Catherine's Auto Repair

They are awesome. I would use them in the future. I drive further out to go see them. I moved further away and I still go see them. It took an hour to complete the work. They are honest, they don't try to make up stuff that needs to be done. They give you time lines of when stuff will be coming. Your tires are good for 6 months are whatever, they don't try to sell you. They are so nice, they are nice, they are friendly. I don't know. They are great.

They are did the diagnosis at reasonable cost. They were thorough.

They are very professional and careful. They are nice and they have been able to fix the problems that I have had.

my experience was bitter sweet, I went in for a coolant check because my car was running hot, I have an Oldsmobile cutlass that I knew had major problems before I went to Catherine's. I'm a patcher because my money is low at the time. Catherine's told me the whole truth about my car, they did not rip me off and fix what needed to be fix for the money, and then weeks later I'll have to return back, they gave me the truth. I had to put my car down :( it was not worth the patching any more, the sweet part is they referred me to a potential person wanting to sell a car, Ansley did some research for me on the car I want to purchase from another customer of theirs. These people are very honest, they have a customer for life, the experience was awesome, I would love to write more, but I'm on my cell phone. They get a million stars from me:)

In the first case, they did a visual inspection and found several badly deteriorated emissions hoses, which they replaced and i was out the door in lightning fast time - total charge under $60-70. unfortunately, after i left, the check engine light came on again. it was rush hour, so i told them i would bring it back the next morning. they found a separate hose w/ a very minor leak. replaced the hose, scoped it to make sure there were no more surprises. no issues since. in the second case, had another check engine light - code p2004. Initially it was under a $200 repair - scan & hose replacements. Mechanic told me i was lucky because it could have been much worse - to the tune of $700+, intake manifold replacement. i paid the bill, drove off the lot and then chk eng lite back on, again. of course, rush hour, again. i left my truck overnight, got a ride home and back again the next day. when i returned to pick up my truck, the additional bill was about $600. you guessed it, new intake manifold. i inspected the worn out part. planned obsolescence strikes, again! could not replace the worn part w/o replacing the entire manifold. i blame the manufacturer. what could have been a $50-100 part cost me $700. no issues since. i should have asked max for a discount for the inconvenience of having to return to the shop twice. i normally would have, but once you find a good mechanic, you don't want to risk jeopardizing the relationship. month's passed. i finally contacted, catherine, herself. i shared my experience w/ catherine via email. she called, asked for a chance to address my issue(s), and quickly offered a credit. in closing, catherine addressed my issue(s) quickly & professionally. i was so happy with the way catherine handled my issue(s) that i spent double the credit she gave me on my next visit. i strongly endorse catherine's auto repair! catherine's continues to be my one-stop auto repair shop.

They have two locations. I give them all A's and will use them again in the future.

I found Catherine's online using Angie's List. Their ratings seemed good in the past, so I went to their website to do some investigating. I found that they had an online appointment tool, which I liked. I only needed a routine oil and filter change, nothing complicated. The online booking tool called it an "express oil and filter change", and it was for 30 minutes. If that's all you needed, you could book an appointment online. So I booked online and was able to make an appointment 2 days away, in the afternoon, right after lunch from 1:30-2pm. Upon booking I received an email confirmation that my appointment was "pending" and that I would receive another email once it was "confirmed". No problem - I went into the system on Sunday so I'm sure the staff at that location just needed to confirm the appointment on Monday, when they got to work. Sure enough, the next day I received an email confirmation that my appointment was accepted and confirmed. The message also said to make sure and arrive on-time for you scheduled appointment. The day of my appointment I arrived at their Piedmont location promptly on time. I actually bought the filter and oil that I wanted in my car, all I needed them to do was change it out. I got to the location and the waiting area was less than pleasant. There were boxes and packages piled up and it was not organized nor professional looking. The staff member behind the desk greeted me and took my car keys. I told her the oil and filter were in the front passenger seat, that I wanted them to use. She said okay, and made the comment "okay, it'll be ready in 1 hour." That raised a red flag in my mind because the appointment I made online was from 1:30-2pm. Why was it going to take 1 hour? I didn't say anything and simply smiled and said ok. I stepped outside the waiting room, back into the parking lot to make some phone calls. If I'm going to be there an hour, I needed to get other things done! I noticed that about 10-15 minutes later, they moved my car into the garage. Ok great, maybe they'll star working on it sooner, and it will take less than an hour. Nope. I got done with my phone calls and went inside to sit in the waiting area. The staff member behind the desk left, I assume to grab lunch, and was gone for 15 minutes or so. While she was gone, I heard the machine that raises the cars up and down. I peeked down the hallway into the garage and could see that they had just raised my car up. The time is now 2pm, and I remind you that my appointment was scheduled for 1:30pm. I waited and waited, and about 2:25pm they bring my car around and give me the OK that it's ready. They only charged me $20, which I think is great. My main complaint is not about the price, it's about the condition of the waiting room and the fact that they were late. What's the point of making an appointment online in advance, if they aren't going to follow their own rules? But once they got my car up, it only took them 20-25 minutes to change the oil and filter.

They gave us a fair rundown of the issue and the repair cost. I confirmed that what they described was in line for our make and model. We decided to replace the vehicle.

On Thursday, November 14, 2013 I brought my 2007 Ford Focus to Catherine?s Auto Repair to have them look at and diagnose problems I was experiencing with the clutch. The exact problem with the clutch was that the handle was very difficult to put in gear. I asked if they could diagnose the problem and give me an estimate. At no point did I insist or say that my clutch needed replacing because at the time I did know what the problem was and I was able to put the car in gear (albeit with some difficulty) and drive the car without having the clutch slip out of gear. A mechanic drove my car that day in order to give me a ride to a rail station, experiencing for himself the nature of the problem with the clutch. I was told by phone that day the estimate would be $1250. When I asked why it was so expensive I was told that the transmission needed to be removed in order to access the clutch and that removing the transmission alone would cost $650. I was also told that only if transmission was removed could the mechanic determine what exactly the nature of the problem with the clutch. I found this explanation and diagnosis to be suspicious as the mechanic and customer service person were entirely unable to tell me the exact nature of the problem, and indeed whether or not my clutch truly needed replacement or simply service. As to the high estimate, I called three other service centers (one locally owned and two national franchises) and got estimates for clutch replacement (if it came to that) from between $600-$800. I then decided to get another mechanic to look at my car, diagnose the problem and then give me an estimate on repairs. On the recommendation of a friend, I took my car to a locally owned ASE certified shop and asked the shop manager to diagnose the problem. After test driving the car, the service manager pulled the car into the shop. After 10 minutes he pulled the car out of the shop. He told me that the clutch fluid in the master cylinder was very low and that is why I was having trouble putting into gear. He filled the clutch cylinder fluid at no charge. I am writing this formal letter of complaint regarding Catherine?s Auto Shop and the gross negligence and extremely poor diagnosis of what turned out to be a very simple problem. There was at no time any need to ?drop the transmission,? as I was told needed to be done in order to diagnose the problem. In fact after driving the car for no more than 5 minutes, the more competent mechanic came to realize what must be checked first and did so in a prompt manner. I suspect that Catherine?s Auto Shop took advantage of my not knowing the nature of the problem. I will not return to this business ever again and will tell anyone who needs auto repairs not to go there under any circumstances based on this most unpleasant and disappointing interaction.

I was very pleased with the service and the price.

I left my car, and an employee drove me to my job, which was very helpful. I was notified when the car was ready. Catherine's was professional and the work was quality work. I will definitely go there again. I felt they were honest and fair.

The online appointment system (on their website) worked great, and they were on time. Service was courteous and efficient, and they explained to me long term concerns for my (ten year old) car without pushing a sale. I was glad to see they lived up to their reputation, and I'm just annoyed it took me so long to drive slightly further away for considerably better service than I was getting before.

I had a soft thumping noise that was very gradually increasing. They checked out my car before I went on a weekend trip and said that I should be fine but to bring it back when I came back. Well, they were right. About a week after I came back I was getting a humming that was getting louder and it was, in fact, a wheel bearing. I thought it was the left but it was the right. What I like or love about Catherine's is that they will bring attention to things that they find but if it does not warrant immediate attention, they don't try to coerce you into doing it right then. If something else is more serious they will prioritize for you. Trust me, I've been there. They understand that car repairs cost money and it's very inconvenient to spend hundreds on car repair but stuff happens. They are honest about what's going on with your car and do good work. Several visits ago they recommended getting my tie rods redone but I was able to hold off. A week after the tie rods my car was overheating and it was a totally unrelated issue - the cooling fan motor was the original from 1998 and it had burned out. When I picked up the car they were sincere about saying that they like me but don't want to see me around for a while. In other words, we hope you don't have to spend extra repair money on your old car for a while. It has been a very long time since I've come across a shop this honest. Whenever I get my oil changed they do a 20-point inspection to point out minor things that I can fix or should look at in the future.

I took my car in with a strange noise. After a short test drive, the problem was isolated and repaired.

They are very good over the phone with me and they do not do anything unnecessary. They are honest, so I will go back to them.

The people are so friendly and helpful within the shop. I never feel like I'm being upsold anything, they are very honest on whether they find an issue or not. If you live within a certain area, they will help you get to where you need to be whether it's just back home or to work while they fix your car.

I brought my car in as I was having trouble starting a couple of times in the previous week. They checked the electrical and determined that it wasn't my alternator or starter, just the battery. The battery was only 2 years old so I didn't suspect it at first. They did their 20-point inspection and pointed out a few things to me to take care of in the future and I also asked for an oil change. This is my third time taking my car there, they are so honest, professional and friendly and they do great work! I'm going to keep taking my car there!

No problems. We received a couple of estimates on the work we wanted done. They were not the least expensive, but not the most expensive. The technician we spoke to was knowledgeable and quite helpful. Everything went as expected. I liked that it's local business and not a big chain. The only comment is that there are two locations ... make sure you know which location you are scheduling with.

I got them off of Angie's List. They didn't fix for what I took it in to have them fixed. They claimed that they didn't see there was a problem.

My check engine light had come on; Catherine's Auto Repair ran a diagnostic test and determined the problem, got me a reduced-rate rental car from Enterprise since the part had to be ordered. They also gave me good information about my 11 year old car, what future work might need to be done soon, etc. Ansley was very friendly and helpful, and when I arrived several hours earlier the next day (since I didn't want to rent the car an extra day) they got my car ready pronto so I didn't have to wait around long. They are listed with AAA, too, so I felt good about trusting their advice. Their prices were consistent with other providers on the future work they recommended. I called several days later after I decided to go ahead and sell the car, and got their advice about what condition I should list for the car; Rod was very helpful and friendly on the phone, remembered my car immediately and gave me good news about its condition!

I brought my Mini to them from the dealership (Global Imports), because the dealership was being unresponsive and downright hostile to me and my concerns about whether my car - at 52k miles - should need that extensive work (since they had done all the work on the car before). I found Catherine's through a car repair/ information site, and then looked at them on Angie's List, and saw all of the positive reviews. Those reviews are very well deserved! I was treated with respect and my concerns about how it came to need the service were echoed by Catherine's. Catherine's updated me regularly on the progress of the repair and on the cost, and on how to - hopefully - prevent the necessity for this in the future. Everyone I dealt with there was responsive, knowledgeable, and concerned. It was a real pleasure and I feel very confident in their work and their commitment to good work. I have bragged on them to everyone, and intend to use them forever!!

I had some work done by another mechanic (transmission). The car wasn't running right and I wanted another opionion. Catherine's found several oil and transmission leaks. I had them fix the oil leaks, but the transmission was still under warranty, so I took it back to the original mechanic to fix the transmission leaks.

It went well. I felt that the technicians were fast, honest, and didn't overcharge.

I knew my brakes were bad. Catherine's Auto was very pleasant to deal with and did good work on my car. I had to leave it for a couple of days, but they told me up front and worked me into their extremely busy schedule. I was very happy with the work provided.

They quoted me $1,041 to fix catalytic converter & did not inform me the car was not drivable. I took it to another place across the street they only charged me $465 to fix the same problem.