I was amazed at the level of service here. I must admit the outside of the place deceived me. I actually stopped in looking for directions to another garage in the area as I could not find it and had an appointment. The guys at DIY were more than happy to direct me to the other garage. They smiled and said " hey have a great day and if you don't like what you hear at the other garage come back and see us , you don't need an appointment just drop in. I made it to the Active garage and was quoted over 2600 dollars. I could not afford to get the work done but I was now very scared and nervous to drive my car at all because they told me that my car was unsafe and the banging noise I had in my front wheels was the bearings and they could fall off the car with either one of the front wheels and make me lose control. I was in tears because I needed my car to get to work everyday. I decided to head back to that little white garage on the corner Barrie Do It Yourself. I was still in tears, as well I was shaken up and trembling with fear about driving my car. As I showed Dale the quote from Active he took my arm and said come sit down .... everything is gonna be alright. I found comfort in his voice and felt he was a very caring person and it felt like I had known him for years yet I had only met him two hours before. He handed me a Peach tall boy monster drink and said , drink this slowly and it will make you feel better, we'll get your car up on the hoist and give you the real score as he called it. Within 10 minutes he came back to me laughing and cheerful. He said "No worries its just a broken spring. He then advised me that I should replace both sides with these things called quick struts because if we only did one side it would make my car sit unevenly with one new one and one old one so its best to do both so they don't put extra wear on the front end. This made sense to me. I asked him how much and he, without even looking at anything , book, prices, or a computer, 685. Plus tax. Now this was an easy answer. Yes let's do it , when can we do it. He said today and he offered to drive me home and then pick me back up when it was done. It truly was the best repair experience of my life and I felt good about it. Awesome service Dale. You and your shop is truly a hidden gem in the city of Barrie and not enough people know about you. I now tell everyone about this garage and this story because in this day and age we all need more people like Dale and garages like the this one. I will be a lifelong customer. Thanks so much for saving me and making my car better and making me feel better as well. Ill see you soon when I need my oil changed. read more

Lived here my entire life , broke down today in the no frills parking lot , checked google search for a mobile mechanic and the DIY garage came up. I called the number , a guy named Dale came to the no frills and found me with my hood up, when I rang the number the guy was friendly and said he would be right over to help me. I of course did not believe that at all. In under 15 minutes he appeared in a truck and opened the hood , he had cables stashed under the hod along with various other tools , he greeted me with a big smile and told me I would be back on the road in a few minutes, he looked inside the car and told me I had left my headlights on,, this i did not believe either beacuse I have a sensor in the caddy that automatically shuts them off. While he hooked up the cables he informed me that when the sensor is covered, it can sometimes malfunction and leave the lights on after the ignition is off. I had todays Toronto Sun laying on the dash as I have done a hundred times before . He was absolutely right. He also explained to me that when the ambient light sensor starts to act up it should be replaced immediately because it can also cause other things in the caddy to malfunction. He let the car charge up for 15 minutes and said , fire it up , I did just that , he smiled disconected the cables and shut both hoods. He handed me his card and smiled from ear to ear and said " ill see you when you really have something broken" he hopped back in the truck and began to drive off. I was dumbfounded, speechless, and kinda just sat there for a second stunned. I looked at the card and just kind of sat there for a minute. I drove home unloaded my groceries and pulled the card out of my pocket and called the number. I wanted to say thanks however I never had the chance because it went to voicemail. Ill be stopping in there tommorow to say thanks and mabey drop off a dozen donuts and some coffee. I will not be going to the caddy dealer anymore. Thank you Dale read more

I have been bringing my entire family's Ford trucks and cars here for the last 16years, over the years and especially during the entire covid crisis Dale repaired our vehicles without fail. Even after to the accident and the car severed his leg right off , broke all of his ribs, crushed his hips and fractured his skull ,,,,,,, He came back to work 78 days later in a walker to begin work for half days whilst his pinned and re- attached leg and foot were healing. He had these huge air casts on his leg and arm, could hardly walk and in fact ,,,, was at times ,,, and I kid you not here , Actually " CRAWLING" around my truck in the parking lot to attend to a broken rear hitches wiring harness for my trailer, I watched in amazement as he crawled under the hitch and used a soldering iron in his mouth to replace and solder my harness back together. Now I know this guy spent many years as a finely chiseled soldier in the army, serving in many countries including Iraq and Afghanistan but I will say here that I've never seen someone as motivated and determined to repair something at any cost or fumble for him. He never stirred, he never complained yet at times you could see the physical pain in his face from his injuries. I would recommend this place and this fellow to anyone who wants to witness a miracle of life who has survived at all costs and can make you laugh on cue while your repair is being done. Thanks Dale for your years of serving this country and then returning to Barrie to retire into just plain old serving the poor folks who can't afford to go to the "Brand Name" places, You Sir are your own Brand Name in Simcoe county!! Always there to listen and fix us up!! read more

I wanted to start my own work on my 2011 Ford Ranger. I found Dale, called him up and he booked me in. Really great and knowledgeable guy! Did my own spark plug and wire change. Replaced a couple of O2 sensors under the truck. We ordered pizza and I got to hang out with Dale and pick his brain. He really loves that you want to service your own vehicle. He believes in a family atmosphere around the shop and it really shows that he cares. Got to use his lift, all his tools, lubricants and oils. There is still a small issue with my truck that we are trying to solve so we are exchanging texts back and forth and he has given some really great advice on how to try and figure it out. He even told me that we are not giving up! Pretty cool!! If you want to work on your own vehicle, DEFINITELY go see Dale! Well worth it! read more

Awesome place, As a girl it's hard to find a garage , I was treated like family there , saved me over 1150 dollars in repairs I did not need. I had a banging noise and went to another garage and was told I need a whole list of front end parts and I stopped into the diy garage on a whim .... Just driving by, the guy put my car up and told me I had a loose stability link... That was the banging I heard in the car. It was loud and scary .... He tightened the bolt while I held the wrench on the opposite side. Put my car down and asked me to buy him a coffee...!! I retuned with a dozen donuts and a coffee. I will be hitting up this place for the rest of my life. read more

We had an amazing time at the DIY Garage! We are converting our 2003 4Runner to go overland to Patagonia, and needed some help with the low voltage electrical. Dale and Len were so helpful and generous with their time! They led us through what we needed to do, gave us lots of tips on how to do the wire connections, and gave us the confidence to finish the rest of the electrical ourselves. We loved meeting you guys, and we totally appreciate the support and help as we start our trip! If you want to see where we go, check us out any time on Instagram at @nomadsllp. read more

The best car garage mechanic I know. Very affordable and friendly people. Not like most mechanics that charges you for extra everything. Very honest and I will bring my car, my son's car friends family and everyone to this garage. If your interested in saving money and not being fooled please go see this people. I am very impressed with them. I will recommend them to every1 I know.. THANK you so much " do it yourself " mechanics u guys are awesome. read more

It's very hard to find an honest, loyal and friendly mechanic now a days and being a female makes it even harder I went into the do it yourself garage and they were so helpful and friendly they took alot of time to look around and check prices on parts and did the job as cost efficient as possible and did the job right I would recommend anyone to this garage especially females as you will be treated very fairly! read more

I've taken my car to Dale several times; usually in an emergency. He has always been great at making the time to look at my car and providing me with a diagnosis and estimate on the spot. He was great at explaining the issues and repairs required to address them. The work was done quickly and came in under budget. Even picked me up in my vehicle and had me drop him back at the shop to save me an Uber ride. read more

Worth the drive from out of town. We drive over an hour to this garage and it's well worth it. I can completely trust this mechanic and for the first time feel at ease having a car in a garage getting it worked on. Dale is extremely fair and cares about the work he does. I highly recommend this garage. read more

I contacted Dale to schedule an undercoating for my Ford Escape Hybrid and was delighted with the service! Dale and his team are courteous, professional and quick! I was in and out in less than half an hour and am very happy with my experience. I will definitely be back again. Thanks, Dale! read more

Great Place to get brakes done , saved over 750 dollars from my original quote. I would recommend this place for sure as Dale and his team there are a different kind of breed. They cater to whatever you need and don't charge a small fortune read more

Hello I'm looking to get some repairs done on my car it's not on the road right now because i need a few minor things done to my car anybody think they can help me any good deals ? read more

My range rover Got a better service for less $ $ than the dealer provides .I'll be back again