Hands-On Garage

I took my car here to get my alternator replaced. I was about 30 minutes late for my appointment, however they were still able to get me in. They initially told me it would take about 2 hours to do the repair, and when i called at hour 3 they said they were just finishing up. In total it took almost 5 hours to fix it, but i don’t blame them. The alternator was buried.
When i made my appointment i asked the guy for a quote, and he said about $ 130, and i asked for the price with an alternator, and he said i am better off buying my own part and bringing it in. Haha, so i did. Total cost of repairs, including the alternator and belt i bought at NAPA was about $ 400.
The best part of this is that my driver side door was messed up prior to visiting, and they fixed it! Woo hoo! I plan on making this place my mechanic on future issues.

Really great staff from mechanics to desk. I used for DIY (Do-​it-​yourself) repair renting the lift. It was a great experience. The shop is clean, the tools are complete and clean. Specialty tools are readily available. Mechanics were «Johnny-​on-​the-​spot» instantly when I needed assistance. I just couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ll be back regularly for everything from oil changes to repair.

My experience was definitely not great! I took the rear knuckle from my vehicle in to have them press out a bad bearing and press in a new one. The only benefit of my experience was that they used my parts and didn’t request to provide them at a huge mark up. I dropped the part off early in the day and told them I would be back around 4:30PM to pick it up because I had to get it back on that evening. They close at 5PM. Around 3PM, I received a call that they were going to close early because they were slow which forced me to have to leave work early to pick up my parts that I so desperately needed. Upon getting the part, I noticed that the snap ring broke and they bent the crap out of the backing plate. Looking almost impossible to get out the next time I need to, I questioned it and they said it wouldn’t be a problem. I would have appreciated a call and I could have had a new one out to them quickly. Upon arriving home and under further inspection, I noticed that they removed the backing plate and lost one of the bolts that holds it on. They also removed the rubber grommet that the emergency brake mechanism goes through and just left it sitting there without putting it in fully, which was an absolute nightmare to put back in. That said, it looks like they have a nice set up if you are doing the work yourself, but I would find a shop with real mechanics if you are going to have them do the work.

I’ve been here on 4 or 5 occasions for both regular DIY maintenance and repairs and the team has always been helpful. I bring my own tools just out of habit but the bays are fully stocked, tidy, and the air-​powered impact gun makes quick work of anything stubborn. Even if you’re doing it yourself they are willing to lend a hand or advice. I had a stuck brake caliper piston once and one of the guys arm-​wrestled it until we won. Need a breaker bar? There are 5 to choose from. Forgot your thread lock? They didn’t. Even the vending machines are on point.
If you’re like me and typically have to deal with a jack, some jack stands and dirty clothes just to be uncomfortable in a cold driveway or garage… do yourself a favor and call these guys to let them know you need a bay. Today I rotated my tires (took maybe 5 minutes to swap them around and get the lug bolts started with the impact) changed my oil (which they properly dispose of) and fully inspected the underbody for $ 25. In 10 degree weather that is priceless.

Changed my rear shocks out this morning. Previously I rented a heater ($ 25) and borrowed a friends garage (45m drive) and did the fronts. The company I ordered from sent me the wrong rears so a week later I had to either go through that whole process again or use Hands-​on. My two hour job was cut down to an hour due to the use of the air gun and lift, and the space was clean and heated as well as the staff being very friendly and helpful. I will hands down use them for all my winter work from here on out. If you’re competent you can pay ½ of the going rate of any good mechanic. My total time was 1.5h and it cost about $ 40. That’s an easy $ 90 at any shop, or more if you are working on an import.