Greg’s Japanese Auto

This place has mechanics who I trust. I called in with a problem, my SRS light had come on, and when I spoke with Martin he asked me two questions over the phone about a possible diagnosis or reason the light came on.
I, knowing little about cars, didn’t quiet understand the questions and so he suggested I come in. He was able to look at the car right there on the spot and ran a complementary diagnostics test to see if it was a code issue.
After doing some more research, Martin found out that it was my seatbelt that was covered under warranty!
Best experience I have ever had. I will tell all my friends/​family about this– Greg’s has mechanics you can trust! See them.

Greg’s is competent but pushes over-​servicing the car. My HID light went out, they quoted replacing two parts for about $ 800, my second opinion quoted just one part which fixed it for half the cost. Greg’s also pushed replacing the shocks due to age even though they had no issue.
On the flip side the work is good, they have shuttle service, and good follow up.
I’m sure some people will prefer their maintenance approach but I don’t.

Over commit, under deliver, over charge and lie to cover up. Nothing good to say about my recent experience at this shop. Located close to home I was hoping to find a good alternative to the dealership but this sadly was a disappointment — over a grand in repairs and these people did not even put air in my tires… unacceptable

For many years I have been taking my vehicles to Greg’s Japanese Auto. Larry Brewster has never failed to provide me with top notch service. I refer friends and colleagues to Larry and his team as finding a mechanic that is competent and honest is so important. One friend I sent to Larry had been quoted an arm and a leg for a repair from a dealership, so I referred her to Larry. His team found that the repair the dealership had told my friend was necessary was in fact not needed. They suggested and made a simple repair that solved the issue and saved her hundreds of dollars.

My check engine light was on so I took it to Greg’s for inspection. They had a look at the diagnostics codes on-​the-​spot and told me what the possible issues could be and approaches to take to get it fixed. I paid them to figure out the exact problem and then had them do the repair. They did some additional inspection of the car at no additional cost (and found nothing needing service beyond the engine light issue). After dropping my car off the manager gave me a ride back to my apartment. Car was done same day. I’d go back to Greg’s.

Absurdly poor experience. I brought my car in to Greg’s to get the check engine light diagnosed and fixed. They diagnose it, I pay a lot of money, and they fix it — everybody’s happy. Two minutes after I drive off, the check engine light comes back on. I bring it back in and they explain that there must have been «overlapping codes» or something that hid the real problem — sounds like something a competent place would have checked for, but ok. I give them my car again to be diagnosed. Almost a week goes by and they call me to say that their mechanic has accidentally shorted out my car’s computer and it’s going to be at least a week until they can get a replacement unit in and installed. But good news, they’re going to put me up in a rental car in the meantime at their expense — fine, no problem, accidents happen and they’re providing some good customer service. Another week goes by… my car is still not ready. This time their mechanic has somehow installed a part completely incorrectly and bent part of my motor, which will require another week of repairs. But they’re going to keep paying for the rental car — fine. At this point I’m thinking this place is at best incompetent and at worst a chop shop taking their sweet time dismantling my car and replacing everything with crappy parts. Another week goes by — barely hear from them at all, no idea when my car will be ready. Pretty clearly they’re not making my car a priority, which is strange given that they have to be losing money every day at this point by paying for the rental car. Finally TWENTY TWO DAYS LATER they call to say I can pick up my car. I do so, they waive all the «additional» parts and labor caused by their mechanic’s screw-​ups (and tell me that they fired the guy), so I just end up paying a LOT of money (again) to get my car back with the check engine light off (finally). At this point even though the work has been comically poor and slow, at least I haven’t been terribly inconvenienced at the end of the day, so I leave certain that I will never ever be going back there, nor will I be recommending them to anybody I know, but at least feeling like they tried to not be terrible. Fast forward a week and I see a charge on my credit card from the rental agency for $ 420. I call Greg’s to let them know there’s clearly been a mistake as they agreed to cover the entire cost of the rental car, and after a little bit of runaround I am told that the charges are for basic insurance which «no auto repair shop would pay for» and «the rental car company should have told me Greg’s wasn’t going to pay for it»; basically I have to pay for it because I signed the paper accepting the car and didn’t elect to get no insurance coverage whatsoever. At no point at all in the prior weeks of conversation had the statement from Greg’s been anything other than «we are covering the cost of your rental car» and I received no statement or paperwork from them (official or otherwise) that would have indicated that I should NOT get any insurance or that there were any components of the rental that they wouldn’t pay for. So to recap, I have paid Greg’s several thousand dollars for repairs, and now have to pay an additional $ 420 because they held on to my car for an utterly absurd 22 days after breaking it entirely of their own accord at least twice, and for over a month in total since I initially brought it in. These guys are nice when you talk to them and I’ll give them some points for trying with the rental car but there is a ridiculously high level of incompetency at this business. Do not go here.

The guys at Greg’s know how to take care of a customer. Something went a little wrong, and they made it right. Great people to give your business to, as they work to earn it and they truly do appreciate your business. More businesses need to do business this way — but unfortunately in this day and age, lots of people out there offer subpar service. I’ll be going back to Greg’s if/​when my vehicle needs service.

I went into Greg’s in Seattle for the first time yesterday. I had attempted to make an appointment over on the company website. I did not hear back from the shop after I had submitted my appointment request. I called the shop on the day of the appointment and they confirmed the time I had requested. The person over the phone explained they had phone and email issues, as to why no one had contacted me to confirm the appointment.
I was asked to bring the car in an hour before my appointment. I did so at 9:00 AM, but my car was not completed until after 4 PM. The work I had requested was a simple oil change and an inspection of the breaks, battery and suspension. The cost of the oil change was over $ 50.00. I felt the charges were too high for a simple oil change, and I reviewed the invoice but I found only the charge for the oil change. I was told the shop was down a person, hence the long delay for my car. Never the less, I find it poor business to charge over $ 50.00 for an oil change that took over 7 hours to complete.

A friend recommended Greg’s and I’m so glad I listened to him. Larry is the best. My son’s Mazda 3 needed a new engine. Larry was able to work with the extended warranty company to get it covered, kept me informed of where things were at, and now my son is out driving his car again. Great customer service and great work! Thank.

I have not had my car serviced here but I work just a couple of blocks from the shop (super convenient location) and have stopped in as well as called for quotes on repairs. My first visit a year ago I went in and was ignored for about 5 mins before the gentleman asked what I wanted. The conversation was rushed and he really didn’t listen to what I was asking. I left with a feeling they didn’t care for my business so I took my car to another shop for service. Just last week my starter was acting up so I thought I’d try them again since the shop is convenient for me. I called in Friday afternoon just after 4 PM and the guy said it was too late in the day for him to give me a quote and that he would call me back first thing Monday morning. I’m thinking how hard is it to provide a quote and set up an appt? But whatever I can wait till Monday. I never did hear back and don’t think I will bother giving these guys another shot no matter how convenient the location is for me. First and second impressions in this case is everything.

I saw that the lower rated reviews were pretty old and I heard good things from a friend so I thought Id give them a try.
We have been taking our 2001 Honda civic to the dealer for a few years now. The dealer has always left me wondering on some of the work they recommended and the price. However I have always wanted to have the best for my civic. Well one day after bringing it in for an oil change they handed me an estimate for almost two thousand dollars. I told them I would be back after I talked to my wife. This is what brought me to my research for a dealer alternative.
Being Gregs was so close to the stealership I normally go to I decided to give them a try.
I must say Greg’s does not have as nice or plushy of a waiting room as the dealer ship does but I was hopeful that would lead to less overhead, better prices and more honesty?
I made the call and Larry was very easy to deal with. He got me in at a time that worked for me. I will say the free shuttle that Gregs offer is very convenient. I work downtown so not having to deal with driving or paying for parking for a day is a great benefit. Its just one of those little things that makes your day a bit better like filling up your coffee card and finally getting a free cup of coffee.
Larry called me back within a few hours, he agreed that the dealerships recommendations were valid but could not agree with the severity of the items I asked them to check out. We ended up doing the valve cover gasket thing and a couple other small things that needed attention.
When I came to pick it up Larry was very patient with all my questions and in no way spoke to me the way other places have. Im not mechanically inclined I work in a medical office and dont know a whole bunch about cars so it was reassuring to have someone walk me through it all patiently.
In the end they said they would charge me about an hour (98.00 I believe) to look over my list. It was a nice surprise when Larry told me he would cut that in half since we were doing some of the work that was needed. In my eyes it was money well spent to have an honest answer and save roughly 1000 dollars.
All in all they have earned a long term customer. My wife is even comfortable walking in and dropping off her car. This is a huge help trust me.

Not sure about the bad reviews, but Forest was great. Took care of a dead alternator/​battery/​belts in no time!

My son’s clutch went out at Midnight the night before his wedding. His honeymoon was a drive down the Oregon and California coast to San Francisco. Greg’s was the only one in town who was able to get it fixed for us so that they could leave on their honeymoon. In short, after hearing the situation they responded simply, «Get it in here». We picked up the car at 5:30 after getting out of the wedding and they did a tremendous job. I cannot begin to thank Greg’s enough for saving the day.

Firstly, even though it appears some of the Greg’s 8 locations are listed separately here, reviewers are not specifying which location they are reviewing. It’s the employees that make a service organization good or bad so that can vary widely from location to location. This review is for Greg’s I-​5/​Stewart. This is the only Greg’s location I have ever used. I would like to urge other reviewers of Greg’s to state the location they are reviewing, and/​or choose the Unilocal entry for the location they are reviewing.
I have taken my 99 Camry there since I got it in around 2002 and I would say my satisfaction level has been 95%. I am very picky so 95% is what I would consider excellent so am giving them 5 stars. I think only once did they not have my car ready on the same day promised and that was because they did not get a part from a supplier when promised.
I would say their prices are a little less than dealers, more than some smaller shops but I think there is a consistency of customer service and quality of work that is worth the extra money. Once when I needed a timing belt, water pump and one other item I can’t remember the name of at the same time, and I thought it was a bit steep, I got quotes from two dealers which were a couple of hundred dollars lower and Greg’s matched the price.
They have a shuttle service which has always been timely. Bottom line is I would recommend them to anyone.

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO GREG’S JAPANESE AUTO!
Thia place is terrible. I Wish I’d read the reviews before taking my car there. My car, an Infiniti Q45, had two error codes (one for an oxygen sensor and one for P0400 — Exhaust Gas Recirculation Flow Malfunction). Though my car appeared to be running fine, I needed to get these codes cleared to pass the emissions test. I brought by car in and they replaced the oxygen sensor ($ 300) and «cleaned» the EGR system ($ 500+). They also found that my engine coolant was leaking so I had that fixed ($ 600). All in all I spend over $ 1,900 there. One day later the P0400 code returned so I called to bring the car back in.
I brought my car in and then received a call saying they «never diagnosed what was causing the P0400 code» and want me to pay $ 107 for the labor to diagnose the problem. Why did I just spent $ 600 for you to «clean the EGR system» if that wasn’t the problem? This is incredibly frustrating. I spent $ 600 on something that apparently didn’t need to be done and now they want me to spend another $ 107 just to figure out what the problem really is (and then presumably more to fix correct it. Thanks, but no thanks Greg’s, AWESOME customer service.

DO NOT GO TO GREG’S JAPANESE AUTO
Greg’s is terrible. I will NEVER take my car back to them. Because of their poor choices, i didnt have my car for almost an entire month. My car had 3 engines within three weeks. You would think that after paying $ 3200 in repairs on a $ 4000 car, you would have a really great running car. They replaced: the engine, the transmission, clutch slave cylinder, and did maintenence stuff.
An hour after picking it up the first time, the car died on me after they failed to fix a loud rattle from the engine (which was my original reason for bringing it in). So they had the car towed back, and told me they would fix it for free. Awesome.
I get the car back a week later, and have it for 4 days before this «new» engine they put in started making the EXACT SAME NOISE. It turns out this «new» engine had the exact same problem as the first one. So now they are on the third engine.
When they were putting the third engine in, they told me I would have it by the coming friday (this was on tuesday), and come friday, the car still isn’t ready. they said they were having trouble tuning it, and wanted to make sure it was running well before they got it to me. so they kept it over the weekend, and on monday called me saying «they weren’t sure why they couldn’t tune it.»
Now let me preface the next part by saying: I have no technical training. I spoke with the mechanic and said «are there any aftermarket parts in the engine that might be throwing it off? camshaft or ecu maybe?» to which the mechanic replied «no, we checked all of that. We will figure it out by the end of the day. Well they didnt, and called me back the next morning. «turns out there was an aftermarket camshaft in the engine, and you’re car will be ready by this afternoon.»
you have got to be kidding me… So this all happened this past June of 2011, and I am now posting this review because:
1: my car runs terribly. I have spent nearly $ 2000 replacing parts that Greg’s replaced not even a year ago, and my car runs like s**t
2: to warn anyone, and everyone who is thinking about taking their vehicle to greg’s. DO NOT GO TO GREG’S JAPANESE AUTO

Bottom Line: OVERPRICED!
Repair: Radiator in 1999 Subaru Outback
Cost: $ 590 dollars! (other shops in the area will do the SAME job for around $ 300 – 350)
Problems: Even after raping my wallet, they FORGOT to plug in one of the two cooling fans! I wouldn’t recommend this shop to anyone.
It would have been cheaper to TOW my vehicle 15 miles to Burien.
(2.5hrs labor $ 230, radiator $ 228, cap $ 18, thermostat and gasket $ 25, Coolant $ 15. My issue is the 2.5 hours labor.)

Took my Land Cruiser to the Lynnwood location. Very nice folks. Crappy mechanics. $ 1700 later they «fixed» all sorts of things. Except LC still kept dying out. Will NEVER bring it there again nor will I ever recommend them to friends. Take your chances people!!!
Eastlaker I X2 with you…

’97 Mitsubishi Galant had a broken shifter cable. The part was incredibly unique and was no longer stocked by the manufacturer.
Greg’s worked with me to find the part. Between the efforts of both of us, the part was finally located and the car was expertly repaired.
These guys DO speak your car’s language. They know what they’re doing and just as importantly, they are friendly & helpful and will not stop until they have done everything they can to help you.
I recommend them highly and will be taking my car back again.

I wish I had read the reviews before I went.
I took my Subaru there for tune up and within days the check engine light came on. I called them and took it in. I was told something about oxygen sensor. that’s it not anything major. They did reset it and the light was off when I drove off the lot. Should have been the end of story… but no. The light came on again. And again they wanted me to take it in.
Now fast forward to time for my tab renewal and emission test. I failed. No, correction, my Subaru failed the test. My bad for not doing it until it was FIXED by Greg’s Auto! Because we took it to Werkshop in Redmond and $ 280 later, they fixed it and my Surb passed the emission test. Even the Werkshopper was puzzled why Greg’s Auto didn’t just fix it.
Word to Greg, if you are going to have a store, or two, or three, bearing your name, I would highly recommend that you tell your peeps to present you with pride. The very least they can do is to learn the correct spelling of your paying customers, too.