TL Tillett’s Automotive

Another 5 Star Service!!! Thank you, Tillets Automotive, especially Wesley!!! You did it again!!!
They go the extra mile for you to find a solution… and then on top of that they threw in a freebie… an unexpected happy surprise!!! Outstanding company !!!

I have been going to Tom for car issues for over 15 years now, starting with my first car at the age of 17. I had discovered him through a friend who told me that I could trust that he wouldn’t take advantage of me as a 17 year old girl and after my first fuel tank issue I knew that my friend was correct. So for all these years I have gone to him and have always felt comfortable with the work recommended and all work has been quality work.
Now his daughter manages the business and she’s a delight. I love that I’m supporting a family business and on some days you will see three generations of the family there (the daughter now has a daughter who has just starting running all over the place, she’s 1).

If you own a Subaru in North Bay, bring it to Tillett’s automotive for any repair or maintenance you need. Their work is second to none, their pricing is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive (something you want in auto repair), and they are beyond personable and honest. I would trust them with any make or model of car really. I’ve moved away from Santa Rosa and sadly have not found a mechanic as good as this shop. I’ve owned two different Imprezas and I would only let them work on my cars before I moved hundreds of miles away.
I actually got to be pretty good friends with Tom, Joanne, and Andrea when I lived in Santa Rosa (through being a customer at first) and I am a bit of «a car guy» so I would drop by the shop sometimes to shoot the breeze. I used to be responsible for managing a fleet of 200+ cars in the past so I have interacted with many many shops. I’ve always seen second to none work being done. The family that owns this shop is really passionate about cars and it shows… they’re just good people.
PS…where did Jon go??? Guys, I’m in the San Jose area and I’m halfway through becoming an RRT.

I am sorry I have to break the long line of 5-​star-​ratings for this shop. We, too, had heard a lot of good things about it.
When our 2009 Subaru Outback broke down unexpectedly in the Sierras, we therefore had it trucked to no other shop than this. Thanks, AAA. The shop’s estimate for a new head gasket etc., $ 4.5k for a car with only 50k miles on it was bad enough.
But we also indicated that we might end up having to sell it because of this extensive repair. We shouldn’t have mentioned that.
Without as much as giving us a call beforehand, our car was test-​driven by potential buyers after it had (again without our knowledge) been displayed at another dealership while we were under the impression it was still being fixed. When we finally picked our car up from Tillets, I noticed that my K&N air filter had been replaced by a cheap paper version and that our car’s battery had been replaced by a «new» one. Both my K&N filter and my battery had been installed just a little over six months prior. We complained, they took the cost for their battery off the invoice and returned our K&N air filter to us after a few days, along with some «expert» explanation why these aren’t good anyway. Yeah, right. No apologies, nothing.
No, thanks.
I wonder how much of the $ 4k repair was actually necessary.
We will not be back and cannot recommend this shop.

I’ve bought two Subarus from TL Tillets and the cars that they sell are in amazing condition. I have taken my car there for 90% of the services and for the most part been impartial on the quality of the work that was done.
This month my car stopped working all together, wouldn’t even start. I debated about whether or not to take it back to TL Tillets this time around, but decided to go back to them, being that they are Subaru specialists and knew my car. After they looked at my car they told me it would be $ 1800 to fix it, unfortunately I did not have that money to keep putting into my car. This is where TL Tillets finally regained my faith in them. Tom the owner, and Jason at the front desk, went above and beyond. Tom worked with me to find a solution for fixing my car at an affordable cost. TL Tillets won in my book this time around for customer service. Next time, there will be no hesitation on who I have service my car.

Whoa whoa whoa how have I not Unilocaled about these amazing people yet? Jason is the homie. He really did an excellent job of communicating every step in the repair process of my Subaru Impreza. They helped me out with a loaner car too. I will continue to service my subaru here because I trust these guys to do it right and for a fair price.

It doesn’t matter what the problem is, if you bring it here Wesley will get you squared away!
They have bent over backwards and more for me!
Not only would I recommend this place to anyone, I would sport them on my car if I could!
There service is outstanding. And they listen to what you have to say! Everyone that works there is nice and down to earth.
Every time I’ve needed something I’ve brought my car into them and they have helped me, both my Subarus actually!
There prices are fair and they don’t lie or manipulate (like hansel).

This review is long past due. These guys bent over backwards for me when my 2014 Subaru Impreza, was hit by a motorist on the drivers side and had my mirror blown apart. I didn’t want to buy an entirely new mirror because some pieces were still functional. They checked every used parts place to see if they could get me a discount on the parts. My car is so new that no one had them, so they promised me that they would beat their competitors rates when installing the new parts, and they did just that. They saved me quite a bit of money compared to the other quote that I had received. They worked with my schedule and even offered me a loaner vehicle for the day, while the repairs were being made. They followed through with what they said and in the end my car was fixed and I saved a good amount of money. I will most certainly be going back to these guy if I ever need a repair made to my car again.

If you want honest good people to take care of your car, then come here. I brought in my car due to something I thought was more serious but turns out it wasn’t anything like a wheel bearing. They let me know what was wrong and took care of it without taking advantage. I even received a loaner car which was great because it’s difficult to take off of work. I worked with Wes and he was superb. They have me as a customer for life.

I was moving north with family in tow when the check engine light started flashing. I happened to be near Santa Rosa, saw the reviews on Unilocal so we headed here. They squeezed us into a busy schedule to diagnose and fix and send us on our way quick and efficiently. Chris there was super helpful, very clear, and very quick. If I were in the area, this is the only shop I’d take my car to.

Bought my Subaru Forrester from them years ago and it still runs like a clock. Ive had nothing done to it besides routine maintenance which had also been done here. I wouldn’t even think about taking my car any where else.

Tillett’s is the bomb! We bought a used Subaru Forester and drove it for a while before discovering a leaky head gasket. Turns out this was a major issue for pretty much every engine Subaru built for a decade or so! Knowing it would be an expensive fix that needed to be done right, we were happy to find Tillett’s right here on Unilocal.Wes took excellent care of us! They kept the car for a week and loaned us an identical Forester to take home up north, free of charge! They resurfaced the heads and replaced the gaskets. They also put in a brand new radiator, as the plastic and aluminum start to wear out around 150k miles (they had signs up explaining this). They replaced all the hoses, the water pump and timing belt, plus the radiator, and only charged for parts! The labor on the radiator alone would have been significant, and that’s in a separate part of the engine, so they were definitely being very budget friendly! And on top of all that, they discounted 10% off both labor and parts because we were first time customers! They don’t advertise so it’s all word of mouth for these guys, and they are absolute Pros! They work on other stuff besides Subies too, so tell a friend, if you or someone you know needs auto work done right, TL Tillett’s is the place to go :)

What an awesome shop! Their customer service is amazing.
They even offer a free loaner car while your Subaru is being worked on. Luckily for me I was in and out in under 10 minutes .My headlight was installed incorrectly, by my boyfriend, and I was in town just visiting my Mom on our way to San Jose. I knew we’d be driving at night and it was a serious safety concern. They thought so too.
Great place, if I lived locally I’d use them exclusively for my Subaru maintenance.
Job well done.

I can’t say enough good about Tillett’s. They repaired my engine after the timing belt snapped (ugh) and not only did they do it quickly and thoroughly, Tom held to his original estimate even though it turned out to be more work than he’d anticipated. Since then I’ve gone back for minor issues and inspections when I’m in the area, and I have to beg and plead to get them to charge me for any of it. It makes me want to make up a major problem just so I can pay them for something! They’re scrupulous and thorough and helpful — everything you could want in a mechanic.

I took my 2012 Forester for 50K Service to an auto shop in Sebastopol. They wanted to charge me $ 1700 for an oil leak in the engine, so I brought it to Tillett’s for a 2^nd opinion.
Tom looked at the car as did his top technician, and told me everything is perfectly fine and that repair would be unnecessary. They didn’t charge me for the service. I’ll be bringing my car to Tillett’s for maintenance and repairs from now on.

I have been taking my 95 Subaru in for 6 mo now and couldn’t be happier. Their service, speed and customer relations is impeccable. They not only got parts in I needed but in an incredibly speedy fashion so that I could get on with my day, they also provide loaner cars for free and was amazed at the cleanliness of that rental! I will only be taking my car in to them from now on! I love tillets!

Wish I could give higher than five stars! I could not have asked for a better shop during the extremely stressful experience that was my car breaking down. They have free loaner cars, which is a lifesaver. They also worked with me to keep the repairs within my budget (which was significantly lower than the initial estimate) and were able to whittle it down to what I really needed. I feel confident that my car will be In good shape for a while now (and they stand behind their work). Highly recommended!

One of the best car places that iv been too.
They are so friendly and customer orientated. I will recommend this place to every one I know.

We have spent several thousand dollars at Tillets over the years. I think we did the math and figured we’d spent somewhere around $ 6k or so over the last nearly 6 years. Not a small amount of money, to be certain. Considering this, I can say with confidence that it has been worth every single penny.
Tom Tillet and his family are very good at what they do. Tom is an unparalleled Subaru expert and knows them backwards and forwards. Our car has over 225k miles on it and, thanks to Tom, it still runs really well (knocking on wood here.)
When the very sad day comes that we need to let our ‘olé Outback go, I hope we can buy another used one from Tom and trust him to again take care of it for us well into the car’s golden years.

It is really tough to find a really good auto mechanic. And what I mean by good is a mechanic that does quality work at an affordable rate while caring about his/​her customers.
This place goes above and beyond to do just that. They don’t beat around the bush, try to upsell you, or waste your time. I’ve used them a number of times to fix inevitable fiascos with a 1994 Subaru. I can’t believe I’m saying this – but I think they’re actually interested in helping the customer SAVE money!
They have great *free* loaner cars to zip around in while my car is getting fixed (which usually takes less than a day), have complimentary *real* coffee, cable TV, and comfy seating available to sit on if you prefer to wait.
If you have a Subaru, take it here. There isn’t a better place in the Bay Area.