Ormsby Auto

I’ve only gotten a state inspection done here, but I still feel they deserve a top rating. Will had jokes from the second I walked in. He was funny and inviting. Nate was friendly and very helpful when he had to tell me my tires failed inspection. He quoted me a very fair price for them to replace them, but also said since tires weren’t really their «thing» I’d probably get a better deal at a tire shop. I appreciated the honesty. I plan to make them my go-​to spot for my inspections and other work I may need on my car.

I brought my car here for a Maryland State Inspection one day after I had it serviced at the dealer for a 75,000 inspection. Ormsby Auto failed me for an item that was marked as within specs by the dealer and proceeded to me it was an unsafe condition. I called the dealer and they assured me that the parts did not need to be replaced.

Totally Awesome! Will is the BEST! He greeted us in such a friendly way, we felt good about it from the beginning. My son took his first car in for a state inspection. He had purchased it used and we were stunned to learn what was needed for it to pass. Will saw how shocked we were and immediately began to calm us down in any way he could and tweaking the price as best he could. In the end, the job was done quickly, efficiently and with no hassle at all. We’ve found where we will be taking our cars from now on! Thanks, Will! Merci beaucoup!

I came to Ormsby Auto for a Maryland State Safety Inspection for my 2014 Subaru. My experience was great. Nathan was extremely friendly and efficient and finished within an hour. No hassle, no fuss, no attempt to bamboozle. I would definitely come again for my auto needs.

I can’t speak highly enough of this place. I just moved to the area and had to find a place to get my car a Maryland inspection. Wil was FANTASTIC! I could not have asked for a more pleasant car experience. He was engaging and personable and my car was ready over 30 minutes before the quoted time. The price was very reasonable and if my car has any future needs I will DEFINITELY be taking it to Ormsby! I highly recommend this establishment to anyone that has to get their car worked on.

Very friendly staff and prompt courteous, reasonably priced service. Had two Maryland inspections done. I will definitely return to have my cars serviced should the need arise. A first class, locally owned and operated small business.

My car needed to get an inspection and they were quick to fit me into their schedule and dropped me off at my apt since it was right around the corner. Later on when I came back because I had a separate issue, they remembered me, which was nice. They thought that the issue might just be a simple switch issue and took the time to figure it out and didn’t charge anything for it. Super friendly service!

Got a quote from Nate to have exhaust installed. Showed up at the appointment time, paid exactly what was quoted and was on my way! Seems like a genuine place that wont over sell you on crap you dont need. All the customers left happy even if it was alot of work. The waiting room was nice too :) Great service, friendly ppl, will come back for future car work.

This was my second time taking my 2011 Audi A4 to Ormbsy and I called ahead and spoke with Nate who told me that they could see me that day for a brake light replacement. My first visit was a 30k check. On my second visit I was delighted to be reacquainted with Wil. As a woman who knows very little about cars, it was really nice to have the guys walk me through what was needed without making me feel like a complete nitwit and also feel like I got a great and fair deal. As an added bonus, Ormsby has free wifi making it easy to work while you wait for your service. I would highly recommend Ormsby to anyone in search of fair mechanics.

If you have a car, this is the place to take it.
I bought my first car, of course used, and was promised by the seller that it is in great condition. I took it in for inspection and it failed. Thankfully, the friendly and masterful team at Ormsby Auto was looking out for me. They quickly got to the bottom of all the problems I was having, and effectively fixed everything. I was a little cautious at first, because I had bad run ins with mechanics in the past. However, Will, Nathan, and Frank changed my perspective in a Jiffy. Pun intended. They were friendly, understanding, and most importantly truthful.
I am now a loyal customer and would recommend anyone who has car issues to go to Ormsby. By far a 5 star place. Thanks to them, inspection passed and I am loving my car.

Great service and friendly people. You can leave your keys in the box from the night before and they will start working on your car the next day.
It’s also walking distance from the Shady Grove Metro so it’s convenient if you need to drop off your car and go to work.

Three words: professional, welcoming and helpful.
A recent move to the wonderfully expensive state of Maryland warranted a state inspection and trip to the MVA for registration. I scheduled an appointment and brought my car in for an oil change and inspection. Upon arrival, Frank warmly welcomed me and did a fantastic job of giving me a realistic time frame while assuring me that he was going to try his best to get the repairs done within a few hours to get to the MVA for the registration.
Upon doing the inspection, Frank called me and let me know I needed to get the brake pads replaced and new wipers. I was skeptical at first of the fees, so called a few other auto shops in the area for quotes. I was very pleased that Ormsby’s was the best deal (including parts and labor).
The repair ended up taking longer than expected, since parts were delivered later than expected, but Frank and Will were both so helpful and informative throughout every step of the way. Frank did a fantastic job breaking down the costs involved and Will helped out with some of the repair cost since I ended up being in the shop longer than expected.
Both Frank and Will were excellent, and definitely the reason why I will be back here whenever I have any other auto issues. They are incredibly kind and also just fantastically interesting people to talk with. During my few hours in the shop, I didn’t see a single customer that wasn’t warmly welcomed and taken care of.
Top-​notch stop with awesome staff. Keep up the great work!

We had called three days prior and put ourselves ‘in the books’, called again 15 minutes prior to our arrival to confirm they had availability for an assessment and was told to come on over. Fifteen minutes later we arrive at the shop and were told there was too long of a queue and couldn’t work on the car. Terrible customer service. Maybe get your books in order before you tell a customer to make the trip.

I brought my car in here for an oil change and a look at my brakes. Oil change was fine. They changed the air filters as well which I desperately needed. It was done rather quick in 45 minutes or so. Then come the brakes. The guy brought me in the back to try and show me what I needed to do instead of just explaining it… gave me a little diagram and everything. Honestly, I didn’t really care for that all that much. I bring my car to the shop to get the work I need done. I don’t really care how brakes work or don’t understand the difference between a disc, drum, rotor, or pad. So– he tried to «educate» me a bit by showing off his knowledge. Not very pleased and I felt like I was his student.
Anyways, what he said I needed were new front and rear brakes, new tires, new struts, alignment. Gave me a quote for $ 1700 without the tires and alignment… So all said and done-​$ 2200 or so.
Didn’t like them or trust this guy so I went for a second opinion. Second opinion said new front brakes, rear were fine but needed adjusting, struts were fine, needed tires and alignment. So got the work done there-​$ 650 with the brakes and alignment but still need tires. So will be $ 1000 when all said and done.
Basically this place tried to sell me stuff I didn’t need… and they tried to push it on me HARD. Making snide comments like «you want your car to be able to stop, right». Didn’t enjoy the sarcasm and pressure to buy so I said I would think about it and left… he didn’t even want me to leave.
Maybe they are hurting for business? Maybe I had a big «sucker» target on me? I do look a little young so maybe they were trying to take advantage of me and my ignorance of cars.
I don’t recommend going there. Two other shops disagreed with their recommendations as unnecessary services. They changed the oil and air filters fine but any mechanic can do that ., it’s a car., they aren’t splitting an atom here exactly. I’m sure the mechanical work is good but the guy in the front was rude, sarcastic, condescending, pushy, trying to be a teacher, slow, and very unprofessional. On top of that, the waiting area is small and freezing.
I really wanted to like this place. I’ve been looking for a good mechanic because I’m sick of getting ripped off at the dealership. The search continues… Not recommended and will not be returning.

I recently relocated to Bethesda and began the arduous task of getting my vehicle registered in MD. Part of the registration process includes a passing safety inspection. Being new to the area, I could only rely on Unilocal reviews and decided to go with this place.
Not only is the safety inspection cheaper than other places ($ 60 vs. $ 70-​$ 75), but the staff here is great. They’re extremely detail-​oriented and will help you out any way they can. I failed the inspection but quickly got the issues remedied and came back for re-​inspection the next day. They were able to accommodate me and I walked out with an inspection certificate in under 45 mins.
If I ever have any issues with my car, I am definitely going to these guys!

I went to Ormsby because a friend highly recommended the place. She told me she had been going there for years and that the staff was friendly and knowledgeable.
I had recently purchased a used 2009 Camry and I wanted to make sure (again) that everything was running smoothly. I left my car there and they kindly drove me to the metro station. Later that day, I received a phone call and was told that my car definitely needed work, the sooner the better. Nate informed me that I had an engine leak and that it had ruined all four spark plugs and coils. Not to worry, though, they could fix it immediately for a little over $ 800 (slightly discounted from the $ 900 I was originally quoted). I asked them to hold off because I wanted a second opinion.
I ended up taking my car to three (THREE) other mechanics and they all told me there was nothing wrong with my car. One even checked the car with me standing right there and showed me my perfectly clean and functional engine, spark plugs and coils. All three told me that Ormsby had blatantly lied.
In short, don’t let their nice image fool you. Take your car somewhere else and save your money.

Since we moved to the DC area 6 years ago, we’ve trusted Ormsby with our car repairs. It is a relationship worth maintaining. Their work is outstanding, service is friendly, and they are always honest and up front. Our 2003 van w/​68k miles had its engine and TCS lights come on this past weekend. AAA towed it from NW DC up to their garage because we’d much rather have them work on it than a place around here. It paid off. They were already familiar with our van and the service they’d completed in the past. Bargain basement price, van fixed, happy customers.

So far so good.
I made an appointment and brought my 2009 car here for the MD inspection. The process was fast and they gave me an estimated time when it’d be done (1.5 hours). When I came back, the car was inspected, I paid the flat fee, and was in/​out very quickly. Great group of guys behind the counter.
The only blemish was the paper place mat they put inside my car (to protect shoes from dirtying the carpet). I appreciate the gesture, but it was torn to pieces when I picked up my car, and I had to spend some time to pick up dirty paper pieces underneath the driver seat and around the center console.

We have had two cars serviced here over the last three years, and when our daughter gets her first car, you bet we’re sending her to Ormsby.
From the time we begin working with them back in 2011, all staff and service-​people have been honest, knowledgable and willing to make sure that we were happy with what we’d received. As a young couple with a child, safety is our top priority when it comes to our vehicle, and Ormsby Auto has always made sure that we are able to keep that value alive.
What stuck out to me, was the fact that we brought our brand new Honda 2013 Accord in because EVERY SINGLE LIGHT came on. The car was only 8 months old… and when we brought it in, they insisted that we take it to the dealership instead; they didn’t want to charge us money we didn’t have to pay. I think this is a rare trait in auto shops, and I’m so glad we found them.
Will the repairs always be cheap? No. Will you hear what you want to hear every time? Probably not. But know that Ormsby has integrity with all of their staff, and they are ALWAYS on time. Our oil changes are super quick, they offer you coffee and tea, a nice place to sit, free wi-​fi, and even advice about ANYTHING car related. It’s a wonderful place, and we’ll continue to go there as long as we have cars. :)
We are a military family and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place for service members, veterans and anyone else affiliated with the Armed Forces looking for a good mechanic in the DC area! Great discounts, and equally good service!
Thank you, Wil and Nate! You guys are the best!

Don’t let the smiles and charm fool you. I recently took my car here for a state inspection as they had good Unilocal reviews. Big mistake. After a few hours with the car, they gave me a call telling me that my car failed due to a number of reasons and needed new rotors, tie rods, and a number of others items to the tune of several hundred dollars. I almost took the bait but my husband was skeptical so we took it to a local dealership (of all places!) for a second opinion. The dealer completed the safety inspection and passed the car — noted that the rotors did not need immediate attention and when the time came we could have them resurfaced.
Big lesson learned here — ALWAYS get a second opinion. Just because people are «friendly» and willing to give you a ride to the metro does not mean they are honest. This place turned out to be just another sleazy car shop looking to fleece their customers.
My search continues for that one mechanic that I truly trust and rely on.