MITCHELL AUTOMOTIVE

unknown

For this transaction, he was unable to do anything on the 4WD (which I knew was a dealer-only issue going in); found no leak in the A/C but charged it up with refrigerant; and did not find an issue with the thermostat. He did not charge me for the work because he had the vehicle for so long. However, frankly I had told him it was not urgent as I had an extra vehicle and honestly not enough parking for the vehicles I had after having acquired a new vehicle. Full disclosure, I was taking advantage of free parking.
But after several transactions here is my assessment:
1. He does great work and looks for ways to save you money. His labor rate alone beats the pants off any dealer or chain and he knows what he's doing. He'll put good parts in at reasonable prices.
2. He works alone as far as I can tell, his business is at his home. He is in high demand judging by the number of vehicles present and that it can be hard to get him on the phone. Do not expect to drop off your vehicle in the morning and pick it up that afternoon, but he'll work with you. Generally a few days would be a minimum.
3. He will work on most any make/model, though his reputation is being very good with Volkswagens.
In conclusion, I wouldn't bother him for an oil and filter change, but if you need a timing belt or some pretty involved investigation and you can give him a while to work on it, he'll take care of you.

I have used Charlie 20 plus times. Top notch - excellent. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN HONEST MECHANIC, look no more.

Charlie knows cars and his work is cheap but do not count on him to return your calls. Do not use him if it is your only car because it could take weeks. "It will be ready tomorrow or the next day at the latest," is the most frequent response. Don't believe it. As I said, he is VERY GOOD at the actual repair with very, very fair pricing but not timely.

It went extremely well. Charlie was polite, fast, and responsive. He explained everything he was doing and why. When the work was complete, he showed me the damaged parts and explained why he had to replace them.