Brown’s Alignment & Brake Auto Repair Service

I found out I had a leak in the fuel line when I went in for my routine inspection. I took my car to Brown’s to figure out the exact location of the leak and to get a price quote on how much it might cost to have it fixed. The quote they provided me with was $ 1,058.00! They said it was $ 285 for parts and the remaining $ 773 was for labor and tax. This seemed a bit exorbitant to me, so, I called my local dealership. The dealership quoted me half the price! They said it would be $ 206 for parts and $ 310 for labor (not including tax). Both the dealership and I agreed that Brown’s clearly did not want to do the repair, so they quoted me an unfair price. And I still had to pay them $ 45 for the inspection and unfair price quote. It’s so hard to find an honest mechanic these days, and these guys are most certainly not honest mechanics!
*Addendum to original rating: I got a phone call from the manager who assured me that that is not how they like to do business. He agreed with me that the mechanic should have taken the time to find exactly where the leak was and exactly how much it would actually cost without just highballing it, charging me a «diagnostic» fee, and sending me on my way. The manager sent me a check for the $ 45 fee and a handwritten apology letter. Though skeptically, I would give Browns another try in the future, but I wouldn’t hesitate to get a second opinion… just to be sure.

When the automotive shop I used to take my ’98 Camry to closed down several years ago, I began going to Brown’s upon referral. They always do an excellent job. I never worry about caps or nuts and bolts being left off accidentally or them replacing something before it needs to be replaced. They’ll estimate the miles left on my tires and brakes and let me decide when to change them.
From oil changes to tires, from water pumps to thermostats, from brakes to «that clicking sound»… they’ve repaired it all over the years (and miles). I find their prices fair and their service exceptional. Eric and Bryan are the two I tend to speak with the most and they are both friendly and helpful. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for an honest mechanic.

I’ve taken my car here twice and I know I’ve been taken to the cleaners twice but… it was convenient to home and worked for me at the time. Friendly service but $$$$$$$$$. I took my car in for a window regulator and they told me all my window regulators needed to be replaced and wanted to charge me for all of them. I knew this was wrong and that the master connection was unplugged. I was told I was wrong but that they would look into it. I was right. Because I was the one that didn’t connect the main power back when I took the door apart. I got quoted 1400 for an ac compressor. I have shopped around and have found most shops in the 700 – 800 range. I don’t trust these guys anymore.

I had to pay to get a quote for my struts repair — and it was $ 200 more than what I finally ended up paying for it…

This is a great neighborhood auto shop. We’ve used them for 15 years and they’ve always been helpful and reliable. They handle all types of maintenance and repairs, at least everything we’ve ever needed. They also can suggest lower cost alternatives if there are any. They keep our 1995 Taurus going.
They have even come out and started our car for us when our battery died– for free. We do live just a few blocks from the shop, but still that’s still impressive.