Friendly and Helpful and Understanding. Helped my son get back on the road. Always communicated and gave opinions for him.

Went in to ask if they can give me a quote on just labor and this old white guy just said no. I asked what do you mean? He said no. I asked again- what do you mean? He said we don't do that. He said it's a safety issue. How exactly is getting just parts a safety issue- we are aware of the part we need and ordered it- we just need labor. He just turned me away instead of helping me with an issue. If you want to get money on the parts your order instead of trying to help- it says a lot. I don't know if he was the owner or just an employee, but that's not how you should do business. He also turned away another person I know that wanted to get a quote on labor. read more

I went to Express for an oil change and they hit me with the sticker shock - $36 even though I had my own oil and filter. Southern Motor Works saved the day! Even though they were busy, Jimmy worked me in immediately and only charged $20! The lobby is comfy with a TV, nice seating, a Keurig and ice-cold complimentary drinks. The fluids were topped off (unlike Express) & I my car scored an A on their inspection. I was out of there in about an hour. The only area for improvement would be to have someone at the front desk. I had to look for a staff member for 15 minutes but otherwise, a stellar experience, I recommend! read more

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Their customer service was immaculate! i came in for an alignment and oil change along with some other things. The people at the front desk were really nice and got everything done in a timely manner. The technicians here don't play around they are experienced hard working people you can trust with your vehicle. i've had a lot of work done here their pricing is good. I highly recommend to everyone who needs their car serviced. read more

I had mixed results with Southern Motor Works. On the one hand, the people at the counter are good people, friendly, patient, and laid back. They're also very responsive and great about calling to provide updates. So no qualms with the customer service ethic. On the other hand, when I had work done last year I wasn't impressed with the direction things were taken with my vehicle, a Kia Sedona. I asked that we specifically address what felt like a power steering issue where I could feel the steering wheel "notch" around while I'm turning it. First it was addressing one thing in the front end, then all of the sudden we were up to CV boots, then when we had to do the power steering I was told there was a crack in the power steering pump, so they had to replace that too. It just kept going and going. And of course every extra repair was "well, if we don't do this, it will kind of undo the work we already did". Before I knew it I'd popped $3k in new parts and repairs and the original issue I took the vehicle in for still doesn't feel resolved. It drives exactly like it did the day I brought it in. My wife has also complained that the vehicle smelled off ever since it went in for an unrelated issue with one of the rear seats. That seat issue was at least knocked out, though. The owner throws parts at problems as opposed to actually diagnosing and fixing issues, and I've got friends who reported the same phenomenon. Do yourself a favor and leave these friendly folks to do smaller repairs, like oil changes and rotations, and for the bigger work maybe look elsewhere. Nothing personal against any of the people working here, but the results aren't in what they charge. To be fair, they did show me the parts they took off the vehicle when I asked, but I'm left with the vague impression that something doesn't add up in all of this. read more

I've written several positive reviews for SMW. This one is no different. I thought I needed a brake job but the shop informed me that my brakes were fine. An unscrupulous shop would've complete the work anyway and charged me. But not SMW. So, I went ahead and got my brake fluid flushed at a great price and picked up my car same day. Honesty is important to me. That's why I choose this shop for all my repair needs. read more

Travelling from FL and needed some repairs done. Both the staff and owner, took excellent care of me. Showing me what the problem was and repair costs. It was all in line and they had me on the road within hours. I would definitely give SOUTHERN MOTOR WORKS an excellent review, keep up the good work! read more

Traveling out of town and start hearing a noise in front end. Ron got me right in and up on lift to try and help me out so I would be safe driving home. read more

They treat you like family. Thank you for great service!!!

The customer service was off the charts! Everything was detailed and done in a timely fashion. I'll definitely be coming back and I highly recommend this place! read more

A couple of years ago I sold my 5-speed manual '08 Mazda 3. The buyer requested that we meet at SMW to get my car checked by Jimmy. I was really impressed by what I thought was an extremely thorough and accurate evaluation. The buyer was happy that the car he wanted was clean, and I too was happy that I got my asking price on a fair assessment. Today I brought in for evaluation an '04 Lexus ES330 I intended to purchase from a nearby pre-owned dealer. Jimmy, Ron and the rest of the staff go on it and were done in a couple of hours. Jimmy personally reviewed with me the list of items that required attention. He also presented me with a full breakdown of the estimate for each specific repair. I returned to my auto dealer, discussed the findings, and negotiated a reduction in price to get the brake discs and pads replaced. I took the car back to SMW, where, with a shop already full of customers and much to my amazement, they finished the brakes within four hours. Frankly, I was skeptical that they could get the job done with so little time left in the day, but I'm already home with my new ride. At SMW they get done what they promise, quickly and accurately, and for a great price. SMW delivers! read more

Rip off over charges for easy fix. Charged me almost $400 to put a bolt on Catalytic converter. I had brought my own catalytic converter oem. Rip you off with a smile read more

My late husband and I have used Jimmy Tran expert mechanic for over 10 years. He is fair and honest. Fixed both my kids car to get them mechanical sound to go to college. Thank you read more

JIMMY TRAN is a great mechanic and a great person as well. Been doing bisnuss with southern motorworks for quite a few years now. Always greated with greatness and all work done satisfictory and on time. I hacd him work on my jeep. Toyota tacoma, nissan altima,isuzu amigo and a bonneville . For great prices and great work oh and for no hassel and no rip offs on any automobile work this is the goto place read more

Jimmy is always great!! He always does a great job and can guarantee a great affordable price! I would recommend this to anyone who is in the Duluth area. read more

10 months later after writing a poor review of Southern Motor Works, I received a notification saying there was a response from the business owner. Jimmy responded saying that I had lost my job which is not true and that's why his price dropped (please see my previous post). I literally just called to confront/discuss your response to my complaint. You can't say that you were locked out of your account, because you had your assistant call to see if I would remove my post. read more

They misdiagnosed our car instead of reimbursing us they wanted us to pay $3500 after paying $2000 and another $165 after we took it back twice. Do not recommend doesn't care about the customer only care about money. read more

Jimmy is the best mechanic in Duluth hands down. My car wouldn't have lasted as long as it has without him. He is kind, fair ,and truly great at what he does. Definitely grateful for the work Jimmy does. My family has been coming to him for years and will continue to do so. Thanks Jimmy read more

As a woman, I have never felt that I was being taken advantage of when I brought my cars in for repair. I would recommend Southern Motor Works without question. read more

I've been going to Jimmy for all my car services for the past 10 years. Even though I moved all the way to the side of town, I still make the trip to come see him. He is very good at what he does and is very professional and honest. read more

I brought my 2013 Hyundai Elantra here to get my struts replaced. After getting the car inspected, they made up issues about by CV-Axle as well. They told me it would be dangerous for me to even drive it home. Something felt fishy to me. How did I know they made up the statement about my CV-Axle needing to be changed? I took it to Hyundai the next day to get a certified check done & indeed there was nothing wrong with the CV-Axle. I was charged about 70-80$ for the inspection (cannot remember how much because this was last year). I was researching car repair shops and this came up so I had to leave an honest review. I was essentially robbed 80$. Keep in mind that I already knew that my struts needed to be changed. Jimmy Tran is a fraud, stay clear of this place. I have seen the police called here many times because of customers refusing to pay for the inspection fee after they felt defrauded. I am a huge supporter of small businesses especially minority-owned small businesses as I am a minority myself & I do not believe in negatively affecting someone's small business by leaving bad reviews online. I am 29 years old & have been to thousands of places but this is the first time I have ever left a review in my life. I wish I had left this review earlier. Stay clear of this place. read more

These guys are reliable and professional. My father has been coming here for years as well as I now that I am an adult. Never been disappointed and doing their best for their customers always. I almost see them as family. Thanks Guys! read more

Sit around for a hour for a small job, then they said they did not have the tool and I told them I had it in the back of the truck then was asked to come back another day. They offered a resolution I no longer live in the area. read more

I was shocked to see that this place had only 1 review with 1 star, so I decided that I needed to write one. We have been customers at Southern Motor Works for around 8 years now and we have been nothing but happy with Jimmy's service. We have been bringing all five of our cars to him for the past couple years, and he always cuts us a great deal. The man working at the front desk has exceptional customer service and is always super friendly. The shop is also always well air conditioned and they offer complimentary sodas and coffee. I went in for an oil change, got my break lights fixed, my air filters changed, and the timing belt changed. The total came out to be around $220 which was amazing in comparison to the honda dealership which quoted me at around $1000. With the yelp 10% check in discount the total came out to be $200. All in all, great service, everyone's super nice, I have no complaints whatsoever!!! super recommend!!! read more

Over priced. Dishonest. And slow work. I would never come back here. I caught them in several lies and broken promises.