Straight Up Automotive Service

The people at Straight Up were helpful, friendly, and extremely accommodating. I was impressed when the manager suggested other places I can get my tire repaired for cheaper than they can afford to repair it (economies of scale and all). Also, in a welcome reversal, I was charged LESS than what I was quoted! When does that happen? They even apologized for the wait even though I came to pick up my car an hour early. If my car has trouble again, I will definitely return. Never change, Straight Up.

Awesome experience! I was traveling from the DC area to Charlottesville and my car was making noises. I needed to get back to the DC area tonight. I called Straight Up Automotive services and the receptionist told me to bring the car in. The mechanic went above and beyond to quickly assess the problem, and ensure that my car was repaired so that I could get back home safely. I would drive for 2 hours to go to Straight Up Automotive for service on my car because of the great experience that I had and the fact that I felt valued as a customer and a person. I have not seen this quality of customer service in a while. Great honest business that I would highly recommend.

I dropped by one day and asked if they had time to check a problem my car was having. Within a few minutes, a technician showed me exactly what was wrong and told me what was needed to fix it. They were able to price the part, give me a labor estimate, and schedule a repair date in no time. Everything went exactly as they told me, and everyone I came across was friendly and honest. I will definitely be back in the future.

Fred T
from the one experience I had with straight up auto I would say they trulY are honest and decent. My son drove his mazda down to UVA on a Friday night and had difficulty cranking the engine over again. He eventually got it started but was concerned with driving it back to Northern VA. I drove down to UVA to convoy back with him in case he broke down again. But first I told him to drive to straight-​up (based on the reviews) to see if they could quickly diagnose the problem, just as a last ditch effort. We worked with Dave, a mechanic in the shop and explained that we didn’t have much time. He quickly diagnosed the problem as a battery that needed replacement. Since he understood our time crunch and he didn’t have our battery in the shop he recommended that we go to auto zone where they could install the battery. He didn’t charge us for the service. The shop isn’t fancy but my view is why pay for the overhead. As long as they can fix the problem at a fair price and you can trust they don’t gouge you then I will certainly use their service again.

They took me on short notice, diagnosed and repaired for a fair price. what more can one ask for? Thanks Dave.

I took my car to David and his crew based on the glowing reviews I felt he was honest in the assesment of my cars problem Cv axle loose and needed replacing plus a new oil pan for the leaking oil problem. I went ahead and had him replace both CV axles at the same time… But was disappointed to learn that I have to go back to get a different plug for the new oil pan. But understood, and went towards home only to have the bad axle side fall off while driving… Literally scared to death! I called Dave he said bring it back if able so I did slowly they could not tell me why it fell off for sure except that the mechanic may not have had the strength to push it in hard enough… Not terribly reassuring and on my way home it felt like it did before I took it to them… I think the part was ruined on the drive back to them… But they seemed to think the CV axle was fine. Not real happy!

I’ve been taking my car to Dave for a couple of years now, and I have had nothing but consistent, honest service, and I recommend him to all of my friends.

I came from far away and had a big problem with my starter. Dave fixed it fast and at a reasonable price. This is a great honest amazing shop. They don’t take advantage of girls. They treat everyone with respect. Thank you Dave!!!

Very simple, friendly service reminds one of the good old days of customer service. Honest and straight forward.

Had my oil and transmission fluid change for a great price. Very friendly, go to mechanic while I’m in Charlottesville.

I initially stopped by Straight Up Automotive Service because my brake light indicator was on and I wanted to consult a mechanic about replacing my brake lights. As a UVA student, from Northern Virginia, I was not able to consult with my family mechanic as he was a few hours away. I decided to contact Straight Up Automotive because of the amazing testimonies that I read on Unilocal! (I highly rely on reviews). I first met Dave (manager of the shop) at that point in time and was taken aback by the customer service he provided. Although I did not need my brake lights to be replaced, I was advised to buy a new brake light cover and return to the shop for an installation as the current cover was cracked and damaged.
A few days after my initial visit, I experienced unexpected car troubles and returned to the shop. Dave and his team were amazing as they were able to diagnose the issue and replace the faulty part in the nick of time as I was on a time crunch. I am highly impressed and will keep returning as long as I am a Charlottesville resident.
If you are in need of an honest consultation, fair pricing and excellent service, look no further than Dave and his team!

I have been taking my Toyota truck here since moving to Charlottesville a few years back, and I have been consistently satisfied with the service I’ve received. Dave is truly an honest mechanic (and also an Army veteran). I have never been pressured into extra unnecessary repairs, and he always takes the time to walk through exactly what I’m paying for. Would HIGHLY recommend for any repairs or routine service.

super friendly and helpful! Highly recommended!

I was en route from Charlotte, NC to the metro DC area when one of my wheel bearings decided to call it quits late at night. I was able to limp into town and get a hotel room for the night. I woke up the next morning, trying to figure out some way to make it to work (two hours away) by noon. I wasted some time trying to deal with the shop at the Nissan dealership (Colonial Nissan-​they tried to markup the price for the part by $ 100!!) Told them thanks, but no thanks and drove a couple miles to see these guys since they had good Unilocal reviews.
They DEFINITELY live up to their reputation. I explained to Timmy that I was trying to make it to work on time and he pulled my truck in right away to diagnose it. He confirmed it was the wheel bearing and they were on the phone ASAP ordering the part. When the part arrived, he got right to work and had it finished in under an hour. They even let me bring my dog inside from the cold while the work was being done. The price for labor was more than reasonable and they didn’t try to markup the price for the part for no reason whatsoever (ahem…Colonial Nissan). And… I was able to make it to work on time. Thanks, Timmy.
I’m not often in Charlottesville, but if I were, they would be my go-​to mechanics. They live up to the motto on their sign: «bringing honesty and integrity back to auto repair.» The student/​military discount is an added bonus.
Dave, Timmy, and crew… thanks again.

Straight Up seems to have a great reputation because of one big factor: they care about the customer. As the name suggests, they’re straight shooters all the way. For example, I brought my car on because the check engine light came on. It turned out to be an extremely small (almost inconsequential) problem, and that’s exactly what the owner told me. At another shop, I could have ended up paying an arm and a leg for work I didn’t need. The Straight Up staff told me exactly what work I really needed, so that’s what we did. No extra nonsense and no worrying about whether they employ honest mechanics. With quality work, great customer service, and nice people, I highly recommend Straight Up Automotive!

I am from very far out of state and during a road trip a check brake pads light came on in my car. My brake pads looked fine, but knowing i would be on the road for another 13 hours I stopped in and asked for the mechanic to inspect my pads to see if I actually needed new ones. He came right out looked at my pads and told me I would be fine to continue on my journey for completely free. He knew I could have been taken for a ride and convinced to get new pads but gave me an honest opinion saving me a lot of time and money. It’s hard to find honest mechanics nowadays, cannot recommend this place enough.

We were ¾ of the way done with a long road-​trip and as we arrived in Charlottesville for the night we noticed that there was a mysterious liquid flowing pretty heavily from somewhere under the hood. We looked up Straight Up Automotive and saw that it was about to close, so we called and asked if we could come in the next morning just to get it checked out. They said we could stop by first thing the next day.
The next morning we showed up right as the place opened and met a really nice guy who agreed to look at our car. Granted, we are pretty inexperienced car people, so we had no idea what we were dealing with – whether it was something serious like oil or coolant or what. Anyway, long story short, the man listened to us describing the issue, then said, «Are you sure it isn’t water condensation from your AC?» No, we weren’t sure, we had no idea – so he very nicely looked under the car, looked under the hood and checked the coolant and stuff, and soon had pronounced that we were totally fine.
The whole interaction took 10 minutes, the guy was super helpful and nice, and he didn’t charge us – just bid us a good trip. I don’t know what it’s like to get your car serviced at Straight Up Automotive, but I do know that they’re very knowledgable and very friendly. Highly recommended.

Honest, timely, and knowledgable.
For 2 years now, I have been taking my car to Dave for everything from oil changes to serious repairs. I appreciate the honest prices and diagnoses. Their insight and diagnoses come from a very knowledgable team, proven by the many successful repairs. I also appreciate how honest he is about the timeliness of the issues. He tells me whether the problem needs to be addressed urgently or can wait. It’s great for planning, and my wallet appreciates it. To top it off, they are friendly and have great customer service.

I read the Unilocal reviews before calling Straight Up. The person who answered the phone told me that the shop was booked up for the day, Friday, and couldn’t take care of my car until Monday. Since I wasn’t from Charlottesville and needed to go to my place before Monday, he recommended that I go to a specific other place. It was very nice of him to do that!
Before hanging up the phone, I asked for his opinion on what was causing my car troubles. He told me that since he couldn’t see the car, he didn’t know for sure. However, he said that it sounded like the car needed a tune-​up. I went to the other place, where it told me that the car needed a tune-​up. This proves that the person who spoke with me at Straight Up knows his stuff!
Even though I didn’t enter the shop, I highly recommend it. The person who spoke with me that day was knowledgeable and trustworthy.
Also, the shop has a really cool name!

I needed a minor fix on my car. I have worked on my car previously before I became too busy. So I can tell most of the time when mechanics lye to me. I had horrible experiences with other shops in C’ville area. They lied and exaggerated the fix. However, it was pleasant surprise to meet some of the most transparent owner/​mechanic at Straight Up Automotive.
I will be returning to have my wife’s car fixed. I will update the review after that.