Shell

I came here because my check engine light went off. They ran the diagnostic for around for around 100 bucks and they figured out it was the mass air intake sensor. These sketchy little as a sain guys that barely spoke English told me it was going to be 450 to fix the sensor so I told them nevermind. I went to autozone and bought the sensor for 16 bux then simply removed a screw and screwed the sensor back on got my check engine light taken care of and it only cost me 16 bux. And no difficulty at all. They ripp people off here and take advantage of people who don’t know much about cars luckily I did and dodged a 450 dollar bill. These guys are thiefs and just out to rip you off and take your money. And they are not honest at all worst mechanics ever. They look like some dude picked up from a 711 and gave them a mechanic suit to work. Avoid this place!!!

The WOREST place in the whole world. I don’t know why DMV authorized this WOREST place to do emissions and inspection. The guy who also claim himself as a manager told me he «doesn’t care about how many minutes we (customers) wait for doing the emissions and he was so super duper disrespectful toward the customers. I ask DMV to see how they doing and double check if they deserve the authorization of doing the Emissions and Inspection. Who wants to be disrespected, I guess no one! I Again ask DMV to see the Guys services
And I just spoke with «the owner,» he gave me exact the same respond. Funny huh? Please you all avoid this place by any means! Don’t pay to be disrespected! Go somewhere else where you feel you will be honored for your busses.
Bob Anderson, your customers are missing you. We miss your service.

advise do not go there, since bob sold this its been a rip off

Avoid this place at all costs. The mechanics here are violent and verbally abusive to all of its customers. Alexandria police were notified of an incident this morning regarding a mechanic who screamed threatening obscenities at a customer. Calling their US Corporate office to file a formal complaint.

I took my car in to have my transmission looked at because it was making an unsettling noise. When I got to the shop, the mechanic told me I needed to get the transmission rebuilt. He gave an estimate on the price I agreed to have him do the repairs and left the car there to get fixed. I was completely uninformed that I needed to leave a down payment of half of what the repairs would cost. The mechanic called me the next day telling me all repairs were on hold until I came to the station and paid half now and said that he’d need an extra $ 400 so I told him we agreed on a price, he said the best that can be done is $ 100 less of the new estimate so I agreed and now had to pay $ 300 more. I told him I would be happy to come after work to pay. He then told me he would not work on the car until he gets the money in hand. I diligently went the same day he called and paid for half of the repairs. When I took the car in, he told me it would only take about 4 days for the entire repair. I waited two weeks. In between the two weeks, any call I made to check on the progress of the car was not welcomed with any sort of customer service or help. He was rude and hostile towards me telling me that I was stressing him out, giving him a heart attack, and that he does not want my business again. Finally after two and a half weeks had passed he called saying the car was ready. I went to pick up the car and paid the remaining balance for the repairs. When I got a look at the car, it was dirty with oil and hand prints all over my cars paint. When I asked him why he did not clean the oil off my car like any other shop would, he sprayed some sort of solution on it and didn’t say another word about it. As soon as I left I started to hear the same noise and immediately went back to have it looked at yet again. Since my repairs were obviously still under warranty, I assumed he would repair whatever needed to be fixed free of charge. To my surprise he called me saying it would be even more money to fix this «new» problem, and if I did not pay for the repairs he would hold my car hostage on the lift until it is paid for. I am extremely upset and completely unhappy with the service I received. Whatever I paid for to be fixed didn’t need to because the same noise came back so obviously he misdiagnosed the problem and wants me paying for his mistake. Stay away this guy he is dishonest just like the previous reviewer stated.

This station appears on Unilocal twice. Once under the name Shell and once under Duke & Pickett Auto Repair Center. I am posting my review under each to be sure all are aware of the new owner and terrible service.
This was one of the best but now under new ownership. I did business with the old owner Bob Anderson for years and had no issues with price or honesty. Unfortunately Bob retired and the service station was taken over by seemingly nice people. But, alas they too are gone and the place is now being run by a dishonest shady individual. Today, July 13, 2015 a warning light associated with charging system issues came on. I went to the Shell station at 5200 Duke St and found no familiar faces. I explained to the new owner that a light indication charging system trouble came on. He and another man took my car for a test ride. He came back after about 10 minutes. Before he even got the car into a bay or lifted the hood he said to me, «it is your tranny»…
I mentioned the name of one mechanic who worked for the old owner and he proceeded to tell me that the mechanic was coming back to work for him in a few days. He also told me the warning light meant that the battery had a problem, again without ever examining the car. Then I noticed a sign on the wall stating that warranty work performed by the previous owner would not be honored. I had a bad feeling about the place so I left and went to another Shell station that I knew friends had used. I was pleased to find that the mechanic I had asked about was now working there. I was informed by the mechanic that there were no plans to return to work at 5200 Duke St and that this new owner habitually lied to customers about the same subject. As it turned out, I was correct. There was a charging system issue. My transmission has no problems and my battery is also fine. The car was fixed within a few hours. I highly recommend that you steer clear of 5200 Duke Street. It is sad to see what was a good place to do business be destroyed by a dishonest owner.
a dishonest owner.

I took my car here for a standard oil change about 6 – 8 months ago. I had no appt. & They took my car immediately. I only had to wait about 30 – 45 minutes. They were polite and professional & didn’t try to sell me any unnecessary work. Thank you. You will be my go-​to place for future oil changes!!!

I have been taking my car to Duke Street Shell for over 15 years, and have always been happy with the excellent service and reasonable prices. I grew up doing all of my own automotive maintenance and repair, including rebuilding engines, so I am no stranger to good automotive repair and to what it should cost. After I passed 50, I decided to have someone do the work for me. I looked around for several years, trying a number of different shops. I found that the Washington Checkbook check rated Duke Street Shell for both quality and price, which is unusual. I started using them for all my auto repairs.
Since then, I have recommended Duke Street Shell to a number of my female friends, because they are usually very vulnerable to auto repair ripoffs. Every one has been delighted with Duke Street Shell. I always give my highest recommendations to my friends to use Duke Street Shell.

I have one word for this place: sketchy.

In full disclosure, I have only taken my car here twice; however, each time has been an incredibly positive experience. I went to this repair shop on the recommendation of a friend. I don’t really know much about cars, so it would be incredibly easy to take advantage of me. However, they are always incredibly honest. For instance, I took my car into them earlier this week to have them check the brakes and the shocks of my ten year-​old car. Bob told me that the brakes were perfectly fine, but he recommended that I get the brake fluid flushed. He told me that the shocks were weak, but he recommended not changing them. He broke down the cost of parts and labor and told me that my car was safe to drive and it would, at this point be an unnecessary expense. I know so little about cars, which is pretty obvious, that he really could have told me anything.
Overall, this is an honest repair shop that provides prompt service and good communication.