Back To Basic Automotive

Nothing makes me feel as grounded as finding a trustworthy mechanic to help me keep my beloved Cherry Bomb, an ’06 Scion XB, rocking and rolling into middle age. As the daughter of a mechanic and sister to several, I have no patience with anyone who takes me for an automotive idiot, doubly so because I am an intelligent and capable woman. I do small repairs on my own and appreciate being treated with the same respect men take for granted. Back to Basic is exactly the kind of independent, skillful, fairly priced professional shop I was looking for. On top of that, it’s clean and everyone I met there was just real nice.
They took my car in within an hour of my phone call. I knew I needed at least an oil change, but I also wanted them to check out a persistent and worrisome clank I heard every time I went over a bump. I was worried about serious damage from my last cross-​country trip here from Minnesota. Visions of hundred dollar bills danced in my head, but even more frightening was the prospect of putting my magic car – big on the inside and small on the outside – to sleep. So, I asked them to give it a good check up. I was prepared for the worst.
The worst was a bolt missing from my front right brake caliper pin – think I got that right. The clank was the free range calipers working that pin loose. Had it gotten loose somewhere on the endless loop of highway here, I would have been in the deepest of dung. Seriously. Kind of makes me think of the plot of a 70s CHIPS episode, but it really isn’t funny. They ordered the bolt and took care of it, and didn’t even charge me for the labor on that. Beyond that, I just have to watch my coolant at 100K miles?!
Great experience all around. Back to Basic offers a full range of services including detailing and body work. I’ve been fantasizing about getting some dings unrung and going Envy Green, which would do way more for my spirit than a personal makeover. I’m not sure if they do paint, but I’d trust these guys to pick the color any day.

Have used these guys for years, they are by far the best, most honest mechanics you will find. They have even done extra repairs without charge such as repair a fan motor on my air conditioning or replace a serpentine belt for only the cost of the belt since they had it off already doing another repair. They also showed me the belt they replaced and it did need replaced. I have also found their prices to be very competitive. My wife rents business space from a mechanic shop that owns the whole block. Their prices even for us as renters are higher than Back to Basic rates. My vehicles have found a home at Back to Basics.

I don’t know what’s harder, finding a good, trustworthy doctor, or finding a good, trustworthy mechanic. Not being much of a car person myself, I was wary of where to take my car for its standard oil change/​inspection. I’ve heard countless horror stories of people being overcharged, lied to, and upsold on things they never even needed by mechanics. While I approach many things in life with a healthy degree of skepticism, I’d prefer not to have to do so with the well-​being of my car.
Back to Basic was near me and at the top of Unilocal ratings, so off I went. A couple hours later, they called me to let me know that they’d found a few issues with my car. «Here we go,» I initially thought, before they told me that only one of the issues (a cracked serpentine belt) actually needed immediate attention, and would only cost $ 75 to replace. The other two things could be monitored over the next couple years, and would just need attention eventually. My feeling is that any mechanic that says «it can wait, we just wanted to let you know about it» is probably fairly trustworthy.
As for the serpentine belt, I’d brought in my car fairly late on a Friday, so initially they suggested I just bring it back Monday for the belt replacement. I had a long drive planned for that weekend, and when I told them this, they shuffled around some labor and managed to get it replaced for me before the end of the day so I could make my drive without having to worry about it snapping.
I intend to keep taking my car here for the foreseeable future.

I wouldn’t trust anyone else. My car broke down at 4:58pm. I called them and they said they would stay there until I got there to take it in. I didn’t arrive until 5:30pm and they waited with me until I could get a ride so they ended up staying at work an hour late. That’s service! The next day they called and said it was just a minor quick fix, and it was cheap too! Trust me, these guys will take great care of you.

I have had my vehicle serviced here 4 times– for fault of the vehicle. These guys will make sure the work is done correctly and at a fair price. Even though I live in the far Northwest Valley, I would return.

If you are thinking of doing business with these folks:
1. Talk only to the owner/​manager.
2. Recognize that if you make an appointment, it is not for service, it is for check in. You should plan to leave your car for at least half a day.
Why?
1. If anything goes not quite right, they might not make it right, the man in charge might just say «you didn’t talk to me». That’s what I got.
2. I made an appointment for an alignment check. When I got there they told me it would take at least half a day and that there were 16 cars ahead of me. I got there ten minutes before they opened, I’m not sure why they are setting appointments with 16 cars waiting. I made the appointment on Monday morning for Thursday morning. I am not sure how they could not get through the 16 cars in three days, but would have been able to finish them all and mine in half a day. I am not sure why they couldn’t tell me I had to drop off the car. I specifically set up the appointment for a time I could come in… and they knew this since I agreed to take time off work to come in when I could get an appointment (they had nothing in the evening for several more days). It would have been nice for them to tell me that I would have to leave the car or wait half a day. It would have been even nicer for them to work on my car at the appointment time. Evidently we have very different ideas of what an appointment is. Every other place I have been to has been able to do this work in about an hour, these guys said it takes at least two.

Honest Service. Affordable Repairs/​Quick turnaround time.
Thanks Kevin/​Dave.

I called yesterday late afternoon needing a new part ordered, painted, and installed in my car. This morning I dropped it off, and they’re already done this afternoon! The price is VERY affordable, perfect paint job, and they dropped me off at work and picked me back up! Super nice guys… I love this place! :)

Fast, friendly and accurate service. I was visiting from out of town and received a flat tire while in downtown Phoenix. I walked in and the staff was very friendly and accommodating and took me right in to get my tire fixed. I’d like to thank George the repair man who fixed my tire and he didn’t even charge me for his service. Very kind people very fast and I would definitely use them again.

I went away from the independent mechanic a decade or more ago when the trusted mechanic in my neighborhood sold his business. Ended up going to the dealer for the last decade.
My 1996 Toyota T100 needed AC and fan/​blower work … the dealer said $ 1750 (AC) + $ 400 (fan). Come on … the truck isn’t worth that much.
A coworker recommended that I take it to Back To Basic … glad I did. Got both of those items fixed for ¹⁄₃ of what the dealer wanted. Its been a month, they are still both working great!
I’ve since taken my 2008 Toyota Camry in for Oil/​Lube, electrical check-​up, front brakes, and a general road trip check. Once again … very happy with the work and price.
I’ve got a new trusted mechanic :-)

Hands down, the BEST mechanics in Arizona.
I took my 73 Nova to Back to Basic last September for some restoration work. By «some restoration work,» I mean that my car was ready for the junk yard. Let’s see if I can paint this picture correctly.
My car had been sitting for 10 years, untouched. Despite having a lot of work done before parking it for a decade, everything with my car needed to be restored. Every seal, gasket and rubber hose or fitting was dry rotted. The motor, transmission, gas tank and brakes were all leaking fluid and no component was even close to being operational. I can’t even begin to describe the deplorable condition of my most prized possession and it pains me to think of my classic car in such a condition.
My dilemma was that I was moving to Germany for work and wanted to take my car with me. The Germans have VERY strict inspections before a vehicle can be given a license plate and my classic beauty was a Frankenstein on wheels. I had 3 months to get my car inspection ready and the mechanics at Back to Basic Automotive tackled the job and completed it within my accelerated timetable.
Upon calling the shop, I received the disclaimer that they were not a classic car restoration shop but a general mechanic shop. Despite not specializing in classic cars, they promised to do their best, and their best is what I received. I had my car towed to the shop and they immediately began working on it.
They tore my car apart and like expert detectives, solved many mysteries that had been surrounding my vehicle since I bought it. Such as, «why does the front end sit so low?» «Oh, because the car used to have a lighter V6 motor and when the previous owner put in the heavier V8, he never changed out the smaller coil springs.»
The mechanics got my brakes working first, and then started replacing everything that was dry rotted, cracked or broken. They replaced the radiator, heater core, heater blower motor, repaired my gas tank, replaced my distributor, rewired my entire car from front to rear, and changed out my transmission for a larger and better 700R4. This is just a few of the projects they completed and they did it in record time, for a very reasonable price.
I primarily dealt with Andrew in the front office and Trevor was the lead mechanic working on my Nova. These two mechanics were without a doubt the most personable, professional, and skilled mechanics that I have ever met. They even emailed me to ensure that the Nova arrived in Germany and to make sure it passed the 15 page inspection. I can’t stress enough that this is the only shop that I recommend to my friends and family still living in Arizona. They will continue to have my business when I return from Germany and I hope they continue to thrive in Phoenix. If this is the normal way that they treat customers and the normal pride that they put into their work, then I have no doubt that their business will continue to thrive. This is truly, the best mechanic shop I have ever been to.

After the weekend Kevin the manager contacted me and apologized for what happened. He researched and found the reason that my car wasn’t running correctly. I brought it back to them and they fixed the problem. I’m only giving four stars due to the amount of stress I endured through this process, but the bottom line is they made it right. I only wish I would have dealt with Kevin from the start. He’s a solid dude, even if he is a bronco fan!

Auto mechanics you can trust!
I would like to thank Dave, Keith, and the rest of the crew at Back to Basic Automative. I have used Back to Basic Automative on numerous occasions from oil changes to alignment work and everything in between. The guys at Basic to Basic are honest, trustworthy, and always explain what needs to be done, and my vehicles are always repaired in a timely matter.
Honesty, experience, and expertise are just a few of the attributes at Back to Basic Automative. You can’t beat the great customer service, thorough work, and more than fair pricing. Back to Basic can’t be beat! (I’ve been a customer for a very long time and will remain a customer for good.)

Super impressed with them. They got me in at the last minute, and had the car ready to go by the time that I requested (before, actually), despite the fact that they had to do a bunch of extra work that we hadn’t anticipated.
They were friendly, straight-​forward, very good about communicating, and reasonably priced. Usually, at least 1 to 4 of these criteria are missing when I visit other shops.
Excellent experience! I’ll be back. Soon.

Just a quick note to say thanks to Dave and his staff.
My Classic Land Cruiser had some issues, as I had restored it my self.
To make a long story short I put a modern engine in a old car. I got it about 90% there but I could not get it to run right. I met Dave while tiring to sell him a new air conditioning system, walking through his garage it became very apparent that Dave had to knowledge and expertise to help me. I asked if they took on projects and Dave said, «sure, just bring it down» That’s what I did and could not be happier
I am in the customer service business and I expect a lot from service providers, usually end up being disappointed. but not this time, my Land Cruiser runs, stops and drives as good as it looks.

On the way to work two days before Christmas, my check engine light appeared. The kind fellows at Back to Basic fit me into their schedule and even dropped me back off at my office. By the end of the day, they had resolved my problem at a very reasonable cost and stayed open so that I could come pick up my car.
The problem:
A tiny crack on the fuel pump under my seat, which was causing a puddle of fuel to build up.
I’m so relieved that they took the time and care to identify this problem. I had previously smelled gasoline and taken my car to my regular mechanic who failed to catch the leak. I was just one tiny spark away from an explosion!
As a small town girl, I love when I find good, honest, hard working folks who do their jobs well and are humble about it. These fellows are just those guys and this shop reminds me of my hometown shop, which locals just knew to go to for the best service. Back to Basic doesn’t advertise, but their shop is always busy — the best stamp of approval any business could have.
I highly recommend checking out their services. You’ll be glad you did!

We found this company by Unilocaling for a mechanic in the area that we broke down in. I read their reviews, called them & had them tow our vehicle to his shop & do the repair. They got right on the job and I paid what I was quoted. Very professional & I will keep their name & number for future services, even though they are not located in our neighborhood.

After having issues with my explorer for over a month and 2 mechanics later, I finally brought my car here. Spoke with Dave (Owner) and explained what was going on and that I just wanted my car fixed. At this point I was stressed and ready to brake down.
couple hrs later Dave called and explained the issue (fuel line needed to be replaced, something the other mechanics failed to mention) and even said that the other mechanic did other work that was not needed!
Gave them the OK and my car was ready the next day!
My car is back and running with no problems (YAY)!
I recommend these guys to anyone that is looking for a good and honest mechanic. I will be using Back to Basics from now on. Thanks to Dave & the rest of the crew.

I also went here based on all the 5 star reviews. I thought they were very professional and very clean. The problem is they were also very expensive. The informed me that two of my motor mounts were broken and two were torn. I asked them for an initial estimate and they told me between 850 and 950. I told them I would be back when I had saved up some cash.
In the mean time I began calling other shops to find out if their estimate was reasonable to high. After calling three other shops and the dealer in the Phoenix area I found that virtually everyone was asking around 900 dollars, except the dealer who was asking 1000. I called Back to Basics back and asked them to schedule me, but also if they could shop around for some cheaper after market mounts, they gladly agreed.
The returned my call a couple days later to tell me that the actual price would be somewhere between 950 and 1050 with after market mounts and about 1020 would the OEM mounts. Feeling frustrated with the price increase I told them to take me off the scheduled appointment. I figured if I am gonna pay over 1000 I might as well get them done at the dealer.
I eventually called a shop recommend to me in Tucson and they replaced all 4 mounts for 825. I recommend back to basics to anyone willing to pay a little to a lot extra. They are nice, honest, and serious mechanics… but also very expensive.

Done Once, Done Well
A friend recommended me to Back to Basics. He takes three vehicles here. We own two cars officially classified in Arizona as «antiques.» They love them. Gary & crew have repaired things for me other places didn’t get done right. My pickup is in for a smog violation today. They have made carb adjustments and are taking the truck to emissions testing to make sure their work is good. They also have a reference list of other automotive pros; for example, mobile minor body work.
They are becoming my sole source of auto maintenance when I’m in town.