Shirley Duke Shell Auto Care

Fast, efficient, dependable.
Steve is the man, very honest and upfront while always looking out for you and what you need.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ will be coming back for all my car needs.

I have been bringing my car here for its yearly inspection for at least 10 years and just last year, I started bringing it here for oil changes, for basic repairs and tire installation. So far so good. They have good Unilocal reviews and also have a Unilocal coupon. They will only call you if they see any problems, otherwise, you can expect to pick up your car at the end of the day when you get off work. Straightforward answers is what you can expect.

Could be the only honest mechanic in West Alexandria. There are at least 5 – 6 auto care shops on Duke Street (in area immediately east and west of the public library) and I’ve visited all. This one is trustworthy, reliable, honest and competent. Had to replace my motor mounts which were under their warranty, they replaced them at no cost with no issues. They go above and beyond and ensure their customers are satisfied.

I cannot say enough good things about this place! While on vacation we cracked a wheel on our car. Based on all of these great reviews, we headed to Shirley Duke Auto. They really went above and beyond to help us find the wheel we needed and get us back on the road on time! Our final cost was even less than their quoted price. Seriously, a great experience. If we ever break down in Alexandria again, we’ll be heading to Shirley Duke!

Shirley Duke was suggested to me by the people over at Duke Street Speedy lube, after they were unable to figure out what was wrong with my car. They got me a tow, (very reasonably priced) and had diagnosed the problem and fixed it within a few hours.
I really like that I could pick up my car until 9pm, which is great for people who work regular hours and don’t want their finished car left unlocked with the keys in it in a parking lot.
I got the impression that the mechanic there was honest. He suggested to me that it might be time to start looking for a new car, rather than trying to coax me into spending a TON of money to fix mine. He also told me about the Unilocal deal.
Will definitely go back!

Shirley Duke Shell is the bee’s knees. This is my go to state /​emissions inspection place, as well as any smaller things here or there I need done. My most recent visit was out of concern for a screw that penetrated the fat part of my threads. I wasn’t sure whether or not it created a slow leak. Steve was quick to check it out for me (despite being slammed with larger orders) and was honest in his assessment that he didn’t think the screw had punctured the tire.
I once had a situation during an inspection where the inspecting mechanic noticed one of my brake lights were out, he pointed out the problem, and popped in a bulb. I never saw a charge. I’ve never felt like anyone at Shirley was trying to upsell me on anything. Very straight forward and honest mechanics. Anyone that asks for a recommendation for a mechanic from me gets told the same thing, «Shirley Duke Shell».

I’ve gone to Shirley Duke Shell for over ten years for inspections (be sure to learn the correct procedure of waiting your turn at the far gas aisle behind the orange cone!) and for repairs. Steve the service manager is very nice and in my experience has always been fair and their prices have been fair also. not cheap by any means, but never out of line. Steve likes to suggest additional repairs (as is any service manager’s job) but if you just know what you need they do a very good job at a fair price. recommend.

I recently moved to this area from the West coast, and as a woman that knows very little about cars, I was in a panic when I went to start my car only to have nothing happen. After seeing the reviews for Shirley Duke Shell here on Unilocal,I decided to give them a try. I don’t regret it at all! Steve and his guys were great! It turned out that my car just needed a new battery, and while they did find some other things that my car could use, they were very honest with me and didn’t try to pressure me in any way to buy things or services that I didn’t need. It can be a bit of a challenge to find an honest mechanic, so I will definitely be going back to the guys at Shirley Duke Shell with all of my future auto care needs.

My wife and I recently moved to Arlington, and started having issues with our car. Being new in the area, we had no idea where we could take our car to get trustworthy service. My Acura is my «baby», and I am always very nervous about where I take it. We took it to another auto shop and got a quote for $ 450 to replace a power steering hose, then we took it to Shirley Duke Shell and got a quote for $ 350.
Steve the owner is extremely helpful. I mistakenly told him I needed a new power steering pump, and he took me back to where they were looking at my car and told me I don’t need a new pump, but I need a new hose. He was very honest, and I felt very comfortable with them working on my car. I will be using this shop for all my repairs in the future.
If your new to the area, I would recommend this shop. The owner is nice and helpful and you’ll feel comfortable leaving your car there, and it will be done for less than other places. 5 stars!

I have gone to this shop for 35 years and have always been happy. Steve takes good care of his customers. He and his staff are great mechanics and i have never had a problem when i drove away, unlike some previous experiences. He has sent me to the dealer when he thinks that is the best choice to get repairs done, a very honest person. It is so nice to not worry about my car and can drop it off for them to do whatever is needed.

Untrustworthy and overpriced
I went to this mechanic for a second opinion after the first told me he had only found a problem with the axels (CV joints). This mechanic drew up a list of five or six problems he had found with my car, and I went to a mechanic I knew I could trust for a third opinion.
My trusted mechanic gave a diagnosis very similar to the first one. Further, his explanation suggested that Shirley Duke is either untrustworthy or incompetent. More specifically, for example, Shirley Duke told me the oil was leaking, when in fact it was just some residue from the recent oil change.
And besides the faulty diagnosis, Shirley Duke’s prices were out of line with what I got elsewhere. I got my timing belt changed, e.g., for $ 200 less than Shirley Duke quoted me.

I found this place through Unilocal,and have to say they are SO honest! They could’ve charged me $ 1000 for a new stick shift, but instead it was just a $ 300 flush that was needed… SO thankful for them!

We have used Shirley Duke Shell since we moved here, over 2 years ago. Steve, the owner, is honest and dependable. He and his staff are skilled and even let us know where to go if they can not fix our problem. We have had 2 cars serviced with great results. They go the extra mile in customer service. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Steve, who runs the repair shop, is honest and dependable. I have been taking my vehicles (3 different cars and an SUV) here for over 10 years. I always do my inspections here — they have a dedicated bay for inspections. Friendly, knowledgeable, fair. Very little staff turnover in 10 years which says a lot. I would trust them with any fix.

Excellent shop. Found via Super Pages (with a super pages guarantee) and Unilocal.
Stopped in for an inspection on a Saturday late in the month. Must have it hit at exactly the right time. The inspector/​serviceman came out and pulled the vehicle in. Twenty minutes later the inspection was complete and provided a detailed report of findings, including service recommendations. No feeling of nickel and dime fixes or trying to make money. Clear cut service.

I take all of my vehicles to this shop. The guys are great, and knows what they are doing. They give me a piece of mind when I leave my cars here. Steve is the manager, and he is VERY reliable. He really is THE master machenic and knows what he’s doing for affordable price. I only trust this guy as my mechanic. HIGHLY recommended

A friend of mine highly recommended Shirley Duke Shell when I first got my car. This was seven years ago. I’ve since been taking my 2002 VW Golf to Steve for regular maintenance as well as problems i’d have along the way.
The service that Steve and his guys provide is top notch.
These guys are honest and will not sell you what you don’t need.
I leave my car there knowing that it will be taken care well and i can pick it up at the end of the day with peace of mind that everything is fixed properly.
The gas station is across the street from some restaurants so if you want to grab a bite while you wait it’s really convenient. There’s also a bus stop right next to the gas station which makes it easy if i had to leave my car there all day.
I highly recommend Shirley Duke Shell.