I have been taking cars here for 25 years: Jaguars, Range Rovers, BMWs, Porsches. Bob does excellent work and is always responsive. True, as one below noted, he is not bubbly and effusive and coming from behind the counter to join you for coffee, but if you're taking your car anywhere for that... Bob's has always been honest about the issues with my cars and either fixed them (always reasonable in pricing) or advising I'll need an advanced specialist or that he sees no solution (I'm talking about you, Jaguar). But in nearly all cases, the car is fixed and ready to go. read more

Like others, I came here for an emissions test. I was immediately treated like an outsider and a nuisance. This guy clearly does not want to be doing emissions tests, and will make you wonder what the heck is going on because there is no communication or instructions provided... except maybe via a grumble or something. If any of his pals come along they will get right in before you. This 5-minute test easily took over an hour to complete, and all the while I was made to feel like a huge inconvenience. Just terrible. read more

Terrible experience bringing my car here. the owner, Bob, was rude and treated me like a nuisance (only customer inside the shop as well). highly recommend avoiding this shop at all costs - surprised they are still in business with the way they treat customers. read more

Honest and capable. Yes, I've had to explain to my daughters that Bob sometimes seems a little gruff, but that's his sense of humor. We've been taking cars there, exclusively, for over 20 years. When the kids were away at school, we had a small fleet of old cars for them, and Bob and family kept them safe and reliable. I've always felt very fortunate in being a customer of Darien Auto. read more

I have been meaning to write this comment for months now. In March 2021, at around 3pm, my wife and I, while heading back to our home in Maine, stalled out in heavy traffic on I-95. Our clutch on the 5speed manual transmission had fallen to the floor and the car had become undrivable. The state police came with a car carrier and we arbitrarily chose to tow it to the Darien Auto Center. Anyway, the point of this note is that Darien Auto Center immediately put 2 men on the problem and competently repaired the clutch's hydraulics by 6:30 that evening. My wife and I enjoyed a restful night and then headed on home at 7:30 the next morning. The cost was 90.00 and a great display of competency and honesty. What an amazing experience in this day and age! read more

Called multiple times to schedule emissions test. Nobody picked up. Drove there to see if I could get one and main guy (I think the owner) was rude and ignored me for an hour before I left. If you need Emissions go to the spot on New Canaan Ave in Norwalk. Much nicer, faster and don't seem to immediately hate you. read more

After years of taking my BMW to its expensive dealership for repairs, I tried this local shop. I was very pleased and now take my wife's Jaguar there as well. Bob Gould and his son Rob seem to deliver reliable, honest work, tell you what you really need right away and what can wait, have your car ready when they say it will be, and print out easy-to-read, plain English, detailed invoices. If you're accustomed to fancy dealership waiting areas with latte machines and copies of Town & Country on the coffee table, you'll need to adjust your expectations, but if you want dependable work and straight talk at a fair price, definitely consider these guys. I've now moved farther away but still take our cars here. read more

I like this place. Have taken my car there a few times. Prices are reasonable and they get my car fixed correctly. Bob the owner might seem a little cold at first but he's honest and up front about the work he and his guys are doing. So far so good. read more

I'm not entirely sure what past reviewers were talking about waiting an hour for their emissions test because I waited maybe 10 minutes. The guys there were super helpful as I was very disorganized and had no idea what to do when I failed my emissions test. He told me exactly what to do and said if I came back with in a certain period (maybe 20 days?) I could get retested with them for free. Went back a few days later and did exactly what I was told and passed. Incredibly helpful people. read more

AMAZING THIS PLACE IS STILL IN BUSINESS - STAY AWAY!! Brought car in for oil change and put black elec tape strategically across section of oil cap (must remove to fill oil). Did this based on suspicions. When I went to pick up car, two mechanics were driving MY car into lot. Apparently they like BMW's for lunch runs, nice. They claimed it was "test run" but the take out bags told me different. Down hill from there... when I was presented the bill, I checked the oil cap, tape was never even moved. And ... No new oil filter. They probably never thought I would look, most people do not. Owner claimed the oil was changed, when I pointed out the tape and filthy existing filter, he knew he was caught. I walked away saying something about better business bureau. Would like to bill them for my time. Wonder how often they do this to unsuspecting customers?? read more

Don't listen to all of these bad reviews this place is the best in Darien and the only place that does emissions test. The owner is friendly along with the his son. would recommend! read more

I did not read the reviews before I went in to have my emissions checked, so this experience was not jaded to begin with. I ended up leaving before having any work done because the owner i was so incredibly rude and disrespectful to me. I asked simple questions which were answered sarcastically with a smug grin. At first I gave him some slack figuring he was just an old guy tired and in pain - he has a limp, but I was treated so poorly that there is simply no excuse for a business person to treat potential customers like that. I left deciding to take my future business elsewhere. read more

I have many friends who have come here and have proven to me that this place is a complete scam

Skip this place if you need an emissions test. Chaos and I am surveyor would be crazy to actually get your car fixed here.

Definitely recommend using Darien Auto Center - I had a screw in my tire and Rob took care of it quickly and for a very reasonable price.

Taken several personal and company cars in for emissions tests and other work. Bob has always been straight forward with me, does good work, and is fairly priced. I prefer an honest and competent mechanic over a warm atmosphere. Yes there is often a wait for emissions tests, but they are the only place in Darien who does it. It's best to make an appointment for the test to avoid a wait. I have always had a positive experience here and recommend it to anyone looking for a place to get an emissions test or any other work done. read more

What can I say, horrible experience and unacceptable customer interaction. I picked up my car from the dealer that had just completed an emission repair. Took the car to Darien Auto Care because is was the closest emission testing site. I had not read the review before going, but hey, why would you need to read reviews for a simple emission test. The owner was unfriendly and down right rude. I was he only one in the waiting area with no other vehicles ahead of me. It took an hour for the the 5 minute test to be completed. He told me the car failed because the dealer must have reset the fault codes when completing the repair. Told be to drive it a couple of days and come back as I am entitled to a free recheck. When I came back, he was even more rude that before. Told me I would have a long wait if I wanted to get a recheck. Again, devoid of any personality or report with the customers. I honestly do not know how this business survives given how badly they treat customers. I will not return and would never have my car repaired here given their total disregard to customer service. read more

I took my Mercedes for emissions inspection. When I got back in I noticed a piece of plastic on the floor. I picked it up and asked what's this? The guy looked at it and said it was the cover for the plug-in port for the emissions. He said it was broken and showed me the broken corner of the piece. I asked how did that happen? He shrugged and said nothing then dove down and put it back. I'm wondering how long it will stay. I had a similar experience a few years ago when I brought my van in for a oil change. After I got it back the mirror had a chip broken in the corner that I didn't notice right away. I will avoid Darien Auto Center in the future. They do SLOPPY work. read more

I can't speak to quality of repair work, but have had several emissions tests performed as they are the only shop in town able to do these. On each occasion, the owner has been incredibly rude, and makes the entire experience far more unpleasant than needed. It is clear he wants no part of this work, and goes out of his way to prove this. Based on this, I cannot recommend this shop as they clearly choose to do emission work and fail miserably in the customer experience of doing it. I have honestly never met a more rude individual running a business in my life. Stay away!!!! read more

Bob Gould and Bob jr are honest, reasonably priced and get the work done in the time they tell you. I trust them and have used them for all my cars & trucks for years for all my non-warranty work. read more

AWFUL customer service. They were extremely rude, expensive, and slow. There are plenty of other auto centers in the area to get your car serviced and I would highly recommend doing so! read more

My parents have been doing business with Darien Auto Center for over 10 years. As I've only dealt with Bob off and on in that time because of military commitments and graduate school (also Rob is conveniently never there when I am), I have to blame both him and Rob for consistently not performing their jobs well. Even though Rob owns the business, they misdiagnoses problems, don't fix issues 100%, they are quick to sell you a part, nor do they warn you of potential future issues or follow up on current issues. This is totally unacceptable as a business. Lastly, dealing with Bob is like talking to a wet diaper; his personality and workmanship stinks. Sorry Bob, but after years of doing your job half-assed, it's time to move on; and by move on, I mean you should retire to your large waterfront estate away from Darien. Thanks for robbing me, my family, and everyone else of their hard earned time and money. On the bright side of things, with my help, I've taught my father to do repairs on his own as your work is as reliable as a submarine with screen doors. Judge for yourself with two examples below. Bad Workmanship - BMW oil change: Bob/Rob's Fix - Changed the oil. Problem Found - Never replaced oil filter. My Fix - On the next oil change interval (which I did myself 7,500mi later) I found they didn't change the oil filter! As I tired to replace it, it fell apart and shattered into the oil housing. I spent over a hour picking paper slivers out with needle nose pliers. Replaced filter with a Mann HU 925/4 from Bavauto.com ($7.95). Misdiagnosed problems - Battery Dead: Bob's Fix - New battery (approx $180 w/ labor). Real Problem - Alternator not recharging the battery b/c of low amps. My Fix - Advanced Auto Parts confirmed low alternator charge (14.5 amps baseline, 14 w/ high beams and fan (not a/c)) and gave me a printout of the results; Auto Zone also confirmed low amps and correctly identified the tensioner pulley's spring was shot as the belt was worn out and slipping on the alternator and other engine hardware. I bought new belt and tensioner pulley (approx $84 at Auto Zone). A new battery would have cost approx $64 at Costco. As a third check, I went back to Bob. He ADMITTED he never did an amp scan on the alternator because his diagnosis was a dead battery (no effing crap Sherlock). I asked him do an amp check because based on how my father described the issues before the battery died (flashing/dimming cluster lights); it sounded like an alternator issue. He hooked up the equipment, told me to turn the car on, rev the engine, and turn it off. This is the correct procedure for Snap-On equipment, but in a proper amp check the car needs a baseline amp reading and a LOADED amp reading. Bob said it was okay as the amps were 13. First of all, where the eff did he pull that number? His Snap-On EECS304B1 doesn't display anything other than the word "Pass". A printout is possible, but he didn't even offer the results. Also 13 amps as the baseline is 10.4% lower than the alternator's measured baseline at both Advanced Auto and Auto Zone (15% being a complete FAIL). Lastly, he says to me jokingly "If your rooting around in the engine, could you help me out and return the lost equipment I dropped in your engine?" Seriously Bob!?! Not only are you incompetent, but you're no better than a surgeon doing abdominal surgery and leaving a malleable retractor sewn in the body. Get stuffed Bob. Do your homework and don't get screwed. Snap-On EECS304B1 link: http://image.snapon.com/clrc/CustServ/Product/Manuals/M/MICROVAT_MANUAL.pdf read more

I was having some car problems with my van and was recommended to Darien Auto by some friends who raved about the quality of work and service. So, I called and spoke with the owner named Bob and explained my car symptoms and he promptly got me in for a diagnosis and subsequent repair job. I was really happy with the results and how quickly the work was performed and also felt that the charge for the work was extremely reasonable. Not being mechanically minded it has always been a concern of mine that there were times where repairs were recommended by auto shops that were maybe not necessary. After just one experience with Bob and his son Rob (a terrific mechanic) at Darien Auto I know that there is finally a repair shop that I can trust to take care of my family's vehicles. Thank you all so much! read more