The staff at Central Auto service saved the day at 5pm on a Friday when they could have told us "sorry, we can't help you until tomorrow". We had taken our Kia Sorrento for an oil change while visiting the Albany area. It needed 6 quarts of oil to complete. We thought they probably forgot to reset the Oil Change indicator message afterwards so we reset it. Three days later, started getting dashboard messages for oil low, then today red check engine light. We did not see any visible signs of a leak but dash warnings were glaring. Looked up Yelp reviews for most reputable place and it said Central Auto service. They were closing soon but said bring it in. Sure enough, when they checked the dipstick it was dry, no oil. They removed the engine guard panel and oil began spilling out everywhere. The previous place had used the wrong size seal. I was hours away from seizing my engine. They let me take videos of the entire process so I can send back to previous service center for reimbursement. I can't thank this place enough for saving my car and my weekend as I need to travel out of state tomorrow. I highly recommend Central Auto for their honesty, transparency and help read more

Several things off about this place. I came in for a routine tire alignment and oil change and I was quoted $225 by a woman. They said it would take about 90 minutes and it was ready on time. However, when I went up to pay, there was now a gentleman quoting me $210. Great okay. I swipe my card and go on my way without realizing that they charged me $229. I call when I get home and explain the discrepancy. The woman responded and said "sure can you come in?" I thought it was plausible I would get the additional money back but when I get there she said "oh it's because we charge 3% on credit card payments" which is a crazy statement because I used a DEBIT card, they did more than a 3% fee and they couldn't tell me that on the phone before I wasted 30 minutes? This place is a joke, you're better off going somewhere else. read more

AVOID, AVOID, AVOID. Beshat and the woman who I previously spoke very highly of were both extremely rude to me when they made a mistake. They told me my car was ready, gave me the keys and allowed me to drive off of their lot KNOWING it was a possibility my car would stop running. I left them and 30 minutes later I got multiple alerts on my dashboard, my check engine light came on, and my car slowed down at 50mph all the way down to 10! The car started jolting really hard and I received an alert that my engine was failing. Took it back and I was blamed because according to them, "we only do what you asked us" so Beshat claimed it was happening because my coil was old and I should not have told them to put the spark plugs in LOL like Im the mechanic. He was EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL. HE ALSO PUT HIS FINGER SO CLOSE TO MY FACE THAT MY EYES IMMEDIATELY FOCUSED ON THE TIP OF IT. Women beware especially because I can assure you if I was a man, that definitely would not have happened. By the grace of GOD, I was able to drive the car back to them( at 10-20mph) but unfortunately I had to leave it with them to fix. Remember I said, He and THE OWNER(extremely rude woman with drawn on eyebrows) both blamed me saying the coil was old and should have been replaced with the spark plugs- (mind you, they didnt tell me until AFTER the work was done and they said my car was ready) They told me to come back on Monday, and they would get the coil delivered and replace it. I leave them with the car, I go home and calm down. I make a call to them about a 45 minutes later to confirm they are able to get the part they need and to my surprise, the RUDE OWNER WITH THE DRAWN ON EYEBROWS says my car is ready. I go back. Guess what? IT turns out IT WAS THEIR FAULT! Just like I already knew, they changed the spark plugs and did not plug the coil in correctly! This came from BESHAT himself. So he pointed his finger in my face, told me it was my fault my car almost broke down on the highway, argued with me and yelled "SUE ME" multiple times all because they didnt do THEIR jobs. Neither him or the rude owner offered an apology. I still said thank you and left but I had to post this because their behavior was unacceptable. I was told to test drive and come back if there is another problem LOL. Again, these people are unprofessional and they have NO CLUE what they are doing, and I will never return. It is not the fact that a mistake was made, it is the fact that the first response was it was my fault and how unprofessional they were. They lost a customer. I was disrespected and gaslit into oblivion. If you still decide to go after reading this, just know that if THEY make a mistake, they will blame you and say YOU are responsible for their mistakes and you will not receive an apology! You may also have to deal with a finger in your face if you are a woman. GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS! I forgot to add- The back brakes I paid them to put in from the google review- THOSE WENT BAD AFTER 4 MONTHS and had to be replaced also. Dont get brakes from them! The rude lady tried to tell me that brakes need to be checked every 6 months LOL! like I said they are incompetent. STAY AWAY! read more

Central Auto Service - Auto Repair Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Brought in my car because the engine light came on, turns out it was mice chewing through all the wires under my hood. Central Auto Service handled it quickly & for a lot cheaper than most places would have probably done. Thank you & sorry again for the mice surprise!!! read more

best place in philly to go for any of your car problems!! i have been here countless times for car issues and inspections. they are super quick and friendly!!! read more

great customer service. came here for small repair and inspection. done in a few hours at a low cost.

Crab my bmw without oil during their oil change. Engine misfires have blown the engine because of them. When I called to speak to the mechanic the secretary refused to even give me her name. She wouldn't let me speak to the mechanic either. Currently in litigation. read more

New to Philly. Got my required emissions inspection done in minutes. So fast and so nice. Highly recommend! read more

Came in today and got an inspection with no appointment. In and out quickly and the woman at the front desk was kind.

Terrible service!!! Everything is done very slow, you can barely communicate on the phone and I tried calling for three weeks to get a follow up appointment with this place because they made me buy a 400$ part so all they needed to do was install it and I was told to go find another place by the receptionist. No flexible hours either, i waited for 2 weeks and called on the exact day they told me to make an appointment and they gave me 1 slot at 10 am when I explicitly said please nothing in the morning I have work. Absolutely unacceptable. read more

The tale of my car-story is long so I will spare lots of details and tell you the short of it. (Sort of). I originally brought my car here to get it serviced for a drive I was making from Philadelphia to Texas. This was right after Christmas. Central Auto serviced my car and (here is where I leave lots out for the sake of a shorter review) there were still issues. I brought my car back when I arrived home to Philadelphia from Texas and I needed an inspection as well as a closer look at issues that I was still having with the car. Besart (who is the owner) worked and worked and worked to make sure he solved the issue. He wouldn't stop until the job was complete and done well and he worked with me, trying to find the best-priced-parts and charged a very reasonable rate. It took a while, but what I realized, was that he was trying his best to take the time needed, to order parts that would cost less and that once I drove the car off of the lot, that he and I would know that all would be well. After a lot of work and quite a bit of time, my car is working and the repairs did not break the bank. I am grateful. I would say, "Trust Besart". I am grateful to have found him. read more

Had an overdue PA car inspection. They answered and were friendly every time that I called to ask questions. Came in same day before closing and they were quick and friendly (to me and my dog)! Best price in town as well. My new go to place for car needs. Thanks read more

This was the easiest car inspection place I've been to in my life. Really nothing else to say, I recommend

I recently found this place and I'm please to say that the owner (which I could never get he's name right so I won't even try) was honest and straightforward. I did a transmission fluid change with gasket and filter, for 150,00$ + fluid and parts. It came out to 187.41 $ I looked at other places including jiffy lubes and they don't even change parts, they only vacuum the fluid for 170,00. Central Auto Service, was the best option at the bat price He gave me a free computer diagnostic that is usually 40 bucks. Jose the mechanic who helps him is very efficient and fast. At least this was my experience here I would definitely recommend it. The prices are a little it on the higher side but at least the guy does the work right and gives three months guarantee. Some times is better to pay a little more but get it right! read more

See all

We came in because the lights on a trailer we had hooked up to the car were not turning on. We didn't have an appointment but the owner was able to see us in between appointments. He diagnosed the issue and fixed it extremely quickly, all the while wearing a face mask on a blisteringly hot summer day. He didn't ask for any money but we gave him a $20; we had just moved to philly and without working lights we would have been screwed moving our stuff into our new apartment. Thank you Central Auto Service!!! read more

By far thr worst experience I have ever encountered. My daughters car was towed in due to battery not holding a charge, car has a new battery and the alternator was charging at 14v. Been told its an electrical draw. We explained this to Solomon. We asked prior to having car towed if they can diagnose a parasitic draw on the electrical system and he said yes. Car was towed in, my daughter is a student at Drexel and we live in California so we asked to document everything and take pictures of what thwy find. A female service writer called to tell me that it was the alternator and battery, the price was 600 for labor and 500 for the part amd 180 for battery. I asked for their labor rate and the stated 110 per hour, don't have a problem with their labor rate but when we checked around found out that 1) according to mechanical labor guides, its a 2.3 hour job, so labor should be 253 plus cost on the part. So I questioned how do they determine their labor. They explained that thwy don't use the industry guides because they don't have mechanics that are as efficient as dealer mechanics. When I questioned them on the reliability of the their diagnoses since the battery was brand new and the alternator had been checked the day before, they got defensive and told me to have the car picked up and rhey were going to push the car to the street and they didnt want to work on the car. I had car towed to the AAA shop in South Philly and they confirmed what I had been told before, battery was perfect and so was the alternator and the car had an issue with an electrical draw. Full disclosure, I am a Master Technician in Southern California so I had a gut feeling that Central Auto had no idea what the problem was. Thank god I didn't spend 1350 for battery and alternator to still have the same problem. Central Auto is rude and they have no idea what they are talking about, they wanted to take advantage of 20 year old student. Avoid at all costs! read more

If you take your car here, you better make sure you know more about cars than they do and can diagnose any problems yourself. My fiance took our car here to get an inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. When he drove home, he noticed a grinding sound from the front tire. He called them and asked them to fix the grinding sound since it only happened after they were working on the car. They insisted they didn't do anything to cause the sound; he pointed out they rotated the tires, so they offered to rotate them back but still wouldn't concede this could have been their fault. When we got the car back again, it still was making a grinding sound. My fiance took the car somewhere else, and the new place informed him that the tires on this car shouldn't have been rotated in the first place because they were different sizes, and that's why there was the grinding sound. After the new place put the tires back, the sound was gone. It's frustrating to pay to get a car worked on and to receive it back in a worse condition, but it's especially frustrating to deal with people who either don't know enough to understand what they did to cause a problem or just won't admit it. Any place doing car inspections should at least know that rotating the tires could have caused this issue and changed them back without arguing with us. This was a waste of time and money. Go somewhere else. read more

I stopped by while traveling from out of state due to a broken piece on my car. Being from out of the area, a bunch of shops sent me away saying I would have to wait all day to get the repair, or would have to drop off the car, but Central was able to get me in right away and get the repair done in less than an hour. Can't say thank you enough to the kind staff for helping us out and getting us on the road again quickly read more

I've been going here for the pass few years and they are always reliable and reasonable. They are very kind as well.

They were able to provide same day service for state car inspection and were extremely quick. Super helpful and efficient!

HORRIBLE SERVICE, the lady priced me at 60 plus tax for a full synthetic oil change. They did the oil change after waiting over an hour and a half but upon paying my bill was $96 and when I asked for a receipt the pair behind the glass began to argue with me saying that "I should've listened better" and refused to give my keys when I wanted a price breakdown until I paid. They have horrible service and are liars. If I could give 0 stars I would read more

Cliff notes: these people don't know the state inspection laws or requirements! I chose to take my car to get it inspected here because of the great reviews it got on yelp. I've lived in Philly for a few years but am just getting a PA license and registration because I'm no longer a student. So i go into the shop (which is completely empty-- first bad sign) and they're very nice and can help me right away. It only takes about half an hour, and the mechanic calls me over to come look at my break pads, which he says are low, and a break light in the back dashboard which he says is out, and so they fail me and tell me I have to come back tomorrow to get the work done and get my sticker. It'll be $208. Well that seems strange, so I call my boyfriend who is a mechanic in Delaware, and he says he wants to look at everything so I shouldn't get anything done yet. The lady at the desk is adamant that per PA law I HAVE to get whatever they found wrong with my car done there. Umm, no. So I politely tell her that that seems like a conflict of interest and wouldn't all these shops just fail people for things so they could make some money? So I refuse, and she finally says fine, have your boyfriend look at it. So I get home and he looks up the PA law which CLEARLY says that the customer has the right to get the work done on their car anywhere they would like. Furthermore, he found the minimum break pad measurement and measured my break pads and they were twice what they needed to be to pass. When he took the car back the next day, the woman tried to fight him about the law. She tried to say that they didn't "feel" that my car (a honda civic.. the safest car around) was safe. They based their inspection off of a feeling, and not the state laws and specifications. Fortunately, my boyfriend brought the laws and showed them, and they STILL didn't believe him. Basically, this place doesn't know what they're doing. They don't know the law. They don't know the requirements. They'll fail you on a feeling and charge you extra money just because they can. read more

Central Auto Service was great. They have thier own lot, and if they need to hold your vehicle it's gated. Furthermore, if you don't have time to run back and get your car and you leqave it there, the lot fee is a whopping $15? Awesome. I live next door though so that's not necessary. Walk in inspections are 3-5 M-F, but they'll have you out in 35 minutes. You can call and arrange a morning inspection by appointment. They also have tons of signs posted with their rates for different services, so nothing will surprise you. The folks in the shop are helpful and don't charge you extra for something silly (I had something hanging off my muffler and he just said "It will be no big deal for me to get that off, don't worry about it, it's not hurting anything.") I think they also did me a solid and switched off my check engine light without the fee. But another nice thing is that they have signs everywhere telling you to be upfront about it if you're car-dumb, basically. "IF YOUR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON, IT WILL FAIL INSPECTION. TELL US TO CHECK YOUR ENGINE AHEAD OF TIME." Thank you for the tip. They were perfectly reasonable, charge fractionally for hours, and very sweet. I walked in and before I could sit down to start filling out my info, they were driving my car into the bay. Awesome, efficient, timely. Thanks :) read more

Kind, respectful, honest, and thoughtful: Not qualities I usually associate with an auto shop. I've been searching for a decent, respectable auto place for a good long time now. I usually feel like dealing with an auto shop and medical insurance companies are one in the same; just looking for ways to screw over the "customer." But not Central. The woman behind the desk is very nice and pleasant to talk to. She spells it out that customer service and honesty are their top priority, and they proved it by not charging me extra to lift the car up & check the alignment when I said the steering wheel was shaky (after a state inspection). The mechanic said that the wheel ware was probably causing the problem. They accepted a wheel shipment from an on-line tire company and installed the tires right away. The rates seemed more than reasonable, and the added niceties made it so much easier to give money and support to a local business like Central. read more

I'm so grateful for CAS. Reputable, no-nonsense service, and with kind humans running the business to boot. Could not recommend more highly. I am a return customer. read more

Not what you would expect! The area seems pretty sketchy, but this place is amazing. My friend got a flat tire after brunch at Sabrina's. We slowly rolled on in and were taken care of promptly. The shop owners turned on their electric fireplace(!!!!) and we huddled for warmth in their lobby. While we waited we went across the street for a donut to eat while the friendly serviceman put the donut on the car. read more

My car broke down on the PA turnpike and i was over 300 miles from home. They got me in immediately and did all they could to get me out as quickly and affordably as possible. The mechanics were knowledgeable and explained everything to me. Great experience. read more

A good, competent, honest mechanic within walking distance of home. Amazing! Central Auto is quick, competent, and reasonably priced -- and don't try to sell you on work you don't need. I was in and out with a state and emissions inspection in half an hour or so, with no extra work needed. I've been here twice now and am very happy with their work. read more

This is an awesome honest auto body shop. The owners husband and wife and workers are kind considerate and very fair. Steve the mechanic is honest and walks you through the process of whatever your car requires in repairs. I have been going to this auto body shop since they opened. I would recommend them over and over again. Fair kind honest efficient and friendly Kia G read more

DO NOT GO HERE. I went to get my brake pads replaced because they were squeaking, when I picked it up they were still squeaking. I brought it back and drove around the block with a mechanic, who heard the noise. After an hour of working on my car, he claimed that there was no noise and there was nothing wrong. My brakes literally squeaked on the way back home. I will now have to go and get my brake pads replaced again at a different auto shop and accept that I wasted $400 at Central Auto Service. read more

Excellent, fast service. Came in for a state inspection, and like many others, was in and out in about 30 minutes. I was really impressed by the friendly and honest staff, which is hard to come by. Will definitely return for other vehicle needs! read more

I called Central Auto Service to inquire about pricing. I just moved to the area, so I called a few people asking for their prices. They asked me the make and model of my car, AND THEN quoted me $32. Once my partner took it into the shop, they said it'd be closer to $40 because the filter was different than they realized. By the time she paid, they charged us $48.35 because my engine is 7 quarts instead of 5. Shouldn't they have known this information when they asked the make and model of my car and quoted me?! I would have liked to know all of my options in advance. And I would like to use someone's services who knows cars. To top it off, when my partner got home with my car, my break light was out?! So much for checking the car during the oil change. I am hugely, hugely disappointed. read more

Thought this place would be different but not. The rate might be cheaper but not worth it though. I had engine light on and decided to bring here to check. It was $50 to run the diagnosis. It sounded cheap compare to other places. Then, they told me to replace Purge Solenoid, they thought there was a leak. Turn out, it was just the gas cap not tightened up (yes, i brought it to somewhere else to check again since I doubted them). I guess they had no ideas about the diagnosis result. Or maybe they did, they just try to make me replace something that I dont need to and make money off that. Very disappointed about this. I learned it hard way though. Definitely not recommend this place! Rather go to dealer, might be more expensive but they might be more truthful. read more

If you are looking for a honest person, you have found your place. We have been to this shop multiple times and every time our car was repaired for significantly less compared to the quote provided by other repair shops. Until now we have got our state inspection done , oil changed and mirror replaced from this shop. Every time we got amazing customer service. Moreover, the owner even told us to buy the mirror for cheap online rather than spending a fortune at local dealers. The price for everything is reasonable and I see no reason why we will take our car to any other place but this. We have also recommended this shop to our friends, and all of them are mighty satisfied with this place. I highly recommend it for everything. read more

I brought my car here after reading so many great reviews on yelp. And it's conveniently located near where I live. I had been hearing a slight grinding sound when I'd turn my wheel occasionally. When I brought my car in, the lady who runs the place was incredibly warm and friendly!! She instantly had the mechanic take my car for a drive, and when he couldn't hear anything wrong with it, they put it on the lift anyway just to be thorough and make sure nothing was going on. They checked out the tires, suspension, brakes...etc. And it turns out the car was fine. The best part is, they didn't charge me anything for checking it out!! I'll definitely be bringing my car back in the next month or so to get the heat fixed. And I'm spreading the word to my family, friends, and coworkers. I'd recommend it to anyone, but especially if you live in West Philly I've been to a few mechanics in the area, and this one by far seems to have really fair prices and a great staff! read more

I brought my car in during holiday weekend thinking changing a light bulb wouldn't take long, but turned out my car had a bigger problem with the motherboard, so I had to drop it off. Even though they close on Monday-Labor Day, the man who did the fix on my car still worked and called me to update the situation and asked me to come in to choose the solutions he had for it. I picked my car up today (Tuesday) and very happy with the result. They're very nice and the price is reasonable for what they offer!! I would totally come back there for further service in the future!! read more

Very knowledgeable, friendly &reliable and you can drop off your car early in the morning. They have hi-tech alignment equipment and can diagnose problems quickly. Unlike a lot of places in the area they have 4 car bays to raise the car up so that they can work on it. Also cars are not left out on the road at night but stay protected inside their gates. These folks have been in business for many years. read more

Great customer service!!! I took my Jeep Wrangler in because the water pump died. They had me fixed in a few hours. The owner was even kind enough to drive me back home until the work was completed!!! The staff was very professional and did great work. Also, the cost for labor wasn't bad at all. I will definitely come back here again if i have anymore issues. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! read more

This place has a small business "mom and pop" vibe to it. With a limited budget, these guys helped me get through my inspection (and an expensive ticket) at a very reasonable price. If your in the poor grad school student phase or just looking for an honest quote, this is the perfect spot in West Philly. Nice people, fair prices, highly recommend. read more

I took my car in for inspection 2 weeks back and they got to work right away and passed me - the owner was very nice and explained the break pads were low but still good. I took the car back today to replace break pads and he remembered me - again quickly started work on my car. Rotated the wheels for free and rates were reasonable. My BMW will be going back to him from now on. read more