Do not go to this mechanic. All they try to do is make money off of you. Either they are ignorant and don't know what they are doing or they are trying to make a buck off of you. If I could give them zero stars I would. I'm in town for a trip. My steering was seizing up and had to get it towed. I was recommended to go to Dave's by a local. When I got there all they tried to do was have me pay for a $3k part and labor. It was a simple solution of my heater shield getting caught on my steering rack. read more

I have been going to Dave's Auto for years. Dave is the only mechanic I trust! Fuel pump, starter, brake booster etc. read more

Dave's Automotive - Auto Repair Near Me - Carbondale, Illinois

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. I came in to have my car looked at for a possible head gasket failure. When I came in to check in on the progress I was met with rudeness and disrespect by the mechanic Darren. Darren was extremely rude right off the bat. I was told my car was a "bag of worms" and that he "didn't feel like working on it". First of all don't ever call my pride and joy a bag of worms. That is extremely rude and disrespectful. You have no idea how much time and effort I have spent into trying to restore that car. I wouldn't spend the time and money on a car that is a lemon. I wanted help and instead I was treated like crap. Over the phone I was told that all the car needed was gas and was ready to be picked up? However I had to get it out of him that the head gasket had indeed failed. I was then charged $85 for gasoline and "labor" which consisted of a half assed block test which is taught to us in automotive class at the university here in Carbondale. I was then hung up on and dumbfounded by the amount of ignorance I was met with. The amount of money I was charged was unfair.The amount of laziness and unwillingness to work with me was uncalled for. The car didn't just need gas, it needed attention. Attention which can met elsewhere because I WILL pay top dollar to a shop that can. These guys can't. Or at least Darren can't. If you plan to come here. Don't. If you do anyway don't ask for Darren he's an absolute joke of a mechanic. read more

I took my car to Dave's because it was making a horrible noise. When I dropped my car off, one of the workers gave me a ride back to campus. Turns out it was an easy and inexpensive fix, so I got my car back later that day. I had no problems with the service I received, and I would take my car back there again. read more

Awesome auto repair place. My check engine light was on and a diagnostic determined I needed my Nox Sensors and wiring harnesses replaced (inside the manifold) in my 2005 Tahoe. No small job because the top of engine has to be taken apart. I got several estimates. I called ahead got a quote and made arrangements to drop off after hours using the drop box key service. The work was done and my car ready by noon the next day. They called and left a message. I didnt have to call them and check on my car. The final cost was what I had been quoted and almost $200 less than other mechanics and way less than the dealer. Everything went as I was told no issues. They used paper mats to keep my car clean and it is running great NO check engine light. We will go back and suggest anyone who wants a professional, quick and honest mechanic to go here. Very customer focused. Very smooth and easy transaction. read more

Brought in my car that had an issue covered under my warranty. The warranty company said they needed someone from the auto shop to call for it to go through. I call and let one of the mechanics know. He was very rude, and said that if he has to call the warranty company himself, he is charging me labor prices($32 for a half hour). He also warned me that the wait times on the phone can be long, so it could add up quickly. It was very stressful, and they already had my car.(not to mention the warranty was covering it-it should have been easy!) Dave called me back over an hour later saying he talked to the warranty company, and that it went through. Got a meager "sorry about my mechanic earlier". This is the 3rd time I've been to Dave's, and absolutely the last. read more

Dangerous and bad all around. Told him only wanted front brakes. He had my car 3 weeks. After 2 weeks I called and was told my car was being looked at and disassembled. Later I called back and was told it would cost $1000 to fix. I said I wanted it back and was told it would cost me to have it reassembled. I asked if there was anyway to cut costs and do the minimum work for around $600. He said yes and could do it for $680. I said ok. A week later I call and he said it would be done the next day. When I went to pick my car up he said he'd replaced all the brakes and had disassembled my shifter to grease the shifter cable because it was having trouble shifting. All I wanted was front brakes! So when it comes time to pay it's not $680 it's $870. Needless to say I was disappointed. When I got the car there was an open tube of grease in my floorboard, a wire with a none working light attached was sticking out of the shifter casing between the seats. I took off and moments later the first place I parked a friend says, "Hey you've got 2 lug nuts missing." Thank God he saw that. I bought new ones. Then anytime after that that I drove the car the shifter was a little offset and for me to put it in reverse I had to go past reverse on the shifter and then shirt backup to reverse for it to engage. Also, whenever I parked on a hill and put the car in park it would click and roll a little until the brake engaged. After just a week or 2 the front drivers side brake started to make noise. Eventually that noise got worse to the point I had to take it somewhere else. That mechanic said it looked like Dave's had only put on pads and then installed them wrong to the point a bolt had broken. Dave's is a ripoff. Check the reviews here and some of the others on the internet that are much worse. Just before I went to pick up my car I had read some of those reviews and thought, "I might be in trouble." Sure enough it was true. Since I had read the other reviews I knew there was no reason bringing up any issues to the owner plus he has an office sign on the wall that reads, "No Whining". Again Dave's is a ripoff and his incompetent brake work made my car dangerous to drive. Too bad there's no customer protection agency to investigate this guy because he deserves to get busted. Finally please read these reviews and the others on the internet and you will see what kind of liar, ripoff, incompetent Dave's is. read more

DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE. They only fix symptoms, not the problems. My car sat for a week and when I called to see about it being finished I got an, "uh we haven't even looked at it yet". I needed it that weekend so I had to pick it up, then take it back the following Monday where it sat for another week before they worked on it. This was also the second time it had been in in the last year. They are seriously over priced for the slipshod work they do. If I could upload the picture of the air filter they installed I would. My new mechanic said it had literally just been SHOVED in. The car is a 2007 and they didn't bother to do any basic maintenance checking, which turns out the radiator hoses and drive belts were completely rotted. Water pump blew while I was on vacation and now it's another $1300 to fix what should have been an easily solved problem. I had a co-worker get an estimate on some engine work there, he was quoted over a grand. When he took it to a different shop he was charged half that. DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR THERE. They are rude, overpriced, take an absurdly long time to fix basic problems, and do terrible work. read more

Worst customer service ever! I found this place online and wanted to go there because their website stated "We offer a free estimate for all our auto and truck services including for our computerized paint matching" and they were close to my house. I called and explained what was wrong with my car. When I said something about the free estimate, the employee was very rude and said that free estimates only applied to body work and hung up on me. I called back and a different man answered. I explained that their website clearly states that they do free estimates on all auto and truck services, not just auto body work, and asked if the first guy was mistaken. This second employee was like "uh, it must be a mistake on the website" and hung up on me while I was still talking. There is very little information on their website so I fail to see how there could be a mistake. And even if it was a mistake, good customer service would be to offer the free estimate anyhow, since the error was on their end. Furthermore, having two employees hang up on me while I was still asking questions is rude and unjustified. Had they instead been polite and told me about how much it would cost to have them look at it, I might have still brought my car to them. read more

I brought my car to Dave's auto at the beginning of March 2021. It took almost a month before they ever took a look/diagnose my car. After a month or so, Dave diagnosed my car with Engine failure. I have warranty so my warranty company will cover the cost of the engine. Before my warranty company agrees to pay, they have to know why the engine failed. Dave has been giving me and my warranty company the run around for about a month. Now we're going on two months since my car has been in Dave's shop. He's been avoiding my calls and my warranty company calls. He wasn't able to tell my warranty company why the engine failed. Now I'm considering taking my vehicle else where, but Dave said that I will have to pay about $300-$400 for the tested he ran on the car already. Because I didn't have that amount to pay, I kept my car with Dave. Now we're on month 3 and Dave finally admitted to me that, "He do not know why the engine failed" He asked me, "what do you want me to tell the warranty company, I'll tell them anything because I am getting tired of them". At this point I am over it, so I told Dave that I just want my car fixed, so it doesn't matter what he tells the warranty company. A few weeks past, I called Dave so see what's the update. He tells me that he refuses to cooperate with my warranty company and that I can come get my vehicle from his shop free of charge! My car been sitting in his shop for 3 months without it being worked on. I had to tow my car from his shop and take it to another mechanic. Horrible Service! Horrible Customer Service! The workers were all telling me different things regarding my car, Contradicting eachother! If I could Rate him Zero Stars I would. I do not recommend!!!! read more

I went to this auto shop 6-7 months back to get check air conditioning unit, as it was not cooling. After an hour they said my AC compressor was bad and it would cost me almost 700-800$. They also charged me 90$ for refilling AC which obviously didn't work. As winter was approaching I pushed till April. Now I go to different auto shop and figured out my AC compressor is working completely fine and they refilled my AC for 60$. I would suggest people to get second opinion after getting quote from this place!! read more

Went to Dave's automotive to repair the cruise control on my van and a few minor repairs. These were all repairs I would be able to know if they had been fixed. However, they didn't do any repairs, but told me that my water pump was leaking onto the timing belt and it needed to be replaced for $1900. They didn't know I had already replaced it at Gator Automotive the month before for $1500. I believed them and I took it to Gator to tell them to check the water pump it must be faulty. Guess what? Nothing was wrong with it and still isn't three months later. .......... read more

Taking your automobile here is much like going to your favorite restaurant...you get what you're looking for, and you're treated like a friend. My pal Frank of Corrente's Cadillac Corner recommended this place to me, and he knows his stuff. I've taken my '61 Fury to many shops for various things over the years but I've never encountered the care and friendliness that Mike and his crew show. Even the customer service area is bright and clean. I don't see me taking my car anywhere else for service now that I've been spoiled by 5 Star Tires. read more

HORRIBLE!!! DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I took my boat to Dave's Automotive because I thought it had a bad fuel pump. They called me and told me that the fuel pump was bad and it would cost $493.00 total for repair. The owner called and said it was fixed so I picked it up and took it to the lake the next day to try it out. After not only and hour out it broke down again and would not accelerate. I took it back to them and they said they were not sure what was wrong with it. They called me and said that they thought they had fixed it by replacing the water fuel separator. They asked me to come and get the boat and try it out after they told me that they would take it to the lake and test it. He also said nothing about charging to take it to test it at the lake. When I finally told me that the boat was fixed they said that my bill for the water fuel separator was $108.00. I consulted another mechanic who informed me that the water fuel separator was a $20.00 part and that it would take approximately ten minutes to replace. He also informed me that the water fuel separator should have been checked prior to replacing the fuel pump (a $493.00 charge). The fuel water separator could have been the problem the whole time. I went in to get my receipt and spoke with the owner and asked him to explain my bill and asked why my bill was so large for the water fuel separator and he said "we make our money off parts". I then asked why the water fuel separator was not checked first and he said "the fuel pump was'nt working". I left without any further conversation and he followed me to my car and said "You know I probably spent ten dollars in gas using my diesel truck to tow your boat to the lake. We will no longer work on your boat because I don't like your attitude". I also want to add to this complaint that I am a 32 year old female and also an Iraqi War veteran twice. I think that Dave from Dave's Automotive took advantage of me. I also believe that as a business owner is absurd to mean to a customer that is only looking for an explanation. read more

The best mechanic in Carbondale, in my opinion. Dave does a reliably good job at extremely reasonable prices. I had an exhaust leak; Meineke wanted to replace the entire exhaust system for several hundred dollars; Dave slapped a patch on it for $75, and I've had no further problems. read more