Finding a good, honest, fair mechanic is like finding a dentist who doesn't try to yank your wisdom teeth on your first visit (true story dental story 1), or insist on a gum scraping when it's not necessary (true dental story 2). Tony''s Auto Service looks like the garage from Chico & the Man, but don't judge a book by its cover. Metro, many cab companies, and even the Secret Service apparently trust Tony's for their vehicle repairs, and I've used them for four years now for everything from state inspections, to major repairs, to body work (they're replacing a latch in my door even as I write this). Tony himself is a first generation Italian immigrant, and has operated a service station (Gulf) for decades (the one that used to be on the corner of Washington Street and Montgomery, for those native Alexandrians who remember the ""old"" Old Town). His garage is now located in walking distance to the Braddock Street Metro and a huge bonus is that I can walk to work from this location.
The staff is professional and all seem to really love their jobs. One example of his fairness--a particular oil change place tried to get me to have their mechanic replace my brake fluids for $65 a few months ago. I said thanks but no thanks to this oil change place (that shall remain nameless, as I usually have good luck with this place). I took my car to Tony's, which could have seized the opportunity to confirm and charge me for unnecessary replacement. Not only did they say the fluids weren't needed, they gave me a courtesy alignment---they didn't charge me since they didn't tell me about doing it beforehand.
Tony's has many loyal customers, and I'm happy to say I'm one of them.
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