Advanced Automobile Repair

If I could give less stars I would. This visit was just to get a State Inspection and I am new to Maryland. Ok so I bring the van in and think it is just going to be an inspection because I had just had $ 2000 worth of work done in California before I came here to Maryland and the van was running perfectly fine, I never had any issues or problems for the 2600 miles I drove it, not until I brought it into this shop and he says the drums didn’t measure up under state regulations. So of course I have to have it fixed if I want it to pass. So he tells me $ 300 + which I find out later that it should have only cost about $ 200. Then it didn’t stop there, he calls me up and says I need the cylinders replaced and it went up to $ 536, then again I was stuck if I wanted it to pass inspection, now we are up to $ 200 in parts and $ 236 for labor. Oh it doesn’t stop there, I take it home and it starts making a noise in the rear left so I take it back and wait there for 3 and a half hours and he can’t figure out what is causing the noise, so then he finally says «I have to order a part and you can come back later» well I thought he would call when the part was in but nooooo i had to call him and now he’s had my van for another 2 hours and still has not called to say it is fixed.
I would never bring my vehicle to him again and would advise anybody to not take it to him, because he doesn’t even know what he is doing. he needs to retire.

Finding an honest and dependable mechanic is not easy. Jim is fantastic and I highly recommend his services to anyone in Frederick. His prices are fair. He doesn’t steer customers to the products that are the most expensive. He encourages customers to buy their own oil/​parts if they can to keep prices down and he makes logical recommendations for things you need and the time frame in which they need to be done. He always gets in touch with you before doing something as well.
For example, during a routine oil change he looked at the tires on my car, noticed some dry rot, and called immediately to recommend new tires. He gave me some options and an hour later I had two new tires.
Lastly, and this is the icing on the cake for me, Jim uses smart phones to take pictures of the things he sees so he can actually show customers what he is talking about. He is the first mechanic I’ve met that does that and I think it is a nice gesture on his part.

I found this place during a Google search. I got here early in the morning and was happy I came. Atta was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the MD inspection process. I moved here from California and had no idea how to register my vehicle. He walked me through the process step by step and made it painless and simple. This process in Maryland in confusing and expensive. But it’s nice to know what to expect.

Great customer service. Very clear communication. Had a state inspection done and a few necessary repairs were identified and taken care of. Owner was very careful to let me know what to expect cost wise, which I appreciate. Even checked to see if I had AAA and gave me the applicable discount (10% labor)… really straightforward and honest guy. The repairs completed were done very well. Will recommend to friends and family.

Highly recommended; impeccable integrity! My timing belt broke on my way home from Baltimore Monday afternoon and it was a stroke of luck that I was towed to Advanced Automotive Repair. Jim got the parts in that evening and had me on my way the next day. He took the time to check over other neglected maintenance that could have left me stranded in the short term and explained the basics of routine upkeep to me. I can’t help but wonder if the one-​star whiners are blaming Advanced Automotive Repair for telling the t