R S Automotive Inc

This was the worst shop I’ve ever been too. And yes I’ve been screwed over by several dealerships and auto repair shop but nothing like this. Had people who weren’t friends of the owner actually written reviews I would have never gone to this shop.
In any case, my cars clutch had begun to slip and I needed a new shop because I «thought» I might have been getting screwed over by my local service station. Huge mistake. I take it to R S Automotive for repairs. I’m told I need a new clutch, flywheel, and slave cylinder. I knew for a fact that it wasn’t a flywheel so ignored it. He quoted the repairs at $ 1250. As overly expensive as that was I agreed to have the work done.
After I delivered the clutch and slave cylinder combo package he told me there was no slave cylinder in the unopened box and said I needed one for an additional $ 350. No slave cylinder costs that much. I told him no to that and to do the work. My first day driving it the clutch burnt out completely…250 miles away from home. I had to pay $ 500 to get back to MD. Then he REFUSED to guarantee his work and said it would be another $ 1250 for the repair because he didn’t feel like putting the car back on the lift.
Avoid this shop at all costs. You can do better with a shade tree mechanic on Craigslist (who fixed my car in my yard for 400).

RS is an honest mom and pop (and son (s)) mechanic shop.
I was happy to find out that my final price for transmission fluid and drive belt changes were $ 20-​$ 30 cheaper than what they originally quoted me over the phone and over the competitors rate as well.
After initial test run, my honda civic 2006’s automatic transmission is pretty smooth and doesn’t have the jerkiness that was there before…

After reading amazing reviews here and hearing from others, we took our new-​to-​us car here for Maryland inspection. We were told the car would need $ 1600 in repairs to pass inspection. Some of the elements noted were suspect so we went to another well reviewed shop and the total bill was $ 140.
In short, I do NOT believe this shop provides honest guidance on work that needs to be done.
Very disappointed. Buyer beware.

I have been going to RS Automotive for over ten years – probably closer to 15. And in that time, every single time, I have gotten excellent service – reliable, fast, reasonably priced. And friendly. Everyone who works there is approachable. But what I appreciate most of all is that as someone who is flat out NOT knowledgeable about cars, Doley takes the time to explain his recommendations to me, offers me ideas for cost savings, and applies no pressure to «fix it now» if he thinks an issue can wait a while to be dealt with. He has turned me into a much better educated car owner over the years, and if I could give him a sixth star in this review for that, I would.

Doley is the best and most honest mechanic I have ever used. His work has always been excellent. Once I had some muffler work to be done, and he said it was easy enough and it would be cheaper at a big muffler place, to save me money. Another time, I went to him after another mechanic had told me I had to replace both bearings. He put the car up, and he told me that only one was bad, the other one was fine. I changed just that one and never had any problem, saving more money. Since then I have always taken the car to him since I can always trust he is there looking after my best interest, not his. He is so honest and liked by everyone that he does not need to make extra bucks cheating people. Moreover, his work is always great quality, and I never had any complaint. I highly recommend it.

I adore Doley and his crew! I am a broke, female graduate student at the University of Maryland who can always trust RS Automotive to work on my Honda at a fair price. Throughout the past three years, Doley has received a number of frantic phone calls from me – for anything from punctured tires to terrifying burning smells and a broken muffler. He always tells me to «come on over,» and I’ve always received same-​day service. On my most recent visit, I called at 8am, my car was towed to Doley’s garage at 10am, and they had it ready by 4pm. Throughout the day, Doley kept me posted, with phone calls to let me know when my car arrived, how much the work would cost/​how long it would take, and when the work was completed – for even less money than the original estimate! When I arrived to pick it up, it was a pleasure, as always, to see Doley and his smiling face! These guys treat their customers with consideration and respect, and take all the fears and worry out of stressful auto repair.

Not terribly impressed with this place overall. Needed the brakes replaced and called around for price quotes. This place was $ 10 cheaper and had solid reviews so I went here. I left with brakes that were replaced but really squeaky so we had to bring it back in. We had to get an inspection done anyways.
Turns out the brakes weren’t properly cleared of grease and grime when they left the shop the first time so that’s why they were making an awful squeaking sound. The inspection itself turned into a two full day ordeal. One day we couldn’t go in because of rain, according to the shop. The second day they had it we waited and waited and waited to be called back. Called twice and was told it was still out at another shop for the inspection. By 4:30 we ended up going to the lovely co-​op grocery store across the street for some groceries, and saw our car sitting in their lot. Went grocery shopping, still no call. Fed up, we went over and said our car is in the lot and would like it back now. Was told it «literally just pulled up. LITERALLY» when clearly not the case since we saw it much earlier. Paid for the car and was told it needed repairs. Called the next day to get a quote for all the repairs… still never heard back. We ended up taking it to a much more responsive place for work.
TL;DR: People that work here are nice, but the place is not responsive and didn’t do a thorough job the first time. Not bad, but there are many other great alternatives for service.

I actually went to this place based on these Unilocal reviews and I can only think these reviews are from family and friends. I have never felt so ripped off in my life. I traveled crossed country and knew I needed new rotors and brake pads. They charged me $ 600 for this which I felt was very high but I was new to the area and needed the work done. When I picked up the car they told me that my struts were leaking and that would be another $ 700. They said I could bring it in at my convenience but don’t plan on taking a long trip. I brought the car back the next week and they fixed the struts. The car never ran very smoothly after that so I eventually brought it back in. Now they tell me that the front axle needs to be replaced and that would be another $ 1000 (yes 1,000). Now I have become very suspicious. I went across the street to Takoma Auto Clinic for a second opinion. All that was needed was a tire balance. I would have assumed that after charging me 1300 $ total my tires would have been balanced after changing brake pads. The guy across the street also told me that the brake pads that were put on were of the lowest quality (he doesn’t even stock those because he said they are so crappy). Stay away from these crooks. My suggestion would be when you are hit with an outrageous bill from these guys get a second opinion.

I’ve never had service done here, but these kind gentleman helped push my car into their lot when it broke down in front of the station. As soon as it happened, 3 guys came out to help. I’m so grateful.

My coworker recommended RS to me because I needed some brake work done. They were nice enough to do the work without an appointment AND they tightened my hand brake PROPERLY without any extra charges, unlike this other «reputable» shop near Rockville metro station that charged me for tightening my hand brake IMPROPERLY. RS basically fixed what this other shop didn’t do right the first time. I need some work performed on my wheels soon so I’m setting up anther appointment. They are a VERY busy shop and for good reason.

Took my car here when it wouldn’t start. The same day, they determined the problem and had the car ready for me to pick up that evening. No complaints.

A friend recommended R S Automotive to me a number of years ago and I have been so impressed with all aspects of their service ever since! The owner and his staff are extremely warm, welcoming people and I actually look forward to taking my car to have it worked on.
Today, I dropped by to get gas and to ask a question and one of the talented mechanics came out to my car to greet me. He quickly answered my question and as I was about to leave — the owner ran out and said hello and said he had heard my car door hinge making a squeaking noise. He brought a can of WD 40 with him and before I could blink, he fixed my door! I have an old car and hadn’t even noticed how bad it was. This is the kind of service you get at R S Auto.
Since going there I have met so many people that are loyal customers! And their raves on the NPR ‘Car Guys’ web site are off the charts! And, I’ve noticed that women that have had bad experiences with car repairs are especially fond of Mr. Doley and his crew.
Give them a try — and change the way you feel about car repair!

I’ve been to several mechanics in my lifetime but Doley and his team really set the bar high for everyone else. I moved to Takoma Park from Texas and had no idea where to go. I came here to change my brake lights, oil and windshield wipers — all done efficiently and with quality service. The mechanic who worked on my car explained what was done to my car, which is always helpful. Karina, their front desk person, was really warm and friendly. This is definitely a neighborhood auto service and I’m GLAD they’re here.

Doley has been my mechanic for 17 years. Enough said!!!

This group of mechanics are amazing. They fixed my car without me having to buy a new or used engine. A few days ago a bolt that holds the cylinder head in place stripped. These guys fixed my car and it is running perfect. I will definitely be returning my car for future maintenance to have other things done. I couldn’t stop thanking them they are that great and were very honest!

My husband and I got a flat tire on our way to work this morning and pulled over at the Liberty gas station to change it. The friendly mechanic, Doley, let us use his jack since ours was broken. Then, when we discovered that one of the lug nuts was different than the others (requiring a special key), Doley took time away from his scheduled appointments to cut the nut off and replace our tire with the spare. I asked him what I owed him and he said not to worry about it.
The friendliness of Doley and his staff made me want to write this review. I would definitely come back here for service.

RS Automotive is connected to the Liberty gas station in the heart of downtown Takoma Park. I went to the for routine front brake work and an oil change. The staff was courteous, worked quickly, and the price was below the estimate. When the price decreases after the autowork is done, it increases my trust that they are honest folks.
I will return to RS for future auto work and maintenance of my car!