Sho’s Auto Repair

Not even in an emergency.

Called Rod the day before to get some work done. Install a starter and 2 new headlights. I brought my own parts. Work was done quick and efficiently the next day. Great service. And they boxed up my old parts and left them on the front seat! Can’t ask for more than that! Very honest folks.

Rod (and Mike and the other guys) has been fixing my cars for about 15 years now. Three of them. I won’t go anywhere else (and when once in desperation I had to pull into another mechanic’s I ended up having the car towed from there to Sho’s after getting as thoroughly ridiculous estimate — tow + repair together was cheaper than aforementioned ridiculous estimate).
But today is the day I finally write a review.
Muffler shop: «Catalytic converter’s shot. $ 450 – 500, want us to do it now?» No thank you…
Rod at Sho’s: «Let me give it a good look.» After that good look? $ 90 for a exhaust pipe flange & gasket. Half an hour later I passed DEQ.
This is only the latest in many years of great service, from routine maintenance to zombie-​car resurrections from the dead (and that’s the Subaru I’m still driving today). I only hope Rod doesn’t retire before my car goes down for the final time. Then again, with him around, I don’t think it ever would be irreparable. The guy’s a wizard.

I have been screwed by so many mechanics that finding someone who is actually honest feels like finding a needle in a haystack. I think I’ve found that needle! I went to Sho’s knowing exactly what needed to be done to my car, how long it should take, and how much it should cost. They met all of those needs. Completely accurate timing and pricing. Not the greatest customer service, but I don’t think everyone needs to be sunshine and rainbows if that’s not their strong suit. Their strong suit is fixing cars, and they do it well.

I can usually tell after my first visit to a mechanic if I think they’re going to be seeing my car again. Sho’s is going to get repeat business from me.
I took in my 84 Toyota, granted, a pretty basic car to repair, which is why I own it. Rod repaired the issue I was having by the end of the day I dropped it off. He also told me that the money I was considering dropping on a different issue would be unnecessary at this time, saving me some money. That doesn’t often happen, it’s usually like «you need this and this and this and this and oh, we’re going to be needing several hundreds of dollars to fix it and will have it back to you in a week» (then you get it back with new problems?) I didn’t get that feeling here, but I did get what I needed fixed, fixed, and it has stayed fixed.
I would trust my vehicle to them anytime.

Have now had trouble taking vehicles into Sho’s. They did work on my Crown Vic which quickly led to more problems. When I confronted Rod about the issue, he immediately became defensive and claimed we had no evidence to prove that Sho’s work had resulted in more problems. Shortly after, we had to replace the air glide suspension (the best part of a Vic y’know), and they wanted to charge me 6 times what another shop quoted (Ron’s Front End and Brake ftw!). I will no longer be taking my vehicles into Sho’s for service.

I really like going to Sho’s for my car maintenance. They are quick and very reasonably priced. I’ve taken my car here 4 times and I have been very happy every time. They’ve installed an oxygen sensor, new alternator, clutch hose, and a tune-​up.
I would recommend going to Sho’s.
They are located in the heart of the Woodstock neighborhood which is very convenient for me. Open Monday thru Friday 8am-5:30pm.
I plan on bringing Rod and the staff some homemade cookies to show my appreciation. Thanks guys!

You can sum up Sho’s in one word: unprofessional. OK, two: overpriced.
I pride myself on taking care of my vehicles, doing most of the work myself in the garage at home. Every now and then I’ll drop by a shop when I don’t have the right tools or just don’t have the time to dive into a project. This time, I gave Sho’s a shot. What a mistake.
I called the day prior to dropping off my car and was told that there was only one other car in the shop for the next day, so they could get me in and out, no problem. I dropped off the car early the next morning with a note, listing the problems and my suspicions of what needed attention. After being promised a call that morning and receiving none, I finally picked up the phone in the afternoon. Rod (owner) could barely keep a coherent thought together and was complaining about «being so overwhelmed.» I can understand, but not my problem. His guys told me they were wide open that day. It’s not my fault they can’t keep a schedule. Rod made me feel like I was putting him out, as if I asked my child to clean his own room. Very unprofessional.
When the job was done, I was shocked to see the bill. Apparently Rod charges 2.5x the going rate for parts (not even including labor). Plus, the part installed was of cheaper quality and with a limited 1-​year warranty. I could have walked down the street to Autozone and picked up a higher quality part with a lifetime warranty for $ 100 instead of pissing away $ 250 on Sho’s. When I brought this up, Rod became very deensive, saying he «has to pay the bills.» I get that, which is why I’m paying your labor, but to charge such a crazy markup for inferior parts is robbery.
To top it off, after picking up my vehicle, I noticed scrapes all over the sidewalls of my tires indicating that minimal care was taken when driving it around their lot, mounting curbs and whatnot. I also found broken plastic clips that were obviously hidden from view, like a bad cover-​up job. This would get by most people, but not car guys like me. This can’t help but lead to that feeling of dealing with just another dishonest shop.
Do yourself a favor and don’t bother with Rod and his shop Sho’s Auto Repair. Unless you have a fetish for overpaying on bargain-​bin parts and leaving with sub-​par work, look elsewhere for auto repair and thank me later.

I brought my Subaru here to have repaired for several items. The key problem being a small oil leak from the oil gasket, but about six other items as well. The good news is that they fixed almost all the other items, but missed two of them. One, a small dash light. The other was the clock, that they didn’t know how to fix, but I later fixed on my own. The bad news is that after all the repairs, it wasn’t long before the oil gasket started leaking again. Unfortunately, I had moved out of the state and couldn’t go back to have them fix it. I will add that the price was very reasonable.
So, I leave this review with an average rating. They got most things fixed right, but didn’t do a good job on one key item.

My truck was leaking what I thought was brake fluid. I also felt a slight wobble as I came to stops. I took it in to Sho’s without an appointment. He traced the fluid to a half empty oil container with a loose cap behind my seat. He noted I had slightly warped rotors but my brake pads had more than 50% wear left. He topped off my brake fluid and the next morning I was back on the road only $ 21.50 lighter.
This was my second positive interaction with Sho’s.

I never thought it was possible to give five stars for a car repair shop but if there is such a thing then Sho’s is it. They work quickly and without the BS of other shops. Always quick and the price is terrific. I brought my car in for a second opinion after getting an enormous quote from a competitor and Rod explained what needed to be done vs. unnecessary repairs. Awesome guy. The last honest mechanic.

Sho’s is the kind of car repair that you build a relationship with.
I’ve written about our other car — the 72 VW Beetle. It’s a classic and gets the classic’s attention out at Trafton’s. But when it comes to our Subaru GL Wagon (1986), it’s Rod and the crew at Sho’s all the way.
Rod and his crew have gotten the car back on the road 100% of the time and for a reasonable price. When it’s been an expensive fix, he’s done it with a straightforward style — just what was needed, and drew the line expertly between what we needed and what we can afford. There seems to be no car that Rod can’t get going and his crew have that auto-​mechanic mojo that means that what gets fixed, gets fixed to its optimum given the time and constraints and what gets fixed tends to stay fixed.
For all other needs outside the VW, it’s Sho’s every time. It’s worth the tow it will take to get the car there. And, like I said, Sho’s is the kind of mechanic you take the time to build a relationship with — they’re friendly guys who love fixing cars, experts, and the more they know you the better the recommendations will always be.

I lurk quite a bit on Unilocal,and usually only check it before I gamble large expenditures on new places. I had to make this my first review, if only because I was on the fence about this place after reading the small handful of other reviews that are up. I decided to take a chance because it’s so close to my house, and man am I glad I did. The guy’s name is Rod (I think,) and he was knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. I went in the morning without an appointment, and he finished work that same afternoon. He stayed open late just so I could come pick up my car that day. And he did all this at roughly half the cost of other places I called around to (including the dealer’s service shop). My car runs beautifully now, and this is officially my go-​to mechanic from here on out.
Oh, one more thing: It wasn’t clear from the descriptions whether or not they did autobody work too, so I asked. They do not. Strictly mechanical.

So after my follow up experience with Sho’s, I thought I should update my review. I am no longer convinced of the greatness here. I took my car in twice, for the same problem, and both times I got a ‘hey, it’s working fine for us, bring it back when it’s doing it again.’ I was told the first time that nobody even opened the hood, and the second time I had my doubts it was opened either. The problem here was that I deliver pizza, and when it did it again, I was in someone’s driveway. I sat there for almost half an hour, turning over my ignition, pleading with my car to do something. I also ruined the person’s dinner, since they came out to help me, though neither of us could really figure it out.
So, I took it back to Sho’s. Again I waited a day or so, only to be called and told that they couldn’t get it to do whatever it was doing again. Of course this infuriated me, as I was getting sick of having to drive either my boss’ or girlfriend’s car. The next morning I called around and found another place to take it, and they had the problem diagnosed and fixed by 3 pm, in time for me to go to work. They also fixed a problem that still lingered with a prior fix that I’d gotten at Sho’s.
I really wanted this to be my place, but after one fix that wasn’t completely fixed, and two times being turned away because it ‘wasn’t doing it anymore,’ I’d rather take it to somewhere that I know will have it done.

When I got my first car last year, it wasn’t long at all before I started having problems — and knowing nothing about cars (other then ‘push this pedal to make it go, this one to make it stop’) I polled my co-​workers about their favorite mechanics. Sho’s came up two or three times, so I decided to give it a go —
And I was super satisfied with them. They’re straight with you, don’t try to upsell or convince you to fix problems you aren’t having, and their pricing is completely fair, only covering the actual work that they do. They’re fast, too — frequently I’ll call them up in the morning, drop the car off later that day, and then swing by the next day to pick it up. They’ve replaced and flushed fluid systems, replaced some exhaust gaskets, and counseled me on replacing my cracked exhaust header /​manifold — and they’ve done a good job every time.
Can’t think of a reason why I’d go anywhere else.

In this small way I fit the stereotype: I am a girl and I don’t know anything about cars. So, faced with an automotive meltdown I was ready to have a meltdown myself. I can’t go to a mechanic, by myself, without a boyfriend or dad to do the talking for me! The fear, the shame, the fear of the shame!
Sho’s is an old-​fashioned former gas station turned garage, complete with grease, grime, and girly magazines. Where they aren’t old-​fashioned, however, is in how they treat their less-​knowledgeable customers.
I went in with the worst possible situation: a random and vague problem, largely unreproducible. Instead of blowing me off, ridiculing me, or charging me a lot of money to do nothing, the guys at Sho’s were kind and respectful. They tested my car under varying conditions until they did find and fix the elusive problem.
To top it off, they charged me only for the $ 45 part, adjusted the air in my tires, and politely placed a newspaper over the busty Maxim while I settled the bill.