Yost Automotive II

I have been taking my car to Yost for several years now. First my old 1999 Honda CR-​V and more recently my 2011 Honda CR-​V. I go to Yost II and my boyfriend has been taking his car to the original Yost I. We both love Yost. They’re courteous, down-​to-​earth, fair, and do good work; and if they mess up, they fix it.

These guys are my heroes! I seriously can’t sing my praises loud enough about this company. I always feel important and appreciated bringing my business to this family owned shop. I know I am informed about what’s truly best for my car when I come in and I trust them completely. As long as I live in Austin I will never go to anyone else!

Been to Yost twice and last time they underbid Honda by so much I felt like I was actually making money. They did a wonderful job and are super nice.

My husband and I have been taking our jeeps here for a few years now, and have always had excellent service and fast repair time. We are down to 1 jeep now and we are trying to keep up with all the preventative maintenance to keep it in good shape. Walker is usually always the one who works on our jeep and we couldn’t be more pleased with his service. He is honest and fair, and never tries to sell us more than what we need. He has always been diligent to keep the repair time down to 1 day so we aren’t without the only car we have. That is super appreciated! I cannot say enough good things about Walker & the whole team at Yost II! I wouldn’t go anywhere else!

Excellent experience. Drop in. Exhaust problem on my car that required welding. Talked with front office and mechanic. both were courteous got to the root of each function. Take my appointment and obtain the car symptoms.
Exhaust work done and car no longer sounds like a Harley motorcycle. :p

Called ahead of time to ask if they would have time to clean my fuel injectors. They said they absolutely would. I also wanted them to take a look at an issue I was having.
The guy at the counter wasn’t listening to me and more interested in talking to his friend about his ford mustang while I just sat there. He went on test drive then basically had nothing to say except that he didn’t have time to clean the fuel injectors and I could leave it there and they could look at it but he didn’t know how long it would take.
Thought they were rude and unprofessional.

fantastic service. i called at 7:40 AM today, a monday, and got towed there within the half hour. They gave me a ride to work quickly and I made it to work at 9:00 AM. They called and emailed me with the diagnoses at like 11AM. Car was ready for pick up at 4:30pm. I am super pleased with their efficient service and friendly staff – the woman at the front office and Mark the service guy are awesome.
p. s. I have a 2008 subaru outback and felt like the knew my car well and were thoughtful about other issues it had.

Great Experience at YOST! They are thorough, they are accurate, they are skilled, they are no-​nonsense, and they are fair.
When my «check engine» light came on, I was sweating bullets trying to figure out where I would go to have it checked. Having been burned by several unscrupulous dealerships in Austin, I researched automotive repair online and settled on Yost. It was one of the best decisions I have made.
It turned out to be a catalytic converter issue. I have a Lexus with California emissions, so the afflicted converter (or converters) /​oxygen sensors had to be singled out. I spoke with Mark throughout the process, and he gave me options when it came to repair and replacement, saving me quite a lot of money while still fixing the issue fully.
There are perks that come with having a car fixed at Yost:
— They provide an affordable rental car
— The staff is smart and friendly
— They remain in communication with you
— They give you options
— They are thorough without being crazy (they prioritize the repairs needed)
In short, they remind me of the automotive repair shops of yore — where the service staff knew what they were doing, took pride in their skill, and treated the customer with respect. I highly recommend Yost.

I’ve been taking my car to Yost since I moved to Austin. It’s always efficient, affordable service.
I recently took my car in last week to get my ignition/​dash board fixed. It was a headache to deal with I imagine for the mechanic because they had to order and reorder the parts. I have an older vehicle. But Mike called me to update me along the way. I got my car back and running again. Though, I do hate taking my car in to get worked on, it gives me peace of mind when it’s Yost that I’m taking it to.

I’ve been taking both of my Toyotas to Yost II for about a year now. The mechanics have been friendly and honest. Their prices have been better than what I was paying at Rising Sun. Now, I haven’t done anything particularly difficult. It’s mostly been maintenance and inspections. I’ve been pleased.
Make a reservation. You can’t just show up.
Full disclosure: Mike Yost used to be my neighbor in the early/​mid 90’s when he was still a shade tree mechanic. While I picked Yost Auto because I knew if worst came to worst, I’d call Mike and give him an earful, I have not come close to being disappointed.

I don’t go here anymore, and will only go to StopShop from now on. These guys, every time I came here (which were many, I take a road trip every year and if nothing else came to get it checked out beforehand) I was overcharged, treated like an imbecile by the mechanics (the secretary was always kind) and was talked into doing a ton of repairs that, I now know, definitely weren’t necessary to the health of my car at the time. Each time, my car was left UNLOCKED all day long out front. This place is on north lamar, and not exactly closed off to people wandering down the sidewalk. When I brought these concerns up, they were unapologetic and annoyed at my asking about it. Never again. Now that I found a place that treats me how a mechanic should, I am glad not to return here. They act like they wouldn’t miss my business anyway.
*UPDATE*
The last time I went to yost I got my headlights changed. One recently went out. My new mechanic told me that yost had put the light back together WRONG. One of the metal bits holding the light in was jimmied in backwards. Isn’t that supposed to be simple? Like mechanic 101?! Awful!

A friend recommended Yost to me when I moved to town, and I’m glad they did.
They always take the time to talk to you, explain things (I know nothing about cars). The staff is friendly. I trust them with my car, and to not try to upsell me things I don’t need.

During a thunderstorm several months ago, my car found itself sitting in some high water. After the storm passed I took it into Yost II to make sure there were no mechanical damages from the water. I didn’t have an appointment, but they took my car in soon after I arrived and after a thorough examination, found that all was fine — but there was unrelated repair that required attention. I didn’t receive pressure to have the car fixed right then and there, which was really nice.
I did do some research to find out about pricing for such a repair and Yost really was competitive. They had already won me over by checking out my from the high water, free of charge. When I called to make an appointment, the woman on the phone was a bit short, but that didn’t deter me from moving forward. Sometimes we’ve got good days and bad days…
My car was ready in less time than I expected and the woman at the counter was very helpful. I was surprised to receive a follow-​up email requesting feedback, which I was happy to share and got a quick response when I brought up my phone interaction. I will definitely be returning to Yost for repairs and upkeep going forward.

I recently brought my car in to Yost for a window repair. Overall their service was excellent! I took my car in around 1pm on a Friday, which was a busy time for them. However, they were able to fit me in and quote me a pretty accurate wait-​time, despite their garage being packed. I was able to pick my car up about 2 hours later and my window was back to new.
Their service was competitively priced and they provided a clear explanation of the repairs. This will definitely remain my go-​to repair shop!

Another Unilocal win.
I scheduled an appointment online and showed up at the designated time. The courteous gal at the desk looked up my information online and verified the issues I was having with the vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, I was emailed an itemized copy of the estimate which was then followed up by a phone call from one of the technicians asking if I had any questions and what I’d like done to the vehicle.
Since the estimate was for over a grand (the car is a real POS on it’s last legs), I told him that I needed to get done only what was absolutely necessary to keep it driveable and safe for the next few months before I traded it in for a new car.
He totally understood and took the time to explain what absolutely had to get done and things that would be okay in the very short-​term. Keep in mind that they weren’t trying to sell me anything I didn’t need, I know for a fact that the car needed all those things listed and probably more. But when I just need it to run for a few more months before I basically give it away, they were very honest and straightforward with their assessment.
Very pleased with their fair dealing, work and professionalism. I’m sure there are plenty of reputable mechanics in Austin, but at the same time, there are certainly those out there that are trying to up-​sell you and fix things that don’t need to be fixed. You can’t go wrong with these guys. Highly recommended.

I sent out an email to the nearby top-​rated shops asking for an estimate for some preventative maintenance to my Prius. Yost is the only company that responded, and this excellent communication continued throughout my service as they called me when there was a problem they found beyond the estimate, when the car was done, and happily answered some questions I had about the service. It felt really personal and they even gave me a ride to the campus library so I could study while waiting.
I would guess prices are slightly above the average, but the level of service is unbeatable in the north Austin area.

I moved to Austin in August-​drove all the way from NH so when I arrived I needed to find a trusted car mechanic. My cousin who lives here in Austin recommended Yost to me– I was a bit weary at first, but Yost is the car mechanic my cousin uses for her car so I figured I could trust them.
I’ve been living in Austin for a few months now and I feel comfortable and happy that I can count on Yost to take good care of my vehicle. The mechanics at Yost are honest, and they care about about their customers. They usually have a pretty fast turn-​around, and if I call in the morning they can almost always take me that day, which is a relief to me they I am able to have my car taken care of right away.
Life moves pretty fast and Yost knows that. So as long as I’m living here in Austin, Yost is my go to car mechanic.

This would be a 3 ½ star review, but I will round up for their honesty. I’ve heard great things about Yost and how they will tell you if a repair is needed or if it can wait another 10K miles. I took my car in for a brake job and had a so-​so experience.
My brakes were squeaking which means they’re worn down and need to be replaced. I used Yost’s online quoting tool, and they got back to me within a few hours with both an estimate for using Honda genuine parts as well as one for the parts they recommend (less expensive). The prices were average, maybe even slightly higher, but their good reputation allows this.
I spoke to the service manager about bringing in my car and making an appointment. He told me that the quote is typically «worst case» and could be less if the rotors can be turned instead of being replaced. Since this was the first time I’ve had to replace the brakes on my Civic I expected that the rotors could be turned and save me $ 60 or $ 70.
Here is where I may have messed up. The quote and appointment was with the original Yost Auto shop, but I called them again to ask if I could take my car to Yost II because it is closer to The Triangle where I could wait at The Flying Saucer. They said yes, so I took it in just after 1:00. I told Yost II that I had spoken to the other service manager about my brakes squeaking, so they looked me up in their system and found my information. All that was in there, apparently, were 4 quotes. There were 2 quotes for the front brakes and 2 for the rear (one for Honda parts and the other for recommended parts). They took my phone number and sent me on my way without saying anything else, so I asked how it was going to work. They said they would call me after they look at the car to tell me what needed to be done.
They then gave me a ride to my destination which was a nice plus.
After a few hours I called them to see how it was going because I had expected a call by 4:00 at the latest. They said that they were not done yet, and when I asked why they had not called me like they said they would they told me they’d started the work because I had already spoken to a service manager. This made me a bit nervous, but what could I do at that point? I trusted them to go through their typical brake diagnostic process which SHOULD be to measure the rotors and brake pads on all brakes to see what needed to be replaced. This is brake work 101. What I probably should have done was make sure they were, in fact, doing what I thought they should be doing. Shame on me for not forcing that conversation.
I made it back just before they closed at 6:00. The car was still in the garage as they had just finished it. 5 hours is a bit long for this work, but I’m sure they were just backed up. Not their fault.
They gave me a bill for just over $ 300, and I saw they had replaced the front brake pads and rotors. I asked if they had measured the front rotors before replacing them and if they measured the rear rotors and pads to see how much longer I had before they needed to be replaced (typically they last twice as long as the front brakes). The service tech who had done the work had gone home, so they called me the next day.
This is where they could have chosen to lie tell me they had measured the rotors and needed to replace them. I would not have known any better. Instead they told me the truth. They admitted that they did not measure the front rotors or even the rear rotors and pads. They thought I was there to ask them to replace the front brakes, rotors and all. They did not check if the rotors needed to be replaced, although I find it funny that they somehow knew not to replace the rear brakes since that was also part of the quote. At least they didn’t blindly replace everything and charge me $ 600+.
I am very happy they were honest, which is a rare quality in this industry. I trust them and would only make sure I am clear with them on repairs in the future. I wish they would have offered a free oil change (I didn’t ask for one) to make up for what seemed like their mistake.
I might be out a bit more money that I needed to be, but I will likely go back. Hell, The Flying Saucer is a great place to wait for your car to be repaired.

I’ve taken my car here a couple of times so far. The first time was really great, they didn’t even charge me for the work they did because through the diagnostic fee, it ended up fixing the problem. However, this review is for the last time I went to Yost.
I took my car there last Monday because my check engine light was on and I had screeching noises from my engine. I get a call later that afternoon telling me that my engine timing belt was ‘probably’ the problem. The labor would cost $ 400 just to see if that was the issue and then if it was, the engine timing belt would cost me $ 1200. A total of $ 1600.
I decided to take my car up to Fort Worth where I’ve had it serviced for years and it turns out it was the engine timing belt that was the problem. However, they charged me $ 123 for an engine timing belt. $ 123 versus $ 1200? There’s a big difference there.
I’ll be taking my car elsewhere to save a lot of money.

In the past year, I have taken each of my three vehicles to Yost multiple times each. Yes, I have bad luck with vehicles. A friend recommended Yost to me. It’s not exactly near where I live or my office, and in fact it’s kinda out of my way to get there, but a personal recommendation goes a long ways in choosing a shop.
They are a great place to go for state inspections. My Grand Prix failed four times at Yost before finally passing, and I was only charged for the final passing inspection.
I also recently took my car there for an AC problem, and an hour $ 52 later it was repaired. I had such an overwhelmingly positive experience that a week later, I brought my Silverado in to get the AC working. That time, however, the experience left me a little bitter.
They found additional issues with the pickup while it was in the shop and I gave them the go-​ahead to make the repairs. The first day they couldn’t get to it, and the second day it stayed overnight, but I got it back on the third day. That’s when I discovered some transmission issues that were a result of the repairs. They were great and came and picked up my pickup and left me with a loaner, but again it sat in the shop for four more nights before I finally got it back.
That was annoying to wait for a week for a repair that I maybe didn’t even need, but they apologized profusely, didn’t charge me for the additional repairs, and offered me a free oil change in the future. And the AC worked all summer, so in hindsight I guess it all worked out.
Regardless, I’ve had positive experiences here 6 or 7 times.