Just bought a 2017 vw tiguan and needed an inspection to see what i needed done for the car. The only thing pressing was a serpentine belt. Several days later my car wouldn't start and my engine light came on. It turned out to be a key fob battery. When i fi ll up on gas in an area that was potentislly unsafe i had gased up leaving my car running apparently this is whst caused my engine light to come on not to mention a fire hazard. Apparently, static electricity can cause and explosion. In my defense, i am an 80 year old widow living on a pension. In the 40's and 50's not only were there no cell phones, there were no computers. You can see how vulnerable i am. Nic and Brody have listened patiently and provided all the info i needed. Infact i was given a list of all repairs that were needed and the corresponding price. These were divided into those i needed right now, those that coul wait a momth,, and those that could wait longer. They both approached me with respect and kindness which has prompted this review. This is background so you will understand my impression of this busiiness. First of all they were.johnny on the spot. I arrived and they promptly got my Tiguan(my baby) back after Nic and i discussed that she Was a used car and i love her and wanted to take care of her. I had just driven her from the car lot. I wanted to check her out from bumper to bumper. Not only did their mechanics check her out, they provided me wuth a listed in order of priority and cost of each. I was prepared to leave when Nic said to me that the serpentine belt was about to break. I thought Nic was going not going to let me leave wi th it in the condition it was in Nic sent one of his workers t7o go get the belt and put it on. Took an hour including picking up the belt. I got the feeling he was trying to inform me without scaring me. What did i know about serpentine belts.Not a thing! Everyone i encountered behaved that way. I have not felt that way since my husband passed. It was quite touching. Now i learned a new woŕd KeyFob. It has a CR 2032 battery. If the battery is dead so is your car. Lesson # 2. Now being 80 at night when i needed gas if i felt frightened, i would lea e the car running while i gassed up. Did you know that would cause the engine light to come on. Lesson #3. Or that you should never have the car running while gasing up because like static Lesson #4 electricity could cause the car to catch on fire or worse. read more

as a woman, it is hard to feel like you can trust the people who are taking care of your car, especially when you don't know that much about cars. However, since the first time that I came to Franklin automotive, not only was I well taken care of, but I was given trustworthy and reliable information. Today was the third time that they have taken care of my car in the past three years, and the service was incredible! I had planned to wait at a coffee shop nearby, and they offered to drive me there so that I could wait comfortably for my car service to be done. When it was over, they called me and sent someone to pick me up, every person who I have interacted with at Franklin automotive is not only kind but also very good at their job. So grateful for this auto repair shop! read more

If you are looking for honest, professionals look no further than Franklin Automotive. Whether it's time for your car's regular scheduled maintenance, ( or if you run a little over the schedule ‍) Franklin's Automotive is a place you can trust to only do the repairs you approve first. read more

Cheaper than going to the Lexus dealership for breaks! Highly recommend. Smart service techs, clean facilities and friendly service.

My only regret is that I cannot give Franklin Automotive 10 stars. I have probably been dealing with them for, I don't know, 20 years maybe? This is the second or third review I have done on Franklin. These people are the best. They are extremely competent, honest and friendly. Many years ago, I took my daughters 2014 Toyota Camry to Franklin Automotive because it had a transmission issue. Later in the day they called me and said I needed to come back and talk to them. I did this. The gentleman said "Toyota has a secret warranty on this exact same problem, and you have 200 miles left. What you need to do is take this car directly to Hoover Toyota and they will fix this problem for free." That sold me on Franklin. I'm pretty sure they have a customer for life in me. Use them with 100% complete confidence. Phil Griffin read more

Honest and friendly. The VW dealership in town (there's only one - so you can figure out who) told me my brakes were close to needing new pads. I scheduled with Franklin and brought my car in. Upon inspection, they informed me I had 80% of life remaining in my original brake pads. My vehicle is still fully under warranty so I'll do the absolute bare minimum with the dealer to maintain my warranty, for everything else, I'll be coming to Franklin. Not to mention - at 7am when I showed up, all of the gentlemen were ready for me and so friendly - I really enjoyed the customer experience top to bottom. read more

I had used Franklin when I had a Volvo years ago. I had not thought about the with my Infiniti. After having issues with the dealership I called Franklin. Bruce the service writer was so helpful and honest worked with me to get the repairs completed. Nick the mechanic stellar work. The two of them discovered another issue that the dealership had not. The dealership had told me that the repairs to my car were not covered under my extended warranty. Bruce did some investigation and discovered that it was. I would look for other words that would express my appreciation of these two. I don't tahini there is much more I can say . So appreciate you all. read more

My wife needed some major repairs on her aging Honda Pilot. And the bill came out to over four grand. Ouch! But that is still a whole lot cheaper than getting a new car. I am confident that the repairs were done well and I am not afraid for my wife to be out driving her vehicle. Brad and the other folks were very nice and very professional. I plan on going back -- and hope that that my next repairs won't be as substantial as these. read more

Always reliable. Trustworthy. Great work provided. Courteous. I take my Audi in for repairs. Pleased with service

This place is amazing, all down to earth people, I couldn't even begin to say in words how grateful I am. I was on a roadtrip and had my audi towed there and i was 5 hours away from my home and they let me keep my car there until i knew what i wanted to do with it. Every single member on the staff was helpful and told me exactly what i needed to do with my car because it would cost $13,000 to get my car fixed. They broke down every single charge to the T. I wish i could give these guys more stars. TAKE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Great and knowledgeable guys. They truly care. read more

I stopped in for someone to check out an engine light that was coming on. This place only works on Lexus, Toyota, Nissan, Infiniti, VW, Volvo, Audi, Honda or Acura. Since my car was domestic, they referred me to United Auto Care nearby. Thanks guys! read more

If I could rate Franklin, it would be -1000. Called Joel on Tuesday, Sept. 28 about 1030AM. Told him my car would not start. Asked if I get it to you when can you work on it, his response was "THIS AFTERNOON". Had it towed to them by noon. Called him Wednesday @ 315PM & was told "Waiting on technician to diagnose it". I asked when that would happen, his response "PROBABLY TOMORROW". On Tuesday Oct. 5th I went & had my car towed from Franklin to Vulcan Tire & Automotive. They got it about 1230PM & it was fixed by 430PM. Needed new starter. Highly recommend Vulcan Tire & Automotive. I saw numerous positive reviews on Franklin web site. Now I wonder if they are genuine or phony. Be aware! read more

While traveling I unexpectedly had had indicator lights come on and my car refused to start. I was completely upset and felt vulnerable to any import repair shop on earth. I was a woman who knew little about cars, and I was away from home. Could there be a worst scenario!!?? I called the hubby who found Franklin Automotive. I was still leery, but had the tow truck aim in its direction. As soon as I walked into the building I was put at ease by the friendliness of the staff (I mean ALL of them!!), who called Nic (The "Audi Specialist") our to help me. He listened, and talked with me about the possible causes of my problem. I prepared for the worst. Honestly feeling that even if it wasn't, I'd be charged as if it was. Let's face it, I was at their mercy, had to get home. So, imagine how I felt when I received a call from Nic saying it was a hose and it would only cost me $180!! I can't tell you how much this restored my faith in people. Nic even came out as I pulled away to tell me goodbye. I would 100% Recommend this repair facility to everyone! And I can't possibly thank them all enough for their honesty, genuine kindness, respect, and last but not least car repair. read more

When I had a Volvo this was my local repair shop; they were always helpful and communicative. I now have a used Honda that I've taken to them a few times; no complaints. But they recently lost my business for good: My fiance took his Toyota Tacoma in for a 30k service and they ended up doing $450 (!) worth of work on it, and didn't tell him how much it would cost until they called for him to pay the bill. No warning, and didn't confirm that it was OK. He took it here instead of the dealership, which told him it would just be an oil change and a tire rotation, because we trusted Franklin and assumed they would treat us honestly. $500 later, and they didn't even check his fluid levels - he's out of wiper fluid. Disappointing to say the least. Time to find another mechanic! read more

Excellent service! Very knowledgeable and helpful. Have used them several times on my Honda. Highly recommend!

This company will steal your money. I have worked in to car industry for 19 years prior to two degrees. They charged my Coworker four times what they should not have. Do not go here read more

I have been going to Franklin's for years with two separate V.W.'s They are so professional and fast. And they are by far. And I do mean By far The cheapest place I have found. It's funny because I would expect some greazy gross place for what they charge. But It is not like that at all. The waiting room is so comforatable they even have food and drinks for everyone and chargers for you phones. So very nice. I moved 45 min away and it is worth the dirve. I will not go anywhere else. read more

I brought my car by because the turn signal light had gone out. I'd never taken my car there before, but they were extremely friendly and said that it should be no problem for them to fix. I probably had to wait no more than 15-30 min. When they were done, I asked them how much the service cost and they said "Oh it's free of charge, we just had to change the bulb". So they didn't charge me for the bulb or for their time. Truly excellent service. I'll be back! read more

Well, he did it. Ward Drennen made it right!

Well here goes, took a Volvo in and said fix the oil leak. They said they did and it cost around $500. Within a week it was pouring oil all over again but worse. Going thru almost 2 1/2 quarts in a week. Took it back on a Friday, was told they'll get to it asap. Didn't hear anything that day, or Monday. Tuesday I get told it will now cost $1,500. That the first time they replaced the seal on the oil cap....FOR ALMOST $500 ?! They got all defensive like they did everything right.... and now it's a totally different problem. My a**. I wouldn't tell my worst enemy to use this place. Go at your own risk. read more

it really doesn't get any better then these guys. If you have one of the brands they work on then you are crazy for letting anyone else work on your car. They fix it, they fix it right and if they can't they tell you. if everyone operated their business like this then it would be a great world. I can't say enough positive about them. I've never had a bad experience and the people are always super nice. read more

This place has it figured out. I had a guess at what was wrong with my car, and knew it needed fixing. So I took it there, they were extremely polite, the service area was clean and it only took a short while for them to diagnose the issue. It turns out I was correct and the quote was very reasonable. They fixed my car and its running great....... The great thing happened a few weeks later when a tin full of cookies showed up THANKING me for my business!! We don't see many places really trying to keep peoples business and Franklin Automotive just showed me how real businesses should operate. I would HIGHLY recommend Franklin Automotive for any car repair needs. When something else goes wrong with my car, I surely will take it back to them. read more

Great Customer Service! Franklin Automotive was able to find the issue with my sons car when no one else could. To show their appreciation of me, they sent a tin can of cookies. Now how many companies show that kind of appreciation. #unexpected #satisfied read more

I have brought all my vehicles to Franklin Automotive since 1995. They are honest, polite and do their best to get your car fixed and back to you the same day. I recently had a recall situation where only the dealer was authorized to install the part. When the dealer tried to tell me I needed a new engine, I called Franklin who went out of their way to prove the dealer wrong and saved me thousands of dollars. They've got my back. Can you say that about your mechanic? read more

EDIT: Frank called today after reading our review and apologized for everything and helped make things right. It's rare to get such a genuine apology from a business like that and we really appreciated the extra effort on their part to turn our experience around. We've found our mechanic in Birmingham! Took our car into Franklin's Monday morning after an unfortunate run in with a large piece of tire on the highway. We just moved to AL a couple of days ago, but the shop had great reviews so we figured we'd give them a try. The staff was friendly when we dropped it off and they said they would give us a call after assessing the situation prior to any work being done. Turns out the plastic pieces underneath the car needed to be replaced and they would need to order a couple of parts. Their quote for the work was $485 and they said we should be able to pick up the car the following afternoon. We gave them the okay, but hadn't heard anything late Tuesday so we gave them a call to check on the status. They were still waiting on one more part so they said the car would be ready Wednesday morning. It wasn't the news we wanted to hear, but things happen and we completely understood. The next morning we received a call from Franklin stating that they needed an additional part that they forgot about and that was going to cost $185. What changed from 4 PM on Tuesday to 8 AM on Wednesday I have no idea. We questioned them and asked why the nearly 50% increase in price and were simply told the techs just realized the missing part (which happened to be the largest of them all) despite telling us just the day before the car would be done that morning. We realize that things sometimes come up unexpectedly with car repairs, but that was not the case here. After calling the local Honda dealership we realized we could pick up the missing part at retail for $145. Being that we're both new graduates we were happy to save a few dollars where we could considering the situation, but the entire ordeal was very frustrating. Scott apologized in passing when we picked up the car, but nothing was really done to compensate for the errors on their end. It really put us in a bind when our car was half repaired and, after a quote and promises our car would already be done, we were told additional pieces would be needed to complete the job. read more

I had the best first time experience at Franklin Automotive. I walked in and was a little nervous but I was quickly greeted and welcomed by Charlie Webb the service advisor. I told him I was bringing my car there because I was really tired of taking it to the dealership where I purchased it and paying those high prices for an oil change. Charlie assured me it would cost way under the dealership price. I was shown to the waiting area where there was fresh hot coffee, other beverages and snacks available for free. There also was a free charging station for cellphones which was great. Charlie came back to get me in about 30-45 minutes telling me my car was ready. I went to the cashier who was a sweetheart. She asked me if this was my first visit here and I responded yes, it was. She gave me a complimentary gift bag filled with all kinds of gifts and goodies. This was a great first impression and I am sure it will be a lasting great impression! Thanks so much for treating me and my vehicle with kindness!! I will definitely be back! Great service and great people!! read more

been here a couple times. always fast. everyone is really nice. prices are fair. and they have a nice lounge area for customers who are waiting. read more

Our car(Volvo) broke down on the way to Ca on Valentine's day(so everything closed) and it was towed to Franklin's and left overnight. We emailed them our difficulty and they got on the problem first thing in the morning and we were back on the road by noon! They were incredible!!! Quick and efficient! read more

Franklin Automotive charged my wife $190 to re-charge her car's a/c system. When I picked the car up, I mentioned that their price was nearly double the price charged by surrounding mechanics, but they refused to lower the price. Oh, by the way, $130 of the $190 was for labor, which is outrageous considering re-charging the a/c should take less than 30 minutes. If you are a female, they will try to take advantage. Avoid taking your car to this location. read more

Recently purchased a 2001 Lexus LS430 and was looking for a good independents hop for oil and filter changes and any other service. I read some great reviews about Franklin and Lexus Is one of their specialties, so gave them a try. I called the day before and told them I could drop my car off when they opened in the morning , but really would like to pick it up around noon. it was for a Synthetic oil and filter change. I also had a VSC light on the dash that I didn't mention, and wasn't planning on fixing. However, I was sure they would mention it along with an estimate for repair . They were there right on time and then called me at 10:30am to tell me it was ready. Service and price were great. I noticed on the way home they had also cleared my dash light. A week or so later I got a call from them asking if the service was satisfactory and thanking me for the business. A few days later I received a Thank You card in the mail along with a $25 gift card to use on my next service as a Thank You. To say the least, I was impressed. Although only my first visit, the positive reviews that led me there were correct. I will definitely be a regular customer and recommend you give them a try. Unfortunately, you don't find this type of customer service very often anymore. And this week I receive a tin of gourmet cookies in the mail from them with a Thank You note and brief survey. These guys are good ! :) read more

Great customer service and great people. Scott and team helped me when I was visiting Birmingham for a trip and my car would not turn on. They fixed my car up in just a few hours so I could get home. read more

I just left Franklin for the second time this week...and they are wonderful. I never worry they are going to suggest work that doesn't need to be done or over charge me. They have proven again and again that they are honorable and trustworthy. They make working with them so easy...need a lift back to work? done. need something done super quick? done. I sing their praised to anyone listening. read more

Franklin Automotive is absolutely the best people to work with. They explained exactly what was wrong with my 2009 Volvo, and did a fantastic job repairing it. They even completed the work 3 days sooner than expected. I cannot say enough good things.... read more