Budd & Company

Seattle, United States

4

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 206-324-0550
Website:
www.buddandcompany.com
Address:
800 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98144
b/t Dearborn St & Rainier St
Central District
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
340 ftRainier Ave S & S Dearborn St
780 ftRainier Ave S & S Charles St
810 ftS Dearborn St & Corwin Pl S
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Today

Today –
Local time (Seattle) 05:10 Sunday, 22 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Seattle Automotive Repair and Maintenance for Over 50 Years!

That’s exactly what family-​owned Budd and Company has been offering to Seattle area residents and businesses. Whether you need routine auto maintenance or your car broke down in the middle of the road, trust the technicians at Budd and Company to take care of your family and your vehicles.

Budd and Co. Inc. carries certifications from AAA, WA State Department of Ecology, The Better Business Bureau, ASE, and more. Our technicians carry certificiations from ASE and the WA Department of Ecology. We specialize in foreign and domestic auto repair, including:

–Scheduled mainenance service (30k, 60k, 90k, etc.)

–HVAC service & repair

–Emissions system repair

–Brake diagnosis & repair

–Exhaust repair & custom exhaust work

–Suspension repair & alignment

–Automatic & manual transmission & transaxle diagnosis & repair

History

Established in 1952.

Budd and Company, Inc. has been family owned and operated since 1952, when the shop, at that time located at 420 East Denny way in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, was purchased by Ford Goebel and Walt Kummerfelt. In 1965 Ford’s son Don joined him, replacing Walt. In 1979 Ford retired, his other son Russell «Shorty» Goebel joined the crew, and that same year the business was moved to its current location at 800 Rainier Avenue South in Seattle’s Rainier Valley.

In 1986 Shorty left the business and relocated to Ocean Shores, Washington and opened his own shop, Ocean Front Automotive. Don then ran Budd & Company solo until his son Mike joined him in September 1986. In December of 2003 Don retired, with Mike Goebel in charge to carry on the business for a third generation.

Meet the Business Owner

Mike G.

Business Owner

Mike Goebel began working at Budd & Company in 1986 under the supervision of his father, Don Goebel. In 2003, Don retired and Mike took over as owner and manager, and continues to this day.

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20 reviews of Budd & Company

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Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Honest, quick, and good customer service. This shop goes the extra mile. A little more money than i was hoping to spend but you get what you pay for.
Place rating: 3
Federal Way, WA
Good work. Fair prices. Upon completion of the work, I had to ask for my old parts to be returned, but they didn’t have them readily available — I was okay with a thorough inspection of the work done and seeing the new parts (they were all external engine parts — water pump, belt tensioner, etc. If they were internal parts, I would have had an issue.
Friendly, calm, understanding staff. Convenient location. Decent prices on the parts (I could have bought them myself for less, but I’m not a mechanic, nor do I possess the time, tools, and shop space to perform moderate-​scale, so you have to bite the bullet when it comes to parts prices). Their shop labor rate is average.
If I’m ever experiencing mechanical issues with my truck again, there is a fair chance I will take it back to Budd & Company. My truck is running great again, and that’s all I really care about.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Courteous, fast, and a reasonable price. One thing I really liked is that, even though my car needs more things fixed beyond what I asked to be looked at, they didn’t campaign to get all of that done at the same time. I was quoted a price for exactly what needed to be done to fix the problem along with a couple of service items (they noticed that the oil change sticker was badly out of date). My car was done in less than 24 hours and works well.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I have been taking my cars to Budd & Co for 10 plus years. Unlike my experience with other mechanics in the past, never once have I felt like the guys at Budd & Co were taking advantage of me. I often walk out of their shop with a negligible bill. They are not afraid to tell me, «nothing wrong.» Trust is so important when it comes to an auto mechanic. I trust these guys all day long.
Place rating: 2
Seattle, WA
While the guys working here are very friendly, they definitely overcharged me. I brought my car in and told them I wasn’t sure what the problem was, but informed them that it broke down on the interstate and described a few issues it was having (flickering radio and service lights at random times, trouble starting now and then, etc.) and right off the bat they charged me $ 120 before they even looked at the car. (Not sure why…) Later, they called to make sure it was okay to install a new battery because mine was clearly dying. I said yes, of course. When I went to pick up the car, my bill was over $ 400. Who knew replacing a few loose wires and putting in a new battery would cost so much… My boyfriend, my brother, and my dad weren’t too happy when I told them how much I paid. «I could have put in a new battery for under $ 50!» So, obviously I was ripped off and won’t be coming back.
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
I had my car towed here after the starter stopped working. They knew it was towed there and took advantage of the fact. He wont let you supply parts, initially I was impressed by this because he said «I don’t trust a lot of parts, just prefer to use ones I order.» Come to find out its because he wants to charge 150% markup on the part. I tried to call him out on it and he said he doesn’t. when I showed him on my phone the EXACT same part down to the serial number for $ 200.00 less he got mad and said that is what he has to do to stay in business and that its my fault I agreed to the repairs.
Not the right way to treat a customer. They should give out free lipstick in the shop so you at least look pretty while you’re getting F***ed.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I had a seized front brake caliper and had Budd replace it; they suggested a few other fixes (like adjusting the rear brakes) that I opted to skip and everything was done within a day. When I picked the car up I felt like the brakes felt a little strange but the technician working on the car and I had a bit of a disagreement over that. After some back-​and-​forth, Budd stood behind their work and took the car back in to fix everything for free (which included the work I opted to skip earlier) and made the brake feel exactly as it should be. I’m really pleased with the result and will be back again!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
We regularly take our car and van to Budd and Company and they always do a great job. If you are looking for a truly honest mechanic, Mike Goebel is your guy! He has an excellent staff and the prices are always great. They work on our Subaru, and our Chevy van.
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
She almost asked me for my social in order to get a quote for my 40,000 repair service. Alright fine, I’ll give the VIN, but why do you want to make it a data entry game and waste my time!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I have a 12-​year old Lexus IS300.
I regularly took it to Lexus of Seattle (Lynnwood) for service years ago. They were good, but very expensive. And I hated having to go to Lynnwood (I live DT Seattle).
I have been taking it to Toyota of Seattle for several years, because Toyota theoretically knows Lexus (since the engine is marked ‘Toyota’ anyways). They were decent, but cheaper.
Toyota service was over capacity last week. I took the car to Lexus to get a full diagnostic; they were able to produce a list of $ 4400 worth of «problems.» Thorough diagnosis (catching a bunch of problems Toyota never saw) but really expensive.
I _​should_​have just been taking the car to Budd & Co. all along. For $ 400 they fixed about $ 2000 of what was actually important on the Lexus list, including an oxygen sensor replacement. And they were able to get parts same day (Lexus took a week!). The rest is just tires (and I’m going to TruLine again for that).
In short, I’ll be taking the car here from now on. ;)
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
The calm, informed, patient approach taken by the staff at Budd & Co will keep me coming back. They didn’t make me feel like I was dumb and an easy target. A thorough explanation of their expectations for the work made me feel comfortable spending a sizeable amount of money with them.
They came in under estimate on my work, too, which made me extra: D
You have to call ahead. They’re very good and thus quite booked.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Best mechanic I have ever dealt with.
They have done work on both my girlfriend and my vehicles. They are always professional and thorough and explain each step of the repair process; estimate, execution, and charges.
They are not cheap, but if you are dumb enough to seek out the lowest bidder for car parts/​services, you deserve the grief you get.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I’ve been bringing my ’84 Dodge van here for years, and Mike has always done a great job helping me evaluate and troubleshoot my problems. Finding a good mechanic is like making a friend. You don’t want to just call or show up in a panic because your car stopped working… chances are they are going to be busy, and not have time for you. I built my relationship with Budd & Co. over the years with many calm, courteous interactions. The payoff happened when my van stopped running a few days ago, just a block away from Budd & Co. I explained that my band needed the van the next day for an important gig. They looked at my van immediately and found a loose carburetor gasket which was causing the engine to run too rich. They tuned up the fuel mix, and even kept my van locked in the shop overnight, since all of my band equipment was inside. I really appreciate the fact that they helped me out in a timely fashion, and I’ll keep brining my van here as long as it keeps running!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
This is the mechanic you hope to find when you move into a new city. My girlfriend had been using Budd & Company for years and said they had taken great care of her. I took her advice and brought my car in to them. They fixed my car quickly and for a much cheaper price than what the dealership was estimating.
Since then I have continued to use Budd & Company as my main mechanic. I haven’t had a single bad experience. The only downside (which is actually proof on how great these guys are) is that they are really busy. Make sure you call and get an appointment if you need to bring your car in.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Budd and Co are the best! I’ve had three trucks, all Toyota’s including my current ’97 Tacoma! I trust no one else with my vehicles now and since moving up the north end of Seattle, decided to continue to use Budd and Co! It’s a drive but worth it for me. Just recently got my clutch replaced there and it feels like a new vehicle. The guys are all super nice, super knowledgable and very good at what they do. There’s this old adage that you get what you pay for and while I’ve heard complaints that Budd and Co are overpriced, the work is always above standard and these guys will back up their work 100%!!
I recommend them as highly as I can and as for as long as I live in Seattle, my vehicles will always go to Budd and Company! Great shop, great service, great group of mechanics!
Place rating: 2
Seattle, WA
They seem to make customers happy but they almost always refuse to do work for me. There was this one time when I made an «appointment» four days in advance to get an alignment done that worked out just fine, but every other time I’ve called or stopped in, they told me they are too busy to work on my Chevy or my Honda. It’s really quite irritating!
And their perspective on «appointment» is more like «we’ll work on it some time that day. In my world, an «appointment» is a scheduled event where I show up, they do the work, and I leave with my car. I just really dislike the way they do business.
I’m sure they’re very profitable though.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Many moons ago, my father recommended I take my car to Budd’s. Being as I was young and still rebelling, it was years before I visited the auto shop. (this may also be due to the fact that I did not have a car in my early twenties)
When I purchased my beloved 1999 Subaru in 2006 my quest for the perfect dog taxi, Budd’s became my go-​to with car issues. After many, many visits, I always come away satisfied with the outcome — except once. My head gaskets blew (yay Subaru!) and I took my car to Budd’s to see what they could do. This is a common and expensive repair that plagued the Outbacks during a few years of production.
~$ 1500 later, I left with my car, brand new head gaskets dancing in my head, excited to avoid another tow.
Until a few day later when my car overheated and had to be towed, yet again. This time I was kinda pissed. But when I returned to Budd’s to talk to Mike about it, he immediately tried to fix the problem, just like usual. The shop decided the engine was not worth trying to fix, so they took it out and replaced it with a fully refurb engine, perfect head gaskets, and lower mileage. This with no extra charge! I love the willingness of the shop to not only fix my car, but fix the rare mistake they make.
My Sub is still running. at 155,000 miles, I just called Budd’s for a tune up quote and to make an appointment. The car is running a bit rough, I’m bad at maintenance when it isn’t being used for business. With the business about to start up again, I am excited to get the work done and my car running (relatively) smoothly again.
Place rating: 1
Seattle, WA
I brought my 91 cutlass in here because one of the cylinders wasn’t firing. They told me the compression was low and that it wasn’t worth fixing for a car that only blue books $ 500.
I love the car so I got a second opinion at Gus Cooper (After a very difficult time getting my car back from Budd, and a hefty bill) and guess what? They changed a $ 10 spark plug wire and the car was fixed.
Granted that was two years ago, but I’m still driving the car they told me to scrap!!! C’mon MAAAAAN!
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Budd and Co. got my business by default because they are located near by. I’m a REALLY bad driver and tend to hit curbs and forget to get my oil changed and shit.
Budd and Co. is on my block. I’ve used them before and felt comfortable with them. They guy I usually deal with has secret agent voice. I’m a sucker for secret agent voice.
I hit a curb. Hard. Bent my rim and blew my newish tire out. Next morning driving to work, a gentleman asked me to roll down my window so he could deliver the news that I had a flat. So that’s why my steering wheel is veering to the left. Limped my car back to my block and got a ride.
Called Budd and Co and asked for an estimate. I was informed that they couldn’t give me one without looking at my tires. I told them I was parked a block away and they took the time to hoof it to my car, diagnose the problem and provide me with an an accurate estimate which included finding me a used wheel to save me some $$$.
They had me back on the road one day later at a reasonable cost, I called around before giving them the green light. They were competitive in pricing and very professional.
In a nutshell, they are a trustworthy establishment.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
The only place I take my truck. Awesome to deal with, no nonsense. They’ve always treated me better than any other mechanic I’ve ever seen. Very nice and courteous. I’ve had lots of work done here and I’ve never been anything but thoroughly impressed. (The work was done on different vehicles. When Budd’s fixes something, it stays fixed.) I’ve had a transmission rebuild here, complete break job on my wife’s car, and various small things like a headlight replaced. They’re the only shop I’ll deal with.