Virginia Tire & Auto of Falls Church

Awesome, got in and out in an hour

I liked the location and has had a good previous experience with them. The workers are friendly. They even offer to pick you up and/or take you home.

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I'd give them an A.

They seem to do satisfactory work in a timely manner. Their prices are average compared to other shops. They're also convenient to our home, which is important to me. They're very communicative and get back to the customer very quickly. It's easy to get in to get work done.

l couldn't have been happier with the process and the result. I've shared the store's information with several friends and realized that I should do a review on Angie's List.

They are very good.

After this place was remodeled, their service has been excellent. The place is clean and their workers very polite, helpful and friendly.

I have received good service from this business for many years.

Only issue was that I had an inspection, and they gave me a sticker with the prior month, so I had to go back and get it changed. They replaced it promptly when I came back

They are wonderful. They are the best auto service and mechanic service provider that I have used. They are professional, the building is clean, and the service is very timely. I have an older car and I trust them completely with the mechanical state of my vehicle. They always offer coupons and they have a preferred customer card that gives an instant discount. I think this is wonderful as it seems that not a lot of service providers are offering that now. I would recommend them to anyone.

They took care of the service and they did a great job. I got to them right before closing time and the guy stuck around for the service. I was very pleased and grateful that they were there so I could get home that night. The cost was competitive.

The service has been outstanding. I have used them for the last 35 years and they have always been extremely dependable and knowledgeable. They are always very quick and they call with a quote before doing work. They always stick to the quote and they do the work that they say thoroughly and completely. At one point they replaced a rear axle on a three quarter ton Chevy pickup truck and that truck ran fine for years after that. They have done all the maintenance on my vehicles over the years and they always do an excellent job.

I have previously left this place feeling a little uncomfortable about the list of recommendations they have given for things I and quot;needand quot; in addition to the oil change. (The reason for needing additional services is never clear except for an arbitrary mileage milestone that never corresponds with the manufacturer recommendations.) However, this most recent visit was pretty lousy and I will not be going back.
I went for an oil change and they approached me with a list of an additional $600+ of work that I and quot;needed.and quot; I wasn't really satisfied with the explanations they gave while I was there called the Honda dealer later and the following week had my brother (who is a mechanic, but lives out of town) look at my car. (See below for specifics.) Basically, I only needed one thing on the list. I also called Va Tire and Auto later the same day to ask about each service and what the clue was that I needed it, just to be sure I wasn't missing something. The person who answered the phone just asked how many miles I had on my car and gave that as the reason for needing these services. It was pretty unsatisfactory.
The worst part of the oil change was getting the complimentary tire rotation (with my oil change coupon), since they didn't balance the tires. So irritating. In the next few days as soon as I got up to 60mph+ I felt the shaking and knew they didn't balance the tires. (Or maybe just did a bad job...I thought this was an automated process...) I took my car somewhere else and they asked if I needed a rotation, too. I said just a balance and they were very confused because they have never heard of a tire rotation without a balance. Well, neither had I.
The list of what I and quot;neededand quot;:

• Brake system flush ($120) - Honda dealer said in general this can be done every 3 years, but unless I am having a problem I probably don't need it. My brother confirmed I don't need it now.

BG Fuel Induction Package ($160) - Both the Honda dealer and my brother said that this is something that is very rarely needed because today's fuel has so many detergents in it. My brother said if the car is idling roughly that this could be needed, but that the rough idling (if I had it) would probably be due to something else. Bottom line, I don't need it.
Power Steering Flush ($130) - My brother asked if I was having a problem with the steering. I am not. He noted that most cars don't need this for the life of the car. (He also said this was so easy that I could do it if I ever need it.)
Transmission Flush ($230) - This is the only item that both the Honda dealer and my brother said I need. They both recommend getting this at 50k miles, which I am at, and I was aware I needed. I will note that Va Tire and Auto recommends doing this at 30k. I asked the Honda dealer if it is better to have this done more often. He said it would just be another expense and unless there is a problem shifting etc. you don't get any benefit from doing it more often. (Also, my Honda is supposed to tell me when this is necessary and the light never came on. The dealer said the only way that would happen is if someone reset the service indicator lights. I'm not sure when this could have happened but it is irritating so I will probably only go to the Honda dealer from now on. Plus, they cost about the same as anyone else around here.)
Specific Comments about Ratings:

• Price - The price is the going rate for the area as long as you have a coupon.
• Quality - On a previous visit they showed me that my cabin air filter was full of acorns (from squirrels). They changed the air filter but failed to recognize that some acorns would shake off into the fan. I didn't know until weeks later when I used my HVAC and the passenger fan was rattling like crazy. When I called and pointed this out they doubted it was from the air filter change. I was so irritated by the lack of common sense! I took out the fan on the passenger side myself and it was not exactly easy. I mentioned this story while I was there on my most recent visit and they thought it was amusing but never said, and quot;Oh, you should have brought your car back in.and quot; etc.
• Responsiveness - See professionalism, below.
• Punctuality - I've almost always been quoted 30-45 minutes and have never gotten out in less than an hour.
• Professionalism - The phone call to ask about all the additional work was not professional. I do understand a little about how cars work, and I think they just assume you don't know anything and by saying the services are for the 50k mark should be enough explanation for the customer. I even asked, and quot;So there is nothing else that they may have noticed during my service to indicate I need any of this other work?and quot; and it was basically silence on the other end. Even if he didn't know, why not find someone else who can talk to me?

~Summer/Fall 2012: An additional experience includes my husband who went in for an oil change (I think). He was told he needed new tires and that they would not pass inspection. He got home and did the and quot;penny testand quot; and the tires were fine. Granted he is getting new tires this week, but that is after putting about 15k more miles on them.

I really hope if Va Tire and Auto sees this review that they are encouraged to change some of their business practices. I came away with feeling like someone was out to swindle me.

Over the years I've had random maintenance performed on my cars there, but no big jobs. They are a convenient location and the staff has always been very friendly and professional. However, given the high density of car places in the immediate area, I don't think they are priced very competitively and so when I know a bigger job will be required, I've taken my vehicles to other places that may be less convenient but I believe give me a better bang for my buck. On the whole I have no qualms taking my vehicles there and have always received friendly and competent service.

It has been a good experience overall. They have always been good and give me reasonable rates. I trust them with my car. I would rate them highly and would use them again in the future if necessary.

I have a new car and I go to Shell to get it serviced. I have had people telling me that something was wrong with my car in the past, and they would try to console me saying it was not my problem but the repair was expensive. When I went to Shell they admitted that was not the problem and they were very honest. They did that twice. They do what they say they are going to do. If there is any problem with your car they inform you about it. I think the price they charge is reasonable. A lot of people in this area use them and I haven't heard anyone say anything negative about them.

Jess Gould, the manager, is very nice to work with. The last repair on my vehicle was my door drain was blocked and when it rained the door flooded with water and went into my car. They will also drive you to your destination within a reasonable distance. They will always offer advice for service on your vehicle. They are very efficient and also if you have to wait, the waiting area is nice.