Bernie’s Automotive

Seattle, United States

4.7

20 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 206-783-0352
Website:
www.berniesautomotive.com
Address:
4420 Leary Way NW, Seattle, WA, 98107
Ballard
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 mi8th Ave NW & NW 50th St
0.3 mi8th Ave NW & NW 51st St
0.4 miNW Market St & NW 50th St
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Today

Today –
Local time (Seattle) 01:12 Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Bernie’s has been voted Best of Ballard, by the Ballard News Tribune by specializing in all makes and models of vehicles in the Ballard, Fremont, and Magnolia area since 1963. We are your one stop shop for your vehicle’s needs, Bernie’s does it all. We also have the best warranty in town, 3 years /36,000 miles, nationwide. By listening to our customers we have reduced our prices to more competitive without jeopardizing our quality of workmanship, repairs, and nationwide warranty! :)

History

Established in 1963.

Bernie’s Automotive has been family owned and operated in Ballard and serving the Ballard, Fremont, Magnolia communities 1963. We have enabled ourselves to offer the very best in automotive care and customer service. We owe our success to the people and businesses that have supported us throughout the years and to thank them, our customers can depend on our 3 year /​36,000 mile nationwide warranty and our personal guarantee.

Meet the Business Owner

Troy J.

Business Owner

I first started working for Bernie’s Automotive at the age of 12, pumping gas and sweeping floors, back in 1982 when we were a full service gas station. Bernie is my father and in 1995 I became 2nd generation owner of Bernie’s Automotive and to this day still love my job. I strive to continue and practice the same integrity, quality, and credibility that my father used to build Bernie’s Automotive into the repair shop that your neighbors have been depending on since 1963.

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«Product and service are unbeatable. Jeff’s not a bad guy either ;)»

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20 reviews of Bernie’s Automotive

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I’ve been bringing my car (s) here for 8 years! I make the trek from south Seattle to Ballard for all of my repair and service needs, because it’s worth the journey to work with a repair shop that has integrity. Will and his team are super helpful and knowledgable. Their pricing is fair and their customer service is top notch!
Is it weird to love your mechanic? Not if you are talking about Bernies! :)
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
An honest mechanic is hard to find — I will be coming back here! Friendly, fast, thorough service. Competent and friendly staff and technicians.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I went here because my car was broken into while on a road trip and they were extremely helpful. They fixed the window within a day so I could get back on my trip for a very reasonable price. They were so helpful and friendly. I would return if I could.
Place rating: 5
Elizabethtown, KY
Expensive, yes. Well worth it? Absolutely. Will the ship manager was honest, thorough, and kept his word on his price quote. I’ll be coming back.
Place rating: 5
Athens, GA
Friendly and top-​notch, above and beyond service!
I brought my Jeep Grand Cherokee in for routine maintenance. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable — they gave me a «max price» quote guarantee, which I appreciated for visibility, and desk side knew all about the operations and were able to walk me through what to expect from having/​not having work done. Mechanics went above and beyond repairs, giving me extra service at no charge and even offering me extra benefits like roadside assistance without me having to probe them for it. I also was able to pay with a 20% savings coupon. Prices were exceptionally fair based off my experience.
It’s been a week, and my Jeep is still running great (survived a trip to Mt Bandera). These guys know customer retention is key to successful business, and I’d highly recommend them!
Place rating: 5
Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA
You will not regret making Bernie’s part of your family! I have been a customer since 2006 and I am continuously impressed by the quality of service here. I feel valued by this business – especially with frequent discounts and special offers mailed to me. In addition, they offer roadside assistance as a part of their customer loyalty program, which SAVED me from dangerous roadside situation. Will, Troy, Sam, Taylor – the whole staff is kind and honest and willing to go out of their way for their customers. For example, they bought me lunch one day when I decided to wait several hours for a repair. I can’t believe anyone would ever leave a bad review here… if you own a car you should expect to have to pay for maintenance; the bad reviewer below me is clearly just bitter about that fact. I always research the best prices, and Bernie’s always wins. I have been a customer for long enough to know that this business is one that has integrity and only the best intentions to keep you safe on the road while making your day brighter. In fact, if anyone is skeptical or wants an honest customer opinion about them please call me 253−722−3772. I have only amazing things to say and I really encourage you to choose Bernie’s for your auto needs. I am very glad that I happened to live in Ballard when my car broke down eight years ago because I feel safe and taken care of with Bernie’s on my side and will continue to come to Bernie’s for all my auto needs!
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
AVOID AT ALL COST. In my 15 years of car ownership, Bernie’s is the worst, most offensive dishonest mechanic I have ever encountered.
I brought in my SUV for a check up after a long trip, and was told it had a variety of issues, most pressingly that my front and rear differential fluids needed to be replaced. Great, I said, how much would everything cost? «Around $ 1,500. Immediately I became skeptical. How much just for the differential fluid? «Between $ 1,100-$ 1,300.»
My scam radar went haywire: over $ 1,000 just to change fluids? That seemed totally outlandish. A quick google search confirmed it’s a 20 minute job and the cost of the fluid was less than $ 100. No thank you. Then, of course when I went to pick up (which I was informed I couldn’t do for an hour because it was «all disassembled» — I walked by 5 minutes later on the way to lunch and it was sitting fully assembled in their parking lot), they charged me $ 125 for the «labor».
Next day I took the car to Jiffy Lube and had fluids changed on both differentials for $ 190.
Will never return to Bernie’s.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
i had quite the service done to my car. a transmission AND clutch replacement. suffice it to say, it was damn near traumatic.
will and taylor were incredible to work with, very professional, polite, very much on top of things, especially great about calling to update you on the current situation and ultimately, very patient in dealing with me and my situation.
the car wasn’t worth a new tranny and clutch system, monetarily speaking, that much i knew, so i was on the fence about tossing the entire thing… but they insisted that i consider getting used parts, especially because they saw that the rest of the car was in pretty good shape… this is an 8 year old hyundai accent w/​only 100k miles on it. they found one from a vendor they use often and trusted and quoted me which came out to a considerable amount of savings.
this was done 03⁄14 and the gears still shift smooth.
i will be a returning customer. but fingers crossed i won’t be needing a mechanic anytime soon.
thank you, guys!
Place rating: 5
Brier, WA
Will is what Bernie’s is all about. He is the face of the business and couldn’t represent a mechanic shop better. As a woman, it is so wonderful to have a go-​to and honest guy like Will. And thanks to the mechanics behind the scenes too who performed great work on my husband’s truck.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
No complaints! And as always I found Will to be responsive, knowledgeable, friendly and fair.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I always cringe when something goes wrong with my car… but the great guys at Bernie’s always save the day. I don’t know spit about cars, but they take the time to explain the problems and the solutions in a language that I can understand. They go the extra mile every time and I can’t imagine taking my car anywhere else. If you want honest and friendly service — look no further than Bernie’s Automotive!
And a shout out to Will — thanks for always talking me off the ledge — you are always such a pleasure to deal with!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
This is my first review.ever. My husband and I have been taking our cars to Bernie’s for the past 6 years or so years. We’ve always been really pleased. I’m writing this review to give kudos to them for the excellent service I’ve just received. My car was leaking water in the front floor of the drivers side and passenger. I took it to them, they fixed it. When I got home it was still getting wet. I took it back and they had quite a bit of work to do to try and figure out from where the water was coming in. It entailed taking the car completely apart. They supplied me with a rental car (their expense) and fixed my car for a fraction of what they should have charged. Partly because it wasn’t fixed the first time and partly, I’d like to think, because I’m a loyal costumer. I can’t say enough good things about them.
I’ve even used their roadside service in the past which is also awesome.
Place rating: 4
Ballard, Seattle, WA
Very good service, polished the car after an oil change. Looks great!
Place rating: 5
Monroe, WA
These guys go above and beyond to meet the consumer’s needs. I was extremely impressed with how friendly and helpful they were in fixing my car!
Special thanks to the mechanic who was absolutely amazing! Thanks Will Ingle!
Because of his service, Bernie’s Automotive will be my first go-​to place for any future car problems.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Customer service always determines whether I’m returning to a business or not, especially from my first impression. Well, Bernie’s went above and beyond for me today!
I wish I got the name of the guy who helped me. He was so attentive, courteous, and QUICK that I didn’t get a chance to catch it.
I walked in needing a new signal light, my hubby wasn’t able to do it as I jammed the bumper in, so I was expecting it to be a pricey job, and was afraid that I’d have to buy a whole new bumper panel.
Dude said he’d check it out, popped the hood, got a new bulb in the shop, replaced the bulb, and popped the light fixture back in. LIKE A NINJA. It took 5 minutes if that and then he goes «have a nice day!» and I was like «how much do I owe you?!» and he was like «don’t worry about it, happy holidays!».
WOW! :) I don’t expect FREE service in the future, and maybe he saw my 7-​mos. pregnant belly and wanted to be extra nice, who knows. But I’ll def. be going back in the future for any other car needs.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I’ve been here twice now. Both times it’s been prompt service and reasonable prices. I used their night-​time key drop and it was finished by 11 AM the next morning. They’ll go through everything with you beforehand so there’s no mystery to it. Definitely one of the best auto shops I’ve been to, I’m a fan
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Being newer to the Ballard area I was skeptical of finding a new «go-​to» mechanic since I had found a great one when I was in Everett. I was really pleased with their service and their willingness to help. Granted most companies should be like this, but most never are. These guys actually care. I had a control arm and axel snap on me meaning my car completely disabled. I had made an appointment the night before and then while driving it broke and I needed to get it towed to the shop. They kept me in the loop every step of the way and did what they could to keep the price as low as possible.
I’ll definitely go back and recommend other local friends, family, etc to check them out!
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Yeah… I dunno.
They do a REALLY superb job with the «courtesy inspections» and ensuing list of recommended procedures.
They weren’t able to definitively diagnose my car’s issue but I still managed to spend $ 600.
GREAT customer service — other than having to wait five days for an appointment. I work at an animal hospital and cannot imagine telling someone, ‘I’m sorry your cat is sick… we’ll see you in five days.“
I guess if they’re that booked up it’s a good sign?
I know nothing about cars but I get a really strong, «Would you like fries with that?» vibe from Bernie’s.
Place rating: 5
San Diego, CA
I’ve been going to Bernie’s for several years and so glad I found this place! I’ve had excellent service for my ’02 Nissan Sentra for everything from brakes/​tires to engine repairs (catalytic converter, transmission problems).
They have great deals for oil changes — doesn’t even compare to the Grease Monkey-​type places — they check a ton of other stuff and offer free towing. I feel they go the extra mile in quality of service, I always feel my car is in the best possible shape after each visit, and in the one case when something wasn’t completely fixed which they quoted me on, they took it back right away and fixed it till 100% resolved with no extra charge.
The customer service is outstanding, they’ve always taken the time to explain in simple terms what was wrong and what was needed to fix it. I can tell these guys have a passion for cars! They also offer rides to and from their shop if you need it (within Ballard) which was the icing on the cake for me; it was so nice and convenient, not many places will do that!
Even as I am now moving to California they took the time to help me find an excellent auto shop in Santa Cruz. I was worried about finding another reliable and welcoming auto shop, but feel they’ve set me up good in my new neighborhood.
Thank you for your diligence and excellent follow-​through!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I’ve been a customer here for well over 10 years. I like to support a small business that has been passed down from father to son, where they focus on customer service. They took very good care of my first SUV until I sold it at 230K miles, and it was still in good shape.
I do think they are a bit more expensive than some shops, but you get what you pay for. They do the extras like drive you to work, vaccuum out your car, and get your car back as quickly as possible with phone
updates while it’s being worked on. They also do fundraisers for the local high school. I’ve always felt they are trustworthy and they explain everything to me, which is hard to find in some auto repair shops.