Quick Service. I intended to drop off my car to repair a slow leak in one of my tires. I had my water bottle and a hat for my 2-mile walk home in today's 92-degree weather. To my dismay, they said I could wait for tire repair as the mechanic would work on it right away. It was a true "pit-stop" and I was on my way. Great service. The price as reasonable as well an overall great value. Thank You. read more

Customer service. Been bringing cars there for 20 years. Last year the service has rapidly declined. Just spent 5 minutes while the young lady at the service counter watched her phone. All while trying to ask about a 3 month old repair that has the check engine light coming on again. Used to be so good to our vehicles, but no longer it seems. read more

I've been going to Main Street Shell for several decades. Recently, a man at the front desk was so rude to me and to my daughter (separate customers) that I thought I'd never go back even though I always thought the mechanics were top notch. Yet, one day I had a leaky tire and was close by so I swung in. What's a little rudeness, I thought. Imagine my surprise when Katie was at the front desk. She's a self-described "car girl" and jumped right up to help me, even filling the tire herself. I decided it was time to buy four new tires because the old ones were starting to show signs of dry rot. Katie recommended a set that was not the most expensive and arranged for Ubers for me to and from the station. She went above and beyond the call of duty to help me and in doing so, she restored my faith in Main Street Shell. I still miss Jeff and Dave, but Katie is fantastic and I hope she stays for many years. read more

I read that this place is under new management. Last time I was there a poor employee was struggling to get their tools back. Maybe this is the reason for some of the recent unpopular changes. For years the gas station offered the community two free air stations for filling tires, but it's been recently replaced with this monstrosity. Disappointed to say the least. read more

Main Street Shell - Shell gas station on Main Street. - Auto Repair Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

See all

Took my vehicle in for an emissions test on Wednesday afternoon March 11, 2026. The attendant Dana was pleasant and immediately took in my vehicle for testing! In roughly 15-20 minutes the service was performed and I was told that "it's done!" I paid for the service and thanked the attendant for taking care of my vehicle! Customer service was excellent and extremely responsive! What I appreciated most during the experience, was that the value of my time. I will definitely continue utilizing their service and would recommend them to anyone who needs dependable, professional and courteous service! Thank you Dana and the team at Main Street Shell! You're the best! Charles S. read more

Went here for annual safety sticker renewal for three cars. Two out of the three failed! Took cars elsewhere for the final inspection not doing anything and the vehicle passed. Beware of their safety technician because he'll ding your car for really stupid stuff and then suggest their shop do the repairs. Replacing a foglight was going to be $376 which my husband did for $20. Failed other car for a little fray on the seatbelt...took a match to it and done. Also failed for a crack in a taillight. Give me a break!! Nice looking station and friendly guy but his standards are just ridiculous and with the service station there makes me suspicious of his motives! read more

I came by in a panic because my entrie rear view mirror had come off the windshield. The shop I usually go to told me to bring the car by and when I got there they turned me away. I came to the Shell and one of the gentleman there just took a quick look and fixed it on the spot, no charge. A little kindness goes a long way, and I'll be returning for sure. read more

Front desk guy was very rude. Acted like I was bothering him for asking for an oil change. Do not recommend to young women- can't imagine he would've spoken to an older man that way. read more

Been going there since 1999 when we moved from Falls Church to Annandale. Knew Jeff from the Shell Station on Graham Road. The recent change in leadership was surprising. I had no problem with the new staff during my last oil change. But it is not the same place and the changes on the inside are not 'positive'. The service maybe the same but the place isn't and it was GREAT. Understand that the new owners may have a new business model. But it is a gas and service station not a 7-11 (If I want wine and beer, I go to Total). Looking for a new place. read more

I always take my vehicles here. The mechanics are wonderful and very communicative. I always feel like I understand the issues and they are upfront with costs and expectations. Katie even told me once that something was an issue best served by the dealer because of the warranty. That is the level of honesty and clarity that I appreciate. read more

Been bringing my 2 cars to this location for 17 years. Wouldn't go anywhere else. Everything has always been done right and in a timely matter. read more

Sad to say, it's over after 14 years for us. We'd go out of our way to buy gas here even when not needing service or free air. But no more, the place is trashed out. And I'd never bring my kids inside. read more

Katie came through for me again!!!! Her and my mother were in close communication on more than one occasion to make sure my car gets the care it needs. Thank you so much for the attention to detail and her kindness. read more

Used to be my go to place for safety & emission inspections because they were honest and reliable (unlike the other Shell). Long story short they failed my vehicle for the headlight being discolored and the brake pads. The car barely gets driven (less than 5000 miles per year, less than 50K miles). To fix the issues they gave me a $1000 quote for the front brake pads (including rotors because they wouldn't do just the pads) and to "polish" the headlight and replace wiper blade to "barely pass" and quoted $1500 to replace also the back ones. Lost a longtime customer that day. read more

Dropped in recently to have my safety inspection. The entire lobby, in which I used to be able to wait for them to finish my inspection, is now a "smoke shop" with pathetic digital slot machines on the walls. Yeah, there were two homeless-looking chaps sitting at them when I was there. And, no, I was not able to sit at wait anymore. They had a couple seats for waiting; but who wants to wait an hour or so while degenerates run the slots and junkie kids stagger in for smoke-related products? Sorry, I'm going elsewhere from now on. read more

Go see Katie Quinn for your services. She knows her stuff. She's always willing to help you out and get you the service you need.

Be very careful, a new manager and some new staff, and now wall to wall vending machines instead of their front service desk. Took my car in for a tire leaking air. They fixed it. Next day I check to confirm the new air pressure....to discover that it is now at 38 and not at 32 (which that morning all of the other tires are properly set at). ??? read more

My car was making an odd noise and they looked at it and tested it at no charge. Gave me good advice and did not try to sell me any unnecessary services. Honest folks. We use this place a lot for all of our family cars. read more

I brought my car here for inspection. The staff there did a fantastic job - they are exceptionally hard-working, professional, courteous, and customer-centered. They did everything they could to make it a pleasant experience. I'll continue to go there in the years ahead! read more

Buy gas here if you must, but don't use them as your repair shop or inspection station. I have used them for years now, despite what I write below, because I can walk there (to drop off and pick up my car), but no more 1. I took my Mini here for an inspection about 3-4 years ago and they failed it because the passenger door only opened from the inside (the outside handle mechanism had broken). I took it to the dealer for repair, where they told me this was not a requirement for passing the safety inspection (only the driver's door needs to open from both inside and outside). I chalked this up to an honest error on the part of Main Street Shell, but given subsequent events, I now think they knew all along what the requirements were and had simply hoped I would use them to repair the door. 2. Two years ago, the Shell manager, who called me after my car's inspection was done, also reported that the employee who drove my car from its parking space to the garage collided with another car in the parking lot. The other car's driver insisted it was the employee's fault (which, it seems to me, would be correct, as the employee was pulling out of a parking space and did not have the right of way), while the manager refused to take any responsibility, claiming the other driver was speeding (which that driver denied). This was the beginning of the end for me, but I wasn't quite ready to ditch the convenience of using this inspection station. 3. This year, I dropped my car off as usual. I wasn't available when the garage called to tell me it was ready, but here's the message verbatim from my phone's transcript: "Hey, this is Steve over at Shell. I'm just calling to let you know that your vehicle is all ready for you. Thank you, goodbye." Based on this message, I assumed it passed, so I didn't go over right away. By the time I got there, the garage was closed. The gas station attendant didn't say anything as he handed the paperwork over and I paid my $20 fee. However, when I got in the car, I saw a rejection sticker on the windshield, which I couldn't do anything about until the next day. Very poor communication - I would have walked over right away if I knew the car had failed. 4. The car failed for discolored headlight lenses. The paperwork included a $200 estimate for reconditioning the headlights (mostly labor). However, the headlight lenses looked exactly the same as they did the year before when the Shell station passed the car. I came back the next day to discuss this with the manager, but, other than a perfunctory apology for the uninformative message his employee had left me, the only concession he made was that, if I took it somewhere else for an inspection and it passed, he would refund my inspection fee. His demeanor was similar to when, a couple of years earlier, he refused to take any responsibility for his employee dinging my car. When I took my car to another inspection station, the technician there told me that if I had them inspect it (paying an entirely new fee) and they agreed the headlights shouldn't pass, they would not give me a new rejection sticker (because the car was already in the DMV system as a failure). He went further and said that, in fact, they might find more wrong with the car than the Shell had (which was an eye-opener, but refreshingly honest - in short, it's really not an objective process whether your car passes or fails, so my suspicion that sometimes they fail things that really should pass just so you'll pay for the repair is not unjustified). But this means the Shell manager (same guy for all these years) lied to me again (see #1 for the first time he almost certainly lied to me and #2 for a second likely lie), about the fee refund, since he knew I couldn't get another station to inspect the car "from scratch," as it were, because the failure was already in the system. I won't be going back to Main Street Shell for anything and, as I feel the lying is probably mostly to women, I urge other women not to either. read more

Quick review for the air tire pumps that's free! It's the best since it's automated and all you need to do is set the psi and fill up your tires with air. When you need air in your tires you gots to come here! read more

Do not recommend them for emissions and/or safety inspections. long waits, have been turned away.

This gas station has been here for years. First off I'd like to thank them for a quick safety and emissions check. As expected passed and got a coupon for a few bucks off. From what I've heard they do good business repairing cars. The location is certainly convenient. It's right off of Main Street and close to Old Town Fairfax. This gas station is immaculate clean. Tis a shame the convenience store only has a few items. Friendly employees though. A fairly comfortable waiting area. As for the pumps high quality with lots of maneuvering room. Unfortunately I will only purchase a few gallons here, as they aren't crazy expensive, but there are places with lower costs in Fairfax. It's a pretty good place. read more

Terrible place! If you are a woman, they will try to take advantage of you. The employee told me that I needed a special type (more expensive) type of oil for my car. I told him I have used the cheap oil with no problem. He insisted he knows what he is doing. I don't much about cars so I took his word for it since I have been using this place for years with no problems. When it was time to check out, he chuckled that he was wrong and that my car could have used the cheap oil yet he offered no apology nor discount on the unnecessary oil. I will NEVER be coming back to this dishonest business. read more

I have been coming here since 2012. There were three mechanics who were honest, pleasant, decent, and reliable. Evidently they're not there anymore and the new mechanics are rude, unreliable, and are constantly looking for ways to get money. They fixed my defroster then DRAINED THE BATTERY. When I went back to get a jumpstart, they gave me attitude. I had 1/4 tank of gas when I brought it there, and after the jumpstart, it was literally on EMPTY. I am never EVER coming here again. I miss my old guys and how wonderful they were. This once was a great garage. It's now a corporate money suck run by people who are arrogant and unpleasant. read more

i already sent an email to customer service and haven't heard from them. I took my son's car to Main St. Shell and my son, specifically told Nick, the manager, he only need 3 things done on the c..... Oil Change, top of windshield fluid and coolant. They flushed the coolant and charged me for something we didn't ask for. They also changed the tail light without checking with me. Nick said that he called me. I asked him if he got any response, he said no. Then why did he changed it? He said I might get pulled over. I told him it's not his problem. I need my money back for the charges that I didn't ask for. My son has repeatedly warned me about taking our cars to Shell. I've been a customer for a long, long time!!! read more

Trust them ten times more than Hogan & Sons down the street! So far - they have been upfront and straight with me. That is important.

Took my wife's 4Runner for an oil change. Guy at the front counter was rude and felt it appropriate to give me the point and "come here" motion with his finger, which I was taken aback. Moreover, the advertised price is $80.00. But they don't tell you they're going to tack on a $20.00 labor charge. The old bait and switch. I'm sure the excuse is that its a larger vehicle, then the receipt should include that. read more

Main Street Shell - Auto Repair Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

See all

Main Street Shell used to be my go to home town mechanic! You know the one you trust to not rip you off and to only do what is needed. ANd for several years it was. However, sadly, over the years their workmanship has really gone down hill. The first sign was when I just went for an oil change. None of the fluids were topped off and the cap to the oil wasn't replaced. ok- that could be a one off right? But more recently-i took my car in for an oil change and was told my brakes would need to be replaced before the winter- so i said ok go ahead...but also do the alignment, tire rotation and balancing and spark plugs changed on their suggesstion. This round the spark plugs were left on my windshield and I have had issues ever since. My car makes a new squealing sound every time I turn left. It never did that before. and now less than a year later it does the shakey shake when i press the brakes at 40 or above. **i will say that Jeff has tried to work with me...but hasn't fixed whatever the problem is/was. and i have an appointment coming up. i guess it will be my last chance. s ad b/c they were so awesome over the years! read more

Great and knowledgeable service. You don't get the impression that they're trying to rip you off.

Mr. Gould was very helpful and friendly. I just needed to get a Belt Tensioner replaced for my Mazda Cx5 and he gave me an affordable price. I dropped off my car at around 8am and picked up at 3pm on a Friday. I just found out that they have free Loaner vehicles and Shuttle services. Will be coming back here for sure! read more

I used to work for Va tire and auto for 3 years and enjoyed it mainly because we cared about customer service I used to go outside in the snow put air in peoples tires or go out to cars even if the person was not a customer of ours to help out with any concerns. I went in today to use the self service air machine and my tpms service kit was not tightened all the way which was not their fault but I asked to see if I could maybe get some help tightening it but they didn't even come out to the car first thing Jeff said was did we put tires on it and once I said no he clearly didn't want to help me he told me to tell him what size and he will give me the tool. read more

Avoid at all costs! They performed an inspection on my car and said the headlights were not working properly. They wanted $60 per headlight to "fix and inspect" the problem. I declined and took it to my regular mechanic and he said there was nothing wrong with my headlights. I just replaced them myself last year and they are relatively new. I went back and asked for them to pass my inspection saying there was nothing wrong. They refused and claimed they were in the right. They do not seem honest and only wanted to get more money out of me. I am reporting them to VA State Police for fraud. AVOID!!!! read more

DO NOT GIVE THEM BUSINESS!!! These people need to be banned from doing business in Fairfax because all they are doing is rip people off. I sent my car for emission and this guy called Ryan, made up a reason to rip me off.. he charged $800 to fix my throttle for the "monitors" to run to do my inspection...after they passed it.. I had to take it somewhere else because the car was not running well..come to find out, he did nothing on the throttle motor. My God forgive them for ripping poor and elderly people off!!! read more

Took our car in for inspection in December, 2022. They no longer offer Military discounts. I understand from others that different mechanics are there now. I don't know if new management, but they no longer offer a discount for Military. I asked, showed my dependent military ID (wife of 100% veteran) but they said no discount. But inspections are fast and they called to tell me they needed to replace windshield wipers (which I wasn't surprised as they were 4+ years old). read more

Drove in looking for someone to repair a shield hanging off the bottom of my car. Main Street Shell responded with a cost range pending a look at it. They put my car on the lift, replaced two screws that had fallen out, and charged me nothing for the 20-minute task. Wow. Totally unexpected. I gave the technician a tip just because I felt bad about receiving something for nothing. Many thanks for a terrific service experience. read more

Main Street Shell has been my go to place for all my vehicle maintenance. Today has caused me to look for another business. I've been a resident of Virginia for 7 years and safety inspections aren't something new to me. Typically a car takes 15 to 20 minutes to get in and out and you're on your way. I pulled in the typical line but was told I needed to park in the lot and come inside because there was a wait. I get inside and they said the wait was an hour and a half. It was extremely long but I was willing to wait. I walked to Dunkin, got a coffee and relaxed, then came back. I came to find out that I was the fourth car in line at the time of checking in. With my math, that would be about an hour to an hour 15 to get the safety inspection done. Note, I had my three month old so time isn't something a negotiable part of my life (feed, sleep, feed, sleep). She started getting hungry so I went inside (my phone was dead) so I asked for the time. It had been two hours. She was fussy and it was going to escalate. It also shouldn't have taken two hours, and my car wasn't even starting to be inspected. That would have been another 15 to 20 minutes (but honestly at their speed it was 30 to 40). I asked for my keys and told them that it was two hours and I had to go. I didn't get an apology, updates, or any sympathy. This has been the worst experience I've ever had getting my safety inspection and I now plan to look for another business to work on my car. It's really disappointing because their quality was good but has gone down over the past couple visits. This one broke the camels back. read more

I love getting my gas here. Its easy and convenient for me. Entrance is a little tricky They have surge I get my emission test here They have a good work shop Decent food Quick service Next to a strip mall if you get bored while you wait. As of 8/9/17 After a standard va inspection. I noticed right away a 7 to 10inch scratch on my car. Such a shame because i love this shell and my car. I'll live but kinda sucks read more

This is the worst place ever to bring your car for safety/emission inspection! I had to wait 2 hrs to get my car inspected last week. When it was over the front desk guy (Jasper) gave me the keys/form and said 'your car failed the safety inspection'. When I asked why, he said the front tires need to be replaced because the steel cords are showing. When I requested to be shown where they are, he said they are underneath the vehicle and cannot be seen without raising it. Why didn't they show those to me when they had my car raised? They gave me quotes for tire replacement and since I was already there for more than 2 hrs I decided to have it done later. Today I had all 4 tires replaced (by another shop) and went back to this place for re-inspection. I was told that I have to be in the queue and that it will take 3 hours to have my vehicle re-inspected. This is absolutely ridiculous, all they needed to do was check whether the tires were replaced, but they are telling me i had to wait 3 hrs so they can do it! I was really furious so I decided to leave and go to another gas station and pay the full $16 for complete inspection (which was done in 10 minutes). I was told by that station that there should be a separate line for safety/emission inspections at all DEQ stations, and waiting 2 or more hours because the station is mixing inspections and repair in the same queue violates the requirements for DEQ stations. Clearly, this Shell station ought to lose its license for DEQ inspection. The other thing with this station, the staff (especially Jasper) has absolutely no idea what good customer service means. Don't ever want to step foot on this place again. read more

Follow up: They hassled me with calls trying to make things right but in the end they never did anything. Action speaks louder then a bunch of phone calls promising nothing or doing nothing. Avoid this place like a plague, don't know where the good reviews come from. read more