I'd like to continue using them but the last oil change I had a metal protective piece for the engine drop so that it scraped the road within five miles of leaving their garage. it was damaged and two bolts were missing. they did nothing and said I hit a curb which I knew was definitely not the case. read more

Dec 26, We towed our pickup in and dropped it off. We explained that we would be out of the area for 3wks, so we did not need it until then. We also stated it was our only vehicle and would need it then. Almonds called us week later to explain we needed a new manifold & the price. We told them to go ahead with the repair & we would be back at the end of the following week. They called us again 4 days before we were to return to tell us they lost our truck keys, so they had not started the repair yet. 2 hours later they called to say they found our keys. We told them again we would be in late that same week for the truck. Jan 16, Friday, we called to pay for the repair by phone, so we could pickup our truck Saturday . We were told they had not even started our repair yet! I scrambled to call around to find a rental car for the weekend. I finally found one available at Budget-it cost $300! We drove there first thing Monday, only to find they had just pulled our truck into the shop then proceeded told us that they had no idea when they would finish the job that it could take a few more days! I was very upset and told him how he cost us money and he did not care. He admitted he lost the keys and waited 5 days before calling us to tell us! He also admitted he failed to get our truck into the shop in over 3 weeks time, knowing we were coming back to no vehicle and he then admitted not having anyone let us know it was still not completed or why. No follow up, no customer service. NO APOLOGIES AT ALL. JUST AN OBSTINTANT and ARROGANT ATTITUDE. ONLY INCOMPETANCE FROM THE START. I would not trust this place, as they have proven to be unreliable and incompetent when you need them most! read more

An honest mechanic is priceless. I highly recommend Almond's Automotive and have used them for 18+ years. I have at least a dozen stories about their great service. A friend spent several thousand dollars at the Honda dealership trying to solve a leakage problem. I told her to try Almond's. They fixed the problem in minutes for $12. When my daughter was a brand new driver, she got a flat tire snd had no money on her. She managed to coast into Almonds. They plugged the tire and told her "we know your mom. Just tell her to pay us the next time she's here." You can trust them to give you an honest diagnosis of the problem, a good price for the repair, and repairs done right. read more

I like patronizing old Gainesville family businesses; friendly, competent ,available..... but OMG $50 to connect my battery cable to my battery??? (lucky the part was only $3 and it only took 10 minutes) $160/hour labor is outrageous, I used to cringe when i picked up students here, as an UBER driver. This is probably the highest labor rate in the county. This is one old Gainesville business that appears to have kept up with the time$$$. read more

My wife and I should have listened to the other reviews. Like others, we have used this station for many years. The service was once terrific. We don't know what happened but recent changes are the opposite. We were charged for 3X actual labor time but they refused to adjust the bill, equalling a ridiculous $294 an hour. That doesn't include the additional highly questionable "shop supplies" fee tacked onto the parts cost. The once friendly and helpful atmosphere is now grouchy. We won't be back. read more

I realized my rear tires were bald just before we were scheduled to take a road trip. I wanted to get new tires and I wanted it done on really short notice before we left. I called a few places and Almond's was by far the most helpful. I wasn't sure if I needed all 4 tires, but the manager at the front came out to check and said I only needed the two rear tires. I really appreciated the honesty. She gave me a number of quotes and the option to get it done immediately or wait a day which would allow them to get the tires more cheaply. I really appreciated all the options and clear explanation of cost. I opted just to get it done while I was there and they were efficient and friendly. read more

I got my car towed here after it broke down and the manager is unbelievably rude. When he first called to get information on the car he sort of had an attitude and was not professional about it all. I personally don't know much about cars and couldn't handle his attitude so I gave my bf the phone so the information could be clear but he gave the same attitude. I then came in to get the quote and he added several extra items that the car didn't really need at that moment and I couldn't afford. I just needed the car to run enough to get home that is TWO MILES away (which takes one single part) but he refused to put that part in without me paying for the rest. I am a college student and don't have the money to fix everything at once like that ... I was just hoping for him to be understanding instead of rude and refusing me service. read more

We've taken our cars to Almond's for years since it's convenient to our neighborhood and used to offer really good service, which seems to have declined... No more, after today. Not sure why no one at the front desk was wearing a mask; would really appreciate that consideration and thought businesses were supposed to follow that policy? The real kicker was being charged $66 for an oil change! Checked with the Mazda dealer and they only charge $50. Just doesn't seem like Almond's really cares too much about their customers anymore - read more

Zero stars if it was Possible. Awful service. My BF car broke down on our move across country. We did arrive before Closing and they were able to hold the car in their lot but stated there were cars in ahead of us waiting to be checked out and that they could have it looked at by noon the next day. We got a place to stay and waited for a return call. By noon, no call. We decided to pop by and found the workers just sitting around lolli gagging. Mind you, we were pressed for time. When they saw us, they just non chalantly said "oh we are going to look at it next". More time passed, gave us a diagnosis and Qoute which was ridiculous. We went to a nearby transmissions repair service and they quoted at least $1000 less and didn't even charge us to run in depth diagnostics. Almonds lacks professionalism, their workers are duds and so are the supervisors. Grow up! read more

They tried to charge me $48 for an oil change... I asked for my key back and went to Kauffman Tires. Kauffman only charged me $27 and their employees actually cracked a smile. I'm so tired of automotive parts stores trying to overcharge me because I'm a woman!! I came here for the good reviews, but for a simple oil change and good customer service...this ain't it. read more

I was visiting my daughter in Gainesville. Her car was past due for an oil change and a tire light was on. I contacted Almonds based on the consistent positive reviews. They provided a very reasonable price for the oil change with full synthetic oil. The oil change was done, the found a screw and repaired the tire, rotated the tires, and replaced the dirty air and cabin filters. It was performed professionally, timely and reasonably priced. Very friendly place. I highly recommend them. read more

Friendly staff. Expertise advice. Fast service. Definitely will continue business with the company.

They aren't fast, but they are wonderful. And that's what matters most in the end. I took my car in for a new battery and they checked her from top to bottom while I was there. I was already planning on getting a new car, so they made sure I knew all the issues my previous one had before trying to sell - made it at lot easier to tell when a dealership was trying to yank my chain on the value. That was completely unexpected and a huge favor. I will come here from now on! read more

This used to be city line Citgo, but just changed to Marathon recently. I assume it is the same owners as before. This is a WONDERFUL place to have work on your car done. They are very reasonably priced and always busy with their repair business. If you don't have a mechanic in town that you know or like, this is recommended. I found them originally in the mechanic files on cartalk.com, which is the best review site I know for auto mechanics. read more

We have been dealing with Almond's for many years. We have found them to be dependable and we have always been satisfied with the results. Mike and the team have kept our cars in good shape for local and interstate driving. Thank you to Almond's for many years of excellent service! Joe Stewart (Please disregard any negative review you might have seen under my name as it was sent in error.) read more

I've had mixed experiences here. Brought my car here 3 times, first for a more major service including changing brake fluids and serpentine belt, second time for a more routine oil change and tire rotation, third time for an assessment of a battery problem that remained after a battery replacement. Obviously I went back a third time because prior experiences were fine and this place has good reviews. I do like that they provide free shuttle service when your car is at their shop. However, my third time here led me to decide not to bring non-routine issues here in the future. The team was kind enough to be willing to look at my car briefly at the end of their work day and told me most likely my alternator needs to be changed. They said they needed to assess more fully the next day, but the next morning they called to say the exact same thing. My car was also making a loud noise after idling; when asked about that, they said they need to change the alternator first before figuring out the rest. Quoted a price that was significantly higher than other places even with a part that had the same duration of warranty, so I decided not to go through with it. Because of that I was charged a half hour assessment fee, which was expected and reasonably fair, even though I wasn't pleased since they really didn't give me additional info after doing a "more thorough" assessment. When I picked up my car, they then said ALL of the issues were due to the alternator (so there was some inconsistency to what was communicated to me). They helped me jump start my car but in the process broke the positive port cover of my battery...which is not a big deal. The most frustrating part is when I brought my car to another mechanic, who spent a longer time to look at my car, they found that both my battery and alternator were working fine, and that it was a separate electronic drainage issue due to a faulty relay. I ended up spending only 20% of the price I would have been charged at Almond's, and it actually fixed the problem. read more

I've been going to this shop off and on for a long time and was always satisfied. My Dad and my brother's family also have used this shop without any issues. Apparently they've gone through a change of management, which might be in large part why it seems things have changed, both from my personal experience and from reviews read online. When I dropped off my car and waited for the check up and estimate. I was told the valves needed to be replaced among several other minor maintanace issues. They quoted me a little under 500. I compared the costs online and they were overpriced both in parts and labor. I went ahead with it though due to my past with the place and left my car there to get worked on. When I called later in the day to check on the progress they said they'd discovered that my valve covers had holes in them and were busted pretty badly. So I needed two new covers. The quote then jumped to 1500. I did some research and saw that Honda 2008s can have these issues. So, aside from the weirdness that they didn't bring this up from the onset, I thought this could possibly be the case. I committed to the 1500. Then when they called to tell me the work they'd done was finished, they told me my power steering pump and line needed to be replaced and quoted me for another potential 900... I called another auto shop and asked them if it made sense for them to have discovered these different issues in a staggered fashion, and the manager there said that, that should not have been the case... I'd be wary of this place. Aside from this off-putting encounter, they overcharge a lot for labor these days. read more

They were quick and the price for my synthetic oil change was the best I could find- Plan to return~~

I dropped my car off at Almond's automotive early on a Wednesday morning at 9:00 am for minor automotive work ( I needed a new battery). When I called back at 1:30 pm to ask for an update on the status of my repair I was informed that my car "hadn't even been looked at yet". When I asked if they could estimate how long before they could get around to it I was told "I'm sorry I can't give any estimate on how long it would take." I promptly called around and found somewhere close (13 min also NAPA approved) who was busy but was still willing to take us immediately. The people were nice about us not using their business and didn't seem shocked in the least. It must happen a lot. I assume by how busy they were that someone enjoyed their services and I feel discouraged that I am unable to unless I took more than the day I took off for this sole purpose. Good news, I found a local mechanic who is awesome and like a rockstar, made me feel comfortable, welcome, and seemed hyper proficient at his tasks. Unfortunately, none of these were Almond's Automotive... read more

My daughter's car was making a strange noise when it was making turns, the day before she was driving to Orlando from Gainesville to pick up her friend. She took the car by Almond's Automotive early the day she was leaving for Orlando and they checked it right away, put some oil on some wheel parts, took care of the problem and didn't even charge her. The car is running smoothly now. It is reassuring to know they are trustworthy and have integrity. My daughter will be taking her car to them from now on for needed repairs. Thank you Almond Automotive!! Carol L. read more

I have been screwed by many mechanics in Gainesville so I was scared about getting a simple job done. I needed an oil change and came to Almond's. They were so nice, quick and honest. I asked for a tire rotation and it ended up being, I didn't need one so they let me know and I saved myself some money! I'll definitely be back! read more

We no longer live in town, and had to bring our car back here because no one in our town was giving us quotes worthy of consideration. With our sunroof broken open, we got quotes from some shops saying "it'll be up to $1000 and might not get it fixed". Almond's called us back within two hours of drop off, and was able to close our sunroof for FORTY FIVE DOLLARS. We fully expected to pay $500 or more, and they had every chance to take every penny we had. They were honest and ethical, and made the 3 hour trip to come back to Gainesville worthwhile. If you need a mechanic, GO TO ALMOND'S. read more

My daughters car was located at a nearby apartment and hadn't started in two months. They help me get it running and to the shop and made an honest assessment. They could've easily sold me a battery I didn't need but instead gave us a good estimate of how much the car was worth when I told them I'd probably sell it for parts instead. I really appreciated their "old fashioned" service and honesty. We will return! read more

These guys are my favorite car mechanics. Honest, reliableand fair work at good prices.

These guys are the ONLY place that my wife and I will take out vehicles to get work done. My office has a fleet of trucks and they all go to Cityline (AKA Marathon Gas and Auto Repair). There has been numerous times that I have brought a vehicle to them expecting to pay alot for a major repair and walked out paying a fraction of the price for a permanent fix that other mechanics would never have informed you about. read more

This garage is located near U of F and could easily rip off the college kids but they don't. They took great care of my old Chevy Blazer and are probably the best team of mechanics I've been to. These dudes should get a big bonus... read more

Fair prices and honest service. They did not charge for diagnosing the problem, explained the problem and the estimated cost, and did the work quickly. I will go back to them when I need a mechanic, and will recommend them to friends. read more

I had some car trouble while on a recent road trip to Tampa, and found myself at Almond's Automotive looking for help. We showed up unexpectedly without any appointment while they were clearly quite busy, but they still began to help us almost immediately. They gave the car a quick diagnosis as soon as we explained our troubles, ordered the replacement hose from a nearby dealership after identifying what was needed, and squeezed the repair between their existing schedule so we wouldn't be stalled there all day and could continue our trip. As we were essentially stuck there without options, we wouldn't have had much choice but to go with whatever amount they quoted us, but they still gave us a very reasonable price for both parts and labor. Combine that with the very friendly and polite way in which they handled everything, and Almond's made for a bright spot in an otherwise bothersome bit of car trouble. read more

Honest, good service. Better than average pricing. There is a reason these guys have been around for as long as they have.

Staff was polite and efficient, got me in and out within 45 mins for oil change and tire rotation at a reasonable price.

Solid shop. Dropped my car of on a busy day to have it looked at and was called back in a little over 3 hours. They were unable to do the repair work I needed because it was transmission problems on a new import. They didn't charge me for looking over it. Will definitely come back next time. read more

Almond's Automotive is awesome. I had my car towed there with a dead battery and a hood latch that the Hyundai dealer had previously told me was broken. I wasn't able to open the hood at all to change the battery. Almond's was able to pop the hood, they changed out my battery and told me the hood latch wasn't broken at all, there was just a piece a plastic blocking the release. The Hyundai dealer wanted to charge me $200 to replace the latch! My car was fixed very quickly, they did a great job and only charged me for the battery replacement. I highly recommend this place, I'll never go to the dealer again! read more

I must say that I was quite skeptical of all the positive reviews. You know the old saying "If it sounds too good to be true......". But, I was pleasantly surprised. I went there expecting to pay over $100 for a tune-up, and they fixed the problem for just a few dollars (air filter). I would say that the only limitation is that they are a small 'boutique' sort of business (which is not necessarily a bad thing), so, their work force and garage space is limited, if you need something done right away. But, bottom line, they keep their overhead and advertising low, and pass the savings on to the customer.... read more

I'm a terribly poor college student so when the brakes in my car started to give out I had a panic attack about how much it was going to cost me especially when my initial estimate Firestone was close to $300. I called Almond's and asked for a second opinion they saw me that very day and they fixed my brakes the same day for almost half the price. Not only that the service from the gentlemen there was unbelievable, I felt like I was getting advice from my dad or an uncle instead of being taken advantage of for not knowing anything about cars. Absolutely love this place and will use here for as long as I'm living in Gainesville. read more

Honest, friendly, fair prices, and open late!! Was warned by the man at the desk that it could be very expensive and was expecting a very high price job when he called. However he said "you dodged a bullet" it was something much less complicated. And the total was under $100.00. I was very thankful for this. The shop is open till 11pm for great convenience. This shop is shared together with the marathon gas station. It's not your typical gas station with cigarettes, sodas, beer, and candy. It's just gas pumps the shop waiting room area is very clean and I definitely recommend this mechanic shop. read more

Let me just say that the folks are nice but don't seem like very competent mechanics. I know enough to do a lot of work on my cars, but don't want to mess with it. Based on reviews here, I've taken two vehicles there. Both times what SHOULD have been a simple fix turned into a fiasco. Need to tighten those bolts and screws, guys. At least the gas is cheap. read more

I went to the Kia dealership first and they were trying to charge me $800 just IN PARTS. My car needed a lot of work done and was hardly drivable. Almond automotive was the most reasonable about the cost of parts and labor. They even called and told me I only needed two coils (instead of 4, like the Kia dealership told me I needed). That just goes to show me Almond is honest! I will be taking my car here from now on. Seriously recommend. Thanks guys, you're great! read more

Short version: After going to them for approximately 2 years, they attempted to charge me ANOTHER $600 for a new radiator when I paid them $600 14 months prior for a brand new one. I denied to pay for ANOTHER new radiator because my family mechanic felt they were ripping me off. It has been ~7 months and over 3,000 miles since I denied to pay for a new part and there is NOT A SINGLE INDICATION (checked by numerous mechanics) my radiator needed to or needs to be replaced. Here is the long version of my story: When I first came to Gainesville with my car Sophomore year of college (at UF), I absolutely loved Almond's Automotive. My first time using their services, I had my tires and oil changed. About a year later, while driving, I noticed that my engine's temperature gauge was at the highest temperature. When I took to them, they told me that I had a hole in my radiator and it would need to be entirely replaced for approximately $600. They stressed to me that this is a necessary repair and that I should not even drive my car off their property without fixing it. I was skeptical about how expensive the part and labor was so I contacted my family's mechanic and he said it was OVERPRICED but IF THEY ARE TELLING THE TRUTH, it's necessary. So I got it fixed. About 14 months later (in June 2016), I brought my car back into them to check my AC unit because it was not working. They told me my refrigerant levels were low, which I figured, but ALSO (during an entire inspection of the car) that there was ANOTHER hole in my radiator and it was be around $600 AGAIN. I calmly alerted them to the fact that I JUST had a new one installed a year ago. The man found my information and told me that QUOTE "In that case, your radiator is definitely within its lifetime warranty because almost all of our radiators we get are If that is the case, you would only need to pay for labor. Let me verify this and call you back". I get a call approximately 10 minutes later with the same man telling me "I am very sorry to tell you this, but apparently the radiator we put into your car has only a 1 year warranty and it looks like you are 2 months out of that... So you would have to pay for a brand new one plus labor which would be approximately $600". Still calmly, I asked why the radiator I purchased 14 months prior was not a lifetime warranty like he led me to believe and he said "I honestly have no idea. It could be because we rushed the part for you". This annoyed me because at the time of the first repair, I never implied or said that this repair needed to be rushed. I began to explain to the guy that I am not willing to pay another $600 simply because they thought it was in MY best interest to rush the part when I could have waited however long. He proceeded to accept responsibility and offered to talk to his boss about lowering the price. After speaking to his boss, he told me that the lowest he could do was around $500. When I told him I am still not paying for that, he proceeded to give me a long speech about how this is a very serious issue and (AGAIN) he suggests I not even drive it an inch off their property without it being fixed. AGAIN, I called my family's mechanic and he told me that they were ripping me off and to not get it fixed this time around because they should HONOR their faulty work and services. My mechanic told me to check my coolant levels every day to see if it is leaking and if it is not, the next time I went home (to NJ) that he would repair it for half their price because he knew I was OVERCHARGED and UNDERVALUED as a customer. Here is the best part... As of today (almost 7 months later), I have driven over 3,000 miles (including countless 300+ trips) and there has not been a single indication that my radiator has a hole in it. Still to this day, I check my coolant level before long trips and the levels have STILL NEVER dropped drastically indicating the radiator has a hole. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A STUDENT WHO DOES NOT KNOW ABOUT PART PRICING. THEY HAVE AND WILL TRY TO RIP YOU OFF. read more

I've gone to these guys for more than 10 years and have never failed to be satisfied. They know me and my daughter by first name, and they even remember when we had the last work done. They have done minor repairs for us for free, they have taken the trouble to shop around for inexpensive used parts for some major repairs, and they are very good about letting me know what work needs to happen now and what isn't a safety issue and can wait. They are great about helping me keep my maintenance costs under control for my aging cars. They are getting busier as their reputation spreads, so count on leaving your car for the day if you need any big work done. But they have been unfailingly honest and helpful. I couldn't ask for more. read more

Harry & Mike are great! They are honest, they never tried to rip me off and are priced fair.