Honest Engines

Took my car to Honest Engines twice while I was in Tallahassee. I can definitely say the name is accurate, I did not leave feeling ripped off at all. They only did the work that needed to be done and didn’t try to convince me otherwise. I appreciate the reliability and honesty of this garage!

We flew into Tampa from Michigan to pick up our Dodge Stratus to go to a wedding in Tallahassee, the drive up went smoothly but the next day as we began running some basic errands in Tallahassee the Stratus started having issues in the back on the drivers side. Odd dolphin squealing and thumping sounds. Now I know the ocean is a good few miles from Tallahassee so we had to rule out a sudden infestation of the playful sea mammals. Initially we were worried it could be a wheel bearing or strut so we took the car to the closest Auto center at the time — Auto & Tire Super Service Center near Killearn. We needed the car to be in good working order to just get us home to Michigan. In other words we were very desperate and worried about the price — since we only had limited funds for this trip as is. Best case scenario we were hoping for a strut replacement, and that is what it turned out to be… But according to Auto & Tire Super Center the expected work would be $ 750 for a 2005 car… yeah no. We know even if it needed two struts in the back, the parts and the actual labor should not be that high! (A single strut for this car can be found for $ 90 – 135.)
So we had a desperate round of calls to find someone who was honest, and not about to take advantage of «out of towners» in need. LUCKILY we discovered Honest Engines! And listen, this is THE PLACE to go for quality work, these guys don’t have a «fancy» lobby, they have a literal garage — these guys know cars and they work on them. They will give you the price of the parts and include the tax and tell you the labor for the work. The end of our sudden nightmare was not 750 but a reasonable $ 270 (with tax). Instead of both struts it was just the one and the bushings needing to be replaced. When we came to pick up our car we were shown the issue we had and guided on what was done to fix the car. Seriously these guys were great. When we told him about A&T original estimate he (like us) was flabbergasted.

My student daughters car AC quit working, tried the freon charge and guages indicated mechanical issue. Looked at reviews and found this place. As long as she’s in Tally and needs mechanical help, she’s taking her car here.
First indication was a compressor failure, Freddie was inspecting things and while doing so bumped the wiring harness and the compressor kicked on, he found a single connection failure in the harness and quickly built a jumper and the problem is fixed. 1 hour of labor and she was on her way.
Let’s be honest, no one is comfortable having to find a new mechanic, especially not close to home. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this shop to anyone, they truly lived up to their name.
Thanks Honest Engines Team and Thank you Freddie

Best garage in Tallahassee, but more than that the best garage I’ve ever been to. He’s a really trustworthy guy, and for the first time I didn’t leave a garage feeling ripped off.

Like most people, I don’t know anything about cars. So I’m always nervous bringing my car in anywhere. But I showed up to the place and told him what my problem was, my steering wheel shook a dangerous amount when I was driving. Instead of trying to hustle me out of every penny I had, he gave me friendly advice and said I just had to get a new set of tires. After that he then suggested me to a tire store and then I was on my way. Bottom line is the guy really is «honest», really wanted to shake his hand but it was to covered in grease. 100% returning there if I need more work done

My son is in college in Tallahassee and needed to get his truck repaired. We knew of no one in the area but Eric and his crew were really great. He researched the problem and gave us some options from which to choose. No hard sell, just professional sound advice and let me pick the best option. Really appreciate the assistance from solid guys.

Best garage in tallahassee. If you are new to town check this place out. I guarantee Eric will give you the best price in town and offers a 2 year warranty which is unheard of.

Walking distance from FSU campus and all the great reviews prompted me to call when my engine overheated. They got me right in and before I could even get home they called to tell me what was wrong and estimate a VERY reasonable price. The car was ready the next morning. Definitely no frills, no nonsense, just the repairs you need at the price you can afford.

Took my car here to get a diagnostic. Told him that I thought it was my wheel bearing and after talking about it he quickly realized that wasn’t the problem and let me know immediately that it was actually my tires. I had gotten a bad alignment at SunTire and it was causing my tires to wear away and make noises. He even sat around and talked with us about where to go and what to look/​ask for. Very friendly and knows what he is talking about. I would certainly trust him with my vehicle if I had any issues with it. I didn’t leave it with him today because he doesn’t do alignments. Knowing that though, he could have just turned us away at that and not wasted any more time with us because he wasn’t going to profit off of talking to us. Great guy. Great service. I hardly ever trust mechanics; I definitely trust Eric

This team of smart, experienced experts have helped me in purchasing used cars with full knowledge and estimates for bringing the cars up to expected maintenance. They don’t mess with people, they do their work on time and at price and they treat women with respect (but as with any other transaction, your deal is only as good as the questions you ask).

My daughter is a student in Tallahassee and we live in California. Its always challenging to «trust» a service provider from 3000 miles away to inform and charge her appropriately. My daughter had found a mechanic in town that was willing to fix her car for $ 1000+…but, I just had a gut feeling to check for another opinion. I looked on Unilocal for a mechanic and was drawn to Honest Engines and Eric. After towing her car a mile down the road to Honest Engines, I had spoken to him about checking it out. Its truly a miracle from God that we landed here… Eric and the best car crew on Earth, diagnosed the problem and made the repairs; which they explained to me in terms I understood. I was a bit apprehensive to hear the total bill… and when he said $ 1.68…that’s not a typo…$ 1.68…I burst into tears! There aren’t words to express the gratitude but moreso for finding a car repair place that lives up the their name… HONEST ENGINES! As long as that car runs in Tally, it will be cared for by Honest Engines… Thanks to all of the guys there and all of the folks that provided reviews. They truly helped guide us to this business. I would recommend anyone searching for a car repair to check them out… especially out of state parents!

Just moved to town, had a noise from the rear suspension of my 2009 Hyundai Elantra, brought to dealer, they said one of the rear struts were no good, had to replace both rear struts and front shocks to remedy situation, to the tune of $ 1,000. I wanted a second opinion, I looked at Unilocal and saw several reviews for Honest Engines so I decided to have them take a look. Dropped the car off expecting bad news to come but Matt called me less then 1 hour later and stated it was «all done», they found two loose bolts on the top of the passenger side rear strut, tightened and test drove, it was fixed. Happily paid 30 min labor charge of $ 42.50. I brought my other car in today for an oil change and plan on using them for all my vehicle maintenance needs in the future. Nice to know they’re still honest mechanics around! Thanx Honest Engines!!!

This is the best place in Tallahassee to have maintenance and repairs done on your car. I took my 8 year old Kia to Eric to have timing belts done. I explained that I hadn’t kept up with the maintenance on it, and that I would be moving to Chicago and I just needed it to make the trip to Chicago. He replaced the belts and mentioned that part of one of the mounts for the engine block had broken off. He suggested replacing the mount. He explained that it I could drive it with the broken piece and nothing would probably happen. But if something did happen, it would mess my engine up pretty badly. To me, this is the way to do it. I don’t need some punk kid at the jiffy lube in my face trying to sell me a $ 35 air filter.
We had gotten a quote for $ 500+ to replace gasket covers in my husband’s 4Runner from another place. When I called the other place they couldn’t even find the quote. When I took it to Eric, he got the 4Runner done for half of what the other place had quoted. He doesn’t mess around trying to sell you stuff you don’t need. Would highly recommend him. It’s a bit in the pain in the ass right now trying to get to his place (due to construction on Gay, Madison, and Gaines), but don’t let that dissuade you.

There is no better place for all of your automotive repair and maintenance needs. Never has a mechanic impressed me with his skill, sensibility and honesty. I have been to Eric’s shop several times after I’ve had really high estimates and mis-​diagnosis from other shops both in Tallahassee and while I’m on the road for work. He does not mess around with your time and money, if you tell him you want it fixed but you’re on a budget, he’ll get you rolling again and also tell you what other repairs should be done soon. I even take my cars to him for my oil changes now. Not as convenient as a 10 minute oil change, but the service is excellent and he truly earned my business. I feel 100% confident to recommending Honest Engines as the best mechanic in Tallahassee. The shop is just outside of downtown between FSU and FAMU in the All Saints/​Railroad Square area.

Honest Engine’s is an ANOMALY in the car repair world. I’ve been there twice now, and so have all 3 of my roommates.
I just got off work and had a gas leak (MAJOR PROBLEM). We called and they let us come up there even though they had been closed for 30 minutes. The AMAZING owner fixed the problem, and didn’t charge me a penny. Wouldn’t even accept money b/​c he said all he had to do was replace a little plastic part and it took him all of 5 minutes. Unbelievable. I will be bringing him homemade treats or a 12 pack soon.
The customer service practiced at this place makes you wonder if you stepped into a different world for a quick second where everything is perfect and everyone is honest.
LOVE LOVE LOVE

The best auto repair shop in Tallahassee!

I’ve tried most of the car repair businesses in Tally, always looking for the elusive holy grail of repair shops. You know, that one where I can send my wife and not worry about her being sold a new fribbutz valve for $ 600. Well, my search may be over. I found Honest Engines.
What’s special about HE? Laid back owner, unassuming building, competence, and honesty.
Example one — my Blazer was suffering rough running engine and hard starting. Took it to a busy (busy means good, right?) shop in NE Tally, Over a period of three weeks, the ignition cylinder was replaced ($ 500), the fuel injector spider was replaced ($ 350), and numerous other tinkering was done. The result — no change, same problems only with a lighter wallet.
In frustration I asked my son if he knew of any decent shops, and he suggested HE. Drove over and Eric, the owner, and he listened to me describe the problem. His diagnosis — fuel pump, but he wanted to test it to be sure. After testing, he called me and confirmed his diagnosis, and asked for approval to replace it. After his repair the truck runs better than it has in years.
Example 2 — wife’s Bonneville. Same busy NE Tally shop couldn’t fix missing condition. Back to Honest, Eric test drove it and said it just needed a major tuneup. Again, after the repair the car runs better than quite some time. Eric also described a few other things that might soon need attention, but there was no selling pressure.
By the way, my cars were ready well before Eric’s estimate.
If you’re into cars, Eric’s got a few hot rods he’s working on. I highly recommend this shop.