Very honest, reasonable and quick. I've been going here for years and will continue to! Ara is the man! I knew they were good to go years ago when they said don't even bother having us fix your car just get rid of it (salt/rust damage from back east). Zero thirst for money which I really appreciate. read more

What a great place! It's not easy to find a competent and honest auto repair shop. Castle Automotive is the both and more. Great repairs, great customer service and honest. Castle was suggested to me by several of my friends. Well, they were right. This will be the only place I'll be taking my car for repair. Thank you Castle Automotive!! read more

Absolutely recommend this business, very friendly, incredibly affordable and excellent service.

I had a really great experience with the guys at Castle. I brought my car in for an issue with the overhead light in my car, as well as an issue with the back lights on some of my AC controls. It turned out to be a really simple fuse fix, so they ended up not even charging me for it! I am looking to sell my car, so when they were under the hood, they told me that my radiator cap was leaking, so I had them fix that. They were able to get it done super quickly. They also recommended me to Leo's Auto Body shop right next door for some body damage that I had from an accident, and I also had an amazing experience with those guys. Overall, they were super friendly and helpful, and I would definitely recommend them to any friends or family in the valley. read more

So honest... and super professional! Thank you Ara. Happy customer, will return!

Great service! I've been going here for 7 months now. They take care of my car, and my wife and many of my friends. I refer them all the time. They are honest, fair and perform quality work. I drove my 2018 Ford truck in recently to check a small noise. "It's time to get a different truck, we can fix it, but you would save more money in the long run by getting a newer truck. Start test driving some here and we will check them out for you. Get you in a better vehicle." Very Fair! . read more

Castle Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - Van Nuys, California

Great shop! Honest and efficient. Will definitely take all my automotive issues to Castle Automotive.

I have been to Castle Automotive 3 times now. Ara (and Steve) are knowledgeable, friendly and honest. They quote the work, do it fast and you pay the price they quoted. No surprises....But what impressed me most, was on my last visit, two different customers had their vehicles checked out......both times...the answer they got was... "Car checks out fine!! You're good to go!" No...surprise repairs, no shady problems. Just a place and people I can trust! I whole-heartedly recommend! Go there. They will earn your loyalty too! read more

Extremely honest and legit auto repair shop! I took my car in there this morning after experiencing a very slight brake noise when I come to a stop. First the owner, Ara came out to take a look at my brake pads and said that they look fine, he then asked his mechanic to take the car out for a test, the mechanic came back and said that they were fine, Ara suggested that it would not be worthwhile doing a new brake job and that my brakes are safe. Now if that is not a mechanic that is worthwhile keeping, then I do not know what is! I highly recommend this legitimate auto repair shop. Thank you Castle Automotive and Ara. read more

I have been to this shop two times this year for major to minor repairs, and both times I've left extremely satisfied. Ara is an awesome guy and extremely helpful. He will give you straight answers and will be honest about the things you do and don't need. Castle has fixed both my car and my girlfriends car and both times they've done an excellent job and quickly too. Both times were same day. Can't say enough good things about this place. Definitely 5 STARS! read more

Great experience. Honest and good at explaining what was wrong and what was needed. Harder to find then you think!

I am very impressed with the level of professionalism at this place. I'm always skeptical about taking my car in for service, however, the staff here definitely put me at ease. They're very honest and don't push services on you that aren't needed. They're also great at clarifying and offering solutions to any and all car related issues. I really appreciate the service here, thank you Castle Automotive! I finally found a mechanic shop I can trust! read more

Was referred to Castle after Galpin Ford wanted $195 just to hook up the diagnostic device to my 2011 Ford Edge; any parts/labor would be ADDED to that! Steve said Castle's charge is $110 and is applied to the bill if the repair is done so I gave Castle a try. Turned out to be a minor part and the total bill was $161; would have been more than double at Galpin. I have found a new home! Galpin BLEW IT! The diagnostic device is a small wireless hand-held thick tablet that Steve just walked over to my car, hooked up and in 2 minutes knew what he was looking for. That is what Galpin wanted $195 for - 2 minutes of work by an electronic device! Thank you, Steve. Thank you Castle Automotive. And thank you to my friend Annette for referring me. read more

Ara and his staff at Castle Automotive, offer, by far, the BEST auto repair service around. I came there this morning for the first time with a AAA tow truck, after requesting a quote for replacing the Alternator. (That's what the AAA claimed was needed). Not only did I receive an immediate, fair quote, Ara encouraged me, before anything, to come to the shop and have them check the car. It turned out that the AAA either lied or just had no idea...I just needed a new battery. Ara also gladly agreed, to my request, to check another problem in the car, which turned out to be at the moment nothing substantial. He did not charge me for their time and efforts in any of the testing. I cannot speak highly enough about this place, how decent, honest, professional, and cordial they are. I will definitely come back and refer them to anyone I know. Thank you Castle Automotive. read more

Ara and his team are amazing. Finally found a place where they are honest, have great communication and never over charge me or make me feel dumb since I know nothing about cars lol. I highly recommend this place read more

It's rare to find good honest mechanics these days. I'm so happy I was referred to Castle Automotive. Ara is a good honest mechanic who won't try and sell you stuff you don't need. He tells you exactly what needs to be fixed and tells you honestly if something really needs to be fixed or if it's not necessary to fix right away. He is very reasonably priced and super friendly. He is a person that truly cares about his customers and he is very professional. This is a place you can take your vehicle and know that it will be fixed right. A big thanks to Ara and his great mechanics for keeping my cars running strong for years and years. read more

I left LA a few years back...I don't miss too much of it, but Ara and Castle are definitely one of the things I do miss in LA. I called Ara today because I was looking to buy a used car in North Hollywood and wanted to know what he would charge me for a pre-purchase inspection. He didn't really remember me, but that's ok, I wasn't looking for specialized treatment, just a decent quote. Ara gave me a few options, and of course, was the lowest of 4 LA/OC mechanics I quoted. When I lived in LA, even though I was driving a early 90's vehicle (with a little history) I never worried, because I knew I had access to the best mechanic in the TMZ. (When I brought the car in, stuff that was fixed stay fixed, and things that might be an issue in the future were brought to my attention before something could have left me stranded beside the road. Was never overcharged - and I compared his quotes and work to other shops on a few different jobs.) Another Yelper (one of the only ones to give a 1 star review) claims the customer service was snarky...Not sure what happened there, but that's not the guy that maintained my daily driver (which is still in great shape today, in part to Ara's care) for 5+ years. Always respectful of the customer, even if you didn't speak "cars." (I've never brought coffee and doughnuts to any mechanics or repair shops, but I brought them to Ara's shop.) Ara is easily the most friendly, honest and straightforward mechanic I have ever known. Ara provides professional, personalized service - and really knows his cars. Love this shop. read more

Just adding my review to the already glowing reviews on yelp. I brought my car in to Toyota and I was told it would be $800 for the annual tuneup there was something else wrong with it but I forgot what that was. And Castle charged me $330. The car runs fine now. read more

I literally cannot recommend this place enough. Castle has been my go-to place for the last two years. As a woman without any car knowledge I always get nervous taking my car into a mechanic, but Ara is kind, explains what's going on with car in terms I understand and always make sure I know and approve the cost before they do anything. read more

I sent my neighbor here, after Firestone in Reseda quoted her over 300.00! She went here this morning and it was 53.00 total! She was so happy, and said they have great customer service skills also. This will be her new place. Thanks guys for treating her right. :) read more

These guys have fixed nails in three of my cars over the past 5 years. Always courteous, friendly and quick. $20 to fix my flat compared with $200 to replace the tire. Well we all know the answer to that question. Thank you Castle Automotive read more

This review is for customer service which is not a small aspect of any business... In my mind, there's no room for a snarky attitude in this kind of economy- I needed a replacement side view mirror and had questions as to how fast this could happen. I'm not in the industry so I actually don't know the answers to the questions I'm asking, imagine that. I can't speak to the quality of work, but honestly I imagine it's not rocket science to replace a mirror and would've been satisfied had I been treated respectfully. Instead I'll be going elsewhere w my 5 star review for an easy job.. read more

I've never been there, never met the guys. My sons car broke down and I yelped a good mechanic. The tow truck picked up the car and took it to a place I found at yelp (Castle). I called and talked to Steve the next morning. I told him the car died and had no idea what the problem was. I couldn't get there to look at it so I had to trust his call. I thought I was looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars. They found the problem, fixed it fast and it turned out to be relatively minor. I trusted them and they came through. I didn't see that coming when I blindly choose where to take the car. Thanks Steve. follow up: I've now been there many times with many cars. These guys have always treated me great. Something goes wrong with one of my cars or one of my kids cars "Let's take it over to Castle and see what they think." read more

While I didn't have any paid service done at Castle Automotive, they still get a great review from me. On Sunday afternoon, my wife was driving her 03 Mitsubishi Eclipse from Huntington Beach to Bakersfield alone. She was on the 405 freeway in traffic when her car stalled and had to be pushed out of traffic by the CHP. She was 50 miles from home in the unfamiliar area of Sherman Oaks. Allstate Auto Club wanted $600 to tow the car to our mechanic near home ($100 hookup and $10 per mile). She opted to have it towed and parked on Van Nuys Blvd and I drove up and took her home as it was now evening and no mechanic shops were open. That night, I did some Google searching and came up with a few auto repair shops near by, including Castle Automotive which had good reviews. On Monday morning, we fought the 405 traffic and drove up, were able to start the car, and got it to Castle Automotive. While parking in the small lot, Ara (the owner I believe) came out and introduced himself. We explained the problem my wife had the day before and that the car was now running OK. Ara took the time to ask questions, check a lot of under hood engine connections, and then got a computer hook up and ran a diagnostic check on the car and systems. No immediate problems could be found without a lengthy test drive so we opted to drive the car home and hope it didn't stall again. Ara did not charge for the time it took to run the diagnostics. He probably spent 20-25 minutes total with us and was very pleasant and helpful. He never seemed rushed even though it was obvious he was very busy with other cars being serviced. He even recommended a nearby cafe for breakfast when we asked. So, due to circumstances, we didn't have to actually have any repairs done at Castle but the experience was great. A truly professional and nice person running the shop. It was nice to meet someone who took the time to help out folks from out of the neighborhood and make them feel comfortable. I'm sure that any work done there would have been beyond satisfactory. read more

Definitely bring your car here! These guys are fast, professional, and inexpensive. They do an incredible job for a great price! I will only come here from now on. read more

I've been coming here for years but only recently have had an account with Yelp. Also as I write this I happen to be sitting here waiting for a repair. Ara is the best. They are honest. Never try to sell something you don't need. Countless times I've brought a car here and Ara would look at it and say, "no there is nothing wrong. That light shouldn't have come on." "Cool, So how much do I owe you?" "No charge." This is normal. Not just 'cause I am beautiful. Which I am, but that's a different point. I have sent all my friends here and even though I don't live in the valley anymore I drive all the way here because I never have to worry. They are awesome. read more

Don't go anywhere else! Ara and the team are so honest and helpful! Anywhere else is a waste of time, money and effort!

Love this place!! Ara (hope I spelled it right!) is kind and so, so helpful. I've had to stop by without an appointment a couple of times with my baby daughter, and he took care of us quickly (even though he was slammed)! Car repairs can be so expensive and stressful, but he was patient and fair, generous even. So glad we found these guys. Highly recommend! read more

I've been taking my car to Ara for four years. I've had nothing but good experiences with them. I have total trust in Castle to keep my 14 year old Camry up and running. read more

I feel lucky to have found Ara and Castle Automotive. When we moved to the Valley, I was pretty nervous about finding a competent, honest mechanic. I don't remember how we came across Castle, but I'm really happy we did. He's done excellent work on our Jeep Cherokee and my previous car, a Mazda. Everything from routine oil changes to a heater core replacement and more. His work has been great and the prices are very reasonable. A couple of times we've had to go back for quick follow-up fixes and he usually doesn't charge for this type of thing. That's called standing behind your work! He (or his dad) even gives my wife a ride home and picks her up when the work is done. Seriously, so cool. read more

Castle is the best. They'll tell it to me straight. If I need something done right away they'll let me know how serious it really is. I've been going here for 3 years and I believe my car drives better now than it did when I first bought it. My co-workers were the first to recommend this place to me and I'm glad they did because I wouldn't know where else to take my car for repairs otherwise. For the longest time I was doing the Jiffy Lube and Pep Boys run around. My mistake. Those places really messed up my car. It's a good thing Ara knew exactly what my car needed and fixed her up really well. I know I can trust him to take care of my car without any funny business. He's really cool and doesn't do any kind of sales pressuring. He's never tried to push me to do any unnecessary repairs. The best part is he treats my car like it's his own sisters car. He's never made me feel inferior because I'm a lady. From what I've seen he treats everyone the same. www.castleautomotive.com read more

I brought my car to Castle Automotive after I had been miss diagnosed by a few other shops even by Mercedes for my Gl350. Frustrated, I had turbo rebuilt and he installed it. He went through my car checking to make sure no other problems while my car was apart to avoid costly problems later. I still felt not quite right after turbo installed...he patiently took back and found a very inexpensive fix and my car is perfect after 6 months of frustrations with other shops. I wish I would have came here first! Fair prices, great guy. Highly recommend! Very pleased and will certainly come back for future work read more

I've had some pretty bad experiences with mechanics over the years, but not so with Castle. Friendly, reasonably priced and most importantly, honest! Which seems to be rare in this industry. Had my brakes done recently and after about an hour they called to tell me the total was going to be lower than estimated! I don't think that's ever happened to me in the past. And today while doing a minor repair they checked the air in my tires and replaced a burned out taillight. All part of the job. They have earned a loyal customer for life. read more

Castle Automotive did Excellent work on my car for reasonable price. Great Value. Ara is very competent and has been in business for years. They were recommended by John Kennedy of Independant Honda also in Van Nuys, CA. Thanks Ara, Kim read more

I went to Ara at Castle Automotive for five years, and all I can say is hands down, he is the best. You're not going to find a better mechanic. When I first moved from the Midwest to LA several years ago, it was a period of economic and professional struggles, as my husband and I were attempting to establish ourselves. Needless to say, it was imperative at the time to keep my older car running, as I could not handle a car payment. I initially took my Pontiac to Rydell, as, well they were the GM dealer, but they were skyrocket expensive, and had a bad habit of making fun of my car and telling me how terrible it was. (Let me reiterate that as the dealer it was their product to begin with.) A friend referred me to Ara. It was night and day. Not only is he hardworking, professional, friendly and courteous, he is very reasonably priced and HONEST. Over the course of five years, I went to him quarterly for either oil changes, maintenance issues or both. He kept my car running very smoothly, despite its age. He had no problem telling me some things weren't worth fixing (the AC), didn't need fixing yet (my brake noises were only due to brake dust and didn't need to be replaced yet) or cheaper alternatives. He never upsells, or quotes you one price then inflates it when you come to pick it up. Not only that but he will go out of his way for you. I can't tell you how many times he would go above and beyond- such as offering to have his father come in earlier than his normal business hours the next morning to accommodate my work schedule for pickup and payment; or personally driving my car to a nearby place to get my smog checked when I was running late for the registration (at the time he was no longer doing smog checks himself but he made sure I got it done in time!). There are more examples than this, but you get the idea. In the end, for 5 years, he made it economically viable for me to keep my car in repair without having to buy a new one. If you are wondering if it would have been cheaper to have had a car payment, I have the receipts and let me tell you I saved so much money, and I avoided having to get a second job. WELL worth it. My car was 14 years old before I retired it and got a new one. Thanks Ara for everything! read more

Brought my car into Castle for air conditioning work and an oil change. The AC work was extensive, and I was concerned that I wouldn't have my car the next day for a job interview. Ara called and said "We'll make sure we get you to your interview." Car was done by the end of the day. This was my second time at the shop, and I won't go anywhere else for service. It is that good and friendly! Thank you! read more

Castle Automotive is amazing! Steve @ Castle was great to work with. When I first took my car for what I thought was an oil leak they checked it out and did not find anything wrong. They proceeded to re-attach a piece of the under frame and did not charge me, I could not believe it. I then took the car in for a timing belt and paid just what was quoted. They are very nice people to work with and I highly recommend using them for your mechanic needs. We will definitely use them in the future. You can trust them and that goes a long way. As a woman going to a mechanic I feel like I will be taken advantage of but not here. Great Place ! read more

Castle Automotive is friendly, honest shop with expert mechanics and reasonable prices. I took my girlfriend's Saturn there a couple months ago for new brakes. After a thorough inspection it was deemed necessary to replace the brake pads and calipers. Ara showed me the parts and explained how the whole system worked. I waited to write the review here on Yelp to make sure nothing was wrong with the repairs and that they held up to daily driving. The replaced brake system have been working perfectly for the last couple months since the repairs. I'm confident these are people you can trust and that the quality is above average. I recommend Castle Automotive for your auto repairs. I will definitely be a return customer. read more

Have gone here a bunch of times. Recommend this place to all my friends in LA. They always do a good job and are nice people. Would give 6 stars if possible. Thanks guys! read more

Ara and his guys at Castle Automotive have taken care of my 2002 Ford Excursion diesel since it was new. I've been going to see Ara for over 25yrs. He is the very best. Family owned business run by an honest owner. Great work at a fair price. Oh, my truck just crossed 300,000 miles. Ara says it's just getting broke in....thanks. Robert F. read more