Fairfax Auto Repair

Very friendly and personable staff at FAR. They were able to schedule an appointment with me quickly and even got the work done a half hour earlier than they originally said. No complaints from me!

After the «check engine» light came on in my car one weekend, I dropped it off at Fairfax Auto Repair after reading all of the glowing reviews they had received here on Angie’s List. Despite not having an appointment, they got to my car early Monday and had the problem diagnosed shortly thereafter– there had been a leak in my lower radiator hose that had knocked out the water temperature sensor. With the malfunctioned sensor, it was possible that I could have been driving the car for several miles with the engine overheating without knowing it.
OJ and Peter performed the necessary repairs and kept the car an additional night in order to start it up cold the next morning and confirm that there were no additional issues (which, fortunately, there were not). Throughout the process, their communication with me was excellent (far beyond anything I’ve experienced with a service center before) but what really stood out was their honesty and straightforwardness.
They provided a list of additional items that they recommended that I have done 3 – 6 months down the line but emphasized that those jobs could wait. They asked that I drive the car for a couple weeks/​months to confirm that everything was running as it should be and reach out to them if I noticed any problems at all so that they could take care of it. It was just so refreshing to deal with a shop that wasn’t trying to force hundreds of dollars in unnecessary service/​repairs down my throat.
Above all, they were genuinely nice guys. I will never go anywhere else for service/​maintenance on my vehicles in the future. A+++++.

very friendly, quick service and not pushy

They over charge you, I was quoted a price and then when I came in they gave me a totally different price triple the original quote… I basically ended up paying more what it will cost if I have fixed it at the dealer but I was already so annoyed that I didn’t feel like towing my car to the dealer to get it fixed!

Most of the time when I go to Auto shops I feel like they are taking advantage of me because I’m a girl who knows nothing about cars but I don’t feel like this AT ALL. I have been to Fairfax Auto Repair twice now and won’t be going anywhere else from now on. Staff is courteous, prompt and extremely helpful. They squeezed me in the first time I went for an issue and the second time were extremely thorough. Emailed me quotes and called so I didn’t have to make multiple trips and they do great work. I Highly recommend.

I’ve been here 2 – 3 times, when I used to have my old car (2002 Honda Civic). They are very nice, courteous, and friendly. They are also HONEST. An honest car mechanic is very hard to find these days. They gave me plenty of options, when it came time to replace one of my struts. They also got me the best price on parts, as well as the labor. They even encouraged me to get a second opinion, if I really thought they were out to rip me off. The repair was timely, and satisfactor. I’ve been here for the breaks on my car as well, couldn’t have been happier.
Takeaways — Professional, friendly, timely, HONEST, and fairly priced.

They are not cheap and they are not Dealership priced. Just in between. However, the service and the COMPETENCE justifies the price. They fix the issue the first time. They also fixed other minor issues and didn’t charge me for it. Those are the little things that go a long way. I was looking for a shop that I could trust with a reasonable price and most importantly with COMPETENCE. Peter, OJ keep up the good work.

I just moved to this area and came across this place. I took my used just purchased 2013 Ford Escape in for a pre purchase check. They were super friendly and accommodating and let me know that my car was in great condition. A few weeks later while driving the vehicle it died on me while driving it home, I immediately called these guys to schedule and appointment an appointment and the guy that I spoke to told me that I should take it back to the dealer since I had a warranty so that I wouldn’t have any out of pocket expenses, but that if the dealer couldn’t help me or if I needed anything to call them back. Extremely honest people. This is my permanent mechanic from here on. I have recommended this place to several people and will continue to do so.

It’s hard to find auto repair places that don’t treat you like you’ve been spitting in their cereal every morning for the last 10 years. This place had a great staff that was cheery and very helpful. I spoke to them on the phone and in person and both times I was treated like a valued customer instead of being taken advantage of. They did a terrific job of working on my girlfriend’s car, and didn’t charge an arm and a leg.
I would gladly go back for future problems or repairs.

I don’t usually review much on services like this place, but after my first experience here today, I felt inclined to.
Unfortunately I popped my wheel for the first time yesterday and found this Auto Repair shop nearby and saw its ratings, so I decided to check it out. My boyfriend called them inquiring about their pricing and more knowledge on plugging/​patching my tire up, and the lady answered him to the best of her ability – she was really helpful.
Went there and we were greeted immediately by a guy that was actually really friendly (I didn’t expect this since I never thought much of receiving above average customer service from other auto repair shops). They finished just before 20 minutes, which was perfect since I needed to make it to class!
Great customer service, work, and I will definitely come back next time!

Wonderful service and affordable/​reliable/​honest repair! I felt like my car was in great hands with Pete and his team. The car needed some extra work done on it so he referred me to Auto Body World next door and the two businesses worked together seamlessly. Not only did the repair come in below the estimate (rare in car repair world), but it was done quickly and efficiently. I will be bringing my car back here for oil changes and highly recommend their team for any car repairs!

We have been bringing our vehicles to FAIRFAX auto repair for years. They never pressure is into unwanted/​unneeded repairs. They always give us the total cost upfront and don’t play bait and switch.
Recently we were on a trip out of town when our vehicle unexpectedly broke down. The alternator burned up. We had just had it replaced at Fairfax auto repair in January. Just a faulty part. However, Rebeccah called us personally and did all she could to help us get home. She found a repair shop in Williamsburg, arranged for us to get the vehicle there and had the part replaced. Because it was a warrantied part we did not have to do anything or pay anything.
I don’t know of a dealership that would do that let alone a private shop. Fairfax Auto Repair goes above and beyond when it comes to customer service. They are AMAZING!

Outstanding service. On the Friday before Memorial Day, I came in for a low-​beam front bulb replacement on a 2006 Honda CR-​V, but did not have a scheduled appointment. Last year, a similar problem on the other headlight required a 2 day wait for a new socket to be ordered. So I expected to schedule a time to come in the following week after the Memorial Day Holiday (to allow time for ordering a part).
However, the same mechanic, who fixed the headlight last summer, remembered the problem nearly 9 months ago (amazing memory!), and diagnosed it within 10 minutes as a simple bulb replacement instead of a damaged socket (which requires 2 – 3 days for ordering the part). I was in and out within 30 minutes! Will definitely come back for regular servicing of the 2006 Honda CR-​V.

Finally … an auto repair shop I can trust!
I discovered Fairfax Auto Repair through a «grouponish» deal (I can’t remember the name) for two oil changes. They mentioned the lower front ball joint boots were torn on my 4-​Runner. I really couldn’t afford to fix them at the time and the manager explained it wasn’t necessary to fix it right away, that I could probably go awhile — they’d just check it again at the next oil change. No pressure and no lies, so I was impressed.
I took it in this week because there was a really odd metal springy/​clangy sound. I just envisioned something very expensive and was really nervous about a huge estimate. The mechanic drove it for a few minutes, came back and said it was just the heat shield needed to be tightened up … no charge! I really think many other shops would have tried to convince me it was something much more and expensive.
This is a great group of people that own and run this shop. They are knowledgeable, helpful, very friendly and, as far as I can tell from my experience so far, very honest business people. Just what I was looking for. As a result, they’re going to get my friends and family as customers.

So the day started out horrible No one at my work would help me out with the repairs I needed (I work at a car place) also the price at my job was going to be more than I thought so since I already had all the parts I decided to just come here. Sonya at the front desk was absolutely amazing. It’s a very little shop but I like that more. They have decent prices and are very honest about how much it will be and not sneaking extra charges you didn’t know about last minute. I’ve never had an experience like this at a car place and would 100% recommend everyone come here.

Although I live in Richmond now temporarily, I used Fairfax Auto Repair many times during my time in NoVa. Every aspect of their business is professional, from the waiting area, to the customer service, and finally the quality of work. I have zero complaints about the quality of work I had done here. Definitely a great shop.

Have been looking for a good mechanic since moving to the Fairfax area. I picked Fairfax Auto based on other Unilocal reviews. This place is awesome.
Not more than 10 min. after putting a request for service in from their website, I received a call to finalize the date and time. Excellent and friendly staff!
I knew what the problems were prior to taking my truck in, but only gave them generic descriptions of the problem. They called me the morning of to give me the diagnostics report. They were spot on. No unnecessary work and no gouging.
They email you reports and updates prior to doing any of the work. I knew every step of the repair.
I highly recommend Fairfax Auto Repair!

So, it appears there’s a reason this place has great reviews on Unilocal,Google, and Groupon. They provide friendly, quick, non-​pushy service.
I purchased a Groupon for 2 oil changes for $ 27 (
). Scheduling consisted of 1 easy phone call; and almost immediately after hanging up, I received a confirmation of my appointment via Google Calendar. The office manager (Rebecca?) was very friendly during this phone call.
A couple days later, I dropped my car off and decided to read in the lobby since it was only a 45 minute job. No problems with the oil change and just a few recommendations:
(1) Replace wipers, which I definitely did not think needed to be done; but I have low standards for windshield wipers and rarely/​lightly use them anyways
(2) 1 license tag/​plate light needs to be replaced; I’ll do this on my own
(3) 90K scheduled maintenance; I tend to be an essentialist when it comes to car maintenance. That is, I do what only HAS to be done, especially given that my car isn’t worth a lot of money. So, I will omit, or at least defer, this.
The office manager was real cool about only recommending these services… no pressure or scare tactics. Hopefully, my second appt with them will go just as well.

After reading some good reviews here about this place, I took my car in to replace the drive belts, rear rotors, and rear break pads. At first it was all good, parts and labor were slightly cheaper in comparison to the dealer.
But 2 months after I got them replaced, the belts got loose and squealed whenever it rained. I had them tightened by the dealership since this place charges nearly as much as the dealer for labor. The price difference was only 20. However, the main issue didn’t appear until 5 months later when both my rear brakes started to squeak and needed replacement again! They were so badly worn that even getting them resurfaced wouldn’t fix the problem.
Overall I wasted nearly $ 500 at this place by trying to save a few bucks, one of the worst decisions I have made in recent memory. So if you decide to get things done here, just save yourself the headache you will have in the future and go to a better shop that uses quality parts.

I found myself this morning with a flat tire meaning I had to cancel appoointments, etc. After replacing it with the spare I called Fairfax auto. Despite being completely booked, they said bring it in. 15 minutes after arriving, they had removed a 3 inch piece of metal and repaired the tire. Amazing!
So, why did I call them and be willing to wait all day for them to do what was needed? Well, I was here last week for brake repairs. They could have told me I needed XYZ to be replaced but instead went over my options and it wasn’t the most expensive thing that they recommended. While I was waiting, an elderly lady brought her car in because she thought that the coolant needed replacing. They took her car in, did some diagnostics, then told her the coolant was fine and sent her on her way, no charge.
I like this business. They are super friendly, very knowledgeable, and really accomodating to my needs. Give them your business, you won’t be dissapointed.