Wilson Bros Automotive

Nice guys who do quick work at a fair price.
I didn’t have anything major that needed to be performed– my cars sunroof drains will occasionally back up and need to be cleared, and I called Wilson Brothers last week to see if they could unclog them for me. I was able to get an appointment for first thing Monday morning (I called on a Friday afternoon, and they’re closed weekends), and they had my car back to me, drains cleared, about an hour after I dropped it off. Adam was very nice, and the whole deal was about $ 30 cheaper than the neighborhood mechanic I live near would have charged.
For those living under a rock, parking can be a little tight on Shilshole Ave– but I don’t hold that against these guys. Give yourself some time to find parking.

I figure I should leave a review for the Wilson Bros auto shoppe given we’ve been customers for a year now. We moved and were looking for a mechanic that would be just as honest, skilled, and affordable as our last mechanic. Just like our last mechanic, we drop off our car and have it ready to be picked up at the end of the day. We’ve been happy with the service we have received and have no qualms about returning. In fact, their service keeps us motivated to bring in our vehicle for regular maintenance and trouble shooting when needed because I know we will not be blind sighted by surprises like an astronomical bill and no opportunity to make an informed decision. Granted our 10 year old vehicle has not had major issues or in need of major repair. Adam and the other gentleman who is there are always nice, and they are thorough about the work they do. I wish them continued success with their business because honest mechanics are hard to come by.

Realistic assessments and scheduling. Car shopping advice and repair consults. Knows the good and bad trends/​recalls of most vehicle types. Competitive labor rates. What is an honest mechanic worth? Priceless. I will be back.

This is the best shop I’ve ever worked with. Great communication, fair prices and their work on the car is always well done.

I originally started coming here when I went to get a quote my dealer to get my car door fixed, and decided to call around get other quotes. He was the best price, and I have been coming here since. Every time I take my car in I’m surprised by how little I have to pay compared to the dealer… on top of that, I feel like he is honest about what really needs to be done, and what I can get away with putting off if I need to. Granted I know NOTHING about cars or car maintenance, but he does a very good job of explaining what needs to be done and what I am paying for. That’s very nice for someone like me who otherwise just feels ripped off. On top of that he’s just adorable and so nice. Will keep coming back as long as he’s there!

One of the best mechanics I have ever been to. Very honest and fairly priced. I brought my Audi in with some minor issues and they had everything fixed at a good price the same day. They called me before doing any work and told me the full price up front, no surprises. They were also very flexible with after hours drop off and pick up and paying over the phone. I couldn’t be more pleased with these guys and I will definitely return to their shop the next time I have an issue.

A good restaurant is just a good restaurant, but a good mechanic is worth your mother. The Wilson Brothers are brusque, but they know their business and get the job done quick, at a very reasonable price, and with zero tolerance for bullshit. They treat you with respect and assume that you know what you’re talking about, which makes it all the more amazing that their prices are tight. Tucked away right on the Ballard harborfront, it’s not easy to get to, which, frankly, is fine with me, because the fewer people know about these guys, the better. They give fantastic service at a decent price, they communicate well, and they don’t try to add a lot of bogus charges onto your bill. That’s what you want out of a repair shop. Take these guys as gold.

My husband and I are so appreciative of these guys. We started going to them because of Unilocal reviews 4 yrs ago with our 1999 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Extended Cab 2WD and they have been awesome. They are very reasonable and get the job done quickly. They don’t try and scam you or take you for a ride like Elliot Tire does right up the street on 15^th. These guys are GOOD!!! When we asked them to take a look at stuff they always give us an estimate of how long before we would need to take action and what it might cost. They have frequently come in under their quote — which is so nice! When we decided to get get a new car they gave us an idea of what we might need to do to get it into shape to sell (we ended up trading at dealership instead). We now bring our 2000 4Runner 4WD to them and they just recently changed the Timing Belt and water pump, because they noticed that it hadn’t been done. I was so glad because it would have cost a lot if something had gone awry. I have also sent friends to these guys and they have been very satisfied with their service and pleased with the price.
On a side note they are handsome and they have a cool dog!
Two thumbs up!

I was very satisfied with my experience at Wilson Bros. I recently dropped my Audi off to get a diagnosis on a noise coming from the front end. I had my suspicions that it was the wheel bearing and they confirmed that for me. I received great customer service and a very professional demeanor from Adam when I returned to pick up my car. Not only did I receive good service and get my car back in a timely manner they gave me a great quote on the price to fix it. No where during my transaction did they try to up sell me on parts that I didn’t need, unlike another shop in Ballard. These guys deserve some good credit. I’ll most likely return to them when I, undoubtedly, have more issues with my Audi.

These guys run the best shop in town. Great staff, great service. They have helped me out on numerous occasions, do a fantastic job, and they don’t charge you an arm and a leg. This is the only place I take my vehicle to get worked on.

I’ve been taking my truck here for years now. The Wilson brothers are just what you were looking for in a mechanic. Honest, reliable, low key. Perfect.

Not a very impressive group. I brought in a 10 year old Jeep for an oil change. They broke off a bracket that stabilizes the muffler. Didn’t tell me about it. I pick up the car, turn it on… monster rumble. Sounded aweful. I walked back in. They said that was strange because they test drove it and everything was fine —- RIGHT! I’m sure they didn’t notice THAT! Longer story short, they said it was just really rusty and broke off, they didn’t fix it. I took the Jeep some place else, got the bracket welded back on.
I’m not upset because a bracket broke off. I’m disappointed that they tried to play that off as if it didn’t happen on their watch. That’s a character issue. Not some place I would recommend or trust with a new or old vehicle.

I first heard about this place from my friend who heard about it from another dude. My friend had his VW GTI repaired here and told me that their price is right. I was a bit iffy about trusting any mechanic (much less of the Mazda dealership) but decided to take my Mazda 6S here for a minor repair. That was several months back and the job was done correctly. Then I had another issue that came up recently — code says «system too lean» and the suggested repair from CarMD was to replace the Mass Air Flow sensor (a good 200 buck just parts alone). The Wilson Bros diagnosed the problem and found some old leaky PCV valve and promptly replaced it … which could screw up the MAF sensor reading.
Pretty happy about their repairs and now I’m a trusting customer.
Another reviewer sited pricey oil change — yes a simple oil change is a bit pricey here. If you just need an oil change, go to some quick discount service place. Go to Wilson Bros for mechanical problems.

I brought my recently purchased used car in for its 100,000 mile tune-​up, expecting to fork over a chunk of change. I was shocked when I got a call mid work day from WB telling me that my car had already had it done, and they would only be charging me the time to put my car back together.
Who does that?
An honest mechanic, that’s who.

I had an aging Ford Escort — the only car I had ever owned — that I had serviced here multiple times and they always gave it to me straight, right up until their straight talk was «time to get rid of your car.» In fact, they didn’t even charge me for checking out the transmission fluid leak that was the eventual death of my car and took the time to explain what was going on and why it wasn’t worth it to fix.
Wilson Brothers’ labor isn’t cheap, but you well and truly get what you pay for. Expert, honest advice and really good work.
I’m about to purchase a used Saab — which I had pre-​inspected at Wilson Brothers — and I feel confident in their assessment of the vehicle. It’s nice to feel like your mechanics are your ally instead of your opposition.

Yup. Five stars.
My experience is not interesting enough to rehash here, but suffice it to say you can take your car here with confidence that you will be treated quickly, competently, and honestly. They deserve every bit of their excellent reputation.

I had been looking for a quality garage to take my BMW to for almost 3 years and finally found Wilson Bros right in Ballard. Previously, I had been taking my car to the local dealer (you can guess) and I always felt that they weren’t being quite honest with me and that they were recommending work that didn’t need to be done. The biggest problem was their labor rates.
Then I found Wilson Brothers and they are awesome! They were able to look at my car immediately, and even though during the first visit they could not get the problem to reappear, as soon as it did, they were again able to squeeze me in right away, fixed the problem, and for a very reasonable cost. They even put my existing belts back on, since they were only a few months old. The dealer would have put new ones on and charged me an extra $ 100. I’ll be telling my friends and family about Wilson Brothers!

Probably the only place I have gone in Seattle that didn’t do everything they could to take everything I own including my soiled undershorts. I went in with some suspicions of what was going on with my car they took time to inspect everything and call me with answers to everything. They even fixed my leaky radiator hose for free.
Their quote was accurate, the work was done quckly, and the car is running great months later. Assuming I still live around here and these guys don’t move I will be a customer for a long time.
See my other reviews on Midas (Belltown) and Dean’s Transmission to hear about some serious crap holes.

If I could give these guys six stars, I would. Adam and Matt are laid-​back and funny, but they’re also conscientious and f-​ing sharp. I’m generally a skeptical, cynical bastard, but it didn’t take me long before I could see clearly that 1) these guys are honest and 2) they really know their sh$t.
There had been a burning smell coming from my car whenever I’d get stuck in traffic going up a long, steep hill close to my home in Queen Anne. They took it for a test drive and could tell immediately from the smell that it was a clutch issue.
But there was no real safety issue: even though the clutch felt a little weird, it wasn’t slipping and the car handled fine. They could have easily told me I needed a new clutch, but they didn’t; they told me that, unless I couldn’t deal with the smell, I was better off holding off on dropping any cash.
And they didn’t even charge me for the diagnostic :)
Also – just to comment on their general level of competence – it was cool listening to Adam talking to the guy ahead of me about some issues he was having with BMW. Apparently Adam had spoken with shop professors at multiple universities to make sure that he was absolutely sure he had the right information.
Let me put this in nerd-speak…it’s like someone took a rock-​star surgeon and the proverbial «honest mechanic» and morphed the two together.

I received a very high quote for a laundry list of repairs from Honda of Seattle when I just took my car in for an oil change. Something about it didn’t feel right, like they’re trying to make up for selling less cars with selling more services. I wanted to get a second opinion.
I found Wilson Bros. on Unilocal and called up Matt. He was easy going, friendly and sounded honest from the start.
I gave him the list of the repairs Honda of Seattle said I needed and he explained in detail why some of them were not necessary until I hit 90k and 110k and one wasn’t necessary at all.
In the end he quoted me a great price for the repairs I would need at 90k and didn’t charge me for checking my car out today.
I like honest mechanics! I’ll be back…