Also a long over due review. Had my car towed to Friendly's back in August. A coolant leak from a weak spot in a hose had my car overheating and not drive-able. This was 2 weeks after I moved to town. So I had my car towed to the Friendly's Auto Shop. To ease my anxiety of having my car towed and "lost", Krystal texted me to let me know that my car arrived to the shop. After diagnosing the problem, Krystal rang with the details - which turned out to be better that I expected. Their mechanics quickly made the repairs and my car was ready the same day. The entire experience was great, I got my car back quickly, and the cost for the repairs was very reasonable. I've found my car repair shop here in Austin. Good show Friendly's! read more

Friendly's is aptly named. Everyone I've dealt with there has been almost supernaturally friendly and welcoming. I went there today to pick up my car, and Crystal greeted me by name as I walked in the door and commented that she hasn't seen me in two years. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling every time I go there. In addition to the great people, Friendly's does great work at a reasonable price. They don't charge for diagnostics and will tell you if your car has an issue that should be covered by the dealership. I brought my car in one time and they told me my repair should be free at the dealership. When the dealership refused, someone from Friendly's called up there and got the dealership to cover the repair. They made $0 from this but earned my undying loyalty. They also take the time to clean out your car, even if they don't end up charging for a repair. Who does that? Finally, they have a store cat. That's awesome in my book. read more

I've taken my car there twice and had a really good experience both times. The prices seem reasonable, they do honest work, and they haven't tried to gouge me on extra things that I wasn't interested in. I have also been happy with their communication. I would absolutely recommend them. read more

I brought my car in for an oil change. I'm trying to keep my business in East austin so I gave Friendly's a try. It's a small shop so you need to call to make an appointment. I called on a Thursday and received an appointment for Monday. They were friendly and quick. I'm used to using coupons so the price was more than my normal oil change but not that much more. I did like the upfront pricing. read more

I stopped in needing a special type of bolt tightened. Eddie was great and helped me out. I hope I can give them some paying business later on... read more

Friendly's Auto Repair is the BEST customer service I have ever received for Auto Repair! I called to have to my Ford Ranger looked at when it wouldn't start one morning. They informed me that they were full for the day, but I was welcome to bring in the truck and they would look at it first thing in the morning. They even offered to give me a ride back home if someone could drop me off. I dropped the truck off and expected not to hear anything until the next day, but instead heard something just a few hours later about how it was just a bad battery connection. Embarrassed but quite pleased with the news, I asked them to look at a different problem I had noticed which was squealing that had reappeared after having it "fixed" by the mechanic next door to them. They were happy to do so and even brought the mechanic over from next door to ask exactly what work he had done to better understand what the problem may be. They called me back after speaking with him and explained to me that he had only fixed 2 parts of a 3 part component pulley running my serpentine belt. He mistakenly thought he had taken care of the problem, but it was the third component that was the culprit. They fixed it by early the next afternoon. Before I paid, they showed diagrams that they had printed out to show me exactly what part was not working and explained to me the whole process of how all three components work. They also showed me the old worn out part that had been removed from my truck and what a new one looked like. I was very impressed as no other mechanic has EVER done this. I highly recommend Friendly's! They are courteous, efficient and affordable. I ended up paying less than the estimate. AND... they offer bicycles to borrow while your car is being serviced. Awesome and smart! Thank you Friendly's!! read more

Friendlys is awesome! No one likes taking their car to the mechanic, especially when you know it means $$. But the staff at Friendly's is honest, knowledgeable, quick and friendly (imagine that!). I've taken my cars here for a few years and have had nothing but amazing experiences. I've never felt like i was overcharged or steered in the wrong direction. Keep up the great work!! read more

I'm so happy I found Friendly's in Austin! I recently moved here and, unfortunately, own a car that is always breaking down. I've had trouble trying to find a trustworthy auto shop that won't rip you off because you may not be as knowledgeable as you'd like with cars and know they can take advantage of that situation. I found Friendly's on Yelp and decided to give them a try because hey, their name is Friendly's... they should be friendly, right? The name of their shop is most certainly accurate. I had such a pleasant experience with Friendly's. Krystal is one of the nicest people I've ever met. She worked around my schedule and really helped turn an inconvenient situation into a positive one. I learned a lot about a car's engine thanks to her and found my new auto shop here in town. If you're looking for friendly and trustworthy service, then definitely head over to Friendly's. As you can tell, all the reviews are positive for a reason. Thank you Krystal and Eddy. We appreciate you! read more

Absolutely the most honest auto repair shop I've dealt with. These guys will shoot you straight for any type of repair and give you a fair estimate on what is needed without overselling you. I had some suspension work done and Firestone quoted me $2200 while the repair here costed around $1000. They do get booked up pretty quick so be prepared to wait a few days. read more

I just had a VERY low-stress visit with Friendly's. I've been taking my car to the Acura dealership and they were recommending repairs that totaled more than $4500 (ouch). I contacted Friendly's through Yelp and they responded immediately with a detailed quote - less than half the dealer estimate. When I actually brought my car in today, they re-checked all the dealer recommendations and told me the only thing I actually needed to do right away was transmission service - saving me thousands of dollars! They could have easily agreed with the dealer-recommended services and made a lot of money but I am so grateful they didn't. Krystal offered that I could bring it by for regular oil changes and they would keep an eye on the dealer recommended repairs and let me know when/if they become necessary. She explained exactly what was going on with my car and why it was not a major concern right now - even walking me through a diagram on their wall - without making me feel stupid that I don't know how these things work. My car was ready within a few hours, the interior had been cleaned, and they also texted me with the status throughout the process. Amazing service! read more

My experience with Friendly's is beyond fantastic! When everybody else was telling me that I needed to have my timing chains replaced and it would cost me over $3,000 Friendly's told me that timing chains aren't something that gets replaced and it had to be something else. You can imagine my joy when I received a call saying that a hole in a hose that's purpose is to engage the 4 wheel drive on my truck was causing the front hubs to slightly engage and emitting the terrible noise was what the real issue was. The charge....$55. FIFTY FIVE DOLLARS!!! WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! I love Friendly's and you will too! read more

Without a doubt the most honest and thorough auto repair in Austin, and I have been to more than a few over the years. Nick in service updated me every step of the way regarding repairs to my braking system. He informed me several times throughout the day on the progress they were making and set solid expectations on when I could pick up my vehicle. This was important as I was due to fly out of town that day. I received a very fair estimate on what was needed without the typical up-sell tactics. They even topped off my oil, added air into the tires and vacuumed my inside. Now that is above and beyond. Thanks again Nick and team as you just earned another satisfied customer! read more

After losing two good downtown Austin mechnics when their leases were non-renewed I found Friendly's Auto Repair in a search and am SO HAPPY WE FOUND FRIENDLY'S. They were upfront friendly and had the problem figured out quickly. If the previous Firestone store was as good at discerning the problem I might still be going to them. So Friendly's fixed what a Chevy dealer and Firestone missed. Excellent work, service and attitude ! Marco & Dana S. read more

About a month ago something on the road chewed up my tire and it was a costly replacement, so when I realized I had a nail stuck in another tire last week I was pretty disappointed. While my experience at the other repair shop wasn't bad, I'd read the great Yelp reviews on Friendly's and figured I'd give them a shot...glad I did. I'd already replaced the tire with the spare and immediately after the folks at Friendly's had a look at the damaged tire they told me they'd be able to patch it up - not replace it. On top of that good news, once they finished the job they offered to put the tire back on for free; another relief that I didn't have to jack the car up for the fourth time in a month and replace the fixed tire with the spare. Anndd the kicker, they charged me $11 for everything. I almost felt I took advantage of them. Super honest and nice people over there. I'd give them my business any day. read more

Excellent service. Great prices. They don't try to "upsell".

Friendly's Auto Repair is home to the best mechanics in world!! Right now they have a great contactless drop-off option because of the pandemic. Hand sanitizer, chairs outside to wait, everyone wearing masks for protection etc... Eddie, Curt, and Krystal are kind, intelligent, and just wonderful people in general. They always have your best interest at heart and you will leave with a smile. I cannot say enough about Friendly's. Love y'all! read more

You should go nowhere else in Elgin but Friendly's Auto Repair. Genuine and honest people. They know what they they are doing and go above what you are actually paying for. If I could give more than five stars I would. read more

The mechanic is amazing and my truck was taken great care of. Everyone was kind. Will definitely be going back in the future

I've moved a little further away but still drive 30 mins to come service my car here because these folks are absolutely top notch. Live up to their "Friendly" name, and always go above and beyond on the little things. Everything always clearly explained, priced, and handled. read more

My tail lights went out and I figured since all of them went out, it was a bigger problem. I checked the fuse and that wasn't blown so decided to take it into these guys. They had great reviews. They were very friendly and accommodating but that's where it stops for me. I was told it would be up to $99 for an electric diagnostic + cost of repairs. Fine, I can't drive around without tail lights. I waited about 30 minutes for them to see what was going on. The mechanic had figured out in those 30 minutes that it was just the lightbulbs that had gone out and replaced all 3. I figure wow that was an easy find, this shouldn't be much. They end up charging me $75. Absolutely ridiculous and ludicrous. $36 for bulbs and the rest for labor. I've been to shops before where they find something small, replace it and haven't even charged me. I didn't expect a free ride but charging me $75 for bulbs that would cost $15 total + some labor is insane. I realize my big mistake is not bothering to check the actual bulbs myself but even they agreed it might be something bigger when I walked in. Just another auto shop cliche trying to rip consumers off for me. I really wanted to like them and support a local business in my neighborhood. I'm sure they'll have some nice response of how diagnostics have to cost a certain amount cause they don't know what's wrong and blah blah blah. Save it. read more

After coming here a couple of times, I made an appointment to get some work done only to have them call and cancel it because they think I'm the Sarah M. who left a negative review below. When I told them I had no idea what they were talking about and explained that it wasn't me, they simply listed all the reasons they thought it was me and STILL refused to work with me. I really liked these guys but now I have to say AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Apparently if you have a common first name they'll take it upon themselves to do some Internet detective work and arbitrarily decide if you're worthy of their time. Unbelievable. If you don't like getting jerked around and called a liar DO NOT bring your car to Friendly's! read more

There is a reason for all the 5 star reviews! I drive a fairly new car. I took it to the dealership, under warranty, because it is behaving badly (really, it would scare you) I got the car back hours later and they said there was nothing wrong. I was charged the $100 fee for a diagnostic check. I left ,yet, still had a car that would randomly function after stopping! (this car freaks me out! it only responded to the gas being depressed when it felt like it) I stopped by Friendly's on my day off. Crystal was super accomodating and had Travis give me a ride to my house while they worked on my death trap. After 2 days and lots of research they were able to fix my issues (and waaay under budget) to get me back on the road! I must add that when Crystal came to pick me up to get my car she was able to help my roommate jump start her car! When I say that these people are amazing I really mean it! TAKE YOUR CAR HERE!!!!! Thank you so very much for restoring my faith in mechanics!!!! read more

I have an 89 ford bronco which I have had for half it's life. In college I beat it up off roading and still paying to get it fixed. Anyways, went on a trip to bastrop and needed to tow an rv (hence my other review). Brought it into the shop to get the brakes looked at, steering fixed and a new hitch put on. They did a great job. Will go back. read more

I came here looking for Marx, but apparently they have moved. These guys told me where Marx's new location was and told me they didn't want to steal his business. I thought that showed a lot of character, so I gave them my business. It was a small job, just a belt replacement, but they had the part ordered and replaced in under an hour. They were up front about the pricing for the labor and showed me how they calculate it as well as how their rates compared to some of the big shops (much less.) They also checked my tire inflation, checked for other leaks and noises and zip-tied a loose cable I had (free of charge), even though I asked them to do none of these things! Overall I found them pleasant and relaxed to deal with (not impatient and overworked, like so many mechanics) and count myself lucky that this is right around the corner from me. Friendly's lives up to its name. read more

After having a horrible experience ELSEWHERE, I made an appointment with Friendly's to have my AC worked on, soley based on their yelp reviews. The hype is real, people! From scheduling an appointment, the in-depth explanation of what needs to be serviced, prices, to the end result. I'm glad I found them and although no one likes when their vehicle needs work done, this will be my go-to place when needed. I also can't fail to mention the icing on the cake. When everything was done, paid, and over with, about 2 days later...I noticed my license plate (which was hanging on it's bent bracket on the floor of my truck, from a car accident I had 2 years ago) was missing. I figured this thing was in the way and was probably placed elsewhere in my truck or in their shop, while my AC was being checked out. No biggie, that thing had been there for more than 2 years without the proper TLC. I called Friendly's, left them a quick message, asking about my plate and it's bracket. Guess what? They generously took it upon themselves to prop it back on on. And my front license plate is looking pretty damn pretty, exactly where it should have been for the last 2 years. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone at Friendly's who helped make this experience a great one. Look no more, check this place out!! read more

I have been taking my vehicle to another place that I suspected was charging too much. Checked Yelp and picked Friendly's. Got the work I needed cheaper, faster and got great communication. They showed me the old parts and explained the problem. Crystal was expecting me when I got there and let me know what I should expect. With four cars to maintain, I need all the help I can get! Friendly's is definitely worth 5 stars! read more

I'll be honest, when I see this many 5-star reviews at a place I naturally get suspicious - are they offering discounts for great reviews? There is NO WAY an establishment can provide such superior service consistently. Friendly's, you have proven me wrong. From the get-go I received nothing but extraordinarily patient service. I needed to get my vehicle to the point that it would pass state inspections. It's an older car - 2001 - and I didn't want to sink a lot of money into it as I will hopefully be looking at upgrading sometime this year. However, having an up-to-date registration and inspection is needed to get around. I received a quote at a competitors for a minimum of $1,100 - ouch. That's like half of the value of my car! I couldn't wrap my mind around dropping all of that, at once, and it not guarantee my vehicle would pass inspections. I called around to a few places and Friendly's impressed me from the beginning. The gentleman I spoke with on the phone asked detailed questions, and then asked to call me back after he put together an estimate. Within maybe an hour he called me back, explained the different charges, some of the issues they may discover and their respective costs, and what he recommended I do. I tried calling a competitor for an estimate, but after leaving my information twice and never getting a call back I decided to take my car to Friendly's. I told them what I needed - that sticker on my windshield - and the first day they ran a series of diagnostics. They gave me the run down of what my car needed, and honestly, it was a lot - their estimate was around $1,000. However, they did tell me there was a distinct possibility that replacing this one thing (this is something else I loved about them - they explained everything thoroughly, why I needed to fix it, etc.) and it could possibly clear the code for some other thing. Lo and behold, it worked! My total car repair bill came in about $500 less than I anticipated. Another awesome service is their after-hours drop-off and pick-up. Honestly, I never met any of the Friendly's staff in person (unfortunately, they sound like a great bunch!). Due to my crazy work schedule it would have been extremely difficult to do a car pick-up or drop-off during working hours. However, their system works flawlessly. They also called or texted me at every point during the repair so I always knew what was going on with my car, they were able to clear up any questions I had, and they talked different things through with me to ensure I was getting the most cost-effective and necessary services. I plan on bringing my vehicle back in a couple of months to get a few other things looked at. They assured me it was not immediately pressing, but if I was getting an oil change anyways, why not try and fix a few other issues? I also want to give a HUGE shout out to Nick! Nick, you were fabulous and made me feel at ease. Your patience and kindness in explaining everything to me, while keeping in mind my very limited budget, is greatly appreciated. You're the best! read more

This is the shop you wish you could find. Krystal takes care of the customers. Eddy and the team take care of the cars. You can make an appointment to have your car serviced and Krystal will call or text you with updates. They're not afraid to make a referral when you need a specialist. read more

Not only competent and honest mechanics, but super nice people and great service. My husband and I originally came in because of their Groupon and because the location is convenient for us. We have always gotten top-notch service here so have decided to keep using them. For instance, my car's check engine light kept coming on and wasn't passing inspection. After my second ticket for no inspection (grrrrr...) I decided I needed to handle it once and for all. I took it to Friendly's and mentioned the tickets in passing. They handled the check engine light and also took it down the road for the inspection. So I got it fixed with the inspection sticker in one trip. Yay! The mechanic also offered to tighten the belts for me free of charge. Which is awesome because they are squeaky and drive me crazy. Added bonus: decent coffee in the waiting room and two bikes for customers to borrow while their car is being worked on. I always have my little one with me so haven't taken advantage of the bikes but did have the coffee. :-) read more

I love Friendly's! They are super knowledgable and so easy to work with. They've always taken great care of our cars, and even worked with us to schedule a same-day inspection of a used car we were looking at purchasing! read more

Luckily it had been a while since I'd had any issues with my car (2000 Lexus ES300), but my 'check engine' light came on last week, making my heart skip a beat. I was thinking "Uh oh, I wonder what this is and how much it is going to cost me?" Since I now live pretty far from where I used to take my car, I really wanted to find some place closer. But the thought of trying to find another good mechanic that I could trust was definitely a concern. I had heard that Friendly's was a relatively new place that was already getting good reviews by its customers, so I decided to give them a try. So I brought my car in yesterday just before they closed to leave it there over night. Although Eddy offered to give me a ride back to my place, I just used one of their spare bikes to get home - pretty cool they have those there. Eddy said he'd look at it first thing in the morning and give me a call. Well, I got the call as promised, and Eddy explained that the diagnostics machine told him that basically it was likely merely that my gas cap had been a little loose which had triggered a warning light due to leaking vapors. He went ahead and checked all my hoses too and found nothing wrong with them. He ended up just reseting my computer system to get the warning lights to turn off, and he didn't charge me anything! Yeah, like when does THAT ever happen? Seriously, an unscrupulous mechanic could have easily made something up to tell me and charged me for work not actually done, and I wouldn't have ever known any better. And even a more scrupulous mechanic would usually at least charge me something for the diagnostic testing. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be taking my car to Friendly's whenever it needs any kind of servicing again in the future. Of course I don't expect it to always cost me nothing, but when those times do happen when my car needs work to be done on it I now have a friendly (yeah, they really are friendly there), trustworthy mechanic to go to. Bottom line, Friendly's has earned my business, and if you are looking for a good mechanic you should give them a try too. 8/29/13 addendum Eddy and Krystal and the rest of the team at Friendly's are still the bomb. Earlier this year I took my Lexus in to have the timing belt replaced. Eddy got pretty deep into getting everything taken apart to get to the main components he needed to work on (sorry, I'm not enough of a car guy to know all the terms), but when he got to a certain bolt that is bolted into the engine block he couldn't get it off. Seems that the last person who changed the timing belt cross-threaded the bolt (thanks douchebag!!). Eddy said he tried and tried to get it off; he even tried applying some heat with a blow torch onto the engine block near the bolt. But he said he got to a point that he just didn't want to force it too much and possibly break it off. So he reassemble all the parts he had already taken off, and explained what had happened when I came by to get my car. He apologized (as if he owed me one, yeah right!), and kindly suggested maybe trying the Lexus stealership, saying perhaps they've dealt with this kind of a problem before. AND HE DIDN'T CHARGE ME A PENNY! So instead of forcing something that could have gone badly and cost me a crapload of more money, he was honest and professional. Oh, AND he's genuinely a nice guy. Seriously, what else can you want in a mechanic?? 8/04/15 addemdum Well Eddy and Krystal did a great job for me again. The 'ole Lexus of mine is getting pretty long in tooth (it's a 2000 with 213k miles on it), and she broke down on me at Zilker Park over the weekend. I had it towed to Friendly's shop and dropped my key in through the mail slot on their door like they say to on their website (closed on weekends). First thing Monday morning Krystal contacts me to let me know they already have the part (Fuel Pressure Pulsation Damper) on order from Houston and that it should arrive the next day. Sure enough the part came in and they made sure to get my car up and running before closing time. AND I also asked them to look at a couple of other things while my car was there, things that I wouldn't necessarily thing a mechanic would take on. One was my CD player, hoping that it was just a fuse. Unfortunately it was actually the CD player that's out, so nothing they could do there. But the other issue was that the area on the drivers side where the window buttons are had collapsed into the door. It still functioned but looked like shite. Well Krystal figured out that it was an entire housing that would need to be replaced, and the cheapest one she could find was over $600 just for the part! Yikes! Well, Krystal got creative and spayed some foam in the compartment and did some work with some ties inside the compartment, and she got it looking like new! So Eddy and Krystal come to my rescue and only charge me $185 out the door. Are these guys rock stars or what?? read more

Wow! What they couldn't do, balance my tires, they sublet out and took care of that for me, found the missing tire jack and tool kit that is no longer being made for my car on eBay (that Carmax didn't include with the car, nor bother to tell me about and), did an excellent job on the rest of my service, offered some great advice on future services needed, and even vacuumed my car! Aaaaannnnnddddd, they were extra, super nice and friendly! Awesome job and customer service! I've been looking for a mechanic in my 'hood and I have found one! read more

Look no further for an amazing auto repair shop! I was pretty upset after taking my car to the dealer and was told I needed $2,200 worth of work. I was referred here and decided to get a second opinion and get any needed repairs done. I kid you not...I walked out only paying a little over $400. Everyone who works here is super genuine and kind and you can tell they have your best interest in mind. Thanks Friendly's and Lee for taking such great care of me! read more

Great experience and really friendly staff (a dog is also part of the staff), got my truck done really fast and had the best prices i could find. Awesome shop with Hendrix playing in the background. read more

I love the customer service here. No nonsense, just facts and you don't feel like you're being taken advantage of. When you don't understand what exactly is wrong after they tell you, they will explain to you in detail. I'm not going anywhere else for my car needs. This place won me over. read more

I went in for an oil change and was greeted warmly. There's a small but comfortable waiting room where I was offered a drink while I waited (water, coffee). There was another customer waiting with me who had his dog with him. The shop also had a couple dogs that stayed in the back but did come out once the shop realized they didn't bother us. My oil change was quick and thorough. When I got back into my car, they'd cleaned my windshield and vacuumed my interior (front and back floors). That was a nice treat. I'd recommend them to anyone. read more

This review is long overdue, but I said I would "yelp" my great experience when I took my car in in April. I had just moved into a new neighborhood and a neighbor was kind enough to tell me my tail light was out. I called the nearest place and the woman on the phone said they were booked up, but asked me to hold. She came back on and said if I could make it up there soon, they could help me. I drove straight there and they were really friendly and welcoming. I sat and pet a sweet kitty and chatted with the ladies at the front. I asked if they also offered oil changes because I would definitely be back and one of the ladies made it happen even after they fit me in so graciously. They also printed out a sheet of paper stating parts of my car that may need replacing soon. They even let me know my tires were put on backwards and referred me to a tire shop nearby. Everything was repaired quickly and before I left I was invited to a free class for women that demonstrated things like changing tires and oil changes! All in all, this is the best experience I've had at an auto shop, including superb customer service. I felt comfortable and even had a good time hanging out. Thanks again! You guys are the best! read more

I've had perfectly good service from auto shops before - solid work, nice people, etc. I've never been to one, however, where they so clearly emphasized customer service. I took my car in for a simple oil change and inspection and literally everything about the experience was awesome. My car is healthier, cleaner, and inspected-er than when I dropped it off, the work was quick, the price was totally reasonable, and these folks just made themselves a fan for life. read more

I never give 5 stars unless it is absolutely warranted. Friendly Auto gets it right!!! They repaired my Acura and they did it perfectly. I had two windows that would not stay up and a broken exterior car handle. I pulled in on a Monday, they took off the door panel and told me what the problem was. I scheduled an appt for the following week and they dropped me off at work, when I came in!!! My car was ready to go four hours later!! Friendly Auto rocks!!! read more

Was there on Friday bars on Yelp reviews and they are super friendly, helpful, efficient, and reasonably priced! Can't say too much good things about these guys I recommend them to everyone I know! :) read more