I am astonished to see this business is rated 2.6 stars. We took our 2005 Honda Element in for what I was told was routine sensor replacement and everything worked great. I...highly recommend Charlie's Auto repair service to everyone read more

My dad brought his car in for an AC repair... he was charged $700 and the AC still didn't work. The shop claimed he needed another $1,000 repair. He took it elsewhere and was told it was simply a $30 part and the first repair done wasn't even necessary. Dad is retired and on a fixed income so it's really a bummer the shop pulled this... wish we'd checked review first. read more

Well, it happened to me too, I became victim to this scam shop. I got scammed by this Auto Repair shop, like many others, it seems, just by the reviews, it's possible to tell. I truly regret not checking online about this fraud prior to going to this shop. The shop was already reported several times over, but I was recommended going to this shop by a family member and did not know. Our car's air condition stopped cooling and we needed to switch the breaks of our Nissan Altima. We left the car in the shop early in the morning, and have been told by the owner that he would call us to give us a price estimate for handling both issues. A couple of hours later we got a call, he said for the labors and parts etc', quoted a price of 500 dollars. Both me and my husband do not know much about auto repairs, so we agreed, we were able to afford this sum. We got called back to pick up our vehicle right when they closed their shop, we literally paid the money, received the keys, and they shut the windows down with metal coverings right as we left, so there was no one to talk to. When I opened the air condition, a strange buzzing noise unheard of before sounded, I hoped it was soon pass, and waited until we got home for the air to turn cold. It did not, and the buzzing noise remained. The issue was unresolved. We paid 500 dollars and the air condition was not fixed, in fact, it most likely got worse. I can only hope they at least changed the breaks. We called them a day after, this time my family member who recommended the shop went in our stead, feeling embarrassed for what happened. He came back and told us that now they want another 300+ dollars for labor fees extra and to bring the car back. Excuse me, you couldn't tell me the price when you gave me the quote the first time for an issue you didn't even resolve? If you can't fix the issue, why lie? It was already sounding like an extortion just to receive more money! We went to Firestone for a second opinion. We have been told that they ridiculously overpriced all the fees, Just for handling the breaks alone they tripled the price in comparison to what we could have been charged in Firestone, (which is also not considered a cheap place), to top it all off, the problem that the air condition system has is more complicated than the insignificant tinkering that Charlie's auto shop wasted a whole day just to charge us a huge sum for the labor fee, and so it was no wonder that the issue stayed unresolved, who knows how much more money I would have gotten scammed out of if I actually would have kept on going there? The really upsetting thing about this whole scenario, is that I see other people experienced the same problems with this shop, a true shame I didn't check Yelp before going to this scam of a shop. We literally paid 500 dollar for changing the brakes in our car, a sum which could have easily cost less than 200 dollars anywhere else. If you need your car fixed, run away from this place. They will make sure you leave your car there the whole day just to overprice you, and like they did with us, probably leave you with the same issue unresolved. The biggest waste of money we've had this year. read more

I stopped by to get my oil service and cabin filter replacement. I was greeted by Elizabeth in the lovely office they have. She immediately took my information. I have to say, I only came in for an oil change and cabin filter inspection on my 2012 Dodge Charger, but the service was phenomenal from beginning to end. I usually don't like to wait for the service to be done, but I was surprised at how fast they got me in and out. I didn't mind the wait, because the office is comfortable and I found some magazines that kept me entertained. Besides the fact they offer free wifi. The technician was thorough and even found a flat on one of my tires. Thank you for looking out for me. I could have gotten stranded, if I didn't catch it. Great service. I highly recommend them. read more

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I've been using this repair shop for several years now. Always fine them to be good and honest. Mario the owner is a class act. Highly recommend. read more

they give you a price once you pick the car is different price they don't care your opinion either you pay or take them to small claim read more

I will tell you this. I took my Lincoln here. Te cost was double the estimate when I got to the counter. DO NOT GO HERE. Take a bus, ride a bike, get a ride, but do NOT go here. I would take a train on a dirt road, or bus filled with roaches before I drive my car/trucks there. Good job scammers. Keep your wallet close. read more

Came here for an oil change, two new front tires and get our ac looked at because it was giving off a weird smell. Everyone was professional, and explained everything. Chris worked on our car, he was very knowledgeable and polite. read more

A good mechanic is hard to find. Mario (the owner of Charlie's) is one of the few greats. Honest, trustworthy, fair prices, and great personal service. I had just moved to Miami and found them using the CarTalk website, and needed a trustworthy mechanic since my car (a 1997 Civic) needed and oil change and worse, had a strange rattle (which could have cost whatever the mechanic said). Mario even drove around the block with me to hear the rattle when I dropped it off. After spending all day, they were unable to identify the problem. At the end of the day, he told me to monitor it and bring it back if the rattle worsened. He charged me for an oil change. That's it; not a dime for the time the spent poking around the car. Since then, I've brought my car exclusively to him, and they have kept a 15 year old running beautifully, and the costs have been extremely low. In addition, the people who work there actually remember me (even on the phone) and have dropped me off at a nearby coffee shop to work when they are working on it. I recommend him to everyone, and I'm even willing to drive 15 miles out of my way to see him (I moved offices and now work up near Miami). read more

Way Overpriced for the work performed. I could not recommend this place to anyone. Owner response to try and justify high prices and mediocre service only benefits him, customer experiences proves otherwise. Not a shop to trust. read more

I have had several of my fleet vehicles worked on by this company,they are very knowledgeable when is comes to repairing my vehicles including my heavy duty F450 vehicles. I can honestly say if one of my vehicles goes in for any service repairs Mario or one of his team members will assess my entire vehicle to make sure that I do not have any other issues which is very comforting to me. If anything is found I would receive a call immediately.i have been using Charlie's Auto repair for over 20 years and can't say I have had any problems with the service or the staff. They are alway friendly and courteous whenever myself or one of my staff members visits the facility. read more

I brought my wife's Altima to get a new ac Compressor replaced and they charge me about $300, they called me and said I also needed some type of ac hose which the price went all the way to $600. Ok that's fine, but what really makes me upset is that we got our car back and had an awful noise when driving, I found a local mobile mechanic and he told me that I was missing a the engine mount screw. Some how this piece was missing????? Also after the work was done I come to find out that on his recommendation that we needed an engine mount???? They either forgot to put it back on after working on the ac Compressor or they where trying to charge me more money for a screw they took off ??? I went to the Nissan dealer and bought the mountings screw for $ 10 and installed it my self. I will never go back here again, not trust worthy from my experience. read more

We have been taking our cars to Mario at Charlie's Auto Repair since 2009. You could not ask for a more honest, reliable mechanic. They never EVER try to upsell you for work you don't need and I have never had a bill that was more than my estimate. In fact, usually it is the opposite and I end up saving money. And they have not once ever started a repair without giving me an estimate first. I don't understand the one star reviews here at all because in eight years of going here I have had not one negative experience. read more

I had taken my car to be inspected by three different mechanic shops and each shop had told me I needed to replace my air conditioning compressor because it went bad and had a leak. My mom recommend me Charlie's Automotive repair and to take my car to Mario the owner. I personally spoke to the owner over the phone and he was very polite and helpful. I took my car to Mario and it turned out my compressor was not the problem it was some gauges. I am so grateful to have had Mario do the repairs on my car because the cost was five times less than what was quoted to me by the other three mechanics. read more

First of all these people are really rude my father is 78 and they were giving him a nasty attitude. Also they were suppose to give my father a estimate on the amount on the repair before they repair it but instead they just went ahead and repair the car without even asking my father and charged him 300 for just fixing the alternator. These people don't care about helping you they just care about getting your money that's all they are robbers. please be careful I don't recommend this place at all read more

Response to the reply of Charlies Repair Shop(Mario R.) When two days go by and you have to call the shop to see if your car has been diagnosed, thats not quality customer service. I never received a call to tell me what was wrong with the car. When I called to find out if they had diagnosed it yet, Mario advised me that they had already replaced the battery and performed several other checks without even calling me first. There's two charges never explained to me before being performed. Another factor that played a part in my negative review was the fact that I spoke to mario at 4pm to give him the ok to perform all needed repairs. I call him back 1 hr later to tell him to stop performing repairs where he's at and he tells me that everything is done already. Oh really? I takes 2 days to work on a car that "took" one hr to repair? When I pick up the car the next day, I'm handed the invoice and several things are missing. I ask "wasn't everything done?" the reply is " Oh I'm sorry, you told me to stop." Well didn't you tell me everything was complete except the motor mount, which was the wrong part? All in all my experience there was not pleasant and all those "expensive" tools that were used to diagnose my vehicle are an expense to the shop. Not myself. Charge me parts and labor. Not costs associated with the cost of equipment the shop uses. * Notice how the other reviews and the owners response are all at the same time! Hmm? read more

Beware of the owner Mario Bar, he is a fraud. The man will leave your car in the shop for days and not diagnose, only if you call him to verify. He will quote you a price and when you get there it will be 3 or 4 times what was agreed. The man basically took advantage of my mother and did not turn over the car to her until she paid his ridiculous new price. Given that my mother had a really important interview to get to, she was harassed into paying with a debit card. We are trying to see how to fix this. Beware, this man is not nice if you confront him about his behavior. read more

BEWARE: "WE WANT TO HAVE A LIFE TOO"!! HINT, Get out of the Service Industry!! Your actions or lack of, is the problem and reason why Miami gets a bad rap as a whole for poor customer service !!!! Absolute the worst shop, wouldn't recommend my worst enemy to this place!! At 12:45 dropped off wheels with tires that we're already mounted and just needed them swapped on to another vehicle, 15 minute job max!! I showed up at 1:45 with vehicle, which is a 1:15 minutes prior to them closing, at 3pm on Saturday as per website Mario stated they can't swap wheels and they were closing early because "We want to have a life too"!!! Then we proceeded to watch his employee swapped out a set of wheels and tires on his own car while we were standing there. Nevertheless, we went up the street had them swapped out and pass back by to see them still open !! They don't even deserve one star for a rating for Customer Service, as there is NONE!! read more

Great guy and honest service. Does inform the customer properly and does all of it on a good price. Locally owned which is to me a big plus as well... read more

I took my Mercedes diesel into the shop for repairs (2008) and now it purrs like a cat - a happy one for sure! I had to have my engine mounts replaced. Over 100,000 miles on the car. And they washed my car! Best wash I've had in a long time! If you want honest AND very good mechanics this is the place. So happy they hired someone that works on high performance autos! read more

Found a part for $44 for the master cylinder and my mother was told she had to buy the part from them. This place charged her $120 for the exact part they told us we couldn't bring to them and broke one of the keys for her car. The brake booster was $118 and they charged her $198. They told us they could charge whatever they wanted for any part. Don't go to this business read more

This is one of the best places in town l, they are really good on what they do, and prices are good, I am alway sure they wont charge me for things that are not necesarily. If you are looking for an honest shop that you can trust come to this one. read more

This is a spot is the most worthless piece of trash in all of Miami. They are Rude, irresponsible, careless and most of all they are crooks!!! AAA sent me there. I went for some tires and they over charged me 450 bucks. Then another time I asked them to check that my radiator and thermostat. He claimed he found nothing wrong, but 2 days later my car over heated and began to stall. When I went in they said my head gasket needs to be replaced. And quoted me $1,625. I told the asshole owner Mario, you are crazy and you told me the car was fine 2 days ago. KEEP AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AND THAT ASSHOLE. I've reported them to then BBB and AAA said they are investigating them. read more

A Tale of Two Cylinders Let me tell you my story with Charlie's Auto Repair. I went to Charlie's after my car started overheating. I hit a bump and white vapor started coming from under my hood. I knew it was an overheating issue so I took it to Mario (the owner of Charlie's Auto) from a recommendation from a family friend. I told them what was wrong and dropped off my keys at the front desk. I was told it would take a day or two to look at the car. A few days go by and still didn't hear anything so I called the third day to ask if he had looked at my car yet. He told me no, and that he would call me when he did. A few more days went by and I called him back, he told me again that he hadn't looked at it but would look at it by the end of the day. After that he called me back 30 minutes later. He basically told me that there would be $1500 in repairs due to the damage that was caused to my engine. I told him that I did not want to put the money into the car because it was an older model and the car isn't worth investing that much into. He then tried to buy the car off of me for $500 and told me I could leave it there and they would junk it. Right after that he tried selling me one of the cars on his lot for triple the price of what he was giving me for my old car. I told him I wasn't interested and that I would take my car and be on my way. He gave me a hard time, telling me that I couldn't drive it in that condition. I persisted, reminding him that it is my car and my decision to do with it as I please. I thanked him for his great concern in my well being and that I would call a tow truck if I broke down. So at this point I figured I have a 3 ton brick and I would try to fix it myself. Worst case scenario I destroy the already useless hunk of metal. I bought the pieces I needed, watched a bunch of Youtube videos, and started my quest. After about 30 seconds into the project I heard a hissing noise coming from the back of my engine. There was a broken valve connecting to one of the radiator hoses hiding in the back of my engine bay. I replaced the house and valve for under $40 and my car stopped overheating. I strongly encourage you to take your business elsewhere or do some research on your issue before you take it to a mechanic. Or just lease, then you will never have to worry about repairs ever again. Sincerely, A concerned customer. read more

I have been doing business at Charlie's for over ten years and have referred friends of mine to him as well. They are fair, reputable,honest and respectful. I have waited sometimes and have never seen or heard them being disrespectful to any one. Mario has even given me a ride home when needed. I have read the negative comments above and certainly do not understand them. In fact the one by the son and the broken key is not exactly correct because I witnessed the wholle event. Mario replaced the key at his cost. The mother had a slight disagreement with the counter person Elizabeth about their markup. When Mario came out the mother lied about what Elizabeth had said. When I corrected her the mother wanted to fight with me outside. I am an over 60 disabled veteran. He also loaned his trucks to a friend of mine when her vehicle was going to be longer than expected. The mother was satisfied with how Mario rectified the situation but the son still wrote a negative review. read more

I am writing this advisory relating to Charlie's Auto Repair Inc. 18506 SW 104 Ave. I have used this service for several years and had no prior complaints. This time the owner, Mario, drove my car 196 miles in three days without my authorization. I took my car to Charlie's on two occasions on Monday, June 11, 2018. The first visit was to get a punch list of things done. When I picked it up on Friday, June 15th, it appeared to be running well, but we noted on Saturday that a "Service Engine" light was on. We did not drive the car until Tuesday June 19th when we returned the car to Charlie's to determine the cause of the warning light. I called the owner, Mario, on Thursday, June 21, to determine the progress of the repair. Mario advised me that the car was fixed and the light was off. He asked me to pick it up on Friday as he wanted to drive it home that evening to be sure the light did not come on again. When I showed Friday at approximately 11:00 AM, the car was not on Charlie's lot. Mario advised me that one of his mechanics was test driving it and would be back in a half hour. When the car re-appeared on the lot, Charlie said he wanted to take for one last test drive to make sure everything was OK. The "Test Drive" was a trip to Homestead to check on a rental property owned by Mario that was under repair. When we returned to Charlie's lot I cleared the charges and received the paid invoice. When I got in the car I noticed that I had less than ¼ of a tank of gas. I knew that I had filled the car up at BJ's just before I dropped it off. When I checked the repair invoice, it showed the odometer reading at the time it was dropped off was 86325 and the current odometer reading was 86519. The car had been driven 194 miles in three days, including the boondoggle to Homestead. Mario initially claimed that all of the miles were for test driving, but later acknowledged that he used the car to go to Jackson hospital to see a dying relative (I do not know if this was true). I should also refer back to the fact that the car was being driven by an employee when I arrived to pick it up and it was obviously not a test drive. It is obvious to me that Mario had converted the car to be used for his personal use as well as for business use by the garage. This was both unethical and illegal and completely shattered any trust that I had with this business and its owner. I will never use this service again and I suggest to anyone that elects to trust this service to be sure that their gas stank is near empty at the time the car is dropped off. I also recommend reading "Yelp" reviews for other customer comments. read more

Mario destroyed my Subaru 2009. They did not know how to fix the subaru and told me they did. They practically destroyed my perfectly fine subaru. They are not a Auto repair, they are basically a body shop that can fix minor problems anything serious they have no idea and will use your car to experiment on, do it wrong and what ? You have to suck up the loss and like me now I have to buy a new car. Good Job Mario! Fire your mechanic and NEVER try to fix subaru again. Making over a million dollars in a recession must be nice but do not do it at the expense of your clients. read more

I have been taking my cars here for a few years now. They charge for checking things only if you decline the repairs. If you say yes to the repairs they don't charge for checkups. They have always told me what has to be done and what can wait. They have opened up late for me when my car had to be towed in. I called Mario late at night while I was on the road in orlando with a problem and he helped me trouble shoot it on his own time. Sure some things are more expensive and some things are less but they always do quality work and have always stood behind their work. read more

So my car had two flat tires on the right side I have AAA and they brought it here to get it repaired. They change the tires then say they can't align it because of a CV axle leak on the right side so they repair that and do the alignment. Once I got the car I noticed the car window on be right side passenger was cracked down and when I tried putting it up it wasn't going up and started making clanking noises. I told the owner, Mario that I find it convenient my window now will not work but it's not their fault, it happens that windows can fall and the motor can mess up. I get that but these two right side windows were new, about a year and a half since I fixed that window at a BMW repair shop when it fell before. Needless to say, I'm trying to find another place to repair the window now. I called AAA to let them know the deal and that I will never let them send my car to this place again. Too bad I had to even give a star to do this rating. read more

And so it begins. Don't believe the hype folks. From February of 2014 until the very date of this post, including multiple returns to address issues supposedly repaired, and $3000 later, my 2001 Dodge Durango was unceremoniously returned to me in worse condition than it has ever been. After threats and claims of the necessity of a new engine that was not his responsibility I was instructed to pick my vehicle up and return his loaner. This is the beginning of the saga. Facts and photos will follow. Do not patronize this business if you value/need your vehicle. read more

Charlie's Auto Repair is the worst place you can take your car!!! My mom took her car there because it was recommended by AAA auto club.The problem with the car was that it would be running and all of the sudden it would shut off. The car was there for two weeks and they would never call to follow up.He then said that the car was fine and to make sure, he would drive it around to see if it shuts off. The next time I talked to him he told me that the hood flew off the car while he was driving on the road. Because he left the hood open! Then finally he told us that the car was ready, so I went to pick it up and he said that the timing was off and needed a new radiator cap and charged my mother $346.77.Wow!!! My mom got in her car and drove off and three blocks later the car shuts off. We called him again and they took 25 minutes to get there. She then waited about 5 days to call him just to make sure he had enough time to fix the car, that he never fixed in the first place.Finally we went to pick up the car AGAIN and he said that the ac compressor was bad and he handed me the ac belt which he cut with a blade.The belt was new, I had just put it about a month ago. I asked him why he cut the belt and his answer was, "It's only $9.00". He should have loosen the bolts to the belt tensor and remove the belt like a good mechanic would do. He is very unprofessional and his work ethics are very bad!!! I am also going to complain to the AAA auto Club. read more

Initially I trusted this shop. However, they not only replaced my radiator which did not need to be replaced, but also failed to diagnose my van's problems correctly. Was told nothing wrong with valve cover or anything to do with oil. Brought it back a few days later with same problem (engine was spitting oil still) and was told oh this is related to having your oil changed recently somewhere else, they made some kind of mistake but we don't know what so take it somewhere else. They also said the motor mounts were bad. I then brought it home and a few days after that had it towed to Firestone by Southland Mall. They told me same that it was related to the oil change somehow and that the motor mounts were not in fact bad, but was probably transmission. Look at the reviews on here. They are years old. Charlie was expensive but he was good. The new people there are NOT. My van is now sitting at another mechanic shop completely shot. There is no fixing it. Please steer clear of this place. They will take you for alot of money but actually not fix the problem. read more