt fully comfortable bringing my car there as someone with minimal car knowledge and knowing it would get the best service for value. Jenny from Alternative called me and gave me updates as they worked on the car, and we worked out the best solution together. Could not recommend them more! read more

They are nice, but that's about it. I've taken my car in three times to have the same part replaced. Every single time they never get back to me to let me know about my car. The second time I kept saying they would get to it that day and never did and then never called me back. It took them a week to work on my car. They seem extremely unorganized. So to break it down for you. -Horrible communication -They either gave me a shady part or didnt replace it in the first place I'd rather go somewhere that gets the job done and communicates with me. read more

My catalytic converter was stolen and I sent in my car for a repair as they were the closest shop to my home. The part was replaced, and it was not expensive, however I had some problems with my insurance because they pushed me to get the replacement before the insurance agent could look at the car. In addition, they performed a service that I didn't ask for and when talking to them on the phone they said that they wouldn't charge me for it, when I got the bill they charged me around $50 for a thing I was planning on doing on my own for $5. Pros -They did the work very fast. -They were communicative with me. Cons -They performed unrequested work and charged me for it. -They may have damaged my key while performing that unrequested work. -Because they pressured me to get my car quickly my insurance wouldn't cover the whole cost of the repair. -They were unable to perform the work at the shop itself so they sublet the work and up-charged me without being clear that they would charge me more for that offsite work. In summary, I don't think that I'd use this shop again for any repairs or maintenance. read more

I know when I pick up my car from their shop that there will be no further issues. They're super reliable and can always fit me into their schedule when needed. They're good at answering questions and making sure that you're involved in every decision and that you have all the information needed to make that decision. I'll come here for all future repairs. read more

While driving to OKC from Boston, MA, our tour van broke down as we entered Columbus, Ohio. Alternative Auto Care was the closest to where we were, and after seeing all the good ratings online, we decided to go for it. Upon arriving, the entire team came out to give a quick look and troubleshoot. After narrowing down the issues, Jocelyn thoroughly inspected the situation and discovered the problem. Due to our time crunch of having to make it to the venue the next day, Jocelyn went above and beyond, pulling late hours for us. The car was up and running by the end of the night and we are EXTREMELY grateful and impressed by the commitment of Jocelyn and the team. Highly recommend Alternative Auto Care, as they definitely care about you as a customer and do excellent work read more

Just no! Had son at OSU take his car here. They called me and said they wanted money to inspect brakes. Then called me again to say they wanted more money to inspect wheels. What?? I'm 58 and have never been asked for money just to look at my car. That was as unreal and unheard of. I finally said stop inspecting and taking money to look at things and just tell me what you think. She said tie rod, wheel bearings and brakes would be $1,800. I SAID ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!! Had son drive back to Cleveland and went to my standard service guy. $600 total for same estimate above. And they didn't charge to JUST LOOK AT THE CAR! read more

Working with them for both body work and mechanical services for our older model cars. Fast, knowledgeable and friendly!

Had a test run on my car they said nothing was wrong. Broke down two weeks later. Wasted a few hundred bucks. Don't waste your money ppl

I came here a little jaded by the typical mechanic service dominated by men who have to man-splain everything and often take advantage of your lack of car knowledge. A few friends had good experiences there and I was happy to support a lesbian owned and operated business. I have a great mechanic in Marysville but I had issues over the weekend and needed a local place to look at my car. I dropped if off and told them I wouldn't be able to pick it up for a few days because I was going out of town. The woman I spoke with over the phone said she would have it looked at and personally drive it the next day to let me know what was going on and give me her recommendations. Two days later, she still hadn't had a chance to drive it. The next day, I get this elaborate email attachment with a complete work-up for my car. The issues I was experiencing had to do with the shocks and the car was vibrating at high speeds. The elaborate work-up the car addressed this but was way too much for what a simple conversation could have accomplished. She gave me a quote to do the work that was in the $700 range and it would take a couple days. I was shocked and nervous to throw down that much money on a car with 130k miles. I really wanted a second opinion and was happy that she didn't pressure me into doing the work. As it was, I spent $130 on an oil change and the inspections. I ended up taking the car to my mechanic in Marysville and when it was all said and done, the repairs were under $200 and could be done in less than an hour! After this experience I feel no less taken advantage of by "Alternative" Auto Care than a "conventional" shop. Maybe they could spend less time trying to give customers a different experience, less time creating a useless 10 page document that probably took a lot of time and they could charge less for doing the same work that cost me $500 less and 4 less days of my time. read more

Previously, I dreaded going to the mechanic. I usually feel like my lack of auto knowledge is being exploited to make more money. So, when some dude tells me I need a $200 oil change (yeah right!) and that my "whatchamacallit and thingymabob NEED TO BE FIXED RIGHT NOW OR ELSE MY CAR WILL EXPLODE", I'm not inclined to believe him. Alternative Auto Care is the opposite of most auto repair shops. Its owned and operated by some AWESOME WOMEN who are all friendly, polite, and most importantly, really good mechanics. When I take my car in and explain what is wrong, Heather always follows up very quickly with an estimate for the repairs. She explains WHY something needs repaired in a way I can understand even though I know nothing about cars. After the repairs have been completed, she goes one step further - she explains what DOESN'T need to be repaired right away, but should be fixed down the road so that I am able to plan accordingly. I always leave the shop with a good summary of what has been fixed and what should be fixed in the next few months/years. For that reason, I always feel more knowledgeable about the state of my car after leaving, instead of scratching my head and wondering, "What did I just pay $300 for exactly?" Finally, these ladies are so helpful. My car died on a Sunday and my husband had it towed there so it could get looked at on Monday when the shop opens. Chris, who I believe is the owner, just happened to be at the shop that day. Even though they were closed at the time, she helped my husband check in the car so it could be looked at right away. After they quickly determined that my poor old car would no longer run, they even offered to help me find the best deal/most money for scrapping it. These ladies are AWESOME and I'm so glad I found this shop. They are great mechanics, informative, and helpful. read more

very pleased with the service i received here! they completed my car the day i dropped it off! they texted every step of the way, with a write up of what needed fixed (and with pictures! something i had never seen before). i do believe prices are a little high, but i am willing to pay that for the service, explanation, and help i received. they even admitted that getting an oil change somewhere like jiffy lube would be more economical than having them complete it while they were working on my brakes. also- convenient and easy payment online with a lock box so that you can pick up after business hours. a+ service! read more

Finally an auto repair company that knows how to speak to people :-) I had experiences with mechanics in the past that have been absolutely dreadful. And for that reason whenever my car has an issue, I try and put off repairs because I hate mechanics. But I have discovered a gem, well at least for me! I am the type that likes to know what is happening, why it is happening, how much it will cost and if you can relate to me in customer friendly language.....well you have a customer for life! I loved the approach this company took in diagnosing my problem. The owner Chris is an adjunct professor of auto mechanics at Columbus State, so I knew immediately that she and her staff would be great at explaining the "whys," to my questions! I highly recommend Alternative Auto Care! read more

Must say at this point I feel a little disappointed that it didn't live up to its hype. I wanted to give these guys - or gals to be more accurate - my business, rather than a midas or anyone else as a way of supporting small business (and there's the kicker of supporting an under-represented minority in the business, and knock down some old and frankly lousy stereotypes. Just tbh)...except i couldn't! All i needed was a housing the lights on the front of my car changed, which is genuinely a simple task: you buy the part from autozone or somewhere new, unscrew the old one, and screw in the new one. I could do it myself except i don't have the time and i have to bill insurance for it. First I was promised a quote for the part and labor "soon", and didn't receive anything by the end of the day. I let it slide, and went back to them, And was promised "sooner rather than later" and "by the end of the day before leaving work". 3 days later. Still No response. Shocking. But true. And by the same "heather" i believe was so hyped by all other reviewers. V disappointed. Either they don't need my business because they're so "successful" or its just some shocking sloppiness. Either way dear potential customer: YOU LOSE. read more

So I gave them two stars because they were at least polite every time they lied to us and said our car would be done by the end of the day or in a hour and they actually fixed our car. They had our car for 7 days to fix a water pump and continued to say, they would call us back when we would call in the morning to see if our car was done. First they took our car on a Monday, never called us and Tuesday, we called, they said it would be done that day. Then they ordered the wrong part. We had to call them Wednesday and Thursday, still not done. When Friday came around, five days later, they said it would be done by the end of the day. Then at 6:15pm they finally called us back (and they were closing for the weekend) and said it had 1 hours worth of work and it would be done first thing Monday morning. They couldn't stay after and finish it so we could have our car back before the weekend after they had it all week, due to their mistake??? After 7 days, Monday morning comes around, our car still wasn't ready. They finally had it done around 12:45 and charged us over $1,000 even though they made many mistakes throughout this entire mess. We will not ever come back here! read more

I have used alternative auto services 3 to 4 times now. I keep going back because the customer service is fantastic! It is wonderful to visit a place and feel welcomed, and part of the family. I did notice their pricing is a little higher than most for Specialty work. This may be because they are a smaller local shop. Either way, I go to alternative auto for all of my oil change, brake checks, vehicle lights and standard check ups. I will continue to do so. read more

Phenomenal service and follow up. . I love that this is female owned and operated. There is a comfortable feeling knowing men aren't trying to rip you off or mess with you during your car repair. Definitely recommend! The prices are a little high. But we bring our vehicle in for our main stuff and they also give our seasonal discounts which is awesome!! read more

Was driving through Columbus on the way to Chicago for Thanksgiving when I hit a pothole and my axle shaft snapped. Alternative Auto Care was the closest shop to my location and even though they were about to close, they agreed to wait past closing time for me to tow my car to their shop. The next day, Jenni and Jossalynn were super quick to get out and take a look at my car to find out what had happened. They gave me a quick and reasonable quote while being extremely upfront about any complications they could run into. It was 2 days before Thanksgiving and they were understandably booked, but they both went above and beyond to squeeze me in and even stayed an hour past closing time to complete repairs. I have no words to express how thankful I am that they were able to provide this quick turn around service for me. I would highly recommend Alternative Auto Care to anybody looking for a go-to shop, or unfortunate enough to have car trouble while just driving through. They go above and beyond to provide the best service and I could not have been happier that I chose this shop. read more

I came to Alternative Auto Care based on SEVERAL recommendations from others. I needed an oil change and called in and was pleased to learn they had an opening that morning. Not too long after I dropped my car off, I got a text letting me know my car was ready and to give them a call to talk through the 50 point inspection they did on my car. Then, I went into my email and saw a detailed report of their inspection, including notes and pictures. Needless to say, I was very impressed with the attention to detail they had for what was supposed to be a routine oil change. I came in and went through the inspection report point for point with Heather. She was so patient and kind. When it came to discussing my next appointment, I didn't feel guilted or pressured to come in like so many other auto body places I've worked with. In fact, she said she would go through the inspection report and prioritize what would be most important for my next visit and email me her thoughts. On top of all that, I was sent with a nice little package of popcorn as a thank you! I love supporting local businesses and I will definitely be back! Thanks for a great experience :) read more

Really quick and friendly service. Their pricing is fair, and I will certainly be back.

I have been in to Alternative Auto Care twice now and plan to go to them exclusively in the future. They are awesome!! Heather is honest, straightforward, and explains things in detail. I absolutely trust Alternative Auto Care with my car and with my money. Support local women and take your car here! read more

I wanted to like this place, but can't agree to the way they do business. Their model of "honesty and transparency" would be great if it didn't translate to "huge unnecessary diagnostic bills." I just feel like they don't listen to you here and it's very frustrating! My first experience I went in because my 2017 car was hesitating unexpectedly. It was very abnormal and difficult to replicate so I explained my problem and asked if I could show them some research I did of other people with similar experiences. They flat out told me no they don't trust forum posts (fair to an extent but it's also smart to use all your resources). They then charged me $200 for diagnostic tests and came back and told me they found nothing wrong and they couldn't help me. They could only refer me to other auto shops they thought could better help me. Least to say, I was very unhappy and became skeptical of their business. My second experience, I had gotten a diagnostic report on my car from Firestone telling me I needed new Wheel Bearings. Firestone couldn't take me for another week and I really wanted my car repaired ASAP so I stopped in to see if they could give me a quote on how much it would be there. They told me they wouldn't look at the Firestone report and said they'd have to do an inspection themselves for $40 before they could even attempt to give me a quote. I said no thank you, left, and will never be back. I would only recommend going here if you enjoy spending money without getting any results. Do better! read more

Honest. Thorough. Kind. Smart. Intuitive. Hard-working. I could keep listing positives about Alternative Auto Care all day. Yes, it's an odd location with parking issues, but this place is a diamond in the rough. They quoted a price and stuck with it (along with several pictures of their inspection) despite having to stay after-hours to finish the job because they knew we had to go out of town the next day and needed the car. We will definitely keep coming back! read more

The owner and workers are very nice and I am happy to support an all women car repair shop. But I can't support charging excessive amounts for labor. A quote for new spark plugs and wires was upwards of $200. Another fairly well-reviewed mechanic (from what I could find...Tilton's Auto Repair) offered new plugs and wires for $168. In the end, I replaced the spark and wires myself for around $60 - and I got my parts from the same store as Alternative (Advanced Auto Parts, at least so I was told)... and I didn't buy the cheapest ones available. (Note: Changing spark plugs and wires is actually very easy - plug 'n play really. No joke! It was my first time doing it and I was very surprised. Google it or check out your owner's manual, it's worth the savings.) Alternative Auto Care also charged around $70 for looking over my car to diagnose a problem (without telling me about the charge in advance). I've never had a place charge for that before - and the other mechanic I took it to certainly didn't (Tilton's auto repair), he also topped off my coolant for free. At Alternative, they make a point to get to know you, and work with you to see how to best break up repairs so that it doesn't strain your budget - which is cool. Better yet would be not over-charging for labor, then maybe I could fit more of those repairs into one visit. The place itself is hard to find, the lot is tiny, and there is no real waiting room, although they are very good about offering rides. Their tiny office room also has no ventilation, so be sure not to spend long in there. Despite having existed for years, the place comes off as rather amateurish. They also are not a full-service repair shop, since they do not do tire/wheel work. So if you end up with a wheel problem, you need to find a mechanic all over again. Overall, sadly, I can't recommend them. read more

It can be hard to find, as the entrance is more on Hunter than on W 5th. Even on 5th, you can't really see their sign driving past. I'm very pleased how quickly they put new low beams in my car, and they charged only 15 minutes of labor for around $20. There's a lot of interesting stuff to look at inside while you wait, mostly political re: LGBT. If you're a LGBT activist or ally, I can't imagine a better place to get car repair. read more

This has been the best auto care place I have encountered- service was friendly and timely, and the prices were lower than any others I have found in Columbus. The work was done in a timely manner and done very well, and I was able to ask questions and have them answered so I could understand. I reccomend anyone to come here! read more

I highly recommend this place. Chris (the owner) was a pleasure to work with. My car is in need of many repairs but she was able to help me choose which ones to do first and worked with my budget. I've gotten quotes from several popular auto repair shops and Alternative Auto Care has had the lowest price. Plus they repaired my car very quickly. I was happy with my previous auto repair shop but you just can't beat good service AND a good price. read more

I had an easy fix. They saw me on short notice when no one else would. Friendly service, got me a solution, and I got back on the road. Didn't even charge me - now that's customer service for sure. read more

This place is fantastic. Even though it was their last day working before they went on vacation, they performed my 40,000 mile inspection quickly and efficiently. They did a great job of explaining the problems they had found with the car, and were very clear about what was urgent and what wasn't. They even gave me a printout for my records of everything they found, which is something even my doctor doesn't do. They didn't try to sell me anything, nor did they replace anything expensive just for the sake of charging me extra. Instead, they fixed a large dent that a body shop had recently offered to repair for a modest $1000... while my total bill at Alternative Auto Care, including the inspection, 2 quarts of oil, and this repair was less than $40. I couldn't recommend this place more highly. read more

Took my truck into AAC after it had a wiring harness and blower fire/smoke issue. They looked up the proper TSB (which I had not found), and replaced the offending blower and connector. They also went one step further, researching the root cause - a poorly designed cowling that allowed water into the blower motor. They got the new, redesigned part. And they did it all the week after Christmas! Couldn't be happier with the service and professionalism. Well done. Also they gave my puppy a treat. So that's nice too. read more

Alternative auto care fixed my fuel pump in my car and they did a pretty good job. However, my car was in the shop for TWO WEEKS, when fixing a fuel pump should only take a couple days-a week maximum. I kept calling back and they were polite, however they just kept saying they had a lot of other cars in the shop and it would take a while to get to mine. I understand there are other cars they need to fix but if they were that behind then it's time to start working Saturday's and Sunday's. If they were that slammed with cars they should have not taken my car in or at least warned me that things would move that slowly. Alternative auto care also towed my car in which was nice but I gave them the car with a half a tank of gas and when my sister picked up the car, the tank was empty. I called them and left a message inquiring about this and they never returned my call. My father had to call them after a few days which they said they spilled it all over the shop and would not reimburse me. How kind. After waiting two weeks for my car and extra charges to my bill, they finally give me my car back with no gas in it. Alternative auto care does not seem to care much about their customers. I understand things may have been hectic for them but they need to learn how to manage their work load and understand what they can and cannot handle. Waiting two weeks and losing 8 gallons of gas with no reimbursement is just unacceptable. It is safe to say that I will not be returning here in the future. read more