Axselle Auto Service

Years ago, I brought my MG in for a state inspection. When I returned, the top had been put down incorrectly, damaging it, and 40 miles had been put on the car, indicating to me that they had been joyriding it.

I have lived in Richmond all my life and finally found a repair shop that is fairly priced and honest about the work you need done. I highly recommend this auto shop! Just a top. Wherever you take your car. Make sure you keep good records about the work you have had done, and bring those records with you to the shop when you need repairs!

I took my car into Axselle today and asked to have one tire checked because I thought that it was low on air. Jonathan took the tire off and checked it for leaks, which he did not find, but put a new plug in it just in case that was the problem. He did not charge me and checked all my tires letting me know that I did not have to replace them as yet, even though the dealership told me that I did. Rest assured that I will get new tires from Axselle when I need them. A great, honest auto service.

Excellent team of knowledgable servicemen who know what they’re doing with your car and won’t try to rip you off. My hats off to Dave for being such an incredibly nice and compassionate man, as well as the rest of the team for always finding the time to work me in and make sure my car is running at its optimum performance.

Great Service, Prices were good, Ill be back when i need to get car inspected or serviced.

I have bought Michelin tires for two cars and in both instances their price was very competitive with the «big box stores» plus Axselle offered a wheel alignment. Service was quick and done correctly. The employees were courteous and professional. No Saturday hours is why I only gave them four stars.

Well when I received my father’s car in April of 2013, he had been taking it to Axselle’s and trusted them with his car. I did the same, since they had been taking care of the car. (1994 Toyota Camry LE, 3L Engine, and 150K miles on it now.)
Around August of that year I managed to find a job as a delivery driver, so I became more acquainted with them since I had to have more maintenance/​oil changes done on my car to keep it up and running well. I had very few issues in the winter, since my car was just starting out basically. The problems started around May of 2014.
First it was the exhaust that needed to be replaced. I was charged over $ 500 for that, which I was fine with, until I found out it could have been a LOT cheaper if I had done it at a different place with the same hourly rate. I ignored this because I believed in the quality of their service… at the time.
An oil change was done around the same date as well. What they had not informed me of was that my accelerator belt AND power-​steering belts were so worn out that they were actually in SHREDS. When I got another mechanic who I happened to be around at the time, he informed me that whoever put in the power-​steering belt (Axselle’s) had put it in UPSIDE DOWN. It was the wrong way, forcing it to wear down faster. So I got those replaced at the nearest mechanic shop (Firestone), due to the fact that my turning was getting so tight that the steering would have gone out had I gone any further.
This was the first sign that I should have stopped going to them. Any decent mechanic would have warned someone about the belts being so worn down. I received no word or warning from them whatsoever, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. They were nice enough guys and my father swore by their work that they were decent.
The most recent problem I had was with the inner CV Joint in my front axles. I began to hear the tell-​tale clicking at my work, had a manager drive with me, and he informed me that it was DEFINITELY the joints. So I go to them and specifically tell them to replace the bad axle. I went in around 8am and got a call around 12pm that they couldn’t see an issue with the joint, but rather the brakes. So I told them that whatever was the source of the clicking, I wanted it to stop. So they fixed the brakes and even drove me in the fixed car to pick me up to pay for the repair. Dave even told me he greased the axle a bit. It was not until later I realized that this was total baloney.
Now that I remember, when one of the mechanics was driving me back to the shop in my car he said something about the shocks/​struts needing to be replaced. So I asked a general quote for the price so I could go back in at a later date and get it done, and he was very dodgy about the pricing. So I just shrugged it off as him being tired or something.
On my drive back to my house I ended up hearing a slight clicking, but shook it off as my own imagination. When I went to work later that night the clicking was back in full force. It was at this point that I knew I had been ripped off. I called the other mechanic, who told me it was definitely the CV joints that was the issue. I told him that Dave had checked and even greased the axle for me, which is when I found out you actually can’t grease an axle without taking it off in my type of car and that you can’t actually ‘see’ the bad joint that would cause the click. What made me the maddest was the fact that they even drove the car and would have heard the click themselves as they made turns to get to my own place.
I was out of money at this point, I had thrown all of it into replacing the breaks and the exhaust pipe/​muffler. So I had to resort to getting a different mechanic friend to replace both front axles in the alley behind my apartment. Guess what? That stopped the clicking. So I ended up being right all along.
So I do not know if it was just multiple bad experiences for me just due to my luck, or the fact that I am a girl and they might assume I know nothing about cars, but they are dead wrong. Driving is how I make my living, and I ALWAYS do my research before going into any sort of job. I work with my car everyday and can tell immediately if something is wrong. I notice that most of their positive reviews online are from men while the negative reviews are from the women. I don’t know if this is just a strange coincidence or a trend to look out for…
So I would not recommend going to Axselle Auto Service in Lakeside if you are a woman, or in general really, because they will most likely:
A. Over-​charge you.
B. Not warn you of other necessary repairs to keep you on the road.
C. Rip you off because they don’t believe you will find out about it.

I have used several auto shops around Richmond for the past 20 years. The service has ranged from rude, to unreliable, to outright dishonest. A friend recommended Axselle about a year ago and I really cannot say enough nice things about them. They have worked on my car three times now. The first time I brought my car in, the owner made a point of introducing himself to me when I picked up my car and went over my repairs with me. They tell you everything up front and will call if they discover anything unexpected. There are never any surprise charges. They do great work, on time, and have some of the best customer service of any business in Richmond. I will never use another auto shop.

Axselle is the most reliable and honest auto repair shop that I know of. They stand behind their work, and deliver the ultimate in customer service. I have been a customer of theirs since the mid-1990’s, and now I go there exclusively; no better shop in town if you want service you can trust.

We have been using Axselle’s for several years now. They are the only garage we trust with our cars. They are honest and reliable, and we have always been satisfied with their service. This is the only garage that we don’t wonder if they are being honest with us when they tell us about a problem.

Good, dependable service! The people get to know you and aim to please. Not the cheapest, but cheap aint always good and trust is everything!