Walt’s Auto Care Center

I used to trust the Walt’s location on Aurora. I was sent there by a friend. They did several repairs for me in the past. However, on a recent visit I noticed a change in management. I brought my truck in to diagnose and repair a stalling problem I was experiencing. From shopping around Walt’s was a bit more expensive than other mechanics, but I felt they had the confidence and diagnostic equipment, that they could diagnose and repair, getting me back on the road quickly. I had used them in the past, and I felt a sense of trust. They diagnosed the stalling problem as a failed fuel pump. Any large vehicle repairs are always hard, as I am a working class gal, and I rely on my vehicle to help me make money. I paid the $ 580 to replace the fuel pump, and they told me to pick up my truck. They drove it around the block, and told me it purred like a kitten. 3 miles later, it stalled out just like it had when I brought it to them. I called them the next day, and they said they would make it right. The next call I received, Joe who is apparently the new manager said that it actually was the timing chain, and they would need another $ 580 to get my truck running. I told them I wished they would have initially diagnosed both problems that were occurring. With that informed decision, I would not have chosen to replace the fuel pump. When I expressed calmly that I thought they did me wrong, Joe told me to get the hell out. I used to recommend this business confidently to my friends, but unfortunately can no longer do so.

I am so happy I brought my car here to be fixed. These guys do more than radiators and mufflers. Thanks so much to Joe for helping me and getting to the bottom of what was wrong with my car. Even though it’s an older higher mileage car they nailed down what was wrong to get it going. I can’t say enough how very grateful I am to them (and especially to Joe) for helping me.

Excellent service and extremely competitive rates. I moved to Seattle recently and could not seem to find a quality/​affordable location for car maintenance. The employees at this location are both pleasant and professional. Their rates are the best in Seattle and I have had no problems getting appointments.
I highly recommend their services.

I called 20 minutes before arriving for an oil change. When I call I asked if there was availability in 20 minutes. The response was «yup.» He quickly tried to hang up and I clarified the availability and that I was on my way from Downtown. «Yup» was another response. After driving in traffic and making it within when I said I’d be there… I was acknowledged, only after the man that walked in behind me… I was told it took 30 – 45 minutes and I had someone before me. I had called the Walts in Ballard and they were at least honest that they were busy. I wouldn’t be so irritated by this if the man at the front wasn’t so lackadaisical about the whole thing. Never again.

Used to be a great shop, when the guy in the pic was the manager. Now all different staff, sloppy work, rude mechanics, high prices, will not return.

Took my car in for mufflers, they mounted them way too low, causing me to tear them up within two weeks. Normal driving, hit a bump that I’ve driven over hundreds of times before they worked on the car. They refused to stand behind the problem and charged me for a new exhaust.
New exhaust has leaks and makes my car sound like a sherman tank. Will never go back to Walt’s and will dissuade anyone I hear of thinking about taking a car there.

This is my 2^nd review of Walt’s. My previous experiences with Walt’s were excellent and I will go back but I want to add a note of caution.
I received an email saying that my 30K mile tune-​up was due soon. I called and got a quote. I was surprised at the cost so I called the Honda dealership to do some comparison shopping. What I learned was shocking.
My Honda has a «minder» that tells me when to do service so I don’t need to have a general tuneup at a specific mileage point. The 30K mileage tune-​up that Walt’s recommended wasn’t needed.
Walt’s recommended a $ 400+ service that wasn’t needed. I won’t trust their recommendations from now on.
Oil changes=Yes. Other stuff… probably no.

I went to get an oil change using a coupon and the gentlemen working told me my honda needed special oil and it would cost $ 48 for the oil change! I told them I could go to jiffy lube for $ 30 without a coupon. Then they fed me a bunch of lies about the temperature here in the northwest and that’s why I needed higher quality oil. I believe that they saw my out of state license and the fact that I was a girl and decided to take advantage. Instead of arguing with them I decided to leave which is why I cannot comment on quality of work but instead on their customer service.

*Beware of theft*
About a week after our repairs were complete at Walt’s our vehicle started regularly dying. We’d jump the car, drive it a couple of days and it would die again. After a couple of months of dealing with an unreliable car, we took the battery to O-Reiley’s to replace it as we’d purchased a brand new battery there last summer. Unbeknownst to us, the new battery under warranty had been replaced with a Costco battery from 2009. We contacted Walt’s on multiple occasions about the battery as the battery in our Volvo is located in the trunk and difficult to change therefore the only explanation would be the repairs at Walt’s. They stated they would look into our concerns and after weeks of following up and over a month of waiting they are clearly not going to compensate us for the stolen battery. This is unacceptable and clearly theft. We will never use this facility or business again and will be reporting the theft to the BBB. I would highly recommend taking your business elsewhere.

I called Walt’s in the morning to come in the same day for an oil change, as well as have a weird brake noise checked out.
When I arrived, I found out that Meineke recently bought out the place, but the manager was kind enough to honor my $ 20 oil change coupon! I only had to wait for about half an hour, and when the guy came back, he explained to me on what was going on with my brakes. He even took the time to show me the parts that were being affected on my car! I really appreciate the time and effort he took to explain to me on what was going on with my car rather than just telling me what I needed to get fixed. It turned out that I also needed a new battery, oil gasket, and the fluids flushed. The guy even called to get a quote on how much my repairs would cost. Excellent customer service!
I am really excited about their new management. It sounded like the manager is planning on revamping the place and possibly install Wifi. If you need your oil changed or other car problems checked out, this place deserves your business.

I took in my car a couple of weeks ago for an oil change. The staff was nice and friendly and got me in and out in under an hour. I noticed that my car smelled as soon and I got in it and when i started the car it was louder than normal. I thought, maybe some oil leaked somewhere and maybe it needed to burn off and that is why all that is happening. So I didn’t freak out so much. This last Saturday, I took my car to the dealership. The mechanic that worked on my car at Walts didn’t put the oil cap back on. So there was oil ALL over my engine which would explain why it STILL smelled after 2 weeks. I didn’t lose oil to a critical level yet but the dealership advised me that I would have soon. The dealership fixed me up and now my car doesn’t smell and its not loud when I turn my car on.
Be careful and make sure you check everything if you go here. This place will not be getting my business again because of this.

Called Walt’s in the morning and got a same-​day appointment for an oil change and to get a strange noise checked out. There was only one car ahead of me when I arrived and the folks working there were very polite and made me feel comfortable while I hung out in their waiting area. They found two large rocks embedded in my tires while doing my oil change & inspection. After they removed the rocks, they drove the car around the block to make sure that solved the issue of the strange noise I was hearing, and sure enough – it did! They had a special on the oil change service and didn’t charge me for anything else, so grand total was a great price and their service was excellent. They noted issues they found that they suggested I fix or have replaced in the near future but weren’t pushy about it at all. I’d recommend this spot to anyone who wants a good deal on an oil change and fast & friendly service!

The back brakes on my Accord gave out and I was pretty sure I needed a complete overhaul. I had had a good experience at Walt’s in the past, but I opted to take the car in to somewhere closer to my house, as I was wary of driving it with the brakes in such bad condition. They said it would cost close to $ 900 and I quickly drove it down to Walt’s. Scott and Chris were very nice and did the entire job for just over $ 400 and finished it by the end of the day after I brought it in around 2:30. I’ve had no problems since and will bring my car into Walt’s for any future issues. They are genuine guys who aren’t trying to screw anyone over and just want to do good, honest work.

Okay this is easily the best place to get an oil change in Seattle. Go to Valpak and print the coupon and you’re good to go. They will not try to sell you extra unneeded services or junk like a Jiffy Lube etc. Truthfully oil changes are just filler work for these places, they don’t make a lot of money off them obviously. It’s all about building a good rep and getting repeat customers.
$ 19.99 + tax (coupon) and you get oil and filter change, brake inspection and tire rotation if needed and that’s it! Scott the manager is very knowledgeable and friendly and will take care of you.
I used to live near Green Lake so that’s I discovered this place. Now I don’t mind driving out of my way to go here. If you’re looking for an affordable and honest oil change this is your spot :)

I’ve been putting off getting the muffler in my car fixed because a). You can’t shop around for prices without taking your car into a shop and getting a diagnostic test run which I just didn’t have time for due to conflicting work schedules b). I wasn’t ready to drop $ 250 on where I originally got my oil changed.
However, not wanting to die from carbon monoxide poisoning finally pushed me towards picking Walts on aurora since I’ve heard good things. I didn’t do any shopping around so I’m not sure if it was the best deal, but I was happy with the price (He charged me $ 190) and he was able to get everything done within an hour! The only backside if that if you show up on a random day and they happen to be very busy, you’ll have to wait a while to even tell them what youre there for. But no biggie, if you have time to kill, get a cup of joe from the barista babes next door.

Had my oil changed here.
They were transparent about pricing and expedient in their services.
I have no complaints.

My ’93 Subaru decided to smoke, shudder and shut down. Several times, in fact, by the time I finally got it into Walt’s.
There were a few fixes that needed to be made, but Walt’s didn’t have one of the parts needed on hand and neither did anyone else in the Seattle area. My mechanic asked if I wanted him to try calling junk yards, noting that I’d save quite a bit. I was ecstatic to be offered that option! The car was fixed on the same day that the part arrived. The final price was $ 70 less than the quote, which was for the used part and labor.
Three weeks later, though, it started up again — and started dying. I was devastated because I had to move that weekend. I called Walt’s, explained my time-​sensitive situation, and they told me to bring the car in as soon as I could — they’d make it a priority to get my car working for my move. They totally kept their word, too.
It turned out that the new temperature gauge was faulty. They popped it out, put in a new one and sent me on my merry way that day — this time, for free. No labor costs or anything. I’ll definitely be back!

I am a young-​looking petite female who admittedly does not know much about cars. Because of this, I never look forward to getting the most valuable thing I own taken care of, even for an oil change.
I’ve gone to Walt’s 3 times now, and they always make me feel secure. When I went in today for an oil change, the manager pulled me in and showed me a piece that had broken off on the underside of my car. He made sure I could see for myself that it was broken. He ended up being able to get the part the same day and let me see the difference between the old and new parts without my having to ask. While I don’t know that much about car parts, I appreciate his taking the initiative to show me that it was necessary to replace the part and that he wasn’t taking advantage of me. (I’ve had friends suggest that some places will say they’re replacing a part and then not do anything to it.)
Overall the service was fast, friendly, and affordable. Yay Walt’s!

I swung in here today after a fellow motorcyclist pulled up and told me my license plate was dangling precariously by only one screw (which, in fact, was a wood screw. I plead girl.)
I was hoping to buy a handful of screws off this place, and assumed they’d have the variety I needed (get your mind out of the gutter). It turns out they didn’t have the right kind, but the man who helped me out made pleasant conversation with me as he amiably fastened my plate on with cable ties, even snipping the ends so it looked as neat as possible. He wouldn’t accept payment-​not even a coffee or pastry from nearby Chick-​a-​Latte (whose rubbernecking, twice-​and-​thrice-​through the track clientele is, according to his coworker, rather excellent daily entertainment). Instead, he just said, «Just think of us when your car needs some work.»
I absolutely will. Thanks for the kind words and the help, guys.

This chain was my go-​to place for oil changes. I started going there as a result of meeting Ken, the former manager. Unfortunately, I had a bad experience with my brake job late last year. When I took it back they re-​lubed them, but they still weren’t quite right. Finally, the next time I went in new manager redid the entire brake job to make sure it was done properly and not a continual safety hazard. My rating is a reflection of my overall experience with them, generally good, one really bad experience, but they redeemed themselves enough to earn three stars.