Tom’s Automotive of West Seattle

I’m a solo woman and don’t know much about cars, but have a 10 year old Subaru that was making a concerning mysterious grinding sound. I called a few places with long wait lists and even had my brake pads done at another location, all of whom were extremely unhelpful, overbooked, and eager to upsell me on thousands of dollars of additional work (money I don’t have!) On the other hand, John at Tom’s Auto talked to me about the issue on the phone, prioritized checking for safety issues with the car first, got me in quickly, and kept charges minimal for the diagnostic and a minor quick fix. They were friendly, professional, and focused on what was necessary. Thank you to the team at Tom’s!

Tom’s Automotive Service must be running some kind of elite diagnostic academy, because apparently just looking at your car costs $940. I brought my truck in to check the power steering, a burning oil smell, and the check engine light, Witch they estimated would be at $359. There haven’t been any performance issues at all since the light came on it drives completely fine. I drop it off, and the next day I get a call saying I already owe $940… just for diagnostics. Nothing repaired. Nothing serviced. Just inspected. They promote themselves as friendly and customer-focused, but that wasn’t the what got. John was pretty sarcastic and didn’t seem to appreciate any questions about the charges. Cassy, though, was much more professional and way easier to deal with. The best part? They didn’t even end up checking the power steering because “everything seemed fine,” but somehow I was still charged for other things instead. So if you’re looking for a place that can look at your vehicle, not fix it, and hand you a hefty bill for the experience this might be your spot!