Alternative Auto Care

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Danny Marlatt
3 weeks ago
2.5 hours from home when my truck blew the water pump. Googled "repair" and Alternative Auto popped up. I can't say enough about Jenny and her crew. The most professional, thorough, and courteous ladies I've ever dealt with. They treated my family, like family.

  Andrea Leeuw
a month ago
After a not-so-great experience at another auto care shop, I took my car to Alternative for a more trustworthy inspection and ultimately leading to service done. The team at Alternative Auto Care made me feel incredibly comfortable and in the know with the service. Being someone with little knowledge about my car, I felt very confident in alternative auto care taking care of everything. I also am a supporter of a women-owned and dog friendly auto care shop!

  Ryan Ballard
2 weeks ago
My tires were low on air and I was in a bind. The folks over at Alternative Auto Care took great care of me! Super appreciative of their generous gesture. They definitely brightened my day!

  Kelly Arthur
3 months ago
My son's car broke down, downtown and after the OSU game. So he had to wait 2 hours for me to get there... after we realized it was beyond jumping we had to figure out what to do. Stressful as car was in busy Alley and it was a cold night. I knew I had to tow before the city did but where to? I found Alternative Auto Care on Google maps and sent a message not expecting an answer until Monday. Not only did they answer us they let us tow it there immediately and leave keys in drop box. It was blessing. They where so kind with the whole situation. Rare in today's world I think. Sadly his car had a huge problem, crack something on engine, nurse not mechanic, but it would cost too much for us to fix it. They where so kind and helpful during what was a very stressful time for us. I just wanted to again say thank you.

  Todd Combs
a month ago
Timely, thoughtful and great price. I've had the pleasure of Alternative Auto Care since I originally lived in Columbus. That's decades of wonderful service.This time around, AAC genuinely saved me from making costly mistakes. I took my Ford to Ricart. Diagnosis alone cost nearly $400. The estimate for repairs was so high I went into panic mode.I remembered my past experiences with AAC so took my car there. AAC saved me about $4500 versus what I would have spent otherwise.

  Austin Yoakem
6 months ago
I m really wanted to enjoy my experience with Alternative Auto Care but unfortunately, my experience was anything but enjoyable. Marie or Mars (she s very soft spoken so I m not sure which it is) checked me in for my wife s 2PM appointment. I asked them to call me instead, she s working today, but if they need to call her instead for any reason to please use her preferred name. I figured this is a Lesbian owned business that would be simple enough. 2 Hours after our scheduled appointment, Jenni the manager calls my wife and declines to use the preferred name left. So already 2 simple requests not followed. My wife returns the call to which Jenni tells her that she can t/wont look at her car today and goes onto say but don t worry we won t charge you to keep the car overnight if you agree to this service now. My wife tries to clarify and ask what service she s agreeing to, at which point Jenni becomes frustrated and rude. Meanwhile the car was never even moved to be inspected so Jenni has no idea what service she is having my wife agree to. All the while there was no apology for the missed appointment or lack of professionalism.At any point if Jenni apologized or took any form of accountability for the missed appointment, or the missed referencing of my wife they could ve kept our business. Instead she opted to be dismissive and rude on top of them being more expensive than other shops.I truly get wanting to support these folks, I wish we could ve. But unfortunately, their lack of respect for peoples names, time and finances made us make the decision to pick up our car without any work having happened and have an appointment with the dealership instead.

  Andrew Turso
5 months ago
My 2013 Volvo needed regular maintenance and it turned into new shocks and struts. The team at Alternative Auto Care explained everything in detail and was even able to save me money on parts. I will have all my car repair and maintenance needs done here from now on.Services: Steering & suspension repair, General repairs & maintenance, Tire rotations, Vehicle Inspection, Wheel alignment, Brake service & repairServices: Steering & suspension repair, General repairs & maintenance, Tire rotations, Vehicle Inspection, Wheel alignment, Brake service & repair

  Jenna DiCamillo
a week ago
Love AAC! Great communication and excellent with complicated fixes. They have quickly become our trusted, go-to shop!

  Richanne Zymkoski
5 months ago
I took my 2000 Jeep there after the brakes went out. I had been agonizing about whether to keep or sell and the Jeep made my decision for me by being cost prohibitive (under carriage rust issues) to fix. Now, I needed to figure out how to junk my baby. Jen came to my rescue by finding a buyer who gave me way more than I ever would have gotten if I had scrapped it. I am eternally grateful and happy to know my favorite car ever will live on with someone else who has the skills to restore it.

  Calvin Cousins
7 months ago
I can't say enough about the service at AAC. They always explain exactly what's wrong with my vehicle and do their very best to fix it as economically as possible. Also, unlike dealerships, everyone is extremely friendly and personable. I feel as though friends are working on my car. I'll never have anyone else service my vehicle in the future.Calvin Cousins

  Daisy Mon�y
6 months ago
Prior to coming to AAC, my car had been acting weird for a while. I took it to the dealership for regular maintenance twice within the last year, and both times their diagnostics said everything was fine. A friend suggested I go to ACC for a second opinion and lo and behold, there were like 10 things wrong with my car.The AAC staff were transparent about the issues as well as the pricing. They answered all of my questions and ensured I understood the services I was authorizing. They kept my car for a little under a week and got it about 80% back to normal. The last thing I need is a service they don't provide, so once I get that done, I should be good to go.All and all, I'm grateful to the AAC staff and feel a lot safer on the road again. Last thing to note, I did call the dealership to compare service costs and it was pretty much the same, so I believe they offer fair pricing. Thanks again AAC :)Services: Steering & suspension repair, General repairs & maintenance, Tire rotations, Wheel alignment, Vehicle safety inspection, Battery

  Madeline Smidt
2 months ago
Friendly, fantastic service. First time to a mechanic and I felt like I was in good hands. Highly recommended!

  Josh Bales
7 months ago
This lovely local mechanic was able to quickly fit me in and did an efficient, quality job working on my Rogue. Their communication throughout the process was top notch and the price was fair. I highly recommend Alternative Auto Care.Service: Steering & suspension repairService: Steering & suspension repair

  Gizmo Alexander
4 months ago
I've been a customer on and off since around 2009. They know their car stuff, explain things in an easy to understand way, and are a very friendly and fair team of techs!

  Javier Tapia
8 months ago
Great experience. Went in due to coolant bleed. Got a quick and thorough assessment on it as well as general reports on my 2005 Ford Sport Trac. Repair done on time. Very happy with the outcome. Like the fact that the staff is all women driven. Will certainly come back.

  J. Michael
a year ago
This is by far the best experience I ve ever had with an Auto Mechanic Shop. From initial intake to car pick up, every step went smoothly. Jenni was straight forward and very clear about what my car needed repaired and why. She explained pricing of parts and the amount of labor that was required to perform each repair. This is my go to shop for all things auto related. You CANNOT go wrong using Alternative Auto Care!Services: Air & cabin filter replacement, Auto engine diagnostic, Auto engine tuning, Tire rotations, Vehicle Inspection, Brake service & repair, Auto maintenance, Auto brake replacement, Oil change

  lauren passauer
a year ago
I brought my car in and ended up needing significantly more work than I thought. The diagnostic system they use is thorough, detailed, and trustworthy. Not only did I feel comfortable with the issues/problems they found; I didn't feel taken advantage of like I was being ripped off.Their team is top notch and have perfected customer service. I was informed of my choices every step of the way, and was taken through each issue with my car in details I could understand.With all the work that needed done on my car, they were able to complete my car in a day! I couldn't recommend Alternative Auto Care more; I had an incredible experience and will be coming back for regular maintenance moving forward! Thanks AAC Team!Services: Air & cabin filter replacement, General repairs & maintenance, Tire rotations, Vehicle Inspection, Wheel alignment, Brakes, Vehicle safety inspection, Brake service & repair, Auto maintenance, Battery, Oil change

  Lindan Noel
11 months ago
Everyone here was very friendly and helpful. They greeted me as I came in even if I wasn't the one they were helping. The online services were helpfilin providing details and photos of my cars inspection as well as current and future needs. They weren't pushy with additional services and I never felt pressured to get more done. They also got the job completed faster than they said they would. Truly a great experience!!Services: General repairs & maintenance, Electrical, Vehicle Inspection, Oil change

  J
a year ago
I wanted to like this place, but can t agree to the way they do business. Their model of honesty and transparency would be great if it didn t translate to huge unnecessary diagnostic bills. I just feel like they don t listen to you here and it s very frustrating! My first experience I went in because my 2017 car was hesitating unexpectedly. It was very abnormal and difficult to replicate so I explained my problem and asked if I could show them some research I did of other people with similar experiences. They flat out told me no they don t trust forum posts (fair to an extent but it s also smart to use all your resources). They then charged me $200 for diagnostic tests and came back and told me they found nothing wrong and they couldn t help me. They could only refer me to other auto shops they thought could better help me. Least to say, I was very unhappy and became skeptical of their business. My second experience, I had gotten a diagnostic report on my car from Firestone telling me I needed new Wheel Bearings. Firestone couldn t take me for another week and I really wanted my car repaired ASAP so I stopped in to see if they could give me a quote on how much it would be there. They told me they wouldn t look at the Firestone report and said they d have to do an inspection themselves for $40 before they could even attempt to give me a quote. I said no thank you, left, and will never be back. I would only recommend going here if you enjoy spending money without getting any results. Do better!

  Lily Nargang
a year ago
I had a great experience at Alternative Auto Care. They were professional and decent to me, something I haven't always felt I could expect from auto shops. They were also incredibly thorough in their inspections of a car I was considering buying. Had an information packet for me and everything, loved the way texted me with updates. Honestly, I'll be back if I ever need any work done or another car inspected. Woman-friendly, LGBTQIA-friendly, tech-friendly, overall friendly!Service: Vehicle safety inspection

  Nick Rediger
7 months ago
Car repairs are always a scary thing but AAC explains everything to you very thoroughly and gives you the confidence to trust their inspections/recommendations. I would definitely use them over and over for any maintenance or repair!Services: General repairs & maintenance, Brake service & repairServices: General repairs & maintenance, Brake service & repair

  Jeff Van Brederode
a year ago
Car transferred from local Toyota dealership for trust issues. Car was sent by rollback. Car would turnover, but not start. Charged battery as it was low from repeated attempts to start. After charging, car started, no issues. Diagnostics preformed, no issues. No charge. Thanks for your experience and honesty. You eased the mind of a faraway-father, dealing with his daughter's first major crisis in the big city. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.Services: General repairs & maintenance, Auto engine diagnostic, Engine repair

  David Plant
a year ago
I am deeply indebted for the quick and lovely service to my car. It runs great now, after a seemingly long time in storage before it was brought to them. They really cared about the performance of the vehicle moving forward and I d like to thank everyone that had a hand in that.However, on my only day off my phone got an automated text at 8am from them asking me to leave this review. I know it seems stupid but it really put a damper on things.. Why 8am? I was trying to sleep.Anyways. I m leaving review now because you asked.ThanksServices: Auto power window repair, General repairs & maintenance, Vehicle Inspection, Auto maintenance, Battery

  Caleb Ray
8 months ago
Submitted an inquiry, took over a week to hear back from the shop. Upon speaking with a team member they were unable to provide assistance and recommended I contact the dealer.Spend your time going to another auto shop if you're looking to have your Jeep repaired.

  Jack Holden
7 months ago
I called to get a quote on replacing a starter. I was told they must look at the car to give a quote on replacing the starter even with my understanding that if it was not the starter, clearly any quote I was given on the starter would be null and void. This is simply lazy business practice at best or at worst entrapment of people who have limited financial ability to seek multiple quotes when they have to have their cars towed in.

  Abigail Scaff
11 months ago
I, like many others, came here wanting to support a local, women/LGBTQ+ owned shop. The service they performed was fine, but do not come here unless you are ready to pay at least double what another shop would charge. I fully understand inflation and higher costs that a local shop will carry, I was prepared to pay more than a big name shop, but the diagnostic charges were appalling. I knew my tail light was out and asked for an estimate to replace the bulb. They wouldn t give me one and started talking about possible electrical issues without even looking at the car (also no estimate for that). My A/C wasn t blowing cold air, they wanted $340 for diagnostic testing alone. I went to another shop 3 days later who replaced the bulb, fixed a sensor, and the A/C all for under $150. I did receive an oil change, but again, my issue is not with the quality of service but more that I felt they were severely over charging. I just want people to be aware of what their wallets are signing up for when coming here.

  Chris Johnson
10 months ago
I am loss at words. Alternative Auto Care is one of the best mechanic business I ever seen. They will go everything thoroughly to ensure you understand your car issue(s). They want to ensure you are safe when on the wheels. I have spread words out in the community about AAC!!!

  Shareefah aka LilDxGreenSoldierS Sullivan
9 months ago
I was able to get a print out of what is wrong with my 2012 Nissan Altima. Although there is work that needs to be done. I'm grateful to know what all I needed so my car can get back and running better than ever. Thank you Alternative Auto Care for letting me know where to begin.

  Tabi
a year ago
I wish this place was bigger - they deliver excellent service and really take care of you and your needs. I appreciate the text updates and how easy it makes it to understand what work needs to be done, what work is coming up on the vehicle, and the option to create an account and maintenance alerts. And as a LGBTQIA+ person, I appreciate having a welcoming atmosphere where everyone can come as they are.Services: Steering & suspension repair, General repairs & maintenance, Auto brake repair, Vehicle Inspection, Brakes, Vehicle safety inspection, Wiper blade installation, Brake service & repair, Auto maintenance, Oil change

  Nathan Barnes
11 months ago
This business kick-started my side hustle as a mechanic. I've been working on my own cars for years, but when Alternative wanted to charge my friend nearly $400 for repairs that take 20 minutes and only need $30 in part, I decided to take matters into my own hands to keep people from paying ridiculous prices. Just this weekend I stole another customer from you guys. Nearly 500% markup on spark plugs? Seriously? Not an honest way to run a business.