I have an older car with low miles, which recently started running rough. I did a little work myself and figured out what the issue was, since I have a tough time trusting auto repair estimates... too many bad stories out there. I talked to Josh, who told me what he thought the issue was, even though I didn't tell him any more than the symptoms. I believe in shopping locally, and he passed my first test. I dropped the car off overnight and got a call first thing in the morning with a complete diagnosis. Josh worked with me on what I could afford and even let me know about finance options (No interest for 6 months - NICE!) I got the work done that I could afford, it was done quickly (before noon!) and it was done courteously. A huge "thank you" to the owner and employees for rewarding me for shopping locally. You've earned my business today and in the future. A trustworthy mechanic is a HUGE value for a used car driver like myself. Thanks! read more

I was concerned about a noise I was noticing after new tire installation and ball bearing work. Both office staff had driven the car before necessary work and after. I called a few days after completed work and was told to come in at my convenience. After a road test I was reassured that it was only road noise. I'm grateful for knowledgeable staff and the convenience of the auto shop being near my home. ​​ read more

We are new to the area. I was looking online for a mechanic and saw the good reviews Carlson Auto had so I decided to give them a try. I was impressed from the first phone call until the time I drove away with my car running better than it has in years. They were able to get me in, get my car repaired and back on the road, all in one day!! I was treated with respect and professionalism throughout the experience. They correctly diagnosed the problem with my car (which other mechanics had failed to do). Their shop is clean, really clean. Everything about my experience was positive. read more

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Brought my car here for years with no issue but the last few times have left me feeling like they don't deserve my business. Had they done the inspections they claim to do, they would have caught issues before they turned into bigger issues. When I brought this up with the service advisor, I was told sometimes they are too busy and miss things. They can also call around and probably find you better deals on parts if you complain enough. Why not shop around for the best price the first time? It really just seems like they are doing everything they can to nickel and dime the customer these days. The work they do seems fine but I simply don't trust anything they say anymore and the service advisors are some of the most unfriendly people I've ever dealt with. Looking forward to finding a new shop to bring my cars to. read more

Everything you want from a shop. Fast, reasonable, quality work you can trust. Been going there for years and have had consistently great experiences. read more

Almost have never been bent over this bad. I told them that I had a leaking brake hose, right front. They charged $50 for diagnostics. Then they charged $33 for shop supplies after I paid $20 for 4 oz of brake fluid, they marked up the part 300%. Brake hose is retail $30 wholesale is less20%. Charged $76. I can undrestand and advocate for reasonable margins. Its the extra $80 in screwing that every customer suffers. read more

incompetent, rude, and dishonest told me one thing and did something different 10/10 wnr read more

This was our go to shop for many many years. Dani at the front desk was amazing, friendly and very thorough, never up-selling... until recently, seems like there has been a change of management and a change in attitude. The guy at the front now seems more interested in up-selling than actually helping with the needs that the customer is sharing. The quality of service has become questionable as well. The prices seem to have gone up and the level of customer service has gone down. Not sure what is going on. I want to help local businesses as much as I can, so Carlson Auto if you are listening, please go back to your original morals that made you a loving neighborhood business. Will take the car one last time to the shop and will update this review based on the experience. read more

I bought a new car. I could tell something was up. I call up Carlson auto it's right in my home town, perfect!! All I'm going to say is I definitely feel like I've been taken advantage of. So to all the younger perhaps female audience steer clear from here. 700-800 dollars for two tires when I was under the impression I was getting 4. All we need to know is that all the food reviews are from 7+ years ago. Good luck! read more

These people have tried to rip my wife off twice now. I'm tired of these liars. Was told today we had a head gasket leak for 6k, got a second opinion by a gm mechanic and it was just the water pump. They are scum bags. Lying cheats. read more

Great service on my truck and got me an appointment within a few days. I shopped pricing and they were one of the least expensive. Great bang for buck for sure! read more

Absolutely amazing. I am never disappointed with Carlson Auto. Dave is great, so is the other Dave! Finally diagnosed an issue that other mechanics could not or would not. The shop is very clean, and organized. The waiting area is comfortable. The staff reminds me of the kind of welcoming people I knew in my small home town. Easy to work with. Prompt, and courteous. I highly recommend Carlson Auto! read more

I have been taking my car is here for a couple years now and everything was going well, they were a little on the pricier side but as long as the service is that that level I don't mind. Now it seems that it has gotten more expensive and the quality has gone down. I am the type of person that if you were the only person that has worked on the vehicle and when I get it back something else doesn't work that you should have to cover that now broken part. Unfortunately they don't feel that same way and now I feel it is time to part ways and find someone that is more trusted and priced for the quality of work that they are doing. Are used to recommend this place and now I recommend not to go to this place. read more

These guys are awesome!!!! They went above and beyond for me. I live outside the metro, in rural MN and my car needed a tow from Paradise Casino. They gave an estimate to fix it, found a scrap buyer for me and cleaned the car so I could pick up my belongings the next weekend. I would give them ten stars if I could!!!!! read more

I have been taking my trucks here for 20 years, and Dave always does a great job. Now my son takes his truck here too. Great local business. read more

Carlson auto is amazing, my girlfriend's car broke down, it was towed to Carlson auto they took such great care of her. They inspected everything Took the time and care to make sure that everything was fixed correctly. They gave her a breakdown of her estimate, made sure that she understood all of the work and fees associated. Not only did they do the best work they truly cared about her safety. I highly recommend this place to everyone! read more

They do fine work, however it's quite expensive. Sadly, they don't take customer safety into consideration at all. Not one employee was wearing a mask during a pandemic. When asked about it they said "we don't do that here". I will gladly find a safer, more affordable place to go. read more

The most trustworthy/ethical and all-out customer focused shop around. Brought my vehicle in to repair a problem with the power steering - they got us in for an appointment same-day that we called. Within an hour of dropping the vehicle off I received a phone call that the steering pump was bad and that it was a 6 hour job and north of $1,000 as they have to drop the transfer case on my AWD vehicle to replace it. I asked them to go ahead with the repair because I trust this shop and they have always treated me right. Was extremely happy another hour or so later when I received a call back that they found there was a recall on the power steering pump. They had already called a local dealer to confirm that the repair would be covered. When I picked up the vehicle the only thing I received was a great smile from receptionist and my keys; they charged me nothing for their time to diagnose and call the dealer to be sure I was covered. I'd recommend taking your vehicle here for repairs no matter how large or small. Great ethical business that takes pride in their work and reputation, and does high quality work that they stand behind. Thanks Carlson Cottage Grove Team!! read more

I had an emergency flat tire with two mail in it. AAA gave me enough air to get to their recommended service station which was Carlson's. I drove down to where I thought it was and it turned out I was a little lost. I called Carlson's and they gave me directions. Once I got there, they quickly assessed the damage and for a reasonable price they had it fixed up quickly, too. read more

Always take our cars here. Brought my daughter's older (much older) car in today. They gave me an honest quote and even though I decided not to invest any more money in the car they were friendly and positive. Even had caramels on the counter!! Will always bring my cars here for service. read more

They are excellent from start to finish! Competitive pricing and I felt very confident in their ability to diagnose the problem and a full repair. They were able to be flexible to schedule my appointment and worked to complete all repairs in a timely manner. They communicated clearly and were considerate to explain everything to me. I am very happy with the repairs and will definitely be back! read more

Driving north from Red Wing, I noticed my tire pressure monitor indicated air loss from the right rear. By Hastings it was down to 20 psi. I dropped into Carlson Auto and threw myself at their mercy as I wasn't going to make it much further. Sometimes you get lucky! The efficient and stunningly beautiful female service advisor wrote up the repair order and took my keys. I sat down in the comfortable lounge and started to read a magazine. About three pages into my reading, I was shocked to be presented with the nail that was in my tire. Five minutes later and I was back down the road. JUST plain awesome! This just happened about an hour ago and I'm still in disbelief at how excellent this experience was at Carlson Auto. read more

Carlson's Auto was very helpful with my vehicle problem. They checked my car, told me what was wrong, and how it could be fixed properly. Unfortunately, when they called to make a claim for my car's warranty it ended up that I could not have my car serviced there, due to the "warranty fine print". They were very helpful about this situation and put me at ease. Their customer service was exceptional and even though I ended up not having my car fixed with them and I had to go make another appointment elsewhere, they were very mindful and compassionate about the whole situation and I greatly appreciated it!!! read more

Carlson Auto in Cottage Grove always works to get me in last minute and provides excellent, trustworthy service at a very reasonable price. I would highly recommend it to anyone! read more

This is the worst experience I have ever had with getting a car repair. They constantly fought for me to get work done on my car that I knew was not in need of repair to get more money out of me. The one repair I did agree to have done, they installed a faulty and incorrect part, and when I found out I decided to fix the part myself instead and they refused to give me a refund even for the warranted part that I brought back to them. They have poor customer service, they perform low quality work, and they over charge for the simplest tasks. I would not recommend this auto shop to anyone. read more

Finding a place you can trust to get your car fixed can be a challenge, although AAA approval is a good indication. Carlson Auto have AAA approval, are trustworthy, and demonstrate great attention to detail. I can recommend their services. read more

We took a car in that we knew had multiple things wrong with it. The estimate we received was extremely high. A quick search of the parts quoted showed as much as a 450% markup on parts charges compared to manufacturer parts and/or the parts from DIY shops down the road. When we made note of specifically the one that had been marked up 450% we were suddenly told that a new parts distributer had been found and the quote was adjusted to only be marked up 150% for that specific part but didn't address the hugely marked up remainder of the parts needed. We took the quote given to us 2 blocks away and were given a matching quote that came in several hundred dollars cheaper. Doing our research we called another place and were told that some of the work we were being quoted on didn't match the description of the problems and they wanted to do an independent diagnosis. That's when we found out that Carlson Auto was planning on charging us over $200 for the diagnostics. This was not disclosed ahead of time. We were told that it was so high because in order to diagnose a/c you have to charge the Freon and put dye in to see the leaks and we had to be charged for that Freon. This is true however there was absolutely zero mention of this fee ahead of time and that no one had called to confirm it during the day. Law dictates they must disclose fees ahead of time. They agreed to release the car with no fee as it had not been disclosed up front but only after we really complained. The car was taken in for another estimate and discovered that again Carlson's story didn't add up. They either drained the Freon they said they put in from the car or did not do the work at all. The next shop said there was still a vacuum, the car was completely empty of Freon and no indication at all of any dye from a leak. They also stated that the tires that Carlson Auto wanted to replace were only about 50% worn and not being recommended for replacement yet. They indicated that additional work that Carlson wanted to charge quite a lot of money for was most likely being added based on car mileage and not actual need and we could decide if we actually wanted to have that done or not. We had the car fixed and the Freon charged and left the shop with a working car for about 1/3 the price of the estimate from Carlson Auto. read more