Kahala Shell Auto Care

Regular car wash for $ 8.95
Not a bad price!
They have a couple of workers that take your ticket which you purchase in the store. They pre wash your vehicle with somewhat high pressure water. Then your car goes through the car wash. It’s just any other place and at the end they wipe down the windows and mirrors.
The one thing I really appreciated about this place was the guy holding the spinning wash arm on the side with my antenna, so it didn’t hit the antenna. That’s was a first.
Overall a decent wash for the price. I would have given 5 stars if they could have gotten all the bird poo off the truck but still a good wash.

I paid 13.95 and my car is still dirty they never wipe my wheels half fast job it would be nice if they try to show you they like there job

Avoid this car wash at all costs. I just got back from going yesterday and every other time the attendant had unscrewed my antenna. This time he didn’t and moved the automatic brush around the antenna except when I got home my antenna holder was completely torn off. Lazy service is now going to cost me some time and money. I’ll go ahead and throw in the vacuums are too expensive as well. They used to have local kids working this car wash who had some pride and intellect when dealing with the car wash. I can’t say the same thing since the new ownership took over.

Full service side of gas station run by the old guy rips you off whenever he can. One visit to get air in my tires he charges me $ 3. I hand him a $ 5 and he walks away. Two days later, I fill up our other car tires and he tries to charge me $ 5. I ask him «what’s the real price you charge to put air in my tires? «. No response. I tell him you can’t ask people for whatever amount you want to charge to put air in my tires. He says ok. I talk to the Manager and I ask, How much to put air in my tires. Manager says «nothing» but maybe offer a couple bucks to guy who fills them. I tell the manager that the old man is charging whatever the price he wants! If they are going to charge then put up a price list. Don’t get scammed by the old man at Shell in the full service side!

Nice location and friendly workers

I think the the cashier with the bad attitude quit or fired? I have not see the girl anymore. I went there 3 times recently, but I have not see the girl sitting there anymore. Now I get nice smile every visit. I love their car wash because they do not pre-​wash the car with a brush before the car goes into a car wash machine. (These deck brushes can scratches the body of your car). As far as I know this is the only place do not use that harmful deck brush.

I have had nothing but problems and poor customer service from here. I know they are under new ownership fairly recently so I gave it a shot — again– just for the car wash. My mistake. My car is new and I know that there were no scratches on the car prior to going through the wash. When I came out, there was (and still is) about 6 inch long scratch on the hood by the drivers side. I called to voice my issue. The owner, Sam I think, told me to come back down to show him because he didn’t believe me. So I did. Then he called me a liar saying that his car wash does not cause scratches. I told him I believed that it was the guy that dried the car, as he was wearing a watch. Why would he be wearing a watch when drying cars??? It was obvious that this is what caused it because the scratch was superficial. Then, I was told by the owner ‘People like you shouldn’t take your car through a car wash.’ I asked him what he mean by ‘people like me.’ Let’s just say I’m originally from the mainland-​and a woman– and he was local…
I couldn’t believe the treatment I was getting. I asked if he would at least try to buff out the scratch since there is a detailer right there. He proceeded to tell me that if he was ‘responsible for all the scratches that were from the car wash, he would have to be offering to buff them out for everyone.’ Unreal.
The other issues I have had prior to the new owner were:
When I went for an oil change when they still had the service station, they replaced a tail light (that was not broken!) and then charged me without asking me first. The other incident was when I tried to get a safety check and they said my licence plate light was burnt out and they couldn’t do the safety check unless I paid for the bulb and labor to change it out. I said no thank you and took it somewhere else where they confirmed nothing was wrong with the light.
I don’t know how this place stays in business.
Please, do not go here and support this poor service and outright deceitful acts of this business. It is painful to say that, as I try to support local small businesses as much as possible, but this is just one that doesn’t deserve my patronage.

Due to safety check requirements for car tints we needed to have the tints stripped or lightened. We decided to have it stripped. Dorian? Was very nice and did a good job. Would have given a five, but the work took longer than two hours as previously quoted. However work was done correctly.

I live in the area and so of course I’m gonna go around trying each gas station within a mile’s radius!
I’ve read some reviews and even had to get my tires patched here once or three times. It’s a gas station after all, I’d recommend going to a larger repair shop if you’re having serious car problems. But if you’re just having small problems like tire pressure or adding oil they got it covered. Full service gas is way more expensive than if you were to self serve, but you do get the convenience of not having to get out of your car! Don’t do it every time. But if you do it once in a while, consider it a treat-​yo-​self. :)

Sadly for Kahala & Kaimuki locals the auto care portion of this gas station closed up — so no more auto repair. I went there yesterday & they are just doing some small kine auto detailing. All the mechanics & repair services are no more. Too bad cuz they were pretty good & Kahala doesn’t have many auto repair options left.

I love this gas station! The attendee had noticed my safety sticker expiring and reminded me to go get a safety check! I wouldn’t have remembered otherwise!
The little mart is do convenient at night when I want a quick drink or caffeine fix. Or even a little late night snack.
Sometimes I come here to fill up as well, i do notice that the gas prices are cheaper than most stations around in the area.

I always come to Kahala Shell Auto Care whenever birds leave a wonderful gift all over my car, like yesterday. Their car wash is super affordable, for some reason I thought car washes were more expensive, but I paid 13 bucks for wash and wax. My car was so shiny! It made my 2002 car look like brand new! The workers are very nice and friendly, asking me how my day was going, etc. Awesome customer service!
I like that you can pay for the car wash from the pump if you fill in gas, it’s so convenient and you don’t have to go into the store and leave your car. Lately, there’s been so many drive-​by robberies at gas stations, so being close gives piece of mind. The Kahala Shell is in a great location, it is super accessible and easy to get in and out of. I find myself coming here more often becuase it is just so convenient, and I particularly just love car washes in general, I guess it’s the kid in me! And apparently they do safety checks as well, so it’s everything in one. Mind you, Zippy’s is right across the street so all the better!
If you need any car service, definitely pay a visit to Kahala Shell Auto Care!

Unilocal 100 Challenge #16/​100
I’ve been going to this gas station for many, many years. Mr. Bill Green was the owner and is such a nice guy that cares about his customers and treats them like Ohana.
It’s now owned for several years by a new owner and Mr. Green comes around and helps them out several times a week.
I always go here for gas, safety check, propane, and some car repairs. Every time I come by Mark, the manager at the car repair service center is great. He is very honest and is a great guy! He will always tell me what I need or don’t need done.
Also, several times I had a flat tire with a nail in it. Within 15 minutes and under $ 20 they had my tire fixed on both occasions and I was on the road again.
They are a little more strict on the car safety check than some other places I’ve been too, but they are always helpful in getting me to fix the issue and getting me to pass my check.
I feel very happy that I have a great gas station I can go to and get good service. Mahalo and Aloha for all your great service!

I’ve been a customer of Kahala Shell for many years and always felt comfortable getting my car wash there. I frequent this shop for all of my car cleaning needs. The place is well lit, clean and easily accessible but the place is on the smaller side but costs is a consideration I’m sure. Whenever I need to get gas, vacumm, air for my tires or a safety check, this is my default place to go simply because they are so nice all around. They have friendly and helpful staff. I met the management once when I exchanged an expired car wash ticket and he told me he was glad I found the old prepaid ticket because it’s like losing cash. How awesome is that? The employees seem happy and they smile often. Since they don’t do major repairs, I usually take my car over to my mechanic friend’s body shop but otherwise I am a loyal customer of Kahala Shell Auto Care Center. I don’t feel like I’m being taken advantage here: cost-​wise.

Never have I filled gas here, or even stepped foot here until today. Running around with tons of errands and interviews to be at, you can imagine my dread and sadness when I start to head at an interview I need to be at when one of those lovely warning lights turn on as I’m driving out of our driveway.
… The pure feeling of dread and of all days. Go home and find out that my tire is slowly leaking air, which caused the light to turn on. With more places to be this afternoon, I couldn’t afford to have my car be on the sidelines. We called and inquired and they said they would be able to see my car today.
Go and pull in and they immediately see my car. 10 to 15 minutes pass and my tire, which had a nail in it, is completely sealed and guaranteed to be a permanent fix (until the next a nail decides to have a rendezvous with my tire). Justin, the assistant manager there (from what I can remember from his name tag) was very polite and helpful. $ 18 bucks and 15 minutes later, I’m driving away in my car with not a care in the world. Awesome.

WHY! Why didn’t I consult Unilocal before coming to Kahala Shell?
Once they start the inspection, the door essentially slams shut behind you and you’re trapped. They WILL find something wrong.
Wipers that worked fine in the last rain now need replacing.
Reverse light out. Fare enough.
Head light is «too dim». So for $ 9 they will buff it out and splatter your hood and bumper with compound.
In too much of a hurry to play the pay or comeback game so just took the hit and learned a lesson. What happens to the trusting old ladies? scary.

I wish I had checked the reviews before I came here. It appears for gas, tires, propane or a car wash you are all set. The main problem appears to be with the safety check (which is why I failed).
Apparently, Hawaii has a new set of laws that have made the safety check different. This is no problem, however when you bring in a like new car and they start going on about tire wear and how my lights were ‘mis-​aligned’ Funny, nothing had ever been changed as this was a fairly new car.
I took it to Ward Shell, no problem, it passed with flying colors!
Avoid this place for repairs…

I take off work to go in for a safety check. They tell me, I had one small problem in the bed of my truck (solved with 2 minutes and a hammer) and my one headlight was too dim. Tell me to come back tomorrow (Saturday) after 2:30 after I fixed the small problem and then they will fix the light and BOOM, done… Also, they said «Don’t worry about us having to do a blue sheet now, it would be a hassle if we have to write this then re-​file the sheet».
So, I dutifully show back up on Saturday, also taking time off work with the repair in the back done and ready for them to fix the ‘dim light’ and get my sticker. 90 minutes later… «Ummm, First off your tire is bad, then these other lights don’t work, then the headlight, blah blah…»
Honestly, had you told me that on Friday I would have fixed the problems or scheduled a repair instead of showing up the next day losing 90 minutes of work. It’s sad, I am a regular, always get my gas there, always get my car washed and use the propane service. So long Kahala Shell! My wife and I plus our three cars will never do business with you again!

Mark the mechanic is great. He gives fair prices and you can really trust him not to rip you off. His quotes are usually substantially less than other places. He works quick, bring in at 8am and usually done by 11am. Have breakfast at Zippys then do some shopping at Kahala mall then your car is done. He also gives a free car was with all work.
Oil changes and safety checks are done really quickly and the guys that work there are really nice.

Awesome customer service!
One of the warning lights on my dashboard came on, and so I pulled into Kahala Shell and asked one of the techs what the light was for. «Oh, it’s your tire pressure light. Swing your car over to the full service side and I’ll put some air in them for you!»
Not only did he check and fill all 4 tires, he even checked my spare tire, which involved assembling the crank and lowering my spare from underneath the bed of my truck.
Problem fixed. No charge. How can I not give these guys a 5 star rating?!!
They also do oil changes, safety checks, and there is a car wash as well. One stop shop for your general auto needs!