Jenkins Automotive Service & Tire Center

Reviews

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

  Gregory Shifflett
a month ago
Great service. Great staff. Customer friendly. Not pushing, Will give the customer options if needed.

  Zach
a year ago
Worst shop in town. Needed new transmission lines and radiator. They had to fix my car 3 times after it broke down while driving after every time they 'fixed' it.They promised to reimburse me for the bill after taking it to another shop where it was fixed in less than 48hrs. Jenkins never sent me a check and robbed me for almost $600. I paid them to do nothing except have to have my car towed 3 times and go though a lot of stress.Jenkins had my car for two weeks and still couldn't fix the issue. They messed something up and tried to put a band-aid on it.If the owner See's this review they have my contact information. Still waiting for my check.Will be filing a complaint with the better business bureau.

  Kevin R.
2 years ago
Recently my truck's check engine light decided to make its presence known. I took the truck to a local retail parts store and was given the codes associated with the oxygen sensor without charge. I was speaking with a coworker about where to take my truck for this repair other than the dealership. She joyfully recommended Jenkin's Automotive Service & Tire Center.I contacted them and made an appointment 10/5/21 for first thing on 10/13/21. I arrived at their facility at 7:30 a.m., their opening time is posted for 7:00 A.M. When I arrived at 7:30 a.m. an employee was just unlocking the door and opening. I followed him inside because I had an appointment to drop off my truck and my ride was waiting. I commenced to give the gentleman my information and his demeanor wasn't conductive to friendliness towards a new customer. I dropped off my keys and went about my way.On that same day at 12:00 p.m., I contacted them regarding the status of my truck. The gentleman on the phone responded that they had no status and had no idea when they would. He stated that code reading could be tricky. I relayed to the gentleman that I wasn't prepared to leave the truck overnight and I would be picking it up at the end of my workday at 4:00 P.M.At 3:30 P.M. I still wasn't sure the status of my truck, so I once again called Jenkin's. The gentleman stated that the codes revealed an oxygen sensor needed to be replaced and that the part could be ordered and would arrive the next day (10/14). I agreed to dropping it off first thing on that day so the repair could be made. I asked for the estimate and was given a rough figure and I was not asked to sign any documents.I dropped off my truck on the following day (after 7:30 a.m.). I never received any communication that day and I arrived at 4:00 P.M. and the truck was ready. I was given a total and then the gentleman stated the credit card machine wasn't working and that he would need to write down my credit card number. If I had known this before I arrived, I could have gone to an ATM and then paid in cash. Nonetheless, I gave the information including my email address so an email receipt could be sent. I wasn't comfortable with that information being documented on a piece of paper.I received a notification on November 5th that a charge was being made on my credit card from Jenkin's. I think that paying for a service that was performed is a must, but after this long after completion? I've never had a service such as this and not be charged for this long.I do admit that I could have called to ask why I was never charged, but as a paying customer that is not my responsibility.I was considered a new customer and now I'm a past customer. The work was done. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who values customer service and effective communication. Prices here are in-line with other local garages. I value communication and upfront service without guesswork and sloppy timing.It seems as if this issue has occurred in the past based of other reviews.

  Terry Tzuhsing Chen
3 years ago
Worst customer service experience I've ever had with a mechanic. Never called me and told me that my car would not be finished in one day. I had to call and went to the shop to find out that there was a miscommunication and that I couldn't have my car back.When I asked if they had time to check on one of the things I asked for, the mechanic was very rude and seemed like he didn't want to deal with me.I had a good first time experience with them so I decided to go to them again when I purchased a used vehicle. I can't believe this is how they treat a returning client.Edit: The case is under my husband's name Matthew Williams.

  muffychick01
2 years ago
I m not usually one to complain but my last visit was not as expected. I needed my car towed as it wouldn t start and made sure to call first to see how long it would take to fix it before having it towed. They said it would be next day and they wrote my ticket. The car was towed and dropped off Thursday and when I didn t get a call close to end of day Friday, I called them and he asked If I had a ticket in. He said he found my info but wouldn t be able to look at it as there were two cars ahead of me. Said it would be Saturday. They closed Saturday at 2 but when I hadn t heard from them by 1:15pm, I called and they said the computer was down and they were manually looking and would call back in 15 mins. No call received by 2pm when they closed. No call on Sunday as office was closed. I called again Monday and the guy said the didn t have my phone number (although I was there twice in Sept/Oct for my 100,000 miles maintenance). The man on the phone said it was the starter and they would also have it completed by Tuesday at the earliest or Wednesday morning at the latest. There was no call on Tuesday so I called around lunch time. The guy answered asked if someone told me it would be done. I confirmed they said Tuesday evening/Wednesday at the latest. The response was they will get to it when they can. It wasn t done Tuesday, so I called Wednesday morning about 11:30am and they asked again if someone said it would be done. It finally was done afternoon on Wednesday for $505 for a starter. I m honestly not one to complain but if information was initially given that they wouldn t have been able to get to it until a week later rather than saying the next day, my expectations would have been different.

  Arielle Beasley
2 years ago
I had this place check my transmission fluid. They told me it was fine. 6 months later when transmission fluid was changed it was disgusting. Transmission went out. I believe they stereotyped me because i was having someone help pay to fix my car and im a single mom. Regardless of a persons poverty level, if they are paying then the service should stay the same. Use to like this place, but would never risk taking my vehicles to them again.

  LeAnn Halsey
6 years ago
I had went to another car service in Harrisonburg to get my VA inspection sticker and they rejected it and gave me an estimated repair cost of $415 with little to no explanation of the issues; while significantly overcharging me for parts and labor. I decided to get a second opinion at Jenkins & I am so glad I did! They inspected my car & were able to get all of the same repairs done quickly for $200 including my inspection sticker fee! They were very friendly and explained all repairs to me (they even brought my belt out to show me where it was shredded). They ended up staying past their scheduled hours to get the job done for me! I just recently moved to the area, so it s nice to have found a great automotive service center & I plan to use Jenkins in the future!

  Michael Pannell
4 months ago
The Manager was rude and would not help with fixing there mistakes

  Gamer Therapist
4 years ago
The employees were so friendly and helpful. I was a bit worried that they wouldnt be able to do an oil change on my car (I had just come from a different mechanic who previously said they could and then once I got there said they couldn't).They were able to help me no problem and replace the bulbs in my taillights and headlight for under $200! I have a 20 year old Mercedes and this price is almost unheard of.Thank you so much Julian and Alejandro for all your help!! Super appreciated

  Mary Eshbaugh
6 years ago
Never any issues. I go there to get something fixed and that's what is fixed. I never get any funny business of, "Oh, well, when we went to check your tires for your inspection we found that your tire rods were bent and your cams are dry rotted. $3000 please." Totally had that happen at a different mechanic only to find that the "dry rot" looked suspiciously like cuts. I don't worry about that kind of stuff at Jenkins.Waiting room is no frills, coffee available if you're desperate, tv showing mostly sports, and lots of magazines & newspapers. Staff are eccentric but very nice and friendly. Wait isn't terribly long. Been going there for over 10 years.

  Elizabeth Crone
5 months ago
Waited for someone to call about my appointment only to call for them to tell me they don't do appointments

  Travis Buhl
6 years ago
This place is awful. The employees are really nice and the turn around time is fast but they did awful work on my brakes. We took our car in simply to have it inspected. They called and told us that in order for the car to pass inspection, we needed our back brakes done. Since then we have heard a grinding noise on our back brakes. We took it in 3 times to have them "fix it", each time was a failure. The final time they said they 100% found the problem and charged us a fee to fix it. Nope. Car still makes a grinding noise. These guys have no idea what they are doing. DO NOT GO HERE.

  Jodi Gist
9 years ago
I have had great experiences at Jenkins and low-Fair pricing. In diagnosing my most recent issue, I got out of there for $18.91. I'm thankful to have a local mechanic I can trust. Also--Alex has been there for years and has always been very personable and easy to communicate with.

  L Smith
2 years ago
The mechanics did an awesome job, BUT the help at the counter was rude! Told me about another issue with my car then laughed. Drove 35 miles home where I discovered that the problem he mentioned was much worse! I am honestly surprised my car made it home without an incident.Won't go back!

  Whitney Huffman
10 years ago
I am super surprised to see all of the negative experiences. I have never had any bad luck with Todd, Alex or any of the other employees. I take my car to them for everything, ie: state inspection, oil change, tires. I just had a wheel replaced, last week, and replaced all four tires and found their work to be very affordable and reliable. I've never had a problem getting my car in, and I always receive phone calls from Alex, should they find anything during a state inspection to see if I would like to take care of it myself or have them go ahead and do it.I never feel as if I'm taking up Alex's time, nor have I ever felt ripped off. In fact, Jenkins Automotive came in a lot lower with pricing when it came to replacing my wheel than other places in the area as well as the dealership. I always recommend Jenkins whenever possible, and will continue to do so!

  Jeffrey Davison
7 years ago
I normally use Jenkins in Harrisonburg for State Inspection for the last 5-6 years. Today I got there 10 minutes until 7am when they said they opened and had a coworker meet me there so that I could drop my keys off for how ever long it took. We waited until 7:25 before I decided to leave since no one had showed up yet. To me this is poor customer service, if you have it posted on your door and your website that you open at a certain time then you should be open. Who knows what time they actually showed up. I know the other three people waiting for them to open were irritated too! They lost my business, not that they will miss the $16 inspections but if I do have other problems I will not even consider them.

  C. Little
11 years ago
As mentioned in all of the other reviews- the customer service is BAD. Took my car in just for an oil change and came back to find my battery dead. After asking for this to be fixed, I received a phone call from Jenkins reprimanding ME because they say my key slips out of the ignition and it was MY fault that I hadn't warned them of this. If you are a paid mechanic you should know how to properly turn a car all the way off and not make snide comments to your customer to "justify" your inabilities. If you want good service- take your car to a shop where the mechanics know how to turn on and off your car...

  Tim Campbell
7 years ago
Went in after hitting a deer. Had new tires so I wanted to make sure the alignment was good. They worked on it over 2 days, assuring me that the parts they replaced had corrected the alignment problems caused by the deer. Went to pick it up on Monday morning. They were 20 minutes late getting there. Someone dropped me off so I waited 45 minutes. Paid my $800 bill and they went to get my car. The battery was dead. After jump starting, I left. The steering wheel was very crooked when the wheels were straight. Drove for 2 weeks and it started pulling to the right. Checked my tires and one was totally bald on one side and like steps down from tread to tread. The other side was starting to do the same thing. I called and they said my 1 week old tires were already worn crooked when I brought it there. They said they would check alignment again but couldnt do anything about the tire. Totally false about the tires and a complete cop out. Never will go there again and no one else should either. They are veru unprofessional and now I know they can't fix a front end right either.

  J R Reigner
7 years ago
I recently found myself trusting a referral to Jenkins made by relatives in the Harrisonburg, VA area when the battery light came on in my daughter's car on her recent trip from PA to visit her grandmother. They diagnosed a defective alternator and made the repairs. Three days after the repair with the car back home in PA, the battery light came on again. Two days later, my mechanic diagnosed the problem as a defective alternator and installed another one. I called Jenkins to report the issue the same day, a Monday. Mr. Jenkins was "unavailable" (This, as it turns out, is the norm) and Alex took my information, saying I could try to reach Mr. (Todd) Jenkins the next day. The following morning, no Mr. Jenkins again but Alex said I could send a copy of the invoice from my mechanic and he would forward everything to Mr. Jenkins who would then call me. I faxed the invoice on Tuesday, just after noon. By 10am Friday, I had still not been contacted by anyone at Jenkins, so I called. Again, (surprise!!) Mr. Jenkins was not available. Alex did not seem at all concerned or apologetic that three days had passed with no response, as he tried to talk over me when I complained about the poor service I was receiving. All he would tell me was that he had given the information to Mr. Jenkins and it was out of his hands. He still refused to give me a clue about how I could reach Mr. Jenkins. I called again about 5:45 Friday afternoon when I still had not heard from anyone all day. More stonewalling. So I began systematically calling all the Jenkins locations. On my first try Saturday morning, I was able to speak to a Mr. Clyde Jenkins who listened to my story, apologized for the treatment I received, and promised me he'd have a check on the way to me on Monday. While that was finally an appropriate response by the Jenkins establishment to my situation, it was still too little. Despite my waiting 5 days for a meaningful response to my situation, all he was willing to do was to refund the cost of the part. He refused to allow any further discounts to the diagnostic charges or labor to install the defective part. I now understand why so many others would like to be able to give 0 stars with their reviews. Jenkins Automotive in Harrisonburg doesn't seem concerned about operating with integrity in service to their community, nor do they have the first clue what "goodwill" and "good customer service" are.

  Kerry M
3 years ago
My son is a JMU student with a 2008 vehicle. He had a problem with his car, brought it to Jenkins because of location, and we could not be happier with this Mechanic and business. My son handled it all, but most importantly, Jenkins took care of him and repaired the car in a very very affordable and timely manner. As a parent, very pleased. Thank you!

  David Carothers
9 years ago
Had my new-ish car in for inspection a while back. One of their employees backed a truck into it in their parking lot, in the place where they had parked it. They told me "no problem, just get an estimate" (no problem other than all of the hassle for me). I took the estimate back in, and they said the owner would need to call me. The owner called, accused me (!) of trying to rip him off, etc., etc. After enduring his BS I had to insist that he have his insurance adjuster come look at it. The adjuster wrote up a virtually identical estimate (of course).

  Sean Williams
11 years ago
Seriously, Alex (at the Harrisonburg location) is just terrible at Customer Service. Not only has he lost me as a customer, but my friends and family as well. He talks to you like you are bothering him. Not to mention that their prices are way to high for services that you probably never needed in the first place.Do yourself a favor and take your car to Precision Imports on Waterman Drive if you want excellent service and don't want to feel like you've been taken when you walk out.

  Greg Brennan
11 years ago
I wish I could rate them lower. They are lazy, cheating, liars. I took my car in for a state inspection and they told me they were going to have to replace my steering rack and bushings to pass inspection which would cost me, a poor college student, a small fortune. I took it else where to a mechanic friend. Turns out the steering rack wasn't bad it was just loose. So a couple turns of a wrench and i was good as new. But Jenkins automotive didn't even think to do that they just wanted to get every penny out of me. DO NOT GO HERE. EVER!!!!

  Bradley Runion
10 years ago
Extremely poor quality parts/labor. They've had to put three clutch master cylinders in my vehicle over the last 15k miles. The second one was installed under warranty. The third was not because the warranty had expired. Except that I had noticed a problem when the warranty was still valid and when I asked them to look at it they said there wasn't anything wrong with it. This is a terrible business

  Phil Chroniger
2 years ago
Fantastic service. Quick, fairly priced, and no attempts to "add on" services that aren't necessary, but will give you sound "down the road" advice. Highly recommend these guys for your automotive service and repair needs!

  Carla Buzzard
7 years ago
Our family has been loyal customers of Jenkins' Automotive for nearly thirteen years. I send family and friends to them. The prices are very competitive and labor rates are more than fair for the quality and efficiency received. In my experience with the Harrisonburg store, I have always been treated with the utmost respect and professionalism. Todd Jenkins, proprietor, is a JMU graduate and one of the most genuine and sincere individuals you could ever meet. Alex is great! The experienced and dedicated staff have handled our preventive maintenance needs and major repairs. Jenkins' Automotive has always gone above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction.

  Teresa Taylor
7 years ago
I am shocked to read the reviews for Jenkins. The most shocking part is all the negative remarks on the Harrisonburg location.People you do realize that Harrisonburg is Jenkins main location. I personally know the owner who you can normally find at that particular location. Anyone who knows Todd or has only but met Todd knows that he would never stand for his employees to rip a customer off.I personally me Todd through one of my best friends because she totally entrust him with any vehicle and I was in need of transmission work for a vehicle I had just purchased for my son. Not only was everyone there extremely nice to me throughout the procwss but all repairs were taken care of timely and total repair bill was well below what I had thought to be.Anyone needing repairs should call Jenkins and if you have an issue about something or just don't feel totally comfortable then call and ask for the owner, Todd Jenkins. He will be more than happy to find out information on your vehicle and help resolve things for you.Thanks Todd for taking care of my son's Hyundai Tiburons transmission. Diane S. certainly was right about how great you are and your employees. Bless you!!Teresa

  Shammara Blanchard
9 years ago
These guys tried to seriously rip me off. I took my Explorer in for inspection because I had a coupon from them. They failed my car for "loose wheel bearings" and wanted to charge 109 dollars a tire to look at it. I knew they were lying because I had my car serviced with brakes and rotors three months ago and the mechanics said nothing about wheel bearing nor have I had any vibration in my tires. Not to my surprise, I took it back to my mechanic and lo and behold, there was no real problem. My mechanic did not even charge me it was so minor. So basically, Jenkins was trying to make 218 dollars plus tax off of me and FAILED my inspection just to make a buck.... Yeah, not that dumb you morons.

  Justin Long
8 months ago
These dudes are crooks, claimed my control bar would need replaced to pass inspection. Complete lie. Don t go here.

  Corin Jackson
7 years ago
They "accidentally" broke an exensive pipe/car piece and made us pay for it ($250-$500)!!!Alex was the front desk person that was very unprofessional at the time. It was a shame because we trusted them for a while and they took advantage of us. I would give them 0 stars if i could and will report to the BBB.Awful service.