Short Version:
I really wanted to like Art's Automotive, but I left frustrated. Two calls, two different estimates, no appointment, lots of repetition about work I didn't want, and no follow-up after a promised call back. I'll be taking my car elsewhere.
Full Review:
I really wanted to like Art's --great reviews, local shop, seemed promising. But my experience was...not great.
I first called 8/20/25 with a polite, clear ask: Here's the problem, can I get an estimate and make an appointment?
The guy responded: here's how much the part costs, here's the labor (0.5-1 hour), here's what we bill per hour--so you can kind of guess the total.
I didn't love that he didn't give me a clear quote or written estimate, but I thought, okay, he's trying to say this is a small job ($400-500) and maybe not worth writing up formally. Not my favorite, but I appreciated the transparency and the fact that he thought he could do the job in under an hour, so I tried to schedule.
He was very resistant. He said the next appointment was a week and a half out, but that I could call at 10 AM and see if they'd squeeze me in. When I pressed, "Can I go ahead and make an appointment?" he repeated the 10 AM suggestion. I pointed out the next time I could actually do that would be the following week, and he said, "Yeah, try then."
So that's what I did. I drove carefully all week, called back on 8/26/25 before 10 AM, and asked if they might fit me in. This time I was told the job would actually take 1.8 hours, I definitely needed an appointment, and they were booking a week and a half out.
Pluses:
1. When I called during open hours, someone answered quickly both times.
2. Both people were transparent about their thinking and pricing, which seemed reasonable.
Minuses:
1. If I definitely needed an appointment (as guy #2 said), guy #1 should have just let me schedule one.
2. Both times I got only a verbal outline of cost. Neither was exact, neither in writing, and the two estimates differed significantly.
3. Guy #2 kept pressing me to do more work--replace 3 coils instead of 1. I appreciate hearing someone's expert opinion once, maybe twice. Beyond that is not helpful. By the fourth time, I said, "Hey, you keep talking about doing all the coils and I keep telling you I really just want to do one." He then told me a fifth time why I should do all the coils. He was an engineer, so I don't think it was about upselling. I think he was just a poor listener unable to imagine I'd make a different choice than him.
4. When I explained the first call, it would have been nice if guy #2 had said, "I'm sorry that happened." Instead, he said, "I just walked into the office and asked if anyone remembered talking to you, and they all said no." I doubt someone wandered in off the street giving estimates, and Art's was the only shop I'd called. A little accountability would go a long way.
5. Guy #2 ended the call saying someone else would call me with an estimate. No one ever did.
To summarize: I called Art's twice with a clear scope of work and a clear intent to get the job done (I hadn't even called other shops), and ended both calls without a precise estimate or an appointment. For me, that's a 2-star experience: some positives, but overall a waste of time.
So instead, I called the mechanic I really like--even though he's 30 miles away--and said, "Here's the problem and here's what I'm hoping to do." Chris at Toy Auto in Redwood City said, "We can do that, here's the estimate, how's next Tuesday?" That's where I'm taking my car, and I'm very confident they'll do the work quickly, for the exact price they clearly stated the first time, the way they always have. read more
