Old Towne Liberty

Took our 2001 Xterra for an estimate to replace valve cover gaskets. A relatively tough job with several rubber pieces versus the old style single paper/​cork gasket. Quote was hundreds less than dealer and other local auto repair shops reviewed on Unilocal.The repair was completed on time and per the quote, no more burning oil smell. The mechanic explained there was a slight miss in cylinder 2 at idle and, when I drove away, it was noticeable but hadn’t been there before. We called back and got the Xterra right back in the shop the next morning. They replaced the spark plug at no charge and it runs as smooth as always. Dean was also very responsive by phone — called with an explanation and estimates and called when the car was ready both times. Took the guess work out of the entire process. Great integrity and customer focused. A big thanks to Dean.

This place is fantastic. I took my car here after the Exxon next door tried to completely scam me. These guys are honest and kind, and told me that I did not need the $ 162 repair that the Exxon quoted, I needed a much simpler and cheaper repair — $ 20 for the part and labor. They also confirmed that I did not need my transmission flushed, like the dishonest Exxon guy said. And they had me out of there within 10 min. I will be taking my car here from now on.

I have gone to this place since it was Amoco and Deen ran it. Well he manages this Liberty station and he is the best in taking care of the customer.
He remembered me from the past. Anyway, I wanted a state inspection and he took care of it and conveyed confidence and trust as he has in the past.
My car passed inspection and when I asked him about my wife’s car with the check engine light he told me that if I dont feel trouble with the car running or other hesitation, that it should be fine. But, bring it in for a diagnosis. Such class!
In a field that is filled with shysters, it is great to know an experienced manager who is in this business for the long haul and trustworthy.
Deen, you are tops in your field!

While I do not enjoy bringing my car to any shop, because it is basically falling apart, and is usually an expensive issue, I have enjoyed bringing it here.
Deen and Jerry have walked me through and shown me what has been wrong with my car every time there is an issue. They’ve fixed problems that needed to be fixed, and also given me good advice for the next car I plan to purchase. I’m still holding onto my clunker for now, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing them again soon, but I will continue to bring my new car, once purchased, here also.
Thanks Guys!
–Marco

I will continue to use this shop for auto repairs even though I’ve moved several miles away and past many shops to get here. I never feel taken advantage of or over charged for services. Got front brakes for less than ²⁄₃ what the dealership wanted.

Deen is simply amazing. He is extremely knowledgeable, honest, and its clear that he legitimately cares about customer service. I have been taking my car to him for years and I just got a new vehicle so I will bring this one to him as well. I have also sent friends to him — all have been impressed and thankful for his expertise and consideration. I live very close to the shop but even if I move, I will make the trip to Old Town Liberty if it means Deen will work on my vehicle.

I’m just going to put it out there, that I’m clueless when it comes to cars. Downright embarrassingly clueless, and I’m always worried that I’m going to get swindled (and definitely have been). Like a lot of women, I’ve also experienced some really rude attitude and comments (being called ‘honey’ ‘mami’ or ‘sweetie’) when dealing with car stuff.
But I really trust taking my car to the Old Town Liberty — at least for fairly «simple» things like an oil change, tire rotation, replacing brake light/​signal bulbs. They don’t try and oversell me, they’re fast and efficient, and are honest.
When my rear signal went out, they were refreshingly candid — telling me to get the bulb myself (figure it out from the manual), and they will charge me considerably less. I appreciate that kind of tip. Deen (one of the main mechanics) has done my usual safety & emissions inspections, and a few other things here and there. I never feel swindled, and very reasonably/​fairly charged — and the convenience of being a few blocks away is great.
I don’t know the name of the younger gentleman who’s usually up front inside, but he (along with everyone else) is respectful, kind, hard-​working, and I genuinely feel like I can trust them. These guys are great!

Excellent, courteous and efficient car inspection. The best in the area.

They provided prompt, courteous, and great service! I went in for an emission and vehicle check test and was out in less than 10 minutes. Thank you so much!

Love these guys. Very trustworthy and friendly. I went in to get a low pressure reading on a tire checked — the car dash was indicating it was low. They took the tire off, jumped through all hoops and could not find a leak. Didn’t charge me a cent but took at least ½ an hour.
Turns out my sensor was screwed up, not the tire!

Definitely recommend these guys! Dean and Jerry were very helpful. Being new to the area, it’s always tough to find a auto shop that is honest and reliable. I brought my Lexus to the shop on a Monday morning and 3 – 4 hours later it was finished!
We had a horrible sound coming from the car when the wheel turned. They were quick to find the problem and call me. They didn’t try to get me to «fix» anything else. The cost of repair was very reasonable — right lower ball joint needed to be replaced, total to fix including parts and labor was ~$ 238. The part itself was $ 115. I asked if I needed to have the left side repaired as well — they could have easily said yes and made more money, but Jerry (the mechanic) was honest and said «if it was my car, I wouldn’t». I will definitely use them in the future and recommend to friends/​family!

Excellent customer service from English, the cashier. And very quick state safety inspection. Pretty much the best inspection you could ask for.

Old Towne Liberty charged me $ 220 for a job (which included a safety inspection) that another mechanic had tried to charge me between $ 800-​$ 1,200 to fix. I dealt with several mechanics at Liberty-​including Deen-​and everyone was very helpful and professional.
I’ve only been there once, but I definitely plan on taking my car here from now on. Thanks for saving me about $ 600-​$ 1,000, Old Towne Liberty!

They charged me $ 470 to fix my brakes which is twice as much as any other mechanics. Keep in mind I’m driving a 2000 VW Passat, parts are less than $ 110.
I agreed since they promised it will be done in couple of hours.
The real issue is the brakes never been fixed so I came back 2 days later, they told me I need to change something else in order the get the brakes working properly.
STAY AWAY FROM THEM, EXPENSIVE and PREDATORIAL.

The service here is beyond expectations. Each experience was always great but once my exhaust broke and I pulled up as they were closing. When I told them that I couldn’t come back for a week, they took a look at my car, figured out the problem, and told me I could drop it off Monday before work with the attendant. Had it back Monday night. Love this place.

Just a little bit of a perspective. I called 3 service stations that do emissions testing and it’s true what they say that «third time’s a charm.»
First Call: Bradham Automotive — the guy informed me that the wait time is at least 4 hours and even if I come in early the following day, there is no guarantee that they will be able to do the emissions testing quickly. No way! Mission Aborted!
Second Call: Huhn’s Shell (formerly Texaco) Service Center. Nobody answered the phone until after 9 am, and the guy on the other line informed me that they start the emissions testing at 12 noon! No way! Mission Aborted!
Third Call: Old Town Liberty — Mission Accomplished! This was the third station I called and I received a prompt reply on the phone, and the guy on the other line was professional. He told me that if I go there, I would only wait for 15 minutes or less. And, true to the promise, I was out of the station in 10 minutes and I only paid the standard fee for the testing. They sent the confirmation to DMV rightaway and was able to renew my vehicle. This is how business is supposed to be conducted!
I am not surprised that Old Town Liberty has a perfect rating (5 out of 5 stars) at the time I am writing this review. I seldom write reviews but I’m making an exception on this one. The mechanics are professional and honest. I am definitely coming back in the future.
OLD TOWN LIBERTY — YOU DESERVE MY 5 STARS!!!

I’ve been intending to write a review about this business; just never got around to it, but after today I absolutely have to give them the kudos they deserve!
Everyone here is always friendly and very helpful. I get both my cars inspected here, they are fast and very professional.
Today I had new brakes put on my Lexus RX 350, the dealer quoted $ 1,057 to do both front and back brakes, Old Town Liberty did the same work for $ 425! Yes, that’s right, a savings of $ 632!!! Dropped my car off at 11 AM without an appointment, they called at 1:40 PM to tell me it was done!
Stop by anytime and ask for Dean, he’s very professional and friendly.
I don’t think I will take either of my cars anywhere else ever again. This is an amazing service to have in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
Here’s what you get from Old Town Liberty;
— Fast, professional service
— Money saving prices (best price for gas too)
— Friendly advice if you need it
Believe me, you can’t go wrong here.

I have been going to this garage on and off for 6 years now. Never had to get anything major done, but always felt they were honest.
Most recently, I stopped by because my airbag light was on. After the solutions I goggled didn’t come up, I tried Liberty. Right away the mechanic looked and told me it was severed wire (probably why the google fixes didnt work!). This estimate was free and much better than the $ 45 the guy in Del Ray wanted to charge me just to look!
I was on my way to work but he said to come back and he’d do it. It would cost around $ 116 dollars for parts and labor. I stopped by a couple of days later in the afternoon and he fixed right away in under an hour! And Lo, and behold, the price was the same! They also passed my very old clunker through VA state inspection without trouble. Didn’t try to sell me anything. I will keep going there. :)

I think these guys have always been fair and I have never felt ripped off or pressured. I always get my inspections there and since I usually fill up with gas there they let me leave my car and walk to work while it waits for inspection (if the line is long). They say I can’t really leave it, but they always let me and then give me a call.
They always ask if I want my fluids checked. I figured it was a scam and declined at first but then I grew to trust them. They have never said «oh my God your fluid is low and you will die if you don’t fill it up now!».
I get my inspections there and they are usually clean. I have had front brake pads done there ($ 113 labor, $ 73 pads, $ 17 brake switch).
Recently my engine light was on and would not pass inspection. They gave me the code and I looked it up on the internet and it said it was probably an air hose that was leaky (15 year old car). It was. (day 1 scan engine for trouble $ 99. I guess this was looking at all the things the code said might be the root cause. The error code puts you pretty darn close and it was probably pretty obvious the tube was the problem and it is right up on top so I think the fixed labor fee was way more than the actual time spent. Day 2 they installed the $ 37 air tube for $ 69 labor).
They said they drove to the supply store to buy the tube, maybe that was part of the $ 69 or $ 99 from previous day. All in all, probably pretty fair. Also they noted that the air pump was likely to fail but I just cared about passing inspection this time. A few months later it did fail, so kudos to them.
Here is another recent bill:
One brake light would not come on, but I had verified myself it was not bulb.
Check electrical lighting system = $ 80 (I suppose this can take about an hour, maybe)
New brake light switch = $ 23
Install brake light switch under dash = $ 99 (under dash, so they did have to take stuff apart. Not sure how they charged me to drive over to the BMW supply store to get the part)
Of course BMW would certainly charge twice as much.
The Exxon next door has an annoying manager that always tries to sell you BRG additive, these guys don’t do that. I do sometimes get gas at Exxon now that they are within 2 cents because it does have some nice additives that make it work 2 cents more a gallon. I have heard others complain about the Exxon.
Update: Jul 2014. I took my car to a very highly rated garage and they charged me $ 95 for oil change ($ 12 filter and 5Q Synthetic x $ 12 + labor). This sounded high compared to Old Towne Liberty so I checked an old bill. They also charged $ 13 for the filter but only put in 4quarts at $ 4.50 each + $ 15 labor. The manual says 5Q and I did specify synthetic and there is no way you can get good synthetic (or even bad) for $ 4.50/quart. So I am very suspicious now and am dropping them to 3 stars.

This gas station is the best I’ve ever been to. They are always friendly to me, always waving, saying hello… all that.
This place is only a couple blocks from where I work, so I frequently go here to gas up because it is always the cheapest gas around in Old Town. Once I went when my car alerted me that my brake fluid was low. I consulted with them to find out why my car was low on brake fluid, and they helped me immediately. Instead of trying to fix my car, they told me to take it immediately to the dealer (where it would be fixed free of charge) and told me what to do in the meantime. Two of the service people came to take a look at my car, checking it for leaks. They were unable to determine why the fluid was low and advised me not to fill it because the dealership could then call my bluff. They really helped me out! Not to mention, they didn’t charge me a dime for the advice!
Now, everytime I go there, I’m always greeted with a smile and a wave. I love to see their friendly faces and I’m always happy to buy gas from them! Definitely go here to get your car serviced or to gas up!
NEVER go to the Exxon which is directly next to it (gas is always 10 – 20 cents more expensive) and from what I hear, their service is terrible (just a side note).
I love Old Town Liberty!
:)