Finding a place to which you can confidently bring your vehicle for repairs is always a quest. I recently brought my eleven year old truck to Dobbin Auto Repair when it failed the Emissions inspection. The person at the front desk was friendly and knowledgeable. The mechanic prepared a detailed written estimate and suggested an order in which to proceed, suggesting that all the work may not be necessary. After completing the first three items on his list he asked me to test drive it for three days because he didn't think additional repairs were necessary. I paid exactly what had been estimated for those repairs and the truck has been running well ever since. It was repaired the day I brought it in. I will definitely use Dobbin Auto Repair again. read more

Excellent place to get your vehicle fixed. They do a great job. Management very pleasant to deal with.

I needed my new to me car inspected and found this place on Yelp. I called and made an appointment, and then had to cancel the morning of and reschedule. The staff did not get upset when I had to cancel and reschedule. I dropped the car off before work and elected to leave it and go to work. I received a telephone call around lunch time informing me that the car was ready to be picked up. I was able to pay by visa over the phone and picked my car up after closing. When I picked my car up, the inspection paperwork was neatly placed in my passenger side seat. The car was neat and clean. My car passed inspection the first time. They only charged 49 dollars to do the inspection. If I ever need a mechanic, I would definitely feel comfortable bringing it to Dobbin. read more

The BEST AUTO REPAIR in the USA The service provided at Dobbin Auto Repair is TOP NOTCH. I am taking the time to write this review but my thanks were due a long time ago. Appointments Can Be Scheduled in Advance They have Senior Auto Mechanics, not just Technicians The waiting area is comfortable Multi-lingual (English, Spanish, Patois & I think Urdu and/or Hindi) Cost is reasonable and they will offer OEM and off- market choices (if feasible) They provide real estimates before doing the work They are trustworthy They stand by their work at all times Back in 2017 my car would stop running while driving - on the road. The Hyundai dealership from where it was purchased charged me lots of money trying to figure out the problem, replacing this and that and the problem worsened. I could describe the symptoms but it was not found by the "Hyundai Technicians" putting it on the computer. I wanted a mechanic and the dealership was offended when I asked for one - stating their technicians were senior level. I took my car to another spot and they changed the O2 Sensor ($1500). The problem continued. One day while I was getting gas, the car locked with my keys and phone inside and I had to have it towed somewhere. The tow truck driver recommended Dobbin Auto Repair as the place that the dealerships use when they need a "Senior Mechanic". I called and explained the symptoms and all the monies and car rentals and time. At first he couldn't find the problem either but he worked with me and "Voila" he experienced all of the symptoms. He fixed the electrical problem and the car was healed!!! Now, I only trust Dobbin Auto Repair. I have respect for the time it takes to resolve a problem and they have treated me with wonderful service, including the front desk staff (Ms. Sabrina). Recently I planned to go on a long distance drive and wanted an all system check to ensure the car was road ready. I made an appointment, they checked everything, and gave me a list of the things that needed to be corrected. They take the time to show you any issues and explain it in everyday (non mechanical) terms. They are the best. read more

I've had the pleasure of working with Sean - one of the Service Advisors... They run a great business, and Sean is absolutely great to deal with. There's no diddly-daddling, and he gets straight to the point - which I really appreciate. He was up-front about costs, and was very timely with the service I needed done. What should have taken 2 hours, only took 45 minutes. Overall, I highly recommend D.A.R., and would absolutely do business with them again. Prices are VERY competitive, and their service is exceptional. BMW stealerships wanted $300 for the work I needed done; D.A.R. charged $60 !!! Thank you, Sean and Dobbin Auto Repair. I will returning for any future service work! read more

I found a nail in my tire and my go to place said the position of the nail was too intricate for them to work on it. So frantically I found this place. They couldn't work on it immediately but allowed me to run errands without waiting at the location and were finished before their promised time. On top of that, they charged me nothing. I was so shocked. She said the nail was not fully in so they didn't have to do anything (which is not true. They had to take the car in, take out the nail, fill the air in). I will be coming here for everything from now on. read more

It's time to spend time on reviewing such an honest and reliable auto repair store. I was recommended by multiple friends living in Columbia, and all of them will only go here for maintenance. I usually do oil change, brake and suspension check here. Front desk is very nice, and Richard, the Tech Lead, is a very nice guy. I got a stiff power steering wheel and a bad rear frame in my Audi A4,Richard helped me to diagnose the issues and provided advisory services for me. As long as I live in Columbia, Here is always my first option and recomendations to my friends. For auto repair, you really need to find a place that you can trust. read more

These guys are truly great. I went to them with a 1965 Mustang on a referral from a friend and have not been disappointed. Nice, positive, professional and excellent work have been my exclusive experiences. The pricing is fair, the time to complete repairs is excellent and their recommendations are spot on. They don't nickle and dime or suggest things that you don't need AND they give you all of the information you need to make the right decision with no pressure. They will be the only place I go to in the area. read more

I called in the morning with a muffler problem and asked if they could give me an estimate for replacing a front down pipe. He said he would have to see it first. I brought it in, thought their estimate was too high, and was told I'd have to PAY $49.00 for the estimate! I was NEVER told I would be charged for the estimate, in fact the insinuation was that I would not. Midas had given me a lower one the day before, and did NOT charge for it. Needless to say, I won't be back to Dobbin Auto Repair. read more

over priced and customer service is lacking.

Very reliable and with fair rates. Recently, I dropped my car off early but missed the call for my estimate. The mechanics were still able to find time to work on the major issues in order for me to get my car back the same day. They also gave me an estimate of what work needed to be done for my future visit. The mechanics put quality effort in their work and the customer service is genuine. I highly suggest to spend your coins here. read more

I came in for an auto inspection after making an appointment, very friendly and reasonably priced. The waiting area was clean and they were timely in completing the inspection. Good experience! read more

Richard is great! He graciously replaced my front license plate without charging me for anything! (I did try to do it myself, but like a girly-girl I broke my nail--nail rust is serious!). I went to another auto repair shop in the same vicinity by mistake, and they were less than gracious and more than willing to charge for 10 mins of work (even though I did the rear plate myself). So glad I move to Columbia and found Richard and Dobbin Auto Repair!!! Will definitely be going their for future car issues! read more

They are really picky on ur tint %. If u want to pass the safety inspection by just over a little bit. Guess what, this is not the place u r looking for read more

Awesome quick service I was in and out in a day. I didn't call ahead to make an apointment which I should have, I did call to see if they could take me that day. The team was fast and efficient, they kept me up to date on everything that was going on and even threw me a couple discounts on my bill. I will be going back there and I've already told a few friends in the area. I hope the level of service and professionalism continues in the future. If so there's no other place I'd like to go! read more

This business promised to have my car done at 5oclock for a simple window switch repair. Not only was I sitting there until 5:45pm.. I then proceeded to watch the mechanic peel out of the parking lot and speeding up the street with my car driving like a bat out of hell. Their prices are insane and i will never go back. read more

1st quote of auto repair was not honored. A second quote and estimation was created to mislead insurance company versus first quote. My 2006 Jeep Liberty had issues 6-7-19 where the right ball joint broke making the car inoperable. I had it towed to Dobbin Auto Repair whom I've used previously with other vehicles. First, they charged me $50 for a front-end diagnostic which most shops give free estimates. They gave me an original quote for the car stating that the repair of the right ball joint and the left ball joint and the axle was going to cost $976 and supposedly discounted $50 in labor to adjust for the bogus front-end diagnostic. I put in a claim with my insurance company. The insurance adjuster came three to four days later and the shop gave the adjuster a different quote stating the same original $976 but minus the repair on the left ball joint. In addition, in the first report the fog lights were included as well as a sensor light due to the gas cap. When the adjuster came, they included other things that weren't included in the first report. They included the drive shaft and serpentine belt and tires and labeled the car unsafe to drive on the report. The insurance adjuster claims he made his own findings, but the findings directly correlated to the shop's second fraudulent quote and report. The adjustment originally was to include left side ball joint but did not in the final report. Lastly the mechanic that I spoke to the second time was very rude and uncooperative when trying to communicate the differences in quotes and lied and said the first mechanic that was spoken to for the original assessment was on vacation and could not be contacted to verify the first assessment and quote. It seemed that he was irate because his nefarious actions with the second quote were being questioned and he did not want to answer to that. Do not go to them regardless of positive reviews. I to have been to them before and they gave decent service but like C. McGarnicle in the reviews this time they dip sticked my corn hole without using WD-40. They are unscrupulous and greedy. They upgrade your parts without asking and find more ways to "fix" your car to increase labor costs. Beware of Ben Dover. read more

Great service. Very trustworthy. Tell you to do only necessary work. Been going there for years

Auto repair is probably one of the things that most people dreaded the most. I seldom have positive experience with auto mechanics. They are either over charging you or dishonest or both. Recently my car was making some noise and I took it to one auto shop. I was told that the belt tensioner of the car was bad and they want $480 to replace it. I searched the web and found good reviews here about Dobbin auto repair. So I called them and talked to Richard (the owner). He quoted me $280 for the same repair job that the other place want to charge me for $480. But he told me to bring the car in for him to take a look first. When I took the car there he checked the tensioner and made the some adjustment. After that the noise went away. He told me that I don't need to replace the part for now. And he did not charge me anything for the diagnose and adjustment. I have never met such a good and honest auto mechanic before. I would highly recommend Dobbin Auto Repair to anyone. Needless to say they will have my business from now on. read more

My husband and I have taken both of our cars here on a few occassions and have had excellent experiences every time. They don't charge you for stuff you don't need, seem very honest, and do a great job on repairs and maintenance. I can't speak highly enough of them, and we will definitely continue to use them and recommend them as our mechanics! read more

Had a wonderful experience! Woke up Friday morning to a malfunctioning window regulator leaving my window stuck in the down position on my 2007 Ford Escape. The forecast called for rain all day Friday and that weekend so I called all around Columbia/Ellicott City/Clarksville to find a shop that could replace it the same day. I called Dobbin Auto Repair and spoke with John who said he would see if they had the part and would call me back. He called back in about 5 minutes and I scheduled the appointment for 10:30 that morning. I was told it could take about 2 hours but I was out in 1! I was never quoted a price but my total was a little over $200. I recently had the same part repaired on a different window at Apple Ford and was charged over $600 for the service. Dobbin Auto Repair will be my new go to shop for sure! The receptionist was very pleasant and their waiting room was comfortable. I even overheard a couple mechanics come in to speak with other customers to go over the work that was done to their vehicles, everyone was knowledgeable and friendly. read more

After spending over $2000 for ABS brake repairs and being told pads and rotors were ok, we began to experience the same problem 3 weeks later. Upon inspection of our vehicle, it was determined the rotors needed resurfacing. After talking with several people, I was told this service would be done free of charge. The next thing I know, they called my wife and said nothing was wrong and we could pick up our vehicle. I'm curious as how a $250 repair suddenly is unnecessary. I would gladly pay for the service when required, but someone else, who I can trust will be doing it. read more

The Alternator in my 2011 Tundra CM went out and I needed a shop to do the repair since my tools aren't here yet. I looked around and read some reviews from different auto repair shops and gave them a call. When I called DAR, Kevin answered the phone. I explained the issue with my truck to him and he gave me a quote on labor and later called me back with prices on a new alternator. I scheduled to have my truck repaired the following day to allow time for the part to arrive. I get to the shop and Kevin almost greets me at the door. I introduce myself and he informs me one of his top mechanics also owns a Tundra like mine and has done the repair and will be doing the work on my truck. I was initially quoted 5 hours for labor to do the alternator and get an oil change and rotate the tires. Needless to say the work was done in about 4 hours without any issues. They even gave me a 10% military discount on the labor. If I have any other problems with my truck I know where I'll be taking them. Rick read more

I had to have my car towed there after it broke down over an hour from the house for a fuel pump replacement. They initially did a good job, honest and straight forward and the car was ready on time as promised. However, the mechanic failed to correctly reattach one of the lines to the tank and it came loose several weeks later causing a check engine light and gas fume leak. Its a simple snap connector, no reason this should not have been done correctly the first time Thanks guys, great job real, quality work! I would have taken the vehicle back but being an hour away in even good DC traffic that was not a realistic possibility. read more

FRAUDS!!! COMPLETELY LIED TO ME AND TRIED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME! THEY ARE LIARS WITH NO MORALS. I took my car there for ONE bad wheel bearing. After 10 hours of it being there, they finally called and insisted that both front wheel bearings were bad and it would cost me $840.00. I said no way and I took it to get a second opinion at an HONEST place and they said only one was bad and the others were perfectly fine and they fixed it for $225.00 and it's as good as new! Don't ever take your car to Dobbin, they are idiots. read more

There's a lot of shops in that retail area, but DOBBIN AUTO REPAIR is the best shop! Make sure you fine the right shop. Awesome owner running the shop! The most honest mechanics that I have ever meet. They got me in the same day, and out in half an hour! They are very fair and reasonable when it comes to prices. I'll definitely be going back! read more

My husband took his car in 3 weeks back and was quoted over $1k for fixes. Never happened before but we trust Won and Paul and said okay. I took my car is today and was quoted $1300. Again, never happened before. Turns out the mechanics I trust don't work here anymore. I guess I am back in the market for an honest mechanic and getting multiple opinions again. read more

We went to do a state inspection and they did it for over 4 hours, which was way too long comparing to other garage's usual 1 hour for state inspection. The inspection charge itself was only $49 but they tried their very best to force you to do the repair at their shop. They just tried to use the cheap state inspection charge to hook your car. Then they'll ask you to pay thousands to get your car repaired at their shop for most unnecessary repairs until they say your car can pass the state inspection. This place rips you off. Be careful! read more

I'm sorry to say this place sucks! I went here based on the yelp reviews... Worse idea ever!!! As soon as they saw a young girl with very little knowledge about cars they tried to rip me off!! The manager flat out lied to me about contacting a male family member that came back with when I dropped off my car, how could they have called him if I never gave his number... I got charged twice the "estimate" my car still has the problem that was supposed to be fixed! Extremely disappointed read more

Came here for an inspection and they claimed I needed a new engine mount. I'm not convinced that they even replaced it and they charged me $150 for it. Now a few weeks later I get a letter in the mail to my NEW apartment with the details of my car from a scammy company called American Automotive Service Solutions, Inc. DO NOT go here, they sell your info to other companies. I'm never coming back. read more

I looked for a decent place to do a MD state inspection for my out of state 2014 car. Based on the reviews I called Dobbins. I called to make an appointment at 10am. I was told it may take 2-3 hours for completed the state inspection ($59). I arrived promptly at 10am and waited in their nice waiting room. The waiting room had coffee, water, tv and magazine. At 10:55am, the lady informed me that my car was complete. I was happy with the quick turnaround. The result: my car had failed inspection due to wiper blade. The lady informs me that if I want them to install the wiper blades that they have in stock it'll be $30 per blade (which I thought was over-expensive), so I let her know that I'll go to Walmart across the street and get them myself. Upon exiting, I asked which Wiper, she looked at the report and said the left one, driver's side and let me know the size. I went to Walmart spent $10 on their high end wipers, installed and arrived back at Dobbins (20 mins later). I wait for the tech to re-check, he comes over, looks at the passenger side of the wipers and says I didn't change it and walks away. I'm in shock and awe because the lady prior to leaving said it's the driver side. Upon looking the paperwork, the left that was written meant from the front of the car. Long story short, 2 other tech came out at this point. Dobbins understood the misunderstanding on their part and didn't want me to go back to Walmart to fix this issue, gave me one of their $30 wipers to fix the passenger side wiper blades. They installed it and I took the updated paperwork from them. I'm glad they fixed this issue because who has time for their mis-communication of the issue. Overall I'm happy the way the entire situation was handled. Pricey wiper blades! I did overhear them telling another customer what he needed for the car and how long he had before it was an immediate need. So they seemed honest. read more

The people there have really helped me a lot. I don't know anything about cars and I don't want to deal with it. So each time I show up, I certainly ask dumb questions but the guys have been very kind and patient. It's really easy to get an appointment and whenever I had an emergency they were able to look at my car right away. On top of that, I find the prices very reasonable. read more

Paul, the manager, is extremely helpful and cordial. My girlfriend came in for a state inspection in order to get her Maryland registration. The price was very reasonable. I, in the same day, could not find a place to install my purchased battery, as it is placed under the wheel well; Paul said that they could perform this service and was able to complete it in no time. The price was $70 less than the price from a repair shop down the street, who shall remain anonymous. We will be going back for all of our vehicle needs. read more

First time customer! I brought my Subaru Legacy in for diagnostic check after the dealer told me I had a malfunctioning torque converter. My technician, Richard, did an exceptional job trying to diagnose the vehicle and even did some research for me after business hours and found out that this was a problem associated with the 2010-2012 Legacy. Richard went above and beyond what you experience from most technicians. To save me money, he actually recommended I contact Subaru because this was a documented issue and he wanted to save me the hassle of a huge expensive. I appreciate the honesty and will definitely service my vehicles there in the future. Top notch place! read more

These guys are great. I've never had them up-sell me on service and they've really helped us nurse an aging car along for a few more months by doing quality, cost-effective work. I would gladly recommend them to my friends and family. read more

I chose Dobbin Auto Repair based on the other reviews here on Yelp and must say I completely agree. I was only in need of a car inspection for my new SUV purchased out of state. And everything went smoothly from making the appointment, to dropping the vehicle off and picking it up in only a few short hours. When I needed 2 tires replaced, they found me a resonable quote. I chose to have my tires replaced somewhere else, but they got me right back in to sign off on the inspection. A+ customer service, friendly employees and great advice! Recommend to all! read more

I took my car to Dobbin Auto Repair today and I can't say enough good things about the experience. I was having a problem with my car making a funny sound, which I realize makes me one of "those customers". They diagnosed the issue within half an hour, and were able to fix it the same day. They came in below their initial estimates on both time and price. I waited for the car in their very comfortable waiting room, and the staff were friendly and helpful. I would recommend this place to any of my friends, and I will bring my car here again the next time I need service (hopefully not too soon). read more

Had problems starting the car and I found this place on yelp highly rated. And even though it was 30 min before close they were willing to have a look at it since I needed to go on a long drive tomorrow. Very reasonable prices and friendly staff. Definitely recommended. read more

So an update to when I picked up my car. They were able to replace the stem. They didn't have to change the sensor. They told me that they had to keep it an extra day because the indicator light was still coming up. It was a bit of an inconvenience but they wanted to make sure it was fixed. There were a couple things that Dobbins auto did that stood out to me. One, they would actually call me and give me updates on my car and they are really friendly. I hate when businesses talk down to customers or make them feel like they don't know anything. You won't get that here. The second thing I noticed was so small but speaks volumes... When I came to pick up my car, the lady that was working in the front desk told me that they'd bring my car up front shortly so I stepped outside. I wasn't in a hurry but I saw one mechanic running outside and I thought to myself that he's either getting off from work or doing something that was urgent. Come to find out that he was the one that brought my car up. Little things like that make this place great. You didn't have to rush to the car to bring it up but you did and I notice. I will come back if I have any issues with my car. Thank you guys for what you do on behalf of all your customers. read more

Fixed brake issues here. Seem like price is reasonable and device pretty fast. However be careful they charge you $50 just to look at the car, to see what is wrong, stating that they needed to pay the mechanic for taking the tires off to look at the car. Other places do not charge for this, so you might want to ask first. Maybe they do it if you look innocent or something. However if you fix it that day of the quote the $50 checkup is waived. Other than that they have a nice waiting area and car was fixed well. read more