Simard Automotive Inc

I like everything about them. One, they're honest. They do the work that they say they're going to do. When they inspect the car, and there's a list of things that need to be done and they'll tell you which one should take priority and which ones could be left to another time. They go over everything with you. They're thorough and they're professional. They're real people, you can talk to the mechanic if you wanted to. They'll show you the parts the place that other mechanics tell people to take their cars to a family. We've lived here in this community since 1961. We're old, so, we've had multiple cars, we've been to multiple places over the years, and we finally found one that had a full confidence. They have a wonderful waiting room with Netflix and free popcorn and newspaper and they'll talk to you. They're associated with NAPA parts. They guarantee their work. It's absolutely remarkable, ethical, moral, efficient and very knowledgeable. In fact, the owner, if he finds one of his mechanics hasn't done something right or hasn't done what has been told, he loses his employment. So, it's a small, privately owned place, and they have a real camaraderie, a small group, probably a dozen people there and it's tremendous there from really good morale and the staff and you can stand right there and watch everything going on. It's wonderful.

I like everything about them. One, they're honest. They do the work that they say they're going to do. When they inspect the car, and there's a list of things that need to be done and they'll tell you which one should take priority and which ones could be left to another time. They go over everything with you. They're thorough and they're professional. They're real people, you can talk to the mechanic if you wanted to. They'll show you the parts the place that other mechanics tell people to take their cars to a family. We've lived here in this community since 1961. We're old, so, we've had multiple cars, we've been to multiple places over the years, and we finally found one that had a full confidence. They have a wonderful waiting room with Netflix and free popcorn and newspaper and they'll talk to you. They're associated with NAPA parts. They guarantee their work. It's absolutely remarkable, ethical, moral, efficient and very knowledgeable. In fact, the owner, if he finds one of his mechanics hasn't done something right or hasn't done what has been told, he loses his employment. So, it's a small, privately owned place, and they have a real camaraderie, a small group, probably a dozen people there and it's tremendous there from really good morale and the staff and you can stand right there and watch everything going on. It's wonderful.

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We took our SUV to Simard's to have a bumper to bumper inspection of the vehicle and asked for suggested repairs including a quote (the vehicle had been riding rough). 6 weeks later they came back with a quote for nearly $8000 in repairs! We went through the list with a fine tooth comb and then priced out the parts that they were proposing at retail: their total cost for stock parts- $4,850, our price to purchase the highest end version of the same parts- $1429. They quoted many other outrageous items as well such as "fuel intake cleaning" (basically just removing the air intake and using a rag/brush and some cleaning solvent to wipe the intake clean- 5 minute job but they were trying to charge $490. "Fuel injector cleaning" (basically adding a $20 liquid to the fuel tank) was going to cost us over $200. In the end, we did not end up using them for the repairs, we bought the parts we needed and had another trustworthy mechanic do the repairs and saved ourselves just over $5000!! Beware!!

We were loyal customers of Simard for several years. However, as they grew, they got sloppier and sloppier. It seems they have too much business and don't know how to handle it well. They overbook terribly and that means if you have to wait for a part, they get to fixing your car when they get to it. The first time they returned it to us the car barely ran (it was running fine when we took it in). It was clear they hadn't done a road test after the first appointment.

We took it back the next day, they worked on it some more and returned it. Again, it wasn't running right. We took it back again. They told us every day they would get to it the next day. When we finally got it back, it smelled up our entire house with gas fumes. We took it back again. Though they claimed it couldn't have been anything they had done, they had rehung the gas tank and the problem was where the gas line went into the gas tank. In all, they had our vehicle for 7 weeks.

They were very professional in the office and handled it very well when I exploded the last time we took it back. They did no charge us for the gas line fix. However, that was about the only thing they did right. I will never take any vehicle of mine there again. We were good customers and they blew it.

I have been wanting to find a "safe" place to bring my cars, and brought my car in to Simards for an oil change and with
all intentions of staying with them, bought the 5 oil changes all at once. I was told when I picked up the car the the transmission needed to be flushed, as well as something else...adding more than another $400 worth of work. I did go to another mechanics shop afterward and was told that my car had been excellently maintained - and when specifically asked if any other fluids needed to be
flushed, I was given a resounding, "NO." Simards will not be the mechanics that I trust. They were very courteous...They were simply doing the "upselling" thing that is completely unnecessary, and disingenuous at the very least.
I did find a place that was very honest and excellent in their work: Fairbanks Auto and Truck Repair, LLC on Judd St in Fairbanks.

good.

Great. They are always professional and courteous

Got my car winterized for the harsh Fairbanks winters. My husband already installed an oil pan heater and they offered me advice on how to winterized my car on my own if I didnt want to do it myself. I was impressed that they had the expertise to know just what my Audi A4 would need since they do not make a block heater for this car. A trickle charger and an additional heating components were installed by them in addition to what I already had done and my car did EXCELLENT all winter even below 50 F plugged in outdoors. they offered me a free oil change for giving them a future referral and I was very pleased with their service.

Simards is great, particularly for Subaru models. The visit went fine. Got the new engine checked out and tuned up. It's been running great ever since.

I took my vehicle in for a diagnosis (although I was already aware of the problem; just wanted it confirmed by a professional). They verified two failed wheel bearings and a slow leak on an engine seal. Fine, no problem. They charge a little over a hundred dollars just for the diagnosis. That's fine too; it's their time I'm paying for.
However, their prices for parts and labor are astronomical and unjustifiable. They wanted over 800 in parts. I was able to purchase those same, brand new, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) from a dealer for half what they wanted to charge me for them. Again, not such a big deal. I figure that it's the kind of place someone who's not mechanically inclined should take their car if they want to pay a much higher price for the assurance of quality workmanship on their vehicle.
However, when I took the wheels off my vehicle to service the bearings myself, one of my wheel stud bolts sheared off when I was removing the lug nut. Upon close examination of the failed bolt/lug, it was clear that whoever had re-installed my wheel failed to seat the lug properly before blasting it on with an impact wrench. That, right there, is NOT what a customer should accept from a high-cost mechanic. Mistakes like that can lead to catastrophic outcomes. If I had discovered that failed lug when replacing a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, it would have left me stranded.
Bottom line: think twice before paying higher than average prices at this place. Based on my experience, the quality is not worth the higher prices they charge.

I recently returned from overseas. I bought a VW in Anchorage and needed it winterized for Fairbanks conditions. I also have a Volvo that I bought overseas and when it arrived, I knew I would need winterization done as well. Since there are no Volvo or VW dealers in FBX, I asked around my friends, especially my Volvo-owning friend, about who they recommended for auto work. They referred me to Simards. I made the appt for the VW and I got a detailed quote. The car was done when promised and I paid exactly what I was quoted. When the Volvo arrived, I made another appt and had an identical experience.
I also own a Ford pickup which had been winterized in 2002, but had been overseas with me for the past six years. I wanted to make sure the parts all worked properly. Also wanted to see about the brakes and a tendency for the vehicle to drift. I thought I would just make an appt with them as well. I got a quote for the service they we sure about, and an estimate for the diagnostic type work. They called me to say the brakes were fine, and that they thought since my steering damper was leaking, it might be causing the drift. They gave me a quote for a replacement and fixed it quickly. When I went to pick up up, the total for all the work was high (but what they estimated) and I commented that it sure was expensive. Katie looked at my invoice and since I had been there for all three vehicles in such a short time, she knocked a little off the bill. I really appreciated that.
Fairbanks is expensive and there are no real bargains to be had here, but quality work and good service do take some of the sting out of paying so much.

Simard was recommended to me by someone in town.
I made the appointment over the phone.
They were ready for me and performed all tasks ahead of schedule.
I waited for the car in there upstairs waiting room and read a book.
The folks that work there are friendly and helpful.
Not the least or most expensive in town but well worth the $$$ spent.

Simard seemed professional, honest, competent and friendly. They kept me informed and performed work promptly.
They did, however, seem expensive. For example, it cost $30.69 total to replace the air filter. I since have had my pickup in for routine maintenance elsewhere and it was time to replace the air filter again. That auto service company charged $10.98. With this other company I was pleased at how inexpensive the work was. They were also professional, honest, competent and friendly. With Simard, the charges seemed high both times they've done work for me.
To sum up, I found their work to be good, they were nice, but it was not a good value.

It went great. They diagnosed my car, asked me about the repair work I wanted done, and got it done promptly and professionally. I've never been to a shop that ran so smooth. They weren't pushy, they answered all of my questions, and they gave me good advice. I wish I could claim credit for finding the place. I told my wife "go to a mechanic with his name on the shop, they usually have a little more pride in their work" and she found Simard's, we haven't been anywhere else since. I'll tell you this much I almost didn't write this review because I don't want Simard's to get overwhelmed with work and not be there when I need them. Because I won't take my car anywhere else.
I basically felt I had to write a review because these guys aren't a "B" outfit, they're a class A outfit and they've taken care of me very well. Just had to set the record straight here.

I had several issues with my car all of which I was assured were corrected by changing and correctly spacing the spark plugs. They noted that the Mazda dealership had not attached a hose correctly earlier in the month when I had taken the car in for warranty work at the dealership.
Overall I left very pleased b/c my car no longer hesitated. I also recommended a friend to them later in the season.
About six or so months later I began to experience the same symptoms that brought me to their shop. I called them and politely asked if they honored the work they had done and was met with a typical customer service response of "if they deem that the new problem is really the old problem" they'd perform warranty work.
I was a little frustrated and nervous that some other more expensive problem would be found. So, I changed and spaced the spark plugs myself and at that time noticed that the real cause of the problem was the cracked hose they had corrected earlier (this may not have been cracked at the time it was serviced). And that a larger problem may exist with my spark plugs.
So why didn't I take it back? Because to change the spark plugs it was nearly four hundred dollars! Yes, it's Fairbanks and things are expensive, but at this point I was very very pregnant and I could not afford the bill had the shop felt that they were not responsible for renewing the work. I don't know average "bench time" for this service, but I can't imagine it being so much?
They had a nice new office and waiting area, and although busy and a bit frantic everyone was very nice. I understand that you get what you pay for, and I have no doubt that they are professionals and are good and fair 99% of the time, but I do suspect that I may have been paying for a remodel and not actual labor and over-head associated with my car.
I think that there is nothing wrong with using their services, but since then I've had to consider someone who does quality work with a bit more of a run down shop since I fall below a certain income bracket. And that is certainly not their fault. ;)

We asked them to do four repairs on the car when we spoke to them on the phone. They fixed two of them but the other two they didn't even look at. There seemed to be communication problems with them in terms of doing what we were asking and keeping track of it. They were getting a lot of new business and they seemed to be overwhelmed.

They didn't put my cars back together correctly. I would not recommend them and would not use them again in the future.

Overall it went fairly well. The car got done on the day it was scheduled. And we have not has any problems with the car. I thought the price was fairly high but not being used to Fairbanks services and pricing I learned later for what they did it was about right. Customer service was OK. Better than most around a town were customer service is not the highest priority. So I guess we could say overall it was perhaps a little better than average.
Followup on second visit. Like the new remodel and service was much better. Waiting room is great if you have to stay.

I chose to have my car worked on by Simard because of good reviews from other sites. I had the car towed in, and they got right to work on it the next day. They first found that the battery was dead. I told them not to replace it, because it was only dead because their techs left it out in the -30 temps overnight, not plugged in. The battery was fine. They chose to go ahead and charge me $300 to replace the battery anyway. They thought the problem might be the crank shaft position sensor, so they ordered a new one, and installed it. This did not fix the problem. They called one of the VW expert call services they subscribe to, so they didn't have to keep troubleshooting something they're not experts on. The tech there told them it was probably the ECM and to go ahead and replace that. Simard called and told my wife that would be an additional $1000 to replace the ECM, since the bill was already $1600, and this was an 11 year old car, we said to never mind and we'd pay for what was done already, and scrap the car. They told us they'd give it another look, and see if it may be something else. The next day, they called to let my wife know that it was in fact the crank shaft position sensor, and that the car was now running. They took the $200 advanced diagnostic charge off the price and our total was now $1400, including the $300 battery I told them not to replace. In the end, the car was fixed, but a lot of my dealings with them seem shady, like it magically being fixed after we told them not to replace the ECM. I wonder how things would have gone had we told them to replace the ECM. They may be better with domestic cars, but I would not recommend them for VWs!