Alleyway Auto Repair

From the outside it may not look it but this is a 4 – 5 star place. John Paul is a good honest and reasonable mechanic. I had a cam shaft that needed to be replaced. He fixed in in a few hours and charged me just what needed to be charged, no extras.
You can tell him and his staff are those guys who enjoys their trade. If they can’t do your job for a few days, he will tell you and tell you a good time to bring it by. He’ll give you options and tell you what can or can’t be done. It’s the way you want to be treated, as a person, not like you stepped in the realm of auto repair where the neon lights of a name or dealership make you feel like you have to take what they say and live with it.
Highly recommended.

There’s a reason for all the 5 star ratings. JP and Jason know what they’re doing and go above and beyond for us every time. I once had some car trouble and had to pull over on Broadway about a mile from their shop. I called (was a little panicked — haha), and JP offered to drive over to take a look. As long as she keeps running, we will never take our VW to any other shop.

He is honest and reliable. He doesn’t try and over sell you on stuff you don’t need and is extremely reliable with a very fast turn around. I will always come back here with my future needs.

I drove into St. Louis for a conference and was over 200 miles from home when my check engine light came on. I called and spoke to JP who let me come in the same day, did a scan of my car and found out I only needed an oil change and told me I could wait until I got back home. It took me less than 10 minutes, and he refused to take my payment for the scan, but he gave me such piece of mind. I was so blessed to find this place and JP is a high-​quality, trustworthy guy.

Great shop! Was recommended by my father in law. He does all his business there. They got my ac fixed on my BMW for less than the estimate and MUCH less than the dealer. He also got it done much faster than quoted. Will come back whenever I’m in St. Louis!

The owner is honest fair and reasonable; and has the expertise to fix almost anything!!! John Paul is a great guy with many many years of experience!
He will tell you what you must do, what you can wait to do, or not do at all…
I don’t use the word «honest» lightly in the auto repair industry, but I can say it with the upmost confidence, regarding this wonderful repair shop!!! John Paul is the man!

Super cool guy. A neighborhood friend recommended this place and I was able to get new rear brakes and my right front axil fixed in just a few hours. Very honest mechanic, yes they exist. Very fair prices. Been in business 20 years!

I needed new brake pads and I didn’t want to take my car to one of the chain auto shops around town. Not only is it conveniently close, but I had heard good things about Alleyway.
The guys were friendly upon my arrival and invited me into their garage. This place is pretty hidden, but it’s worth the time it takes to find it.
The prices at this place are great. I plan on heading back for future issues. They offer well priced oil changes and can handle all of your general maintenance work on your vehicle.

John Paul is a great guy who does a great job fixing cars. I took my car in for its some-​odd thousand mile maintenance and where everyone else was quoting upwards of $ 1,000 (which I didn’t have) he was reasonable and I’ll never take my car anywhere else for major work. He looked at my owner’s manual and did exactly what it said needed to be done. Straightforward and honest. Please take your car to Alleyway Auto Repair.

You may see me cruising around Soulard in a super sweet 94 Toyota Corolla DX. And John Paul is the man keeping that car running like new at 205xxx miles.
I’ve shopped everywhere, and like Catherine, run into the «20-​something-​female-​at-​an-​auto-​shop» problem where somehow, as if by magic, a $ 60 repair turns into a $ 220 one. And oh by the way, you really should get these 6 repairs done, just while you’re here…
None of that nonsense at Alleyway. Bring it in, John Paul tells you whats up, gives you an honest and upfront quote, and you get to walk over to Hammerstone’s and have a cocktail while he’s fixing her up. Seriously, I will not take my car anywhere else.

John Paul is helpful and friendly. He is honest and straightforward about parts and labor costs. He has successfully worked on my GMC truck and BMW. Go see JP.

A year into owning my car, it decided to start being a giant B-​hole and have problems that it shouldn’t be having until about a decade from now. Every other shop I visited and contacted told me it was going to cost upwards of $ 1500 to fix the problem. The price they were quoting me for a remanufactured part seemed ludicrous (seriously, is there a universal scheme to rip off young people/​women?!).
I went to John Paul at Alleyway, and the price he quoted me for the part seemed way more reasonable compared to what I had seen for similar repairs in my online searches. Once the part came in, he got the job done in a day, costing me half as much as the other shops were quoting.
Not only was he nice, funny and knowledgeable, but he took the time to explain and show everything to me, and didn’t treat me like a dummy or try and rip me off for not knowing jack shit about cars. He was also super accommodating: he stayed at his shop late so I could come pick up my car after class, even though it was technically after his usual hours. The second time I came in for an oil change, I told him I was going to grab coffee up the street in the meantime, and he actually pulled my car up to the coffeeshop for me.
Note: He is not very good about picking up his phone (I think he’s a one-​man show), but if you leave a message, he’ll get back to you.

I took my 1990 Daihatsu here when all other «Foreign Car Specialists» in St Louis gave me the Heisman… as in…“fook no we not hear of Daihatsu” (funny since it was originally the parent company of Toyota and very popular in Japan today).
John Paul the proprietor fixed my blown water pump and replaced belts in record time. He laughed when I told him nobody else would touch the repair. Any mechanic worth his ass should have loved the challenge.
Anyway, including parts and labor, John Paul did a quick and solid repair for a reasonable price. If you need a repair in Soulard, I recommend John Paul. His shop is clean and he’s a neighbor, so he won’t steal you blind.