Hoffman Auto

I work in Lake Placid for the Summer. The rear brakes on my 2013 jeep started grinding and I knew they needed replacing. I usually work on my own cars, but being out of town I decided to let someone else do it. I took my jeep to Hoffman’s based on the positive Unilocal reviews.
Aftermarket platinum ceramic brakes and rotors cost $ 120 around here, so I figured that plus an hour of labor wouldn’t sting too bad.
Hoffman’s is very thorough, about figuring out ways to separate you from your money.
I got a call a couple hours after dropping off my car. They had a laundry list of things they inspected and wanted to fix for me. I explained I only wanted the rear brakes fixed. I took me awhile to convince them of that. They insisted on reading through the list and trying to convince me to fix these other minor repairs.
After that conversation, they said they would need to call me back with a price. When they called back they said it would be nearly $ 600 to replace rear brakes and rotors. I asked how that could be when the parts were less than $ 120. They explained that they only use OEM parts and that’s the price, and they don’t use aftermarket.
I said no thanks and decided to pick up my jeep and do it myself. They charged me $ 60 for their «inspection and estimate» that I never asked for.
I don’t doubt that these guys do good work but be prepared to pay through the nose for it. If you are able to do any self diagnosis, try and get an estimate in advance so you can avoid these costly inspections.
Also, know they will find many other things wrong with your car that may or may not need to repaired immediately.
If you bring your car here, get ready for a sales pitch and bring your checkbook.

Amazing group of people who work here. Doing some seriously clean/​good work on cars for a good price. I drive 3.5 hours to have them tune my car– I wouldn’t trust anyone else with it at this point. Keep up the great work, guys!

I recently used Hoffman Auto for my Carco Insurance inspections. They fit me in with little notice and go me in and out quick. I would recommend them to others.

My boyfriend and I drove hours to go hiking on a Saturday. As soon as we arrived our car was giving us problems and had to get it checked out. The staff here were extremely friendly and willing to help us out right away. They even stayed late past their normal business hours to fix our car. We had a great experience and highly recommend.

Hoffman Auto is outstanding, and I only wish I lived closer to bring all of my vehicle service issues to them. I needed a NYS safety inspection completed on my new car. Not only was I calling last-​minute, but I really needed the inspection taken care of during the few days I was in the area. They took exceptional care of me, and I very much appreciated the thorough job they did on the inspection. Based on their work, it was discovered that there were some issues I needed to tend to back home with my car through the dealership. Thankfully I had the heads up, and not only that, but Jonathan T. at Hoffman took it a step further and emailed me specific photos taken from underneath my car — detailing the issues at hand. I am very thankful to have found this place, and would strongly recommend them to anyone in the Lake Placid area. Thank you!

Hoffman Auto is the absolute best. I have been a customer for a couple of years and always feel like they take great care of my car and me. One day before a long trip my brake light came on and I thought something was wrong with my emergency brake. I contacted Taylor, he had me come to the shop even though it was after hours and they were closed so he could check it out and make sure my car was good to go and I would be able to get to my destination safely. You can’t ask for better service than that.
Every time I’m there they take the time to thoroughly explain what they are doing and why (and don’t get mad when I ask a million questions), and if they have additional recommendations are always very clear on why they are recommending it. Just all around great guys.
I don’t live in Lake Placid any more, but go back frequently. If I do need maintenance on my vehicle, I always try to wait if I can so Hoffman can do it.

Coming up from Brooklyn for a long weekend on the slopes I started hearing an awful squealing sound from my driveshaft. Driving a 96′ Tacoma with 247,000 miles on it, strange sounds aren’t that uncommon. I found these guys from their reviews but still pretty much expected to get ripped off being an out of towner at a small town shop. Not only did every single one of these guys make me feel welcome, but they let me keep my luggage at the shop while I salvaged a day of skiing as they worked on my truck. The replacement for my rear universal joint ended up costing me 200 dollars less than what I was initially quoted for, and they gave me a list of recommended repairs. And I got to watch Taylor go off the 120 meter ski jump. If you’re in the area and you have car or truck trouble, go here. And if you don’t have any trouble, stop in for a good cup of coffee and a laugh. I wish there were more mechanics like these guys. Thanks Hoffman’s. You guys saved my weekend.

I cannot say enough great things about these guys! I was visiting Lake Placid for a weekend getaway with a group of friends when we noticed my car was acting funny on our way down Whiteface. We were SO lucky to find an auto repair shop 1.) before we broke down in the middle of nowhere and 2.) that was open on a Saturday afternoon! I rolled up to the shop and someone came out to help us immediately. We popped the hood and showed him the problem right then and there, and he told us we were lucky to have made it… any farther and we probably would have broken down and needed a tow. The service was speedy and the mechanics were very understanding, which was awesome considering we didn’t have much time in Lake Placid and had plans to do a hike that afternoon! I also sincerely appreciated that these guys took the time to explain absolutely everything to me. I think women are often kind of dismissed and/​or taken advantage of at auto repair shops, but these guys were so kind to explain every mechanical detail and every part of my bill in a way that made sense. They were very friendly, attentive, and respectful! They also noticed my inspection was just 4 days away from expiring, so they took care of the inspection since they’d already checked out the whole car for problems anyway. Not to mention, they also gave us some fantastic dinner and sightseeing recommendations! All around great service. My friend and I agree that we’re actually GLAD the car broke down because it was such a pleasant and informative experience. Thank you!

Such a great group of individuals. The gentlemen at Hoffman Auto were very easy to communicate with and knowledgeable.
As an out of towner, I scheduled my car for an inspection and LOF change. Not only did they perform the requested services but went above and beyond. They took the time to fully inspect the car and provide me a detailed report of items that needed to be addressed. Jonathan even took the time to talk about the issues and explain them as well as help identify how items should be prioritized. Given my time crunch as an out of towner, they were also extremely helpful in expediting work.
If you’re looking for a team to work on your car, and treat it as there own. As well as make sure you are safe like a family member, this is the place for you.