Northern Brake and Transmission

Steve is amazing!!! After coming to this place for the first time a few months ago I will never go to another mechanic ever again. Before coming here I was ripped off at three mechanics for different repairs. I was tired of walking nervously into shops expecting to be overcharged and taken advantage of. I had enough and decided to look for a better place. It didn’t take long while searching on Unilocal to find this place. I had no idea that I would find the holy grail of mechanics!

I bought my 2005 Hyundai Elantra in August 2015. I needed this car desperately for a new job that would require a 35 – 40 mile drive total every day. This car was definitely an old car needing of some TLC. I first came to Northern Brakes because of my brakes and power issues. I got my brakes fixed first, and Steve, who’s the manager here, actually told me that my 4 tires needed to be replaced. He didn’t push me to replace all four of them at once. I couldnt afford it anyway! But tires seemed to be a specialty of this shop so I definitely listened and replaced two tires at a time. A previous mechanic i went to had replaced my brake pads, and they should have told me that my tires were pretty much done. The four new tires (plus alignment) felt amazing on the road. After I fixed my brakes and replaced my tires, a month later I came for my power issue. I could only afford part of the repair and came back almost 2 months later for the second part. My car now runs like a dream. I could not be happier with this place!
I cannot recommend Northern Brakes enough. Steve, who is the best mechanic you will ever find, will discuss the issues with you, provide his expert opinion and perform diagnostics. Once he finds the issue he will give you a call and tell you what he wants to do to fix it. He will give you an estimate. When I mean an estimate, I don’t mean that you will get charged double after the job is done. (This happened to me once at a previous mechanic) When he gives you an estimate it’s almost down to the dollar plus tax. He will also never pressure you to pay for something you don’t want to pay. He will also educate you about the issue. I never get intimidated coming here. I always know what I’m getting when I come here which is a great great great feeling as a first time car owner. It is an absolutely trusting place. It is a family-​owned shop that has been passed down from generation to generation. A big plus is that they try to get your car ready in a day. Can’t get better than that! Also, Steve will follow-​up or ask you to follow-​up after the repair is done to make sure you are happy with their work.
If you’ve ever felt nervous or ever been cheated by a mechanic then you know how important it is to find that one, perfect, perfect mechanic. I am happy to never have to hold my breath when the bill is handed to me. In fact, this is the only place anywhere for anything that I am happy to give my money because I always know I am getting a fair price, quality work, and have experts handling my car. Speaking of quality, I’ve never had issues with the quality of work done here. I’ve come here about 6 times in the past few months and have always seen massive improvements with my car each time. The last time I came here, which was today, I didn’t even ask for an estimate. I dropped my car off and I got the bill back with a lower price than I had estimated. Steve’s calm voice, expert advice, and reasonable price will always have me coming back. This place will always have my business. If you come here, you will never go anywhere else, guaranteed.

There are a ton of terrible mechanics in LIC/​Astoria so you need to be careful out there. But Steve is great, he’s someone I have a lot of respect for. I’ve been coming here for years and I’m super happy with him. He’s an honest guy and does good work. You will not be ripped off and your car will get fixed (or he’ll be honest and tell you he can’t do it), and that’s what is most important! Go here!

I was just looking for Steve’s number and found it on Unilocal AND I am so pleased that so many other people have the same experience of him that I do – I had never read his Unilocal reviews before. Dealing with a mechanic was always one of my least favorite things to do – I don’t know how a car works, I don’t want to know, and I feel like I am a target for being ripped off because I want to stay in my ignorance. I trust Steve completely. He is so very accommodating. It feels so great that so many others feel the same way about him!

These guys are fantastic! It’s rare to feel as though you can trust a mechanic but Steve is doing his part to give mechanics a good name. He is transparent about the parts he is using, ensures you understand what he is doing every step of the way and is in no way pushy about what you «should» do. I highly recommend this shop for anything you need!

By far the best repair shop in NYC. Quick and accommodating and honors his work. All this while being fairly priced.

You see all these 5 star reviews? Well, it’s for a reason. Steve was recommended to me by a good friend and, along with my doctor and my dentist, there is no one I trust my health to more than Steve. There is a level of trust in his word and his work that is from those seemingly bygone days of small town life. He has never done more work than was necessary, yet always informs me before he needs to do something he wasn’t expecting to. He will let me know what needs to be done soon, or what can wait a while longer. Always fair, always friendly, and always 100 percent trustworthy. Seriously trustworthy. I am about to criss cross the country (again) and Steve worked hard and quickly to make sure that my car was in mint condition for the next 6 months on the road. If you are looking for a mechanic, you have just found the very best, nicest, fairest, most reliable shop in all of this city. Don’t think twice: Just bring in your car.

Originally found this place with a flat tire on my wedding day. Well Steve not only saved that day but wound up becoming my go-​to car guy. Shop is old school to say the least (office looks like a car parts museum — the selection of 1970’s window cranks is mind blowing), but these guys are everything you want in an auto repair shop. Quick, honest and fair. After an accident I decided to have them do the collision repair based solely on how much my wife and I like and trust Steve, the owner. We were rewarded with great work, and he finished UNDER estimate for both time and cost. Can’t ask for more and now I won’t take my car anywhere else. The rave reviews are for real.

This is the place. Steve walked me through every repair (and why) needed prior to even quoting me a price. Aside from saving me cash and doing a great job he called me 3 days later to check on the car… what mechanic does that? Finding a good mechanic is like finding a good doctor… you get a good one you stick with them.

I was scheduled to leave on vacation and my Honda Pilot brake sensor started making noise the night before. I went to Northern Brake the next morning Steve let me know the front rotors and brakes needed to be replaced. He did the replacement in a couple of hours and we were on the road by noon. The next day Steve called me to see if everything was ok I never have had that kind of service in the auto repair field. I highly recommend Northern Brake and transmission and Steve will take good care of you and your car.

If you are close to this place, this is where you need to go with car trouble. Steve is phenomenal at his job. He is the best. The proicing is very reasonable and they do an incredible job. They are the best!

This is the only time in my life I have been to an auto shop that finished ahead of schedule and under quote. I am very pleased with the quality of service and workmanship. Steve comes across as the type of guy that does business with a handshake — one of those «his word is his bond» breed.
The greatest cause of anxiety from owning a car is worrying you are being taken advantage of when you go to the mechanic for repairs. I am so grateful I have finally found a place that eliminates all that anxiety. At Northern Brake & Transmission you can expect competitive pricing, honesty, and timeliness. What you can not expect is to be upsold on a million things you don’t need — which is very appreciated and ensures my repeat business when I do need help.
I will not go to another service center in NYC now that I have found these guys.

Steve is awesome in every sense. He is responsive%2c keeps his word%2c is personable and an all around nice guy. The other staff members are great also%2c however they are usually working on a car so there wont be much conversation with them. My mother was referred to Steve by a friend and she passed his information to me after i was ripped off by a hyundai dealer. I travel from Norther NJ to get my car serviced by Northern brake for anything beyond an oil change. I drop it off in the morning and its always ready by early afternoon. He explains things to me so that I understand, answers any questions about how car parts work (yes i’m a woman), and makes what use to be a dreadful experience a great one.
I would 100% recommend Northern brake to anyone looking for an honest, reliable, fair priced mechanic.

You can’t find a better auto repair shop. Honest, professional, fast, knowledgeable, beyond fair pricing & totally trustworthy!
Highly recommended!!!

Steve is the best mechanic I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. He is honest, dependable and takes great care of my car. He goes out of his way to make sure his customers are happy and even follows up with a call a week or so later. It’s good to have someone like him around to depend on.

Steve is the NICEST guy, he got my vehicle in that day, fixed the issues and returned my car that evening. Reasonable pricing as well. He even called me the next week to make sure all was good with my vehicle. I will be back!

These guys are great. Funny effecient. True customer relation. And my truck runs better than new.

I would not recommend this company to anyone. When I ordered my pistons they came fast and without incident. However when I ordered a crankshaft it was another story. The journals came twenty to thirty thousandths out of spec. When I called they had me ship it back and I was told it was «on the high end of being in spec» which basically means out of spec so I asked for a refund which they agreed to. Now here it is over a month and half a dozen calls later I still have not received my refund. On top of that when I call to find out where my refund is I am treated as if I am inconveniencing them. This is not the way to run a successful business.

One of my vans got banged up and I needed it fixed fast. Steve, at Northern Auto, was referred to me by a business friend in Astoria. I dropped the van off Friday at noon. He called me at 2pm with an estimate for body work and paint job. Van was ready for pick up Monday at 1pm.
Have to agree with previous reviews. Steve is a straight forward, honest and professional mechanic. We are lucky to have him in the neighborhood. My work van looks great. He will now get all of my professional and personal auto business. I cannot recommend this place enough. Price was very fair too.

I’ve been going to Northern Auto for about 4 years now. Best mechanic I’ve had — honest, affordable and dependable. And just really nice good people! Highly recommended!

I completely agree with Howley, this is a legitimate honest mechanic, and that’s not always easy to find.
I took my bosses new (used) car there not too long ago, and the owner, upon checking it out, informed me that it was something that still fell under the extended warranty, even tho he could’ve done the work and made a nice chunk of change.
After telling me exactly what the problem was, he even gave me directions to the nearest dealer.
I may not know how good of a mechanic he is yet, but I will def be bringing the car back for whatever it needs in the future, just based on his attitude.