Lake City Autoworks

I am yet another customer who has been repeatedly impressed by the service and expertise at Lake City Autoworks. And I too don’t write reviews on Unilocal unless my conscience compels me to put out the good word.
Karl has taken care of my 2005 Mazda 3 on several occasions and only charged me when he found something to fix. That’s right I’m a neurotic car owner which is probably every auto shop owners dream but Karl is honest and has told me there is nothing wrong when there isn’t and fixed what was wrong only when there was something to fix. And fixed it well I might add, meaning it stays fixed.

Potentially dishonest. Will verify in a few weeks.
They told my wife one of our struts was bent, and that the car had obviously been in an accident and then covered up. $ 900 service recommendation.
Took the car to another mechanic — no sign of a bent strut. He called Lake City Autoworks and they told him that they recommended new struts since «they seemed weak».
Perhaps they didn’t remember our case exactly, but it’s shady that their story changed and nearly cost us $ 1k.
When I get the alignment done, we’ll find out definitively.
Happy with my new mechanic — he easily could have made the $ 900 from the service and I would never have questioned it.

I am inspired to add my experience at Lake City Autoworks. I have been using their services since about 1991. As a woman, I had been had by mechanics before; so I had acquired enough understanding to know when I was being treated honestly. I always have been by both Ron Hand, the owner, and Karl the manager.
Before Karl was the manager, he was the lead mechanic. When my older car needed an engine replaced, he found a rebuilt engine for it. Fortunately, it was on warranty because after installation, there was a problem. The same thing happened with the next. The third engine worked as it was supposed to. Karl only charged me labor for 1 engine even though he had installed 3. That in itself is remarkable, but the thing I remember most is his kindness throughout an experience that must have been very frustrating for him.
I agree that it is possible to get an oil change for less money, but I find it worth it to go to Lake City Auto works because, even though I am on a very tight budget, based on their thoroughness and my history with them, I trust them.

$ 600 for spark plugs, wires and coil for a v6… which seems high; it included a hefty diagnosis fee. It was missing… not rocket science to pinpoint the plugs. Also told me my transmission fluid was black and my radiator needed to be replaced… estimated at $ 900 more. I followed up with Jiffy lube and confirmed my tranny fluid was fine, bright red and just changed out 5,000 miles ago. Radiator did have small leak so good catch; but is it a hose?. The completely inaccurate information on the tranny fluid conditions and «full retail» price makes me think about other options. Fast turn around!

I limped my 4Runner here after it was over heating and they diagnosed a faulty water pump. I had my water pump replaced a little over a year ago at a different shop and when I mentioned that, they actually recommended I contact the other shop to inquire about the warranty rather than proceeding with the repair as I was prepared to do. I wasn’t aware that water pumps shouldn’t fail so quickly and was prepared to pay for the expensive replacement, so I greatly appreciate their service and forthrightness. Now if I could only find a reasonably priced towing company!

Karl and his team are the best! I’ve taken my car and my boss’s car in for service a number of times. They never try to sell me something I don’t need and will even explain why I don’t need work I’ve requested (tune up) which saves me hundreds of dollars. I won’t take my car to anyplace else.

Took my vehicle here to have a used car pre-​purchase inspection. Took them about 15 minutes and said they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. Didn’t give me a checklist of fluid levels, tire tread, Belts, Brakes, Air filter, or anything like a mechanic would normally.
I purchased the vehicle and took it to another shop to have the oil changed and to look at some of the other fluids. They ended up doing a full inspection on it and found the oil was black, a mouse had made a nest in the engine compartment and had chewed through some electrical, the spark plugs were rusty, the battery was 8 years old and failing, washers didn’t work, Gasket leak in engine, and a few more things.
I would have thought the Lake City Autoworks would have caught at least a few of these items on a used car pre-​purchase inspection but didn’t tell me about any. That was kind of the whole point in me taking it here. I would have been able to negotiate on the vehicle purchase price to cover the cost of repairing these issues.

Usually I’m never happy when I have to take my car into a shop to get fixed…$$$$$$ but the staff here are super friendly and the service is great! Came in thinking I was gonna spend $ 100 for a job and ended up being $ 300 problem was needed different parts which I understood. A lot of other shops though well tell you new parts are needed without any explanation the manager here I forgot his name but he explained everything to me to detail and showed me physically what was needed. Also pricing was not terrible considering the fact it’s getting work to your car. Can’t complain though. I would definitely refer anyone to come here and get their work done!!!

I brought an Audi A4 here to do a used car inspection before I bought it.
On my drive in, I noticed something that the brake light was flashing and I asked the guys to have a look why.
2 hours later they gave me a report saying everything in the car was fine except that it was low on brake fluid and that the front passenger power window wasn’t working.
The quote for repairs they gave me was:
$ 79 for a brake fluid top up (they claimed low brake fluid was the source of the flashing brake light)
$ 680 to replace the power window
So I went ahead and got the car with the intention of topping up the brake fluid myself and leaving the power window dead.
When I got around to topping up the brake fluid, I noticed something interesting… the fluid reservoir was full. Using a VAG-​COM cable, I checked for error codes which would help work out why the brake light was on and the two main errors that appeared were:
ABS Error
Right Front door communication error
Looking at the fuse box, the wiring for the right front door was loose. After tightening that, the power window started working!
Sleuthing on the internet reveals that I’m out of luck with the ABS unit, but at least I saved myself $ 700+ from getting these guys to work on the car.
In summary:
These guys are useless and don’t seem to have even basic diagnostic tools to find errors (I’ll give them the benefit of doubt and chalk it up to incompetence rather than malice)
Cost me $ 120 to learn nothing useful, and had they done their job propperly and found the ABS issue I would not have bought the car

I have never reviewed anything on Unilocal,just because I didn’t feel the need to. However, Lake City Auto Works deserves much praise and I felt compelled to write a review for them.
I have been taking my 2001 Honda Accord there for 3 years and don’t have a complaint. My car has close to 240,000 miles and I seriously believe they are part of the reason it has remained running.
Here are some of the good things you will experience:
— Honest: Karl and the other team members will NEVER try to sell you something you don’t need. In fact, there was a time they thought I needed a battery (in addition to other things) so I told them to go ahead with the work even though it was going to be tough for me to afford on my grad student income. They easily could’ve left it at that and just replaced the battery, but instead they kept trying to get to the heart of the problem and figured out that it was something that was much cheaper. What mechanic does that?
— Affordable: I don’t know what the other reviewers mean when they say it is expensive. It doesn’t seem any pricier than most other mechanics. The big difference is that you know you’re not buying parts you don’t need. More importantly, you know they are doing a thorough job.
— Fast/​Easy Scheduling: the other reviews are correct, you’re usually in and out in a day. I’ve never experienced one of those conversations about ordering parts from Kentucky or somewhere that will take 4 days, etc. at LCAW. Boom. Car done. Also, almost every time I call they just tell me to bring my car in whenever I want. I only remember one time they told me that they were swamped and I should make an actual appointment.
There have been at least two occasions where I was quoted one price and by the time they did all of the work, it comes out to be cheaper. This past service was about $ 75 cheaper than quoted. I know it sounds like that could be a sham, but I trust them and I truly do not believe they need to try to fool you. They are way too professional and way too good to do something like that.
Basically, if you live in the Seattle area, it is absolutely, hands down worth it to come to LCAW. I only wish I weren’t moving so I could have them help keep this car running for more years to come.

These guys are simply the BEST! I’ve been taking my cars here for several years and they always do what they say and say what they do. I trust Karl and his team of mechanics to never fix something that doesn’t need to be fixed and he has gone out of his way several times to keep costs low. Plus, he’s just a really great guy! If you’re in the north end look no further than Lake City Autoworks for all of your car repair or maintenance needs!

Wow! Honest, affordable, quick service.
The door lock on our car broke. We asked Lake City Autoworks to disassemble the door and take the lock cylinder out so we could have it repaired at a locksmith. Instead, Carl disassembled the door, inspected the cylinder and realized it just needed some cleaning. He repaired it himself and only charged us about $ 50 for everything, which was much less than we expected to pay. We will be back if we ever need similar work done again.

Brought in our 2000 Catera. It was tortured by another mechanic. Brother Karl had us on the road. Was it spendy? Yes, but it was done correct the first time and again Karl was cleaning up some other person’s slop. In the end it was a fair price for great and competent worth. What is the value of that?
CShurick

I’ve come here twice for oil changes and have had them completed quite efficiently and always with very friendly service… But just FYI, I definitely can’t speak for anything more complicated than an oil change.
I appreciate how much effort they put into getting the job done when they know you’re waiting for your car, rather than coming back at a later time. It’s nice that they have chairs in their office especially for people who would rather wait for their car than have to find someone to drive them back/​forth.
The only thing that is a little bit of a bummer is that they are definitely a smidge more expensive for just an oil change, but they do take a look at your car as a whole and let you know if there’s anything of concern. For someone who doesn’t know very much about cars, I’m grateful for someone to give me an honest opinion and do a good job in the process without being condescending or pushy.
For instance, the first time, they pointed out that I needed new tires pretty soon (having not replaced my tires in over 5 years) but they didn’t at all try and pressure me into getting them there.
This last time they mentioned I may need a new belt the next time I need an oil change but said I should probably have that looked over when the time comes rather than immediately getting it changed.
If I were staying in the area, I would definitely continue to use them for all my car needs!

I’ve taken both of our vehicles to this garage. It is one of the only auto repair shops that I thought was both knowledgeable and affordable. They are really good at what they do and fast. They even sent an email with our estimate and services they recommended. I’ve always gone to dealerships in the past and felt like I got ripped off. LCA has great customer service and I’ll continue to have my cars worked on by them.

These guys are WONDERFUL! I went to them for a used car inspection and after they discovered the car had been in an accident and was a terrible buy, the mechanic I spoke with offered to call around and see if any of his contacts had a similar car for sale. I mentioned I have been car shopping for over a month and he jumped at any chance to offer a helping hand. Again, wonderful people and service. Also, he was able to give me an extensive list of the areas they covered in the inspection. Great job all around, wished I lived closer to take my future car there for any and all repairs.

These guys are fast, friendly and have proven to be honest. My only qualm is that they one time sold me chains that did not fit the wheels of the car. Ever since I bought a diesel car I have taken it to Earl’s Garage because they are more experienced in working with cars that run Biodiesel.

Lake City Auto Works is the best. I do not have a negative thing to say about them. They are reliable, willing to answer questions and explain steps, and always super nice! I would recommend them to anyone!

Lake City Auto Works is very expensive, but the service is friendly and fast. I’ve had everything from brake to suspension work done here and although you will find shops that charge you fewer hours to perform the same repairs, LCAW’s quality and consistency kept me coming back anyway. They will let you know exactly what needs to be repaired, how urgent it is and what it will cost.

Up north? Need your car fixed? Look no further.
Are you suspicious of mechanics like me? Always think you might be getting ripped off. I suggest Lake City Auto Works. With a long tenure in Lake City, they have a good reputation. I experienced it myself when I brought my car in unannounced one morning asking for a full brake job and got it back at 4 PM the same day — done well and done right. I have since returned for engine work and it was done on time and on budget (and this was an expensive timing chain job that another garage had messed up).