Diagnosis first.
Then, if it is needed, the repair.
General mechanical repair on foreign, domestic and European cars, in the same trade since 1963. Thirty-three makes, recorded by Checkbook from customers who brought them here. If yours is not on the list, it is almost certainly still a yes.
Diagnosis
Finding out what is actually wrong, before anyone spends money on it.
This is the part the reviews are about. The complaint that comes up over and over is that other shops name a big repair first and diagnose second. Bring us the noise, the light, the smell, or the thing the last shop quoted you, and we will tell you what we find.
- Check-engine and warning lights
- Noises, vibrations and leaks
- Second opinion on someone else’s quote
- Pre-purchase inspection
Repair
General mechanical repair on foreign, domestic and European cars.
Brakes, suspension, cooling, engine and driveline work. Checkbook records the shop servicing more than thirty makes, which is the practical definition of a general independent: if it is a car, ask.
- Brakes
- Suspension and steering
- Cooling and heating
- Engine and driveline
- Electrical
- Exhaust
Scheduled maintenance
The services your manufacturer asks for, at the interval it asks for them.
Oil and filters, fluids, belts, plugs and the inspections that go with them, done to your car’s own schedule and written down so you have the history. Having it done here does not affect your factory warranty.
- Oil and filter
- Fluids to specification
- Belts and plugs
- Inspection with a written report
- Service history you keep
Virginia inspection and emissions
Two things this shop is licensed to do that most are not, both advertised on its own window rather than by us.
- Virginia State Inspection. An official Virginia inspection station. The decal on the window is the state one, and it carries the usual reminder: your inspection is due within twelve months of the month of the last one, and the large number on the sticker is the month it expires.
- Certified Emissions Repair Facility. A Virginia DEQ certified emissions repair facility under Air Check Virginia. If your car failed emissions, this is a shop licensed to do something about it rather than one that has to send you elsewhere.
The eight questions the phone asks most
Answered here so the answer costs neither of us a phone call. Two are deliberately unfinished, and say so, because they are not ours to guess at.
How soon can you take my car?
It varies, and the honest answer is that we are often booked some way out, so it is worth asking earlier than you think you need to. Call for anything unsafe to drive and we will tell you straight away what we can do. For anything else, send it in writing and you will get a real date rather than a maybe.
Do you take walk-ins?
For a look and an opinion, often. For a job that needs a bay for the day, call first: the bays are usually committed and a phone call saves you the drive.
Will servicing here void my factory warranty?
No. A manufacturer cannot void your factory warranty simply because an independent shop performed the scheduled maintenance. In the United States that protection is the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. What matters is that the right parts and fluids are used and that the work is recorded, which it is.
What makes do you work on?
Foreign, domestic and European. Checkbook records more than thirty makes serviced here, including Honda, Toyota, BMW, Audi, Subaru and Ford. If yours is not on that list it is almost certainly still a yes, and asking costs you a phone call.
Can I get a second opinion on somebody else’s quote?
Bring the written estimate and we will look at it. If the work is genuinely needed we will tell you that too, which is not the answer everybody is hoping for but is the reason people come back.
I am an AAA member. Is there a discount?
Yes. This is a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility, and AAA members receive 10% off labor up to a maximum of $75. Mention it when you book rather than at the counter.
What is the warranty on the repair?
This is a NAPA AutoCare shop, which carries the NAPA nationwide warranty, honored at NAPA AutoCare centers across the country rather than only here. NAPA lets each shop set the term, so ask for ours when you book and we will put it in writing.
This answer is incomplete until the shop confirms the detail.
How do you take payment?
Ask when you book. Rather than list card logos we have not confirmed, we would rather you get the answer from the person taking your money.
This answer is incomplete until the shop confirms the detail.
Tell us what it is doing.
Plain words are fine, you do not have to diagnose it. You will get a real answer and a real date.
- Address
- 340 Mill St NE, Suite B
Vienna, VA 22180 - Hours
- Monday to Friday, 8 to 5
Saturday, 8 to noon - Phone
- 703-255-0666