I'm knocking a couple stars off from my previous review for a few reasons. Service is still good and prices are fair but I'm pretty frustrated at some of the chaos they could have helped prevent in my life! We had a big move ahead of us and I was trying to get preparations in order, including getting a hitch installed to our SUV so that we could pull a trailer for the move. I called and asked for a quote and they gave me one with or without parts in case I wanted to supply the hitch myself. I appreciated that and decided to order a hitch separately to save a little money. When I took it in for my appointment (baby with me waiting the entire time) everything went fine and I was out of there in a little over an hour. Flash forward a few days to when it's time for my husband to pick up the Uhaul trailer... they say we can't actually pick it up because we didn't have any of the necessary electrical wiring to hook up the trailer lights for brakes/hazards. Duh! Why didn't I think of that? Maybe because I'm a new mom with a baby and a big move and a lot going on. More importantly, why didn't anyone at Karch think to even ask about wiring? Who tows a trailer without hooking it up to electrical so you can use brake lights? I think I expected an establishment like theirs to be a little more helpful and at least mention it as a "hey, will you want any wiring for that?". After all, they do that with nearly every other service they provide. Pretty disappointed but the move has now been completed (after my husband had to drive over an hour one way to another place to get same day wiring done) and I am looking forward to finding a new auto shop to use instead of Karch. read more

I have been going to Karch auto since it was Walk's and have had nothing but wonderful, caring service. They bend over backwards to do right by you. Blessings on them all! read more

I want to premise this by saying this didn't start off all bad. In February, after my car was side swiped by another driver, I brought my car to Karch for an appraisal estimate as advised by my insurance company. Having had previous bad experiences with them in the past, I hoped the third time would be okay. The estimate went okay. Just ok. I was told at the time of the estimate that they wouldn't be able to schedule me for repairs until March 31st. I thought, no problem, my car can still be driven, whatever. For one reason or another it was pushed back to today, May 9, 2022. I drop my car off this morning at 8 am, hand over the keys, go pick up the rental I had scheduled. I proceed to go about my day. At 3:30 pm, after having my car all day with no word and no work having been started, I get a call from Karch Auto. I return the call within 5 minutes after listening to the voicemail that was left. It simply states "... This is Tom from Karch Auto Body. I was just calling to let you know we're not going to be able to get to your vehicle repair. I'll have your keys at the front to pick up." No further explanation. If they had ordered the parts over the last two, almost three months it should be no issue other than time and having someone who is skilled to do it, which if you're a manager you'd think you could do it yourself (that whole qualifications aspect of having done something and having someone else do it correctly) whatever. fair. INSTEAD, what was done was not only leaving a voicemail like that, but to then leave before the end of business and nor answer the questions that need to be answered? That's not right. Do NOT bring your car here. EVER. It's not worth the headache. read more

Went here to get serpentine belt replaced. Said that a loose screw from my water tank caused it? Who knows if that's even true now anyways when they called to let me know they said it would be $260 to fix. Walked in to pick up my car and they charged me over $350 to change it, not sure what caused the drastic price increase and upon asking them why the prices were completely different they said "I'm not sure why the price is different from the one on the phone". Went there another time for some body work and gave me a quote of well over $3k. I knew that price was way over so I went somewhere else and they said they'll fix it for under 2k. This shop 100% rips people off and would not recommend to anyone. read more

Every time I bring my classic Jeep to Karch Auto for repairs I know that they can be trusted to diagnose the problem(s) and offer sound technical advice on the best approach to fix the problem. From simple battery replacement to complex engine and system leaks they can tackle any problem. Tanner represents the talented team of technicians at the highest level of professionalism, taking time to explain in detail the issues and solutions. I wish every business treated their customers the way Tanner, Jeff, and all of Karch professionals treat me; the world would be a better place! read more

Karsch Auto is the worst. I wish I could give this a negative rating. They provide sub-par service and try to rip you off. I went to Karsch to get an oil change and saw that they advertised the amount as 40 dollars. I confirmed that price with the person working at the cash register. When I came back to pick up my car they wanted to charge me $120!!!!! I was shocked and appalled and I had to ask for the manager. When he came out he saw how upset I was and offered to lower the price down to 100. After I refused he finally came down to 70 dollars. I hope anyone looking at reviews of Karsh Auto chooses to take their business elsewhere. False advertisement is a crime and you shouldn't have to ask for a manager to fight for the estimated price you initially received. read more

Karch Auto (aka Walks Towing ) is known for their predatory towing tactics. They have numerous complaints filed against them with the PA Attorney General. I would do your research before letting them work on your car. read more

I recommend Karch Auto enthusiastically and without reservation. The first thing you notice when you enter is the place is it's clean and bright. A good sign. The second thing you notice is that the people there like one another and seem happy to be working there. This also is unusual and a good sign. It makes you feel welcome. And happy workers tend to be good workers. But more than that, the body work my car needed was performed on time and on budget and the results were stunning. Mine is a new car (5,000 miles as of the date of this review.) Post my Karch experience, it looks as it should: like a new car. The men and women carefully explained every detail of what needed to be done. They gave me a rundown of how much time each phase of the repair would take. They offered me a ride to the car rental place. I couldn't be happier and when I'm out of warranty, you can be sure I will return for both routine maintenance and repairs if any are needed. read more

Service has always been quick but thorough. Staff is exceptionally polite (shoutout to Tanner). I've had two state inspections and a tire change here, and all three encounters have left me with nothing but praise for the Karch Auto team. read more

We head a break down on the highway with the RV, same day service, parts overnight, on our way the next day. Gave us all sorts of extra help too. read more

they leverage the state required inspection into a lot of unnecessary and fraudulent mechanic repairs. Moreover, they never did the job as what they claimed or what they charged for. They told me they ordered the original parts, but actually they did not. The brake rotors they installed on my card is severely warped after 1.5 years and less than 10K miles. read more

I wish that there was something lower than one star. This is the worst run business in state college. They do not deserve to service vehicles. They overcharged me and didn't even find the root of the problem. When I went back they charged me more and didn't even fix the issue. The staff here is extremely rude and can't properly do their jobs on even the most basic of levels. read more

I would rate this place zero if I could. Went there for PA inspection but had worst experience that I have ever had in a car service shop. I was told that my safety inspection failed due to loose tie rod end after waiting there for more than 1.5 hours. FYI, my car has around 40,000 miles. They recommended me to replace it and gave me a $300+ quote. I thought that they were trying to rip me off so I went elsewhere to get second opinion immediately. My car passed the safety inspection without any issue in another service center. Avoid this shop if you can!!! read more

This is the same place as Walk's towing (same phone number, same address), I run into them or they run into me often. I interact with them about 2x a week. read more

I had to pick a star to post this review though I want no stars. This place was the closest place to go with an emergency brake issue. I knew what the problem was and also knew about how much it should cost. I was told first it would cost $43.00 just to diagnose this issue. okay, though once agreeing to the repair that should not have been added on to the price. The price was higher than expected and then they added another (little) item bringing the price up another @100.00... That being said, I also was privy to other customers concerns and repairs. The overall feeling was this business is taking advantage of people who are not savvy about vehicles and selling them more than they need. I strongly suggest you find another place to go. read more

We had high hopes that Karch Autos would be a welcomed addition to the state college automotive repair scene. Unfortunately not though. They are a most dishonest and disreputable establishment. We brought our car in for body work, which in fairness they repaired well. Yet upon inspection as we were leaving we notice new damage to another part of the car. Clearly the damage occurred whilst in their care as the preinspection did not mention any additional damage to the car. The damage occurred while sitting in their parking area for four days before being taken inside their shop for the allocated repair. This is disgraceful and highly negligent. If I had known the car would be sitting outside unattended, I would have simply kept it in my own garage until they were ready to start the repair. By the way, this transfer of goods is called a Bailment and they are both responsible for the care of the item and liable under PA law for its safe and undamaged return. The question is ....do I want to spend a day in court? Nevertheless, save yourself the bother and avoid this establishment at all costs. They do not return phone calls, do not understand the law and their responsibility and certainly do not understand what good honest reliable customer service is called! read more

Absolutely do not go here for any reason. State College offers many other reputable car shops so please go to literally any other one. I have been working with them since last Monday. They assured me the part I requested was "express shipped." I was set to have it installed that Friday so it had plenty of time to arrive. I receive a call Friday morning at around 830a to let me know the part had not arrived yet. I had to call and check in 2xs to find out it still had not arrived. I called the manufacturer myself and found out the part was NEVER ordered. I called Karch back and they let me know the system had changed and they had to do it online rather than fax. They then assured me that day it would be express shipped AGAIN and would be in by Tuesday. I called every day this week and was promised a follow up by Jeff the manager and received nothing. I called another garage and had my part installed the same day. Finally, today around 1p I received a call they received my part finally. Needless to say I explained my displeasure about their HORRIBLE customer service and business practice in general. No paying customer EVER deserves that type of treatment or neglect when they need something essential like their car. I can not express my disgust with this business enough. Please if you have any common sense avoid this place in it's entirety. read more

Great job! Easy to use website allowed me to book service for a state inspection/oil change appointment for the next morning. I also had a few issues that I asked them to look at. They provided a quick turnaround and great analysis on my issues. Thanks--I'll be back. read more

If I could rate this place no stars, I would. DO NOT GO HERE. I took my new (to me) car with 55,000 miles on it in for a state inspection and they tried to tell me that I needed a tie rod replaced and when I asked if it was broken, they just said it was worn. Tie rods on a 55,000 mile car should not need to be replaced! They also told me I had a tail light out which it was not, not sure how they thought I wouldn't check that... All in all they wanted to charge me $400+ for the work and inspection when there was absolutely nothing wrong with my car when I got it inspected somewhere else! They also never gave me a fail sheet for the inspection when I refused to have them do the work which is completely illegal. This business is doomed to fail with so much fraudulent activity! read more

Liars, crooks, scammers. I went in to recharge my A/C. two weeks later it stops working completely. brought it back and they said a motor resistor was blown out and needed replaced. The price? 1300! I did a little bit of research and found that the part only costs around 250. When I asked why the price was so high the guy at the desk got all flustered and said that "there was some more to it than just the resistor part" but he could not clearly explain why or what else there was. I pressed him more for questions and he just resorted to saying "I don't know I just work the desk". He seemed like he was new working there and even newer at lying to people like that. I brought my car to the dealership who sure enough saw that it was a motor resistor problem and replaced the part for about $250. The place was formerly Walk's auto and was recently purchased by Brad Karch, a local real estate shark. One might wonder what interest a real estate investor has in purchasing an auto shop. Avoid this place at all costs. They will lie to you, take advantage of you, and rip you off. Shame on Brad Karch and all of his employees. read more

If it's possible to give negative stars I would have gave them. Not honest , and scammers they will try to rip you off stay away. They have recently changed there name so they will loose all the previous bad reviews about them. I had an awful experience with these guys and regret it. read more

Like the comments from others, I was told I needed $500.00 worth of work before my car could pass inspection. Thankfully I took the car to another garage and my car passed with flying colors. Karch also changed my oil during the visit and the wiper fluids light went on the next day - they didn't even top off the fluids! Something has changed here. They used to be pretty good and very convenient - not any more! read more

Great experience. I came from out of town to visit my girlfriend. Heard a noise when the car was moving. Called at 10:30am, they told me to come right in. They test drove it, put it up on the lift and determined the problem. They removed the loose part causing the problem, assured me it was safe, and I was on the way. They even took me in the garage to show me the cause. My first experience with them. Great people. read more

My son is a student at Penn State. He had a minor accident this summer but major enough that the car could not be driven. This happened with one week left in the summer session. The car was towed to Karch Auto. After explaining the situation that the semester was almost over, and he needed the car to get home, Rob and the crew jumped on the job and after getting the car late on a Friday afternoon, they estimated, appraised, dealt with the insurance company, repaired and had the car ready the following Friday so my son could drive home. There was $7,000 of damage so it was not a small job. PSU Parents, if you need a body shop, I highly recommend these guys. They dealt directly with my son and explained the whole process to him and myself. Just another good college experience that ended well. Thanks Rob and Karch! read more