They do not just fix your car; they lecture you on why you should call your mother more often. Basically, they care. I have gone there for years and my recent visit for maintenance came with a chauffeured ride from Kevin to pick up my car. This man took his personal time to pick me up. While in route, I mentioned how grateful I was for him and the entire group at Fred Drake Auto. He's been with FDA for years "because they are like family." His words, not mine. Side note, please don't ask Kevin for a ride because of this post. I was in a jam that day and he is a very busy man. When it comes to car repairs/maintenance it can be "painful." Whether it is getting the bill, hearing what is wrong with the car/truck, etc. Fred Drake Auto will sit down with you (literally) explain everything and work with you to get your car/truck back on the road. The entire Drake family and their extended family, are amazing. Clearly, I highly recommend. read more

I have to be honest, I'm not terribly impressed with this shop at all. Came here for an oil change recently and was hoping to talk about/schedule a future appointment for a big job I have, could be a big job but easy enough for them. They were just like all the other shops in essentially being set on thinking the actuator needs replacing when I clearly said I ONLY wanted to bleed the brakes first to see if that worked and if not we would talk about replacing the actuator or other fixes that have helped other folks with the same issue. Guy really didn't try that hard to help, said because they don't have the scanner tool needed, I have to go to Toyota. Dude, the scanner is available on Amazon for $150ish. I have it. I hit up some local mechanics that were more than happy to do the job. My other issues is how you used NO protective covers when getting in my car. I had to wipe everything down and it STUNK until I gave it a full clean. Not professional. Also, right after my appointment, all of a sudden, I have a few spam emails, so they also sell your information as well. Guys. Be more noble. Y'all lost a big customer at that oil change. I had 2 other cars from my house that y'all could have been the main dudes for. Not now! I need someone who wants to work, does it well, and owns their work. Not tell the customer to go to the dealership for every little thing over what? Liability? Guess y'all have a lot of issues with that then if your selling information off. Take care y'all. read more

I've been using these guys for years and I've always had a great experience. I usually have my service completed, while waiting and it's always comfortable and quick. Thank you Fred Drake Automotive! read more

We were repeat customers but they have officially lost our business after a few unsatisfactory visits. Our car broke down. We took it to Fred Drakes. After making an appointment and waiting all day we didn't hear a word (which seems to be how they do business now they don't let you know when your car is ready or what's wrong unless you call and ask once they actually even get to your car ) when we reached out to them the receptionist told us the car was fixed and ready to be picked up. We went right over to pick it up since it was almost closing time and low and behold all they did was diagnose our car with a transmission issue over $7k, and charged a diagnostic fee of almost $140. Today we got a second opinion at Deltrans and finds out it's not a transmission issue at all...it's an computer/ wire issue and we need to take it back to a regular mechanic. So their diagnosis was wrong we once again wasted our time, they are useless, we have also had a friend go there a few months ago and they didn't even touch the car and told them they couldn't do a simple repair. Fred Drakes has went downhill fast, no wonder they need to send out coupons in the mail. It is also crazy how they always want to replace your air filter...especially when you just had it done by your Father. read more

Went in for a routine oi change. It was fast & efficient. Before I left, the service manager went over things that were upcoming to keep my truck in top shape. The entire staff is professional & very competent. I highly recommend this business. read more

Have been going to Fred Drake Auto since we moved to DE two years ago. They let me know beforehand what repairs or replacement are coming up on my car. They provide an estimate and let me decide when I would like to have done. When I pick up the vehicle, one of their people comes out, reviews the work. Highly recommend! read more

Had my car towed to their lot after a collision 8:00 pm on a friday night. Couldn't get the car until Monday because they are not open Sat/Sun. Forced to leave it over the weekend. Picked the car up at 3:00pm Monday. Was charged for 4 "calendar" days of storage. The car wasn't there for even a full 3 (24 hour) days. Plus, "Gate Fee" and "Admin Fee." $500 dollars. Wouldn't work with me at all on the fee. If you think thats a fair price, be my guest in doing business with them. read more

This company is only out for your money. Car broke down due to partial of the engine being blown out (I broke the distributor. Got my car towed to the shop (5 Mins away) that cost me around $75. Useless. Waited in the shop for 4 hours for them to finally get off their lunch break and take 20 minutes on the car to replace the part. Telling me my final total is around $700 for 20 minutes of labor and waiting four hours for a part they ordered for my car. Wouldn't recommend this place to anyone honestly never break down on route 1 near Smyrna Lol read more

Had routine service completed. Was advised I needed to change the air filter and cabin filter. I just changed the air filter myself in beginning of September. Inspected prior to this post and was still very clean. My year vehicle doesn't have a cabin filter. So services were recommended that were never even inspected. Company policy or lazy employee??? Waiting for an answer. Needless to say I wont be returning. read more

If I could rate them 0 stars I would. We were in a car accident yesterday on route 1S (by exit 136) in DE and our radiator was damaged and our car was not driveable. Fred Drakes' Automotive sent out a tow (David) for us and towed our car to their lot not even 10 minutes away and stored the car over night for us. This morning we were told that we owed $495 for a 10 mile tow and 1 night of storage in order to get our car back. We refused as per guidelines and estimates ($50 to $125 for a 5-10 mile tow, the average 40 mile tow ranging from $125 to $250 . . . We were towed 10 miles. "A typical tow fee is $100 and an impound lot / storage fee is $40-$50 per day" which would be a max of $150). After David said that he would "talk to his boss" (he literally called us back in less then 2 minutes), they magically dropped $150 "for us" and we were then charged $345. Still twice as much as the estimate but we had to pay it as we were told that they close at 12 noon on Sat and if we didn't get the car out by then we'd have to "wait until Monday" and pay 2 more days of storage fees). We are having a different tow company from the same town in Townsend DE tow our car home, 88 miles from DE to PA (as Drake's said that they did not do long distance tows), and only charging us $300 plus tolls!!! Drakes literally only towed our car 10 miles and the other company is towing it 88 miles and charging less. David and Fred Drake automotive are taking advantage of people in desperate situations and over charging them. It is immoral, unethical and should be illegal. We just found a review from a Vinnie Powell saying that he had an almost identical situation to ours 6 months ago. "$325 for 1.2 mile tow and 20 minutes of "storage" at their facility." This company is STEALING from people and taking advantage of them when they are at their most vulnerable. Truly despicable. read more

Top notch customer service. We ran into some car trouble while out of town. They guys at the shop hustled to get us a part and back on the road as quickly as possible. These guys are knowledgeable and helpful. It would of been very easy for them to take advantage of out-of-towners and pull the typical mysognist tom foolery many mechanics pull. They did not gouge us on price and threw in some tire balancing without being asked. Take your car there. read more

Deer damage. Called for repair estimate at 435pm and receptionist was very welcoming and invited me for an estimate. Keep in mind they close at 5pm. Not many companies are that customer friendly anymore. The owner Fred was waiting for me when I got there and greeted me at the door. Fred took down all the necessary information and let me know an estimate will be emailed in the next few days. I can only assume the service repairs will go just as smooth. Thanks. read more

This Place has had my car for 4 months. There incapable of doing a job, ordered the wrong part 3 times (yes it was the same part not 3 separate parts). Has called with pick up dates and has then called to say another day. It has now been 3 weeks of "it will be done tomorrows." read more

Got charged $1,254.20 for them to replace 2 back breaks, a battery, and an oi change on a regular ass sedan. They also lied when I tried to pick up my car but that's another story read more

I have been coming to Drakes since I was in high school and it is still family run. I've purchase four cars from them in the thirteen years I've been going and had all of them serviced there regularly. The staff is friendly and have no problem explaining something in layman's terms but they can still keep up with the experienced "do-it-yourselfers" that would come in for salvaged parts while I waited for the service to be complete. If you live anywhere south of the canal this should be your first stop for auto or body service. If you're above the canal give them a call as well and chances are they can still make something work for you. I live in Claymont now and while it's not as easy to get down there for my oil changes anymore, they're the only ones I trust for body work or larger repairs. read more

My first experience with Fred Drake Automotive was not good. We are new to area and needed to find a mechanic to help maintain our vehicles. A very good friend recommended Fred Drake. i set up an appointment with them telling them there is a vibration in the front end thinking it might be one of the axles. ( a Honda civic ). I was told that the car would be done at the end of day and that they changed the driver side axle of the Honda. OK. thank you. we paid the bill over the phone and had my wife pick up the car after hours. As soon as she pulled out on to rt 13, she called me and said it is doing the exact same thing. I call the next day and tell them it is doing the same exact thing with the noise and vibration. I was told to bring it back the next day. My son and wife drop off the vehicle and just as they were walking out the door the receptionist said something to upset my wife and son. They call me up all upset that the receptionist said what she said. ok i call in the middle of day to see how car is doing and i get told it is the motor mount and it will cost over $1200.00. to repair. I did not want the work done so I got the car back and took it to Honda. Come to find out it was the other axle and the motor mounts were fine. What is so disappointing, they were going to charge me for $1200.00 for a part that only cost $183.86 through Honda ($79.00 through rock auto part) and should of only taken less then 1 hour to install. I am so glad i have mechanical abilities to know when something is not right. All I can say is people do your research. I have all receipts and estimates to verify this review. read more

My car was there for an insurance repair for an extended amount of time and when I got the car back the work was done poorly. I actually took it to another shop to see what it would cost to fix all of the problems (bad paint job, doors misaligned, missing parts, etc.) and they recommended that I take the car back to Fred Drake and give them an opportunity to fix it. I brought the car back to them and they agreed to reimburse me for a rental for 4 days because I refused to take a loaner from them as the one they put me in was filthy and wouldn't have even passed a DMV inspection. Long story short, they didn't fix anything the second time and I still haven't received the money they agreed to pay me a month ago. They probably should have totaled the car but I believe at this point they were just after the money. They told the insurance company that the work was done, got paid directly by the insurance company, and called it a day. Proceed with caution if you take your car here and pay with a credit card so you at least have the upper hand if there is a problem. read more

Fantastic experience, from making the appointment to picking the vehicle up. Ashley (please forgive me if that is not the correct spelling) did an amazing job of keeping us updated on what the techs were doing, she was pleasant and not once made us feel like we were a bother. The pricing was reasonable and the maintenance department is very knowledgeable. I always worry when I have to have work done on a vehicle but no red flags from this company no upsale attempts just honest recommendations and work. We will be back and I will recommend to my friends. read more

I am so pleased that I chose Fred Drake for my collision work on my 2017 Ford Fusion. Great work done in a timely manner. Very comfortable atmosphere. My thanks to Fred Drake for a great job well done! Good and trustworthy people! read more

I was looking to get my car towed and fixed at a reasonable rate. They seemed honest and explained everything I needed to get done. Nice guys. read more

They went above and beyond with customer service. They fixed my car and then when I had no way to pick it up they drove it to my house. Incredible service and affordable prices. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. I had my vehicle repaired in 2016 after a front end collision. Unfortunately I didn't know much about vehicle repairs so I didn't know what to look for or expect. Fred Drake had my vehicle for 11 weeks for repair. After that length of time I would assume the vehicle should have been nearly perfect. The headlights were not replaced with original factory lights which my insurance covered. The paint job they did has proven to be poor quality. You could see fine lines and marks in the paint. A couple years later I noticed the paint on the hood was chipping. I had the hood repainted at another shop and they found that the bolts on the hood didn't even require a tool to be removed, they weren't tightened correctly and therefore were removed by hand. Absolutely do not recommend stay away from this shop which is known to provide poor quality in the DE area. read more

I've used them previously for oil changes. I have a luxury car and took my car there for a 30K service. They supposedly matched what work was going to be done by the dealer. I required a drive home and was given that and was advised that the work would be finished by 1:30pm. At 3pm no one called me so I called them and was advised by Ashley that she was never advised that I required a ride to pick up my vehicle. Someone finally came to pick me up and the car was dirty and smelled very strongly of cigarette smoke until I almost threw up. I get into my car and see that someone went through my center console and pulled everything out of the back of my vehicle find the wheel locks. Also, I had dirty boot marks all over the drivers side of my vehicle up to the door locks....this is totally unacceptable!! I paid over 300 for service and the car drives no better than when I took it in. Normally when I get service done I can feel the car drive better...not this time. I'm prayerful that everything was done up to Lexus standards and a wheel doesn't fall off while driving. I will never ever go to this establishment again. When I called Kyle and told him of my terrible experience all he did was say they would try to do better next time...trust me I won't give you an opportunity for a next time! Wish I could give them less than 1 star! If you drive a luxury vehicle pay the extra money and get things done right and up to standard. I'm going to take my car to the dealer to ensure things were done properly!!!! Waste of my money time and piece of mind!!!!!!!! read more

We had taken our cars to Fred Drakes for routine oil changes but then we were involved in a fender bender after the holiday. After the police report was completed I called Drakes and ask if they could do an estimate for the repairs. We were letting our insurance handle the repair and retrieve from the other driver at fault so wanted to get the repairs going as soon as possible they took us right in. Kiel gave us the estimate and emailed it to us right away. We took the car to Drakes and received it back and it looks like nothing had ever happened. They did a great job. The paint matches perfect. They even did an oil change for us and squeezed in our other car for it's oil change when we went to pick up the car. We would highly recommend Fred Drake. read more