LA Auto Repair

My second time in, this time my husbands truck. Definitely have earned my business for life. Worth the drive from Bothell for sure :) Champagne service without being overly priced!

Jim and Mike are the friendliest and most honest mechanics around! After another mechanic broke my car by doing an «engine flush» Jim and Mike found me a brand new engine for next to nothing and referred me to someone who could install it as well. And now every time I see them they top off my oil and won’t let me pay them for it!!! They are definitely the most honest mechanics in Seattle if not the whole world and will never tell you they can fix something if they can’t. They are consistently excellent, friendly, fast and affordable. After my experiences with getting ripped off by other mechanics and being sold work I didn’t need done, I am so happy to find an auto shop I can really trust. I will never go to anyone else as long as I have a domestic or Japanese car!

In the past these guys did good honest work. But recently they seem to be willing to do much less, and charge much more. In fact the past 4 times I have I have needed work done they have referred me elsewhere, for relatively straight-​forward items: brake job and carriage bolts replacement on my 1997 car (ended up doing these things myself, pretty easy), stearing box and single freeze plug replacement on my pickup. And they reluctantly quoted a fortune for fixing the timing belt and transaxle on my mom’s Camry, though she was a long-​time customer as well. Not sure, but guess that they simply want to cherry-​pick the work they do these days. Good for them maybe, but very poor customer service or loyalty. I no longer go to them for anything.

Found them on Unilocal and was happy to support a Ballard auto repair shop… owning a 1994 pickup truck means that I have my fair share of wear-​and-​tear repairs, and LA has generally done a really good job with routine maintenance and a few more extensive repairs of things finally wearing out and needing to be replaced.
I’m sorry to say that they recently botched something though – I had been experiencing a coolant leak and so I took the old heap in for them to look at. They replaced a clamp, and that was all, so I was pretty happy, but a short time later the trouble started again… the leak was back and steadily worsened. I called them to make an appointment but they didn’t return my call after a few days, so I tried another shop that found that the replaced clamp had slipped off and was only the tip of the overheating iceberg – there were leaks in a hose as well as the wall of the radiator, which was well along the way to croaking.
That said, LA has mostly been really good and they are friendly straight-​shooters who charge very reasonable rates and turn repairs around quickly. But nobody’s perfect.

I’ve been going to LA Auto for over 10 years, and I’ve never had a bad experience. These guys are honest, reasonable and efficient. I tell all my friends to go here, and so far they all agree that LA Auto is top notch.

These guys are the best. I first went to them on a friend’s recommendation. My 2002 KIA Optima needed a new alternator. My old garage said it would be about 550 and Windermere Auto said about 750. Went to LA auto and Mike did the job for around $ 450.
The other day my drivers side wind shield was broken. Windermere Auto wanted over $ 100 just to diagnose the problem and then $ 75 per hour to fix it. I called Mike and he said bring it in at 8 AM and he would take a look and maybe fix it in 5 minutes. As promised at 8 AM he was there, he popped on the hood, tightened a bolt and I was on my way in 5 minutes and early to work instead of late.
Shops like this barely exist anymore. The 2 mechanics who work here are not only some of the sweetest guys you’ll ever meet, but also the most honest mechanics. They rock!

I have been going here for about 8 years now for both of my vehicles… and they have ALWAYS done a suberb job at a very reasonable price. The shop consists of 2 gentleman that are also very nice to deal with and are as honest as can be. I 100 percent recommend LA Auto Repair in Ballard. You can’t go wrong!

I discovered these guys through Unilocal and after two visits I have to say that they’ve lived up to the five-​star rating.
My first issue was my front brake pads starting to squeal. They identified the issue and replaced the parts within a day. The price was reasonable and I’ve had no problems since.
My second issue was a broken brake light switch. They sorted out the problem in half a day and gave me a very reasonable price on labor.
Both of the owners are extremely friendly and nice to deal with. The combo of affordable repairs and friendly service is a rare one in auto repair. I’ll keep coming back (hopefully not too often, though).

I have been going to LA Auto Repair for about 12 years now. I would not take my car anywhere else. Mike is the nicest guy, trustworthy, honest and an expert mechanic.
I, too, have had an experience years ago when I wanted him to check several things about my car. I had a list of things !! So he called and said that everything was checked over thoroughly and none of those things needed to be done on my car. Bill: $ 0.
And If I have ever needed maintenance/​repairs, the work is exceptional.
I highly recommend LA Auto Repair. Just talk to Mike and he will always take care of you.

These guys are honest, affordable and hard working. They have always been amazing for me. A girlfriend of mine went there after the dealership told her her car needed $ 900.00 worth of repairs. They fixed her problem for $ 75.00 and two years later she’s had no more issues.

I came here for two reasons: it’s close to home and they have excellent reviews here on Unilocal.I was not disappointed.
I had a very simple problem: the check-​engine light was on. I had to leave the car overnight as they were busy and I didn’t get there until later in the afternoon. They said they’d check it out in the morning and give me a call.
They called right on time later the next day, said they found nothing wrong, the light was off and that I could come pick up my car. When I got there, they refused payment. Owner said it was only a matter of running a couple quick tests and no payment was necessary.
I am pleased that they owner was A) so honest (he could have told me anything was wrong) and B) so generous in not charging me. I’m definitely coming back here.
Thanks for the great service!

I’ve been taking my car to Mike since I moved here five years ago. He’s a great mechanic and extremely honest! He’s reasonably priced as well. What more could you ask for?! I highly recommend LA Auto!

Mike and Jim at LA Auto have been taking care of my cars since they got started in the early 80’s, both guys are experienced, confident and organized — don’t let the super-​relaxed informality of the shop fool you! They do the best work for the lowest price, always have, always will. Their integrity is only exceeded by their courtesy. I encourage you to give them a try.

I have been taking my Japanese beaters here for over 10 years and would give them 10 stars if i could. they are competent, reasonably priced and — most important in a mechanic — exceptionally honest.
i would sometimes drop the car off for a full tuneup and receive a bill for $ 20 with an explanation that they checked the plugs, wires and timing, and all it really needed was an oil change. Other time when i brought it in for something minor, Mike, a classic Lake Wobegon/​Ballard flat-​affect Scandinavian character, crawled underneath, tightened something up, didn’t charge me anything at all and refused the $ 10 i offered him for his trouble.
I’m sure they competently deal with newer cars as well, but they seem to focus on keeping older cars running with an absolute minimum of inputs. only downside — they don’t do major electrical or transmission work, so even though they will not charge you to diagnose such a problem, if you towed it there you will have to tow again somewhere else.
NOTE: they work on AMERICAN and JAPANESE vehicles ONLY.

LA Auto Repair is the best shop around! Mike and Jim are such amazing mechanics. They are always timely, honest, fair and reliable. I would never go anywhere else.
Mike always goes above and beyond what is needed. Check this shop out if you are in need of a mechanic. You will not be disappointed!!!

Just got my car back from LA Auto Repair. It’s a novel idea: I press the brake pedal, and the car slows down!
Mike D is the king of all mechanics. A true scholar of the automobile. My wife and I have been taking our cars to Mike since we moved to Seattle.
He’s an excellent troubleshooter, and can take our verbal description of what’s wrong with the car, ask a few clarifying questions, and know what’s up. Every time he’s been patient, explained things in-​depth but in terms we could understand. Every time I feel like he’s gone above and beyond.
The folks at LA Auto Repair are honest, nice, experts, and reasonably priced. Save yourself a headache and talk with Mike D.