First time I went they were the only shop that could get me in that day and the shuttle service was nice. I wanted to have an issue looked at and was given a list of about $3k worth of work that I should do. I was left out of the loop from the counter person, my car took almost a week longer than planned, and was charged more than originally agreed because they had to order an OEM part because the one through their supplier didn't fit. Since I was still looking for a mechanic I thought I would give another of their locations a try since it was about as far from my house. I took my other car there for an oil change and was told that my car needed $7.5k worth of work and that they did not want me to drive it home. I felt like the guy was trying to use scare tactics to make a sale. Because of my experience at two locations I won't go back.
I'll say that Paul Campanella is definitely the most expensive option in NCC. I've had my vehicle serviced there a couple times, and their prices seem astronomical compared to other shops.
I think the work they do is good & they have very good customer service, however they can be the biggest money pit. They always do a overview and then send a report of issues rated green, yellow, or red. Then when speaking on the phone, they go down the list. Most of the time I say no to everything except the cause of my visit. But then at the end, they'll go back to the items I declined and ask, "So what about the power-assisted dual gimbal jibit?" or "Did you want the light bulbs fribbled?" It pisses me off because I already said no & I hate the hard sell. And don't fucking waste my time!
They've got a lot of overhead to cover. When you build a huge shiny facility like that, somebody's paying for it--and that's the customer.
Sucks that it's so close to me, but I'm trying to find a new place.
I've used them (Limestone Rd. location) for at least a few years now, they haven't done me wrong.
They aren't the cheapest, but I trust them. I appreciate that when they look it over they will send me a document with photos they took of everything they checked, both the good and what needs work. The guy working on it will CALL me and we go that info. They've also stood behind their work and replaced something no cost that didn't last as long as they guaranteed it for. Nice folks and, as a female customer, I esp appreciate that they do not talk down to me, even when something is a bit over my head.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iqvR7Rdfyp8A5BYn9
Mr. Auto Repair (Mike & his wife). Great honest young MD couple doing good work. Saved me in a bind. Elkton, MD. Check em out.
Got one that you can go to - Dave's Auto (behind the old United Auto off Churchman's Road) is really good. I was referred to him and he was very helpful and fair. He'll also be honest if he can't do something, and give you an accurate referral.
Just moved here myself... There are two Dave's Autos - is the one you're talking about the place on Foulk that used to be Swyka, or the place on Philadelphia Pike in Claymont?
Neither. Dave's shop is on Churchman's Road. He is a former mechanic with United Auto that closed their physical location, he opened his own spot right behind it.
Something like 245 Old Churchman's Road in New Castle.
302-544-6681
[https://www.facebook.com/unitedautosales/](https://www.facebook.com/unitedautosales/) Their Facebook has his information on it
must be the name is a good omen - the other Dave's is also great, helpful and fair and honest. estimates are free.
he's at 715 Foulk Rd Wilmington DE 19803 now, he used to be off philly pike in Claymont.
Ok I worked in the auto parts business for a while and I've been to every shop in Delaware from claymont to Dover.
Judge a book by it's cover. If the shop looks like shit, don't go there. I also won't ever go anywhere who ever didn't have money to pay for stuff they ordered from us or were ever rude to me or my workers. Ultimately I just tell everyone to go to Everest.
I took my Passat in to Smith VW and they told me my turbo was leaking oil.
Took it right away from there to Mr Audi where they pulled it and said it was fine.
Drove the car for another 7 years before I sold it, but I never had a turbo problem with it.
Total scam trying to hit me up for $2,500.
Similar situation but with my tires. Needed replacement apparently, I ordered them online, the tech came to my house, looked at my tires and told me that he never been in this situation as they did not need replacement for at least another year. I kept the new one in my garage for a year.
Last time I went to Smith!
Admiral Tire and Auto. We've had nothing but terrible experiences with that shop.
Apparently they enjoy belittling and talking down to women who come into their shop, not to mention that none of their repairs or patches tend to stick and you'll be back in the shop within a month or two.
I have been using Fox Run over on Rt 40 by the railroad crossing for awhile now. Have not had an issue with them, I would recommend.
Just to highlight what I saw last time I was there. The manager / co-owner came over to another customer in the waiting area and asked why they came in about their brakes. The customer told him that their Honda dealership told them that they needed to get their brakes replaced ASAP. He told them that the brakes were worn evenly, was at about 30% left, they would be good for another 5k - 6k more miles. Asked them if they wanted to wait a few months or pay $500 today for the work. Customer declined and left without having to pay anything.
Counterpoint: Been going to them for 16 years and they've never done us wrong. Even had an issue with a vehicle that was overheating and they rebuilt the engine twice without charging us a dime because "we didn't fix the problem the first time." Ended up being a rare manufacturing defect.
My husband and FIL used to go there. Every single oil change visit turned into $500+ trip because something else was "wrong". My dad was a mechanic for 35yrs, and would counter almost everything Buckleys said, and call another shop for prices. Buckleys was always more expensive, and alot of times, the repair wasn't even necessary.
My dad would look at the paperwork after my husband got something done and be like "this doesn't even make sense, thats not a thing". But my husband's family knew him personally and trusted him for a bit too long. Now we all go somewhere else.
My Dad was an auto mechanic and I spent my first 20 years around a Ford dealership, and then his own full service station.
He always fixed only what was broken, and if he saw something that was still working but was nearing the end of its usefulness, he would tell the customer they should keep an eye on it, or he would.
He also didn't "find" other things to fix. We didn't get rich, but we could live with ourselves.
Anyway, if a mechanic "finds" stuff that needs fixed and pressures you to do it now, get a second opinion. It might need fixed, but he might just be trying to pad his pockets.
Other than Jiffy Lube, which I was dumb enough to go to for an oil change, and then flat out lied about the damage they blatent did, I can't really condemn anyone. But on the positive side, I trust Diamond State Tire 100% They do more than just tires, and they are a good honest business! I always check with them 1st and they have not only never let me down, but left me knowing I went to the right place. They're off 72 in Bear.
I’ll give you one to not avoid. Pennyhill
Will look into it! thanks
Avoid Paul Campanella.
Their one of the shops I wa slooking at. Why should I avoid??
Do you like having money in the bank & a properly repaired car?
Damn that bad
First time I went they were the only shop that could get me in that day and the shuttle service was nice. I wanted to have an issue looked at and was given a list of about $3k worth of work that I should do. I was left out of the loop from the counter person, my car took almost a week longer than planned, and was charged more than originally agreed because they had to order an OEM part because the one through their supplier didn't fit. Since I was still looking for a mechanic I thought I would give another of their locations a try since it was about as far from my house. I took my other car there for an oil change and was told that my car needed $7.5k worth of work and that they did not want me to drive it home. I felt like the guy was trying to use scare tactics to make a sale. Because of my experience at two locations I won't go back.
I'll say that Paul Campanella is definitely the most expensive option in NCC. I've had my vehicle serviced there a couple times, and their prices seem astronomical compared to other shops.
Don’t build massive new building being cheap. Or Paul can’t afford to drag race charging less than other places.
I think the work they do is good & they have very good customer service, however they can be the biggest money pit. They always do a overview and then send a report of issues rated green, yellow, or red. Then when speaking on the phone, they go down the list. Most of the time I say no to everything except the cause of my visit. But then at the end, they'll go back to the items I declined and ask, "So what about the power-assisted dual gimbal jibit?" or "Did you want the light bulbs fribbled?" It pisses me off because I already said no & I hate the hard sell. And don't fucking waste my time! They've got a lot of overhead to cover. When you build a huge shiny facility like that, somebody's paying for it--and that's the customer. Sucks that it's so close to me, but I'm trying to find a new place.
Never had a problem there.
I've used them (Limestone Rd. location) for at least a few years now, they haven't done me wrong. They aren't the cheapest, but I trust them. I appreciate that when they look it over they will send me a document with photos they took of everything they checked, both the good and what needs work. The guy working on it will CALL me and we go that info. They've also stood behind their work and replaced something no cost that didn't last as long as they guaranteed it for. Nice folks and, as a female customer, I esp appreciate that they do not talk down to me, even when something is a bit over my head.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/iqvR7Rdfyp8A5BYn9 Mr. Auto Repair (Mike & his wife). Great honest young MD couple doing good work. Saved me in a bind. Elkton, MD. Check em out.
I think they were looking for shops to avoid
Might want to put up a review then bc there are only 2 and one is a 1 star.
I did. The 5 star is mine. The 1 star is irrelevant cuz the dude didn't even get his car fixed but just wanted a uhaul from them lol.
Got one that you can go to - Dave's Auto (behind the old United Auto off Churchman's Road) is really good. I was referred to him and he was very helpful and fair. He'll also be honest if he can't do something, and give you an accurate referral.
Just moved here myself... There are two Dave's Autos - is the one you're talking about the place on Foulk that used to be Swyka, or the place on Philadelphia Pike in Claymont?
Neither. Dave's shop is on Churchman's Road. He is a former mechanic with United Auto that closed their physical location, he opened his own spot right behind it. Something like 245 Old Churchman's Road in New Castle. 302-544-6681 [https://www.facebook.com/unitedautosales/](https://www.facebook.com/unitedautosales/) Their Facebook has his information on it
Thanks very much!!
must be the name is a good omen - the other Dave's is also great, helpful and fair and honest. estimates are free. he's at 715 Foulk Rd Wilmington DE 19803 now, he used to be off philly pike in Claymont.
Ok I worked in the auto parts business for a while and I've been to every shop in Delaware from claymont to Dover. Judge a book by it's cover. If the shop looks like shit, don't go there. I also won't ever go anywhere who ever didn't have money to pay for stuff they ordered from us or were ever rude to me or my workers. Ultimately I just tell everyone to go to Everest.
Place to avoid: smith Volkswagen! The worst, in particular if you are a woman, they cannot be trusted.
I took my Passat in to Smith VW and they told me my turbo was leaking oil. Took it right away from there to Mr Audi where they pulled it and said it was fine. Drove the car for another 7 years before I sold it, but I never had a turbo problem with it. Total scam trying to hit me up for $2,500.
Similar situation but with my tires. Needed replacement apparently, I ordered them online, the tech came to my house, looked at my tires and told me that he never been in this situation as they did not need replacement for at least another year. I kept the new one in my garage for a year. Last time I went to Smith!
I've never had any issues with them at all personally.
I've heard that. A lot. And it's not even new
Admiral Tire and Auto. We've had nothing but terrible experiences with that shop. Apparently they enjoy belittling and talking down to women who come into their shop, not to mention that none of their repairs or patches tend to stick and you'll be back in the shop within a month or two.
I have been using Fox Run over on Rt 40 by the railroad crossing for awhile now. Have not had an issue with them, I would recommend. Just to highlight what I saw last time I was there. The manager / co-owner came over to another customer in the waiting area and asked why they came in about their brakes. The customer told him that their Honda dealership told them that they needed to get their brakes replaced ASAP. He told them that the brakes were worn evenly, was at about 30% left, they would be good for another 5k - 6k more miles. Asked them if they wanted to wait a few months or pay $500 today for the work. Customer declined and left without having to pay anything.
I recommend going to Lunch Box Garage on Rt. 40 in Glasgow. I had a complete engine replacement done there. Good people.
Brandywine auto are good folks-trustworthy.
Holly Oak is pretty great from what I remember, but it’s been a bit since I’ve had work done there
Avoid Buckleys
Counterpoint: Been going to them for 16 years and they've never done us wrong. Even had an issue with a vehicle that was overheating and they rebuilt the engine twice without charging us a dime because "we didn't fix the problem the first time." Ended up being a rare manufacturing defect.
My husband and FIL used to go there. Every single oil change visit turned into $500+ trip because something else was "wrong". My dad was a mechanic for 35yrs, and would counter almost everything Buckleys said, and call another shop for prices. Buckleys was always more expensive, and alot of times, the repair wasn't even necessary.
I also had this experience with Buckleys. Too expensive and always finding expensive "problems" no other mechanics could replicate.
My dad would look at the paperwork after my husband got something done and be like "this doesn't even make sense, thats not a thing". But my husband's family knew him personally and trusted him for a bit too long. Now we all go somewhere else.
My Dad was an auto mechanic and I spent my first 20 years around a Ford dealership, and then his own full service station. He always fixed only what was broken, and if he saw something that was still working but was nearing the end of its usefulness, he would tell the customer they should keep an eye on it, or he would. He also didn't "find" other things to fix. We didn't get rich, but we could live with ourselves. Anyway, if a mechanic "finds" stuff that needs fixed and pressures you to do it now, get a second opinion. It might need fixed, but he might just be trying to pad his pockets.
Other than Jiffy Lube, which I was dumb enough to go to for an oil change, and then flat out lied about the damage they blatent did, I can't really condemn anyone. But on the positive side, I trust Diamond State Tire 100% They do more than just tires, and they are a good honest business! I always check with them 1st and they have not only never let me down, but left me knowing I went to the right place. They're off 72 in Bear.