Al’s Full Service Auto Repair

Al’s was recommended by a few friends so I made the call. I took my vehicle in for service and what I thought was wrong. Ed informed me it would be around $ 44 for the diagnostic. I received a call that the hub was bad, what the total cost would be and when they would have the part to make the repair. Came back on Monday and dropped my car off. Ed again told me the price and contacted me around lunch to say my car was finished. The shop was spotless. Every employee was very friendly and everything was taken care of by Al’s. Way to go!

Im Not sure what all the buzz is about. They have horrible customer service, they won’t give you quotes over the phone? They charge to diagnose?! Even if you’ve already diagnosed the problem?! These other reviews must be friends and family because my experience was far from enjoyable. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere, to a place where customer service matters just as much as the work.

I went in to get my fuel pump repaired here. The very first time I went to use my left turn signal right after leaving this shop my rear turn signal didn’t work. I then called them to set up an appt. When I told them that it had stopped working right after they got done working on it, the moron I talked to said it must be a bad bulb and charged me for the repair. I’ve talked to other people about what happened and 3 of them had their own horror stories about this place. I also hear this place manufactures good reviews on this site. Buyer beware.

This is one of the best mechanics I’ve been to. These guys will take your car in, do the basics you ask for (in my case, oil change), and give it a good over like any place would, but the part that sets these guys apart is their pragmatism and customer advocacy.
As I sat in the waiting room and mechanics came to the window to talk to the manager about the car they were just checking out, the manager would debate the mechanic on what the best solution was for the customer. This is great customer-​advocacy. They’d ask questions like, «We talking about a temp fix or long term?» «Why’d you suggest that on a car worth that little?» Basically they’re asking questions the customer would have on their mind, and I really appreciated that up front approach.
Then the manager comes into the waiting room, shows you the options, in my case, I came in specifically asking about my tire treads and spark plugs. They told me the exact wear on all four tires, and said I could replace the back ones (they were at 4, when 5 is about the tolerance), if I wanted to.
This kind of transparency makes me want to do the repairs, rather than what you’d see at a lot of other places that rely on scare-​tactics.
I now bring all our cars here and will recommend this place to as many as will listen.
Great place!
Also, the waiting room is really great. They’ve got cable, a keurig, VERY fast wifi, cookies, and a very comfy leather couch.

I called to have my starter replaced. I could do it my self but dont want to lay in the snow… I called to ask roughly how much they charge and he wouldn’t tell me. He insisted that something else needed to be replaced that caused the starter to go bad. I have already thoroughly checked it over amd I am 100% that it is the starter. They just try to con you into getting unnecessary work done so they can make an extra buck. Take your vehicle to cedar hills repair. Much better mechanics.

4 instead of 5 because I’ve found better prices on certain repair needs elsewhere (shocks and suspension work), but you can be sure theses guys will 1) tell you the truth 2) prioritize repairs so you don’t have to lay out a ton of cash all at once and 3) do the work right the first time. The BEST thing is that they work two shifts so you can get your car repaired up until 10pm at night AND they have free popcorn!

While on a cross-​country road trip from CA, our car started to make an unpleasant grinding noise from the brakes, which we figured was the result of the recent brake pad replacement job done before departing for our trip. We were passing through town on our way to I-​80 and decided to go to Al’s. Their schedule was very busy for the day but when Ed, who was working at the counter heard we were passing through, he made time for us.
While the mechanic replaced the bolt on the caliper which had fallen off somewhere along the road in the Northwest, we were updated on the status of the car while waiting in the comfortable lounge over a free cup of coffee. The whole job took about two hours, in which time Ed also gave us directions to a restaurant walking distance so we could get a bite to eat.
Al’s is all around very professional service and totally accommodating to the needs of their customers. The price wasn’t overly expensive for the time they found to fit us in and worth every penny for the level of service provided. They definitely understand the stress and exhaustion of car troubles and do great work in alleviating these troubles to weary travellers and locals alike. If I ever find myself in the area again with car issues, I’ll be back without a second thought.

My father has been taking our vehicles to Al’s since they were on Edgewood Rd at the gas station. Al’s is now located off of 16^th Avenue and is very easy to get to.
I now live in Chicago but get to CR fairly often. So, if there is any strange noise or my car drives funny at all, I give Al’s a call and make an appointment. They always do their best to fit me in, and Gary will call and give us an explanation of exactly what is wrong, what needs to be fixed, and what can probably wait or won’t harm the car. The whole staff is thorough and extremely helpful. This last visit, I think it took Andy about 30 seconds to figure out the issue with my car, which led to them keeping it overnight to give it a complete checkup. They are all honest, too, which is more than I can say about some other car places.
So, to Al and his staff, thanks for all that you have done for us! You are highly recommended by this gal and her family!

I had to get a substantial amount of suspension work done on my car, so I read up on reviews and decided to take it to Al’s. So far the car is rock solid, but their communication lacked a bit. Only to get the invoice for the work done did I see that there might be some other stuff wrong with the vehicle. Not major things, but not only could they have made more money, but I wouldn’t have to find another time to take my car there.

Al Dolezal is among a dieing breed of independent, full service gas station owners. If you pull up the one of the full service pumps, you’re likely to see Al wiping your windshield and checking your oil — sometimes two attendants will help at the same time! They keep the area looking nice by planting tons of flowers along the street every year.
Al expanded his service garage about 10 years ago and now has four bays and two shifts of workers, working 6 days a week, open until 10 PM on week nights. I’m pretty sure I made a few of Al’s payments with all my repair bills there over the years. Gary, the evening service manager, is great with customers; explaining exactly what’s wrong and how they’re going to fix it. They aren’t cheap (better than the going dealer rate though) however they are almost always correct in diagnosing your car problem. They have a lot of experience on their service staff and seem to keep their people for a long time.

I recently ran into some car troubles and decided to not take it to the dealer, but I didn’t have any experience in Cedar Rapids with any auto mechanics. I also needed my car towed to the service station.
I asked around and a number of friends recommended Als. So, I called Al’s, told them what was wrong and requested a tow. The guy picked up my car within a few minutes of the time they said they would. I didn’t have to pay the tow guy, it was added to my total station bill.
My car got the station about 5:00 and a little after nine PM I got a call from the station. They told me what was wrong, what they needing to replace, and what else might be wrong once they fixed what they were certain needed to be fixed.
They gave me an approximate price range that seemed reasonable for the work and the parts. I was back on the road within 24 hours. The work was well done. The staff was prompt and courteous (none of this «are they ever going to call me back?!?») The price was fair and I will definitely go back the next time my car needs more work.