No one likes having to get car work done.. But it's a fact of life. Both vehicles were in need of oil changes and a good check up before the winter blues hit! Friends recently suggested Drake Garage, so I thought why not! I made an appointment for both cars, drop one pick one up, kinda thing! Got in a couple days after I called. Naturally the next morning, I was traveling to Iowa City and my car didn't start. I jumped it and away I went! Got to Iowa City tried to start it again.. No dice, got a jump and just kept it running, it made it home and I dropped it off at Drake Garage for the night dropped the keys in the slot and left a note! The guys at Drake Garage, checked out the car front to back and gave me a call with the damage! Yep I needed a new battery, some filters, fixed my broken seat belt and did the oil change! They let me know what was needed to be fixed now and what could wait. I loved the honesty! Took care of the car and I then I switched it out for my other car! That one just needed an oil change, thankfully! Anyway they went over all the costs with me, and walked me through everything! I dug that! They were always super professional both over the phone and in person! And one of the guys commented on my Vikings hat and said he was a fan too, so we had a nice Vikes bond! In other words I will keep my cars coming here for all future work and hopefully I can make it all the way to the next Vikings season before they need that work! read more

I had a terrible experience with Drake Garage. I was referred by a community member who thought they were trustworthy, but they treated me very unfairly and completely ripped me off. I was told the work on my car would cost $500. I left the car with them, and it sat in their garage for a week with no updates. Then suddenly, they said I would have to pay $2,100. Two days later, they changed the price again to $2,700. The next day, they said they would give me a 10% "first-time discount" and finally charged me $2,500. All of this was for just fixing the AC. To make it worse, they broke my front bumper in the process. When I asked them to fix it, they didn't take responsibility--instead, they called the police on me. The owner was very rude and unprofessional. I strongly believe they took advantage of me because I am a refugee and not fluent in English. This place is dishonest and abusive. I regret ever trusting them and will make sure no one else from my community makes the same mistake. read more

I won't be coming back. This is the third time in two years that they've blown me off for an issue that I had with my vehicle and didn't fix it or told me to ignore it, that it ended up causing more problems that I had to go somewhere else to get it fixed. The first time is when I came in for warranty work that they told me wasn't a problem - which was a big problem so I took elsewhere to fix, I wasn't going to come back, but decided to give them another chance. Then I brought it in a while back for another error code and they said don't worry about it. It's just a sensor. It's no big deal and cleared the code. They do charge $180 for diagnostics, - so I am paying a lot for them to blow me off and not fix my issues, leaving me to pay someone else for the same diagnostics and finally repair. The third and final time was about a week and a half ago. I brought it in for an oil change and repair from a check engine light that had been on. We checked the code before hand and told them it was P2240 and needed a sensor replaced. They claimed that the code wasn't on and did not find a P2240 in the history. They said they found a p2250, so we thought OK, maybe we had the number wrong. But still, they cleared it and did not fix it. They did not even give me a quote or suggest that I get it fixed. They acted like I must have been mistaken. I had to ask them for a quote for the repair, the guy (I think his name was Jim) acted like it was a hassle. The quote contained another charge for the diagnostic, so I just came in to pick up truck already deciding to take it elsewhere. When I picked up the truck, they had messed up mud flaps so they were rubbing on tires. They over filled my tires to 48 psi (they are suppose to be 35 psi) They did not replace the valve stem caps after over-filling and my truck had bad vibrations that had not been there before. They also did not mention that I needed transmission fluid and filter changed until after I picked it up. They just did not want to do the work. A day or two after picking up my truck, the check engine light comes back on and I find that there is oil leaking from my muffler (which could be caused from issues that arise from not fixing the oxygen sensor. So I took it to another shop who said oh your oxygen sensor needs replaced and that's what's causing the issue because the error code was exactly what I told Drake it was in the first place - P2240. Right now I feel like Drake is just making money off of charging people for diagnostics that they don't fix. I use to love this place when Gus ran it, but since he retired and sold it, I have had nothing but problems. I don't know if it is just lazy repair guys, if it is a scam or what is going on. Maybe Ryan doesn't even know that this is happening. Also, just as an FYI - the repair shop I took my truck to a couple of days ago to fix what Drake did not, said that there were two other people who recently brought their vehicles in after they had the same bad experience with Drake Garage. read more

Great service, intelligent, straightforward yet got it done....@ 100 less than another garage.

This business was fantastic. They listened thoroughly and examined everything I requested. They also then proceeded to send me texts with links that contained everything I wanted addressed, issues with the car, pictures of parts, and an accurate pricing lay out. They called before starting to let me know how long they thought it would take to double check it wouldn't get in the way of my own schedule. They just gained a forever customer. read more

The team at Drake Garage is terrific! We have been customers for several years and always find them to be friendly, respectful and responsive to our service and repair needs. Everything - scheduling, follow through, and communications are dialed in and handled effectively. They are knowledgeable and skilled at car repair. Finally, none of us likes to have the expense of repairing a vehicle, but I always feel like I get my money's worth at Drake. I highly recommend them. Doug W. read more

The folks at Drake Garage are actually super heroes. Since I got my car (junior year in college, two years ago), I seem to have had constant car problems. I've had my tire go flat randomly at work, had my car simply stop running, had my muffler fall off, etc. No matter what the problem, these folks were willing to work with me and my limited knowledge, talking me through what to do, having my car towed to the shop for me, even tying my muffler up with wire for free so I could get to work before dropping my car off after close. They always work to find me the easiest and most affordable fix, while explaining to me what they were doing and what it would do. I feel like I can trust these guys with my car and they won't take advantage of me or overcharge me. I cannot recommend this place highly enough! read more

Not cheap, but neither is their quality. I brought my PT Cruiser into Drake Garage to have replacement wheels and tires installed. Ironically, Drake Garage doesn't require its customers to purchase their tires directly from them ~ but they do NOT have the same policy on parts, which they insist on ordering themselves and admit to marking up for a profit. At any rate, I did appreciate a free, up-front estimate that I was able to compare with other shops (some of which were more expensive). After my first experience at Drake Garage, I went back to get a quote on further work because I trust my car with the competent and friendly Drake Garage staff. That peace of mind is worth a LOT when it comes to something as critical as daily transportation. Bottom line: You get what you pay for here, and I sleep well at night knowing my automotive work was done right at Drake Garage. read more

Rude service over the phone is not a way to gain my business. The man who answered when I called in acted like my call was an inconvenience to him. I was just trying to get a basic idea for what my vehicle's issue would start to cost, knowing good and well it could go higher. These guys came with a gleaming reputation from a coworker, but now have left a foul taste in my mouth after today's phone call. I had high hopes for you, Drake Garage, and you destroyed them in less than 10 minutes. Hopefully this caveat is yielded by others, because if they can't even treat someone right over the phone, who's to say they'll treat you or your vehicle right when you're standing face to face. read more

My experience with them was that they were fair. I needed to take my car in for a blown radiator, they got it fixed and no problems. The price was fair. Office hours aren't great, but if it's in your neighborhood. read more

I can't say enough good things about the crew at Drake Garage. I don't know if they are the cheapest but certainly the most honest and offer quality work. They caught things other garages did to "get by" but not fix a problem--a piece of cloth was stuck in my windshield fluid tube. Helped with the pressure but the tube was still broken. When I was a poor college student, I took my car to them because I had called my current mechanic and said the car was shaking and he said he couldn't help me. (What?!) So I took my car to them. Drake Garage called back very shortly after dropping my car off and said I needed new tires and that should stop the shaking problem. I thanked them and asked the cost. They said it was fine, have a good day. I could have cried being a college student who pinched every penny. Drake Garage also has a guarantee on their labor. I had a problem with my car and they said that this problem could be related to something that should have been done last summer with issue X but couldn't have been done with issue X otherwise issue Y wouldn't have happened. The technician that had "fixed" issue X was no longer with them. So, they did $3500!! worth of repairs on my car FOR FREE (part of their guarantee) because this thing which is related to this thing which is related to this thing MAYBE could have been related to when my car was repaired by the formerly employed technician. They could have lied and not told me but their integrity had them do what was right by their standards. When I pick up my car, they always take the time to explain the problem and even show pictures of it. They check to make sure I understand. They explain further when I don't understand. I may not understand the whole thing, and I'm sure they can tell by my face that I don't 100% understand but I appreciate that they take the time to explain what was wrong and how they fixed it. When I needed new tires, I asked Jeff what tires he would put on his car. He said he would put brand X on his car but brand Y was a good tire too. I asked again, what tire he would put on his car. He said Brand X but he wasn't trying to upsell me. I asked what the price difference was between the two tires. He told me, it was $2-$3! In my opinion, upselling in the car industry is hundreds not a few. I love his honesty. The staff are very good at respecting my request to make my care safe but nothing else. There was even one time where they said it might be time to stop putting repair money into this vehicle. What repair shop would tell you to stop giving them a ton of business because it was time to call it quits on this car? THESE GUYS! LOVE LOVE LOVE Drake Garage! read more

Good work by good people. Have had multiple instances where they could have overcharged me and made some grand thing up but they were honest. My car was being so loud and I was afraid it'd be some huge thing and it was a loose screw! read more

Just called for an estimate, the person did not give his name. When asking about a cable to fix the selector on my AC. He did not listen to my problems and began to tell me what was wrong with my car without looking at it. And when he asked me if I would come in so he could look at it. I asked if they did free estimates, at this point he began to tell me of a long history of people that would abuse the free estimate? Drake garage loses another customer. read more

They helped me out immensely this morning when I ended up with a flat tire across from their shop. They really went out of their way for me and I can't be more grateful. I will be using them from now on for all of my car needs. read more

Way over priced, I got a tire rotation and my oil changed and it came out to around 90$ also they didnt put the caps back on my tires.

I have used every mechanic in central Des Moines, and the guys at Drake Garage are now my go-to every time. Yes, there are others who are cheaper, but their work has failed me. You get what you pay for. I drive two vehicles with over 125k Miles, so they need regular maintainence. Each time I get work done, Gus lists the next couple of issues that are going to need attention not as a way to inflate the bill but to help me plan financially. It's cheaper than a car payment, and I have yet to be stranded by the side of the road due to a failure I wasn't warned about or chose to ignore. They have referred me to the Honda dealer for issues that the dealer is better equipped to solve. A solid shop. read more

I love this place, they remember our cars and do all of our service. We started going as we were looking for a place that is fair to women for when my partner picks up the car. Whichever one of us picks up the car they are fair, explain everything that is wrong with the car, offer solutions and give a realistic timeframe for how long each repair can wait, or if it can wait. They are not the cheapest shop in town, but I think they are the fairest and most capable. I frequently call up my friend who sells dealer parts to shops to compare what they charge me and it is always reasonable. read more

Simply put, I will never take my cars anywhere but Drake Garage for repair work. They take the time to really look at and figure out the problem versus other places that seem to use technical manuals and the Internet. They fully explain the issue and provide a detailed quote before fixing the car within the agreed timeframe. All of this at the same or lower cost than anywhere else I've found. Their hours can be a challenge but it is worth that minor inconvenience to go somewhere I trust. Also worth noting is that they have expertise with European cars, something that can be hard to find outside of the dealers. read more

My son took his Nissan there for years, now my daughter takes her car there. They are honest, upfront, timely, very fair priced, friendly and knowledgeable. Recommended. read more

We were referred here about 4 years ago and do all of our repairs with them. They are honest, reliable, helpful and have never recommended work that did not absolutely need to be done! Can't say enough good things about this place. read more

My car and my wife's car have been serviced and repaired only by Drake Garage for 18 years. The mechanics are knowledgeable and careful, the front desk guys are great, scheduling a visit results in the car getting fixed on the appointed day. I trust the place. read more