Car Craft of Athens

These guys are GREAT!! They not only repaired our van but offered a loaner car when there were parts issues. The price was right on estimate, although in my opinion I believe they could have charged more based on the difficulties they came across. We will be using them again!! And best of all, no pressure about other repairs needed. They provided us with repairs that are needed and an estimate for those, and never once tried to make it sound like the end of the world was coming. Thanks to a great company and great people.

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I called around Athens looking around for anyone besides a BMW dealership that would service my Mini Cooper. I found CAR CRAFT. I dealt only with the owner the entire time an he was both knowledgeable and professional. Steve Tingle explained everything that he was going to check and or do to my car. No surprises! Price was reasonable and I will return as I felt he valued me as a customer. Mr. Tingle also serviced our CRV a couple of days prior. I am very happy with the experience I had with this garage on both occasions.

Performed the work when they promised; friendly and professional

I give them the highest rating. I would definitely use them again in the future.

Excellent experience with Car Craft of Athens. They were very thorough in their repair and follow-up.
Purchased the car in Feb. 2012, ignition key sometimes difficult to turn. In early October, 2012, when trying to start the car, the key would not turn. After some persuasion, the key finally did turn, starting the car. We called VW and were given an outrageous price to correct the issue (the and quot;safety interlockand quot; in the mechanism apparently broke, rendering the cylinder/tumbler mechanism unworkable). I looked up foreign car repair in Angie's list and found Car Craft of Athens. After some research, gave them a call and drove the car there. They estimated $350-400 for the repair, which was substantially less than the VW dealer. We left the car, expecting a 2-3 day turnaround. We were called that afternoon with the news that the cylinder was, indeed, broken, and that they were having a difficult time removing it - it would be some additional time to ensure nothing else was broken in the process. We okay'd the additional time, they called us two days later with an update - the cylinder was corrected, but the new tumbler needed to be shipped from Germany (key and transducer work apparently only done there based on vehicle VIN and key code) which would take an additional week.
Once they got everything in hand, the vehicle was repaired successfully. We immediately drove it to the local KIA dealer and traded it in.
We highly recommend Car Craft of Athens. Excellent communications, reasonable pricing, top-notch work. We cannot, however, recommend the VW New Beetle. What a nightmare that vehicle was, repair-wise!

On all occasions I feel that the communication has been very good. The explanations and expectations are honest and straightforward. The work is always very thorough and I get the feeling that everyone who works there experiences pride and integrity in their work.

A warning light appeared on my Mini Cooper one day and it refused to start. It's nearly impossible to find someone to work on Minis in Athens. I called the BMW service department at the local dealership and they recommended Car Craft as a repair shop that "has been here a long time and has an excellent reputation." After having the car towed by AAA (Car Craft does provide a towing service, but AAA was free for us), we received a call explaining that the anti-theft mechanism on the steering column prevented the car's startup and that Car Craft would repair the car for $400. You can't get a Mini anywhere near the Atlanta dealership repair shops for a price close to that, so we said "OK". The repair turned out to be a little more complicated. Car Craft called and offered us a loaner car, which we didn't need, and we asked that they do the 60,000 mile service on the car while they were doing other repairs. To make a long story short, Steve had many, many hours in this repair and service (including driving it to Atlanta for a computer update), for which he did not charge us. The mini dealership told him that they no longer put this type of anti-theft locks on their cars due to the exorbitant expense and time required to fix it when it does lock up. The car now runs better than ever - and is much quieter, thanks to the strut replacement - and we feel that we received a fair deal from Car Craft. They kept us informed through the entire process and we will use them in the future.The service rate at Car Craft is $65 per hour plus parts. Even though we spent $3000, we would have spent far more at the Mini dealership's service department for the same services, based on information I could gather online and from a call to the dealership.

The service was great and efficient. I've been using Car Craft for over 20 years and have always been given an honest and fair assessment of my repairs. Steve, the owner, has even driven to me across town when the van has broken down. Great guy and company!

I suspected that I had a more complex electrical problem, and they could have charged me for work I did not need. However, they identified a minor problem with the battery, and they charged me only for charging the battery. I have used them many times in the past, and their most recent service is consistent with my past experiences. They are friendly, honest, and almost always correct the problem. On the one occasion when the problem was not corrected (a leaking radiator) they picked up the car, serviced it, and returned it with the problem corrected.

The service went well. It was performed on time, with quality, and at a reasonable price. What sets Car Craft apart is Steve Tingle, the owner. He is knowledgeable, professional, and ethical. Whenever I have had a problem with any work done there, he has made it right and gone the extra mile to satisfy me.