Japanese Auto Services

My/wife’s first visit, found Japanese Auto Services via Yahoo Local and Unilocal.
I would rate 4.5 stars on this trip. ½ stars are not allowed.
O2 Sensor that is difficult to reach but fast for the «RIGHT» tech. Normally a repair I could do myself but my arms/​hands are far to large to access. Needed assistance.
Phone: Mike was fast and courteous, promised immediate turnaround and better than average labor rate ($ 89) since I had the part in hand. And he would do the repair for Flat Rate.
Arrival: Car in bay in far less than 5 minutes, Assessment/​labor quote in less than 10, Struck a fair deal, Flat rate is 1 hour, I cannot perform this repair without a lift and my arms are far too large to get in. Mike says 2 hours, I say 1.5, we shake.
Repair: Done while I waited, tech was a whiz and performed it in about 40 – 45 minutes. Remember, flat rate is a GUIDE! Could have been frozen and a real bitch to do. Really frozen, exhaust sensors can actually get «welded» to their threads, especially this close to the catalytic converter. Could have required serious labor.
Closing the «Deal»: I paid the $ 135 in labor cheerfully. In and out like the wind, The tech was fast, which means he deserves to earn more and his skills have real value.
Why not 5 Stars? It did take less time and I would, in Mike’s shoes «adjusted» the labor back to an hour. But, a deal is a deal. I paid fairly. As an educated and informed consumer $ 135 is EXACTLY fair for the quality and speed of service I received.
Summation:
Remember that shops often eat huge amounts of labor when your piece of shit car that you maintain improperly goes sideways. Rusted, greasy, dirty and abused, a nightmare to to touch.
He did not blink an eye at customer provided parts, most shops will not touch your parts. For more reasons than I can list here, mainly, liability. This and courteousness/​speed/​accuracy?
6 stars.
FAST! When I drove there, I expected the phone quote to get bumped a little, it is how business is simply done. Period. I knew it would cost a «few» bucks more, always does.
I will return to Japanese Auto Services and wholeheartedly recommend them to our friends and family. My wife and I own a 1997 Camry (97,000 miles) and 2003 Mazda MPV (80,000) that are paid for and in great shape with all maintenance, etc. However, things will break. not all repairs will I have the time, training, resources and/​or tools to perform, DIY.
Everyone needs a good, honest, local, experienced service shop that is eager to work for the customer.
Unilocal works! Remember your car will break, Don’t be a dick when all repairs do not go smoothly. Establish a good working relationship with your service writer and tech (s), do your homework and maintain your car so you understand the costs of repairs, your car is clean, easier to work on and they like you and want our repeat business.
DUH!
Thanks Mike! Square deal. Next time I’ll grind for that ½ hour of labor back!
Ed and Anne
2003 Mazda MPV 80K miles
O2 sensor Bank 1 Sensor 1 (The really impossible one to reach)
Remove and replace (CUSTOMER PROVIDED PART)
VA State Inspection $ 150

Andy is the man, the myth, the legend. I trust doing business with him. He gives me the real situation and a reasonable cost.

I’ve been going to this place for my auto repair needs for about three years now. I moved nearby and first came here for convenience, but I keep going back. No frills but honest, good, and inexpensive service is what you’ll get here.
What you should and shouldn’t expect.
This is your basic mom and pop auto service shop. There’s no bells or whistles here. Aesthetically the shop and waiting area have seen better days… yes. its not homey or very clean and there’s no Keurig coffee machine for your use while you wait like at the dealership. Although if you’re a gear head it probably won’t bother you, just think of your auto club workshop or just keep in mind the super inexpensive yet good service and know you can trust these fellas.
Communication. Being a military brat I’m not bothered by this but just know only one of them speaks English, that’s Andy. If he’s busy you’ll have to wait for him to come talk with you. If you see another mechanic who isn’t busy and you wonder why they aren’t coming to talk to you its because they can’t communicate with you… just wait for Andy.
My experiences and work done.
I’ve taken my 2004 Jeep Wrangler here a few times and they were able to take care of mostly everything. It took them awhile to figure out an electrical problem it was having but in the end it was fixed. Also electrical problems are probably the toughest issues to resolve so says my VW mechanic brother.
I also take my 2003 Corolla here. They’ve been great with it and it’s usually pretty fast service. If you want to bring your own parts for them to use they’ll work with it no fuss. They’re honest which is tough to find when looking for a mechanic. I knew this when I took my Corolla to the dealership for a safety recall: of course while I was there they also advised me to have $ 1,500 worth of maintenance done, too. I had the recommended maintenance written down and then took it here to the Top Japanese-​Auto Service. They advised me the majority of it wasn’t necessary but a few of the items should be done… total cost was only $ 400. From what I can recall it included:
— transmission flush
— drive belt change
— brake flush
— brake repair
Hope that helps. I think this place is worth it and will keep coming here.

I have had three good experiences here and one really bad one; hence the three stars. Although i was originally impressed with their prices and honesty, i ended up waiting 10 days for them to try and diagnose why my car wouldnt pass emissions. I finally took it across the street and they found the two reasons immediately.
The customer service is non-​existent: there is one man who speaks broken english and it takes forever to speak to him when you roll up. Do not expect to ever receive a call when your car is ready. If you can look past shoddy customer sevice then give them a try; I no longer can.