Kern’s Complete Automotive Care

Kern’s is a very honest shop and work hard to make sure that you as customer are satisfied with the work done. I had a small issue with a piece of work they did and Kern himself made sure I was happy. They were able to identify and fix a few problems I had on my truck that a previous mechanic had missed, including the all important serpentine belt. I would recommend them. The staff is great and their mechanics are knowledgable.

Everyone at Kern’s has always behaved professionally and I have always received great customer service. Shortly after an oil change my head gasket blew and needed repairing. Shortly after that very expensive fix, a coolant/​anti-​freeze leak was found. My car is under 100k miles so even with normal wear & tear there shouldn’t be so many problems, I have no idea what the previous owner did to the poor car. Kern was very patient with my extremely frustrated self. He arranged to have my car towed in for the hose replacement and even performed the repair at no cost. I really appreciate the hometown feel of the business and the dedication to service excellence that has been demonstrated by Kern and his team.

I took my hubby’s truck in when the heater quit blowing. Devon was super friendly while checking me in. He offered a ride home while my truck was being repaired. The owner drove me home, he was extremely nice as well. Got a call later that day with recommended repairs to the truck. When I told them what we wanted to do, there was no pressure to add on the repairs we just weren’t able to make at this time. They completed the work the same day and at a fair price. I will go back for sure!

I just had my bronco in there today and they did an excellent job at diagnosing my truck. I had sluggish at takeoff problem and the mechanic Gary did an excellent job at finding the problem.
When I first called in the morning, Devin said to bring it in right away and they would give me a ride back home so I could get to work on time. He told me upfront what the cost would be so I wouldn’t be surprised later. Devin called me later in the day and said they got my truck diagnosed. I stopped in after work and it turned out to be the timing was off and I had a bad fan clutch. It runs great now. I even had the chance to talk to Gary in person and he explained everything to me.
I appreciate mechanics that care about doing a good job. Very nice people and I would recommend anyone to bring their auto there. Thanks again Devin and Gary.

Just got my oil change. I used the post card which is a great deal around town. You have to make a appointment. Change my oil and it took like 45 mins or so. They inspected the car. Show me the all the minor problems with the car and everything else. Its a good 360 inspection. The post card is for 45 dollars and i needed another .5 quarts that cost 4 dollars more. When i left it cost me just under 60 dollars. Its alot cheaper than when i have gone to jify lube or grease Monkey. I think if you have time you should go check this place out and make sure to bring the post card with you, it comes in the mail.

First of all the service was great. I am new to Washington and they give a free oil change to those who are new in town. Major bounds. Kern the owner was very relaxed and friendly as he kept me company when my car was being worked on. I feel very comfortable that they wouldn’t take advantage of my lack of car knowledge. My overall experience was very positive.

ASE? — I really wonder.
Know vehicles? –Not very well — can’t answer any real questions.
Won’t overcharge? –Do you have double what you paying to do it all again?
Will fix all on the FIRST visit and not charge the SAME or more on the second visit fo things they say are still wrong?
— They are offended when you ask what they did and why something isn’t fixed the first time.
Two visits and they didn’t even do a smog check for a vehicle that still needs to be registered. Had no idea they did that until I saw their «ads».
Don’t go to Kerns.
Update: Two times to Kerns — over $ 3000.00 — and the van had to be sold for SCRAP.
DO NOT GO TO KERNS.
If the owner understood what is going on or cared he would have been all over the van the SECOND time it was there.
The owner is not only oblivious — he’s distant — and the staff, again, does NOT like to answer ANY QUESTIONS.

Little expensive and it took over an hour past my appointment time until they looked at my car. Luckily it was free since they are part of the Don’t Drip and Drive campaign. Kern was nice which is a plus. They have coffee for customers but no cups (big deal when I’m here for 2 ½ hours). On the plus there’s free wifi (:

I had my ’99 Nissan Maxima towed to Kern’s at the beginning of November 2013. I bought the car new and took good care of it with preventative maintenance but gave it to my college student son for a few years. His idea of dealing with strange sounds emanating from the engine or the rest of the car is to turn up his iPod. He also liberally uses black tape to cover those annoying idiot «warning» lights. He was student teaching at a local middle school. As I was taking the dog out one morning he was leaving for the school when I heard him start the car. There was the most gosh-​awful whining coming from the engine as he drove merrily away. I made a mental note to check out the car when, and if, he arrived home that evening. Happily I did not have to wait. He sent me a text stating that when he was on his way a couple of lights he had not before covered with black tape popped on during his drive. I left work to go to the school and check it out. I arrived and opened the hood (which nearly decapitated me because one of the hydraulic arms holding the hood up was malfunctioning). Then I started the car and heard the same bobcat-​in-​a-​woodchipper whine coming from what I thought was the alternator. I was able to diagnose that it was, in-​fact, the alternator since it had the good taste to start on fire. After a fun and exciting scene trying to procure a fire extinguisher (he had removed the one I put in the trunk) from a school designed post Columbine, I was able to get the fire out. Leaping to the conclusion that I would not be able to drive the vehicle I called AAA to have it towed. I have heretofore taken my cars to Hilltop Service in Puyallup, which by the way has always been fantastic, but that day I cheaped out and had it towed to Kern’s for the following two reasons, not necessarily in this order: 1) It had some good Unilocal reviews; 2) It was within the «free» tow zone of my AAA account.
When I brought the car in I talked to Kern, who was extremely friendly and helpful. I felt good about my choice, until a couple of days later when another man called me. He said that the alternator was bad, the wiring harness hooked to it melted, and the battery was bad. I expected all that. He then said it would be $ 1,350, please. After my wife revived me with our portable automatic electronic defibrulator, I said, «WHAT!!?» I can get a new alternator for $ 150, a wiring harness for $ 25, and a new Sears DieHard Gold for $ 120. This is a 2 – 3 hour job. How in the world could you come up with $ 1,350?! This is a $ 500 (tops) job. He was stumblingly apologetic. I told him that since it was already there to replace the alternator and wiring harness but I would buy the battery. I hung up. He called back and said that they decided they would do it for the $ 1,350 but «throw-​in» the battery. I called and left a message for Kern. He called my back the next day and was agreeable, stating it was a 2.5 hour job and dropped the price to $ 850, which included new belts (about $ 40 worth).
I got the car back and the serpentine belt was loose which I tightened. The first week of December the starter broke. Probably a coincidence. I got a new starter for $ 49 and replaced it myself for free.
My personal opinion: They overcharge.

Terrible. I spent a lot of money and they did not fix the problem. They kept telling me the squealing from your car is coming from something different each time. A lot of money later– no fix. Plus there whole business model rips the costumer off. You pay extra at first and then if you give them referrals the prices start to come down. It should be a set price all the time!

These guys are fantastic! They took such great care of me! I’ll never go anywhere else! The whole experience from setting up my appointment on the phone, to the affordable bill I paid in the end was really refreshing. Thanks guys!

I had my car towed into Kern’s after reading the reviews I saw online. I was not disappointed. They were very helpful and professional in their diagnostics and repairs. They kept me informed as to what they were doing and the reason they were doing it. Prices were fair and the car was fixed on time. The warranty was very good and they offer discounts for referrals. I am very happy I took my car to Kern’s and will till anyone that needs repairs to bring it to Kern’s Complete Automotive Care.

It might have been a fluke the first time taking my car to Kerns and getting treated like family. They took the time to learn my name, opened doors for me and followed up after the service. But then I took 2 more cars to this shop and know this is just who they are. I have had oil changes, inspections, brakes done, oil pan replacement and more. The did the work they said they would do, they charged what they estimated they would (reasonable) and they left my car clean and with a fresh bottle of water. Nice touch!

My daughter Jess took her car to Kern’s for some maintenance. She was blown away by the great service.
Her mechanic problems were explained in a way she could understand.
The wait wasn’t terribly long and when all was done they walk her to her car and opened the door for her. She felt like a million bucks. Good old fashioned manners what a thought! Then as she adjusted her seat belt she noticed a cold bottled water in her drink holder and the floors were vacuumed!
Thanks Kern from a proud father.
Brian Simpson