A-1 Custom Car Care

Expensive repair but high quality service. Friendly and honest staff, even offered to give me a ride. Quoted me the exact price I paid before they repaired my vehicle.

My sister and I were on our way to Yuma, Arizona to visit our Dad when I lost the brakes on my Chevrolet Taho in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. It was on Sunday, so of course nothing was open. I was able to «limp» it as far as Springfield before the brake warning light came on. We pulled into hotel parking lot and called TripleA, made an appointment for a tow truck to pick us up there at 7:30 a.m. Monday morning. The truck was there by 7:15 and he took us to A-​1 to get the repairs. They had the truck up on the lift by 8:00 a.m. and had a diagnosis in about a half hour. The news wasn’t good, every brake line under that truck was rusted horribly. (thanks to Michigan winter roads) Troy, the mechanic that did the work was the best. He had it all fixed and had us back on the road by noon. Everyone I met there was absolutely great. If I could, I would pack them up and take them to Michigan with me so I could have a great mechanic there. I would rate them a 15 out of 10. Awesome guys, honest and friendly as they could be. Thanks Troy for the great work and for bailing me out.

Alright. I hate hate hate car repair shops. I am the quintessential girl telling the mechanic that the car is making «a funny noise.» I’m not handy. And I’m sure I’ve been taken advantage of before. Therefore, it is always super important to me to find a good, honest, won’t-treat-me-like-I’m-stupid mechanic shop. Here in Springfield, I’m sticking with A-​1 Custom Muffler and Brake.
The Awesome:
1. Every single person who works here has always been friendly to me. Every. Single. One. When I’ve been concerned about my brakes, the mechanic took the time to show me what he was talking about and WHY. They are always patient and kind. Always.
2. The people who work here are trustworthy. While I’ve never had any major repair or work done here, I usually ask them how the car’s looking in general. And if, one day they tell me something is looking a little wonky, I’ll probably believe them and trust them to fix it.
3. If you’re like me, and only have the one car, the waiting room is small, but clean and nice. The restroom is also clean.
4. Open on Saturdays. If you work during the week, this is a biggie.
The Less than Awesome but still totally worth it:
1. You’re going to want to call and make an appointment. They are hella busy. And that’s a GOOD thing, because other people trust them too!
2. They don’t do EVERYTHING (like tires) but they will have reccomendations for you.
The first time I came here was for a second opinion. I had gone to a big chain auto repair place and they had told me that my brakes were just in terrible shape and I needed a ton of expensive work done. My husband and I were DAYS away from closing on our first house and I was fretting about the expense. I walked into A1 and they looked over the car, came back in and were flippin BAFFLED as to why I was insisting SOMETHING must be wrong with the brakes. The man, (and I wish I could remember his name, he was so nice) finally told me, «Well, they’re a little dirty. I could dust ‘em off for you for a couple of dollars.» And then I told them my little story. I was nearly crying with relief (Hey! I was super duper stressed. Don’t judge.) And they were so nice, and now I make my appointments and see them when I need to.
And my car is happy. And so am I.

My first experience with A-​1 wasn’t the best. But the management took great care in getting me taken care of and fixing the situation. I haven’t had a need to return as of yet, but will be giving them another shot when the time arises, if only for the management alone.

A very great experience. they were honest, respectful, and fun. I would recommend this shop to anyone