Alexandria VA auto repair

I've been a customer since 1980 and am completely satisfied.

I'm a fan for life. Last July I moved to the area and wasn't familiar at all with shops around here. My car was making a weird noise, so I took a chance with Yates. Got my car back the next day and it was only an $85. I'm always worried about getting duped into paying for services I don't really need. There are tons of shops closer to me than Yates, but I'll go to Yates every time.

One of the finest auto repair shops you'll find on the planet. Spotlessly clean. Even the windows are clean.The employees wear uniforms, or a clean shirt and tie.Free air.This is the way gas stations and auto repair shops used to be run in the 1950s and 1960s...when employees were polite, didn't use F-bombs as a normal course of everyday conversation, and showed up for work, clean cut and with a shave. A real time warp. Worth every penny, just to reward this level of attention to detail.

I run a small moving company out of the Del Ray area. I was initially attracted to Yates because of the big "Best of" sign on the front of their building. (Great marketing!) I didn't expect much because of past experiences with auto repair shops, but these guys are great. They're straightforward and professional, and I get the impression that their no-nonsense attitude comes from a huge volume of business -- they get 'em in and get 'em out.Every single person I've dealt with there (particularly Rob, Josh and James) has been helpful and accommodating, and I never had any "follow-up issues." It breaks, they fix it, it stays fixed. The last time I had a truck in there, I chatted with a new guy (new to me), and there was a brief discussion of how we'd pay. (I lease my trucks through another company that was going to pay). They took the contact number of the other company and let me take the truck off the lot. A few minutes down the road, this new guy called to make sure that I didn't feel miffed about his questions regarding payment.Are you kidding me? An auto repair company calling to make sure my feelings weren't hurt?!? That's awesome. Even if/when I move my office somewhere else, I'll take my vehicles to Yates. I don't think the prices are bad, but even if they were higher than average, I'd still go there. Personal relationships and customer service built my business into a moderate success, and these guys clearly know how important that is.

I've been to Yates many times in the past 10 years, and they always provide awesome service. For this review, I just want to comment on the following: They provide free air for tires. Loads of people use it. I went there last night because my tires were extremely low. There was a man in front of me trying to use the pump, and instead of putting air in, it let air out. I went to the front desk, and a very polite, chipper employee came out to check it, and sure enough, the pump was broken: it let air out of my tire too. Since I couldn't drive on such a low tire, this employee led me over to a repair stall, went to the back and got the garage pump (the one the service people use) and filled all of my tires. For free. And with a smile. I completely interrupted what he had been doing, and he went above and beyond to help me out. Awesome. I definitely will take my future paying business to Yates.

My husband took his car here after I saw very good reviews on Yelp. After taking his car to the dealership for a recall-type issue the dealership told him that he needed to have his drive belt replaced indicating that it was "cracked really bad" and needed to get it replaced ASAP. After I suggested Yates, he made an appointment to bring his car in and have it replaced. About an hour later, Yates had called my husband indicating that the belts were fine and didn't need replacing but since they made a squeaking noise on occasion, they could adjust and the lube the belts instead. How's that for honesty and service? (Shame on that dealership! They will remain nameless but let's say just they're on Jefferson Davis Highway and their name rhymes with Hack Maylor Royota.) If ever we need to get work done on one of our cars, we'll probably go back to Yates.

So far, these guys have been beyond awesome.When I had a tire blow out on 11/3, who'd have thought it would turn into a seriously big job (turns out, blow out pushed tiny Smart to the side, bounced off curb and rear-axle part got bent).Josh & the guys @ Yates spent AGES trying to figure out what was wrong after the tire got replaced by a tire shop that was close to where it happened. A persistent warning light wouldn't reset - and the computer diagnostic read as "implausible connection". They then spent equal amount of time trying to figure out if we could cover any of this via warranty or recalls or anything to try to save me money.They've been kind and polite and are doing their best to make sure this is done right.The car's still there (and thank goodness insurance will cover some of this!) and I'll update after I get it back. But so far, this is going to be my go-to place for car service & repair now that the only Smart Car dealership is in Tyson's and oh-so-elitist. (No loaner cars for Smart owners, only Mercedes!)

I admit it. I broke something on my car. It wasn't super important, but it needed to get fixed.Well, my brain says "it will cost you $1800 and you'll have to leave your car there for a WEEK. Just hold off...one...more...weekend." Well, I finally took it in. Yates is within walking distance of my house, so if I had to leave my car, good option. I went in, chatted with the manager, who is very nice and actually commended me on trying to fix it in the first place. I told him "You'll have to order the part, no problem. Here are my keys." Oh no, they had a box of them laying around. He took my keys, popped my hood, didn't charge me for the part and topped of my oil. 10 minutes, $10 for the oil. If I live within 30 miles of Yates, they're my place.

Been going there for years. Best repair shop in NoVA. Superb staff & service.

I've been going to Yates for over 20 years. From working on my junker in the eartly days to all my new cars since. They are not always the cheapest, but save you money in the long run because you can trust them. They have always been totally honest with me and never try to rip you off by "fixing" things that aren't broken. They are friendly, professional and really a joy to work with. I never go any place else