Bradan Automotive

My wife's Neon was overheating and we needed it fixed quickly. I dropped the car off that morning and within an hour they had looked at the car and diagnosed the problem. I asked about a few other issues, they hung up and investigated and called back with an estimate. Here's the part I was impressed with. Not only did they stay true to a very fair estimate, they came in under, and also replaced a few burnt out bulbs and an oil cap for no additional charge. Their credit card machine was down that afternoon and I offered to get cash. They realized this was an inconvenience for me so they knocked an additional $50 off the price for me having to hit up an ATM. Before I paid they showed me all the broken parts and explained what had happened. The busted up old radiator was pretty obvious and luckily it wasn't the head gasket. They had all the work done, including a replacement muffler before 3pm. I was a little skeptical because of the mixed reviews elsewhere for this shop but it's the only place I'll go now. The owner was actually a pretty funny guy, I could see how someone would get the wrong impression of him if they showed up yelling at him. I doubt he takes much sh*t from anyone.... Pros: Friendly, honest, and a fair Cons: Any work on a car is expensive more

I have brought a few different vehicles to Bradan Automotive over the past few years. I always get courteous, respectful service when I make the initial call. Once I bring it in, I have always been treated respectfully and kept informed of what they are doing on my vehicle. I asked them not to continue to fix if we a reach a certain dollar amount / They called to ask for my permission to do a repair that would cost just a few extra dollars. I said yes and I really appreciated that call. As a young woman, these things are important. Both of my parents have also brought their vehicles there and been happy with the service. Two of my neighbors have brought their vehicles there and now continue their maintenance there, These are Honest , forthcoming and good guys. I really recomment it. Pros: fast, honest service more

6 months ago, my car?s engine died sometimes while driving my car. So I decided to go this shop after reading these reviews. At first, they said to me that oil leaking would be the source of my problem. So I trusted them. The cost? Over $900. But my problem did not disappear. So I went again. This time, they said to me confidently that the distributor assembly would be the source. And I was told that they could give me up to a refund if it is not the case. So I trusted them again. The cost? Over $350. Sadly, the problem?s not gone away. So I had no choice but to go again because I had already spent too much in this shop. This time, they said to me that the source would be the ignition switch. I felt unfair. So I wanted to explain my feeling clearly (Actually, I cannot speak English fluently because I am a foreign student). However, the thing they gave me was insult I?ve never been told. . In sum, in exchange for my time and money, I?ve got nothing. No, No, I?ve got such insult. Could not be worse! more

After deciding to keep my accord I began shopping around for someone to do my timing belt and some front end noise. Dan and Nate at bradan seemed fair and realistic, they did everything they said they would and stayed by their price. It went just like the reviews said. Thanks guys. more

I was up against doing head gaskets on my forester. Big job. Bradan combined it with my 90k maint. threw in some rear brakes in on tues out on wed, awesome. Could not be happier. more

Having owned my BMW for 7 years, I've had my share of trips to the mechanic. I live in the Riverplace area and Bradan was conveniently located just down the street. My service message was coming on so rather than go to the dealer, which I did in the beginning while the car was under warranty, I went to Bradan. When I brought the car in, they knew just what I needed, which was my 90,000 mile service, and used all the BMW parts that make my car happy. :) Even using the better parts, the bill was still cheaper than the dealer, and the personal attention they gave me was certainly nice. Oh, and I had my car back that same day; bonus! Sure is nice to have a professional, experienced garage right in the neighborhood. Pros: location, knowledge, courteous, good price, quality parts, experienced more

Had a check engine light on my Jetta for a year and a half and just never got around to getting it checked out (car ran fine, seemed like it was probably an exhaust issue). Within the last month however, my AC quit working when the car was stopped and my car was having overheating issues. Then my car took 7 attempts to start and decided it was time to get the car fixed. Did some research to find a decent repair shop and was planning on just taking it to the VW dealer until I saw all the horrible reviews. I then saw the reviews for Bradan Automotive on this site and was pretty convinced that this was the place for me (44 reviews with 5 star avg rating!). I dropped my car off on a Wednesday afternoon (they don't take appointments) and had it back on Friday. This was awesome because I was expecting my car to be there until at least Monday due to the various things wrong with the car. The price was very fair too, I thought I was going to have to pay a lot more than what the bill ended up being, which is always a plus. The mechanic called a couple of times when my car was being worked on to give me updates on the car and even threw in a free oil change. All in all, I am very pleased with the quick work, the great customer service, the good deal and not pressuring to do any extra work (unlike Jiffy Lube where all I wanted was an oil change and they were pressuring me to turn my quick stop into a $200+ job). These guys are honest and I recommend them completely! Pros: Great service, good prices, quick repairs Cons: Not a con, but wish they were closer to Plymouth! more

Great place to have work done! The owner Dan actually took the time to walk me through exactly what he was doing and gave me a more than reasonable price for the work done. I would highly recommend Bradan to anyone looking for an honest and knowledgeable mechanic. Pros: Price, service, knowledge more

About a year ago I was looking for a place to rebuild my Audi S4. It was really difficult to find a shop willing to work on a high performance German car with aftermarket work. A friend recommended Bradan Automotive. After talking to the friendly staff at the shop I decided it was a good place to take my vehicle. It really ended up being an excellent place! The owner was very knowledgeable (even regarding the less known about after market things) and helpful. Prices were very reasonable and a year later I could not be happier. Recently I brought the car back into the shop to look at some damage I had done to the car and found the same service and found nothing wrong with the work they had done earlier. If you need a trustworthy and reasonable mechanic check out Bradan (I have been to many mechanics in my years and would not say these things about many). Pros: Excellent service, knowledgeable staff, reasonable prices Cons: None more

On a recent visit to my daughter in Minneapolis, I took her 99 Subaru to get groceries. It took a few turns to start the car and it ran rough. A few miles from her house it smelled hot.. seconds later all power shut down and smoke started pouring out from under the hood and it reaked of burning rubber.. I coasted to the curb, jumped out and ran for a phone, something exploded behind me and I turned and saw even more smoke pour out from underneath. The fire dept came and declared it safe for AAA to tow away. When asked where to take it...I said I am from South Dakota I have no idea.. he said we take all our work to Bradan Auto I will take it there and he drove off leaving me, I walked back worried about the honesty and reliability of the mechanic that now had my car. Shortly thereafter I was contacted by Nate from Bradan and asked several questions about what the car was doing that morning and she was questioned on the days prior. He called me hourly to keep me updated on what damage he was finding and the cost to repair it. He eventually found where a squirrel had chewed the starter wires causing the short and the explosion I heard was the A/C exploding, he also talked to me about finding the battery wires melted and the battery fried. I became worried about whether I wanted this car back or not.. would it be safe for her to drive afterwards. I stopped in the next day and Nate walked me through the damage and showed me first hand what had happened and explained that the engine was fine that it was just wires, hoses, the A/C, battery, cables, etc. all easily replaced. The last and final estimate was $1800.. He got that car Tuesday and I had it back Thursday. Total $1795.36. My daughter reported that it is starting right up and running great. I am so glad the car was towed to Bradan Auto. I have already passed his name onto parents I know whose kids have cars at the U as he is only blks away and I have told my daughter to take it there for all future work. Pros: Great communication, worked steadily on it, quick turn around time. Cons: none more

It's refreshing to see an auto body shop that cares so much about customer satisfaction. Good work at a fair price. Pros: Good mechanics, good work performed more

This place is amazing. Don?t let the structure fool you; the customer service at this place beats any dealership. I brought my Volvo s40 here to have some maintenance done after paying too much at Borton (Kline is even more expensive than Borton), and they missed obvious issues such as a leaking power steering system. After some internet research, I decided to try Bradan Automotive to perform routine maintenance, and I made the right decision. Bradan Automotive performed the scheduled 60K maintenance, fixed my power steering, replaced my windshield wipers, and replaced my coolant sensor all for less than what regular maintenance would have cost at Borton; and they completed the job the same day. Bradan Automotive does not charge you for ?flashlight time? as Dan, the owner, calls it. The customer service, quality work, and the reasonable rates have made me a loyal customer. As long as I live in the Twin Cities, I will always consider Bradan Automotive first. Pros: Cost, Trust, Expertise, Location Cons: Facility, Location more

What more can you ask for? I have brought to them two Volvos and a Mercedes and they ALWAYS fix them right the first time. No BS. Other places claim to be honest and customer service oriented but these guys are for real. And at a fair price! Honestly I can't say enough good things about these guys. My guess is they can't be on it 100% percent of the time but they are are as good as it gets. Believe me I am a picky SOB when it comes to my rides and I wholeheartedly trust and endorse Bradan Automotive. Good people to boot. more

I went to this mechanic shop to get my car fixed, it was making this crazy noise when I turned the steering wheel. They were so nice and explained to me what the deal was, it was a problem in my steering system of course, and they made it right. I hate car problems and hate having to deal with them. But I have to say that going to Bradan made it much less of a big deal than I was afraid it was going to be. They just handled it really well and I'm actually kind of glad my car broke so I could see what a good mechanic shop is like because I've had too many bad experiences at other ones that have been really stressful. But this place was great. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Pros: location close to downtown and u, expertise, customer service more

I bought a used 2004 Audi A4 this past summer and recently my check engine light came on. I brought it to Bradan after finding them on the internet and they diagnosed and fixed my car in one day (dropped it off one day, picked it up the next). They said they had dealt with this certain problem on Audis before and didn't seem to have any trouble getting the parts they needed. They were very polite and seemed really trustworthy (the biggest thing for me). I've found "my mechanic"! How great to know that I know exactly where to go next time I need anything for my car! Pros: experienced, polite, trustworthy Cons: none more

A friend recommended this place to me and I am glad I went. Dan immediately made me feel at ease and was upfront with everything about cost and repairs, etc. I really appreciate their easy-going attitude because it can be intimidating for a woman to go to autoshops alone. They did exactly what I wanted and the cost was very reasonable. I will definitely recommend this place to everyone I know. Pros: Upfront, honest, and reasonable. more

Dan was making jokes on the phone with me before I'd even met him. One of my coil springs broke as I was leaving for work last week. I picked the mystery metal up from my driveway and took it in. I walked in with the piece, and he knew exactly what it was and what kind of car I drove, without even looking outside. He let me in the shop so I could see my car up on the hoist, and explained and fixed everything by the end of the day. I went back the next day for an oil change and they noticed a rattle that hadn't been caught the day before. Without knowing what exactly it was, Dan said he'd take care of it because they didn't catch it the first time. And he lent me his car in the meantime! I brought a car in today for a pre-purchase inspection. After shop talking with Dan, the friend I had with me said, "Well, I'm sold on this place, that's for sure." It shouldn't be so surprising when you find REALLY good people out there. Try for yourself. Go be surprised by Bradan Automotive. Pros: Personality, Knowledge, Timeliness, Pricing, Fresh Local Coffee, Bakery Goods Cons: I wish I'd known about them sooner! more

I found Bradan Automotive by accident, my car broke down close by, the tow truck driver said he know a place around the corner and the next thing I know not only was my car repaired that day, the repair itself cost only 1/2 of what I would have paid anywhere else. Love this place! Thanks guys Pros: Customer service, timely repair, good price Cons: small parking lot, tow trucks have a hard time pulling in and out more

I have found that all of the guys at Bradan Automotive are very professional and respectful. I have been to many different mechanics, and the guys at Bradan have by far been the most helpful. They always explain things clearly, and are extremely fair in regards to time and charges. I am more than pleased with their service, and I cannot imagine going anywhere else. I would definitley encourage anyone to use them when searching for a mechanic. Pros: Service Cons: None more

Bradan was recommend by a friend of mine.. I am very satisfied with the service & friendly/Cute staff there (John) ;-) I had a complete brake job done & had my car back the same day I dropped it off! Thanx for explaining/Showing me what was wrong with my brakes. I am happy to find mechanics that are friendly & trustworthy. Thanx Guys!! Twilly... Pros: Great Service!! Cons: None more