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    Grease Monkey

    3.5 (243 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    This was by far the worst experience I've ever had, and I will not be returning. I've been a loyal customer for years, but since the ownership changed, this shop has completely lost its integrity. It's clear their priority is squeezing as much money as possible from each customer, with no regard for honesty or doing what's right. Here's what happened: They didn't ask me what kind of oil I wanted--they simply walked up and gave me the price after draining my oil. Then, they approached my girlfriend, telling her the oil was extremely dirty and low. This is a 2022 Jeep with less than 35,000 miles on it. They also pushed her to get an engine flush and more coolant, claiming we had driven far over the recommended mileage. When she explained that we had only gone slightly over the 10,000 miles their own sticker recommended, they outright denied ever advising 10,000 miles, even when we showed them their sticker. The technician continued to insist the oil was dirty and low. That's when I stepped in. I had already checked the oil myself and it wasn't low or excessively dirty. When I questioned him, he didn't show me the oil and instead just asked, "Do you want to do the flush or not?" When I declined and it became clear that I knew enough about the car, the upselling suddenly stopped and he claimed "maybe" his system was wrong. To make matters worse, they put a new sticker recommending an oil change in just 3,000 miles, despite using synthetic oil, which is rated for 7,500-15,000 miles. Therefore, our car around 10,000 miles was fine. We also brought it in when the oil change light came on. They claimed it should be changed in 5,000 miles or less, which simply isn't true. While we were there, I saw them recommend a flush to at least two other customers, with the same line about "really dirty oil" and "needing a flush to protect the car." When I got home and reviewed the paperwork, I noticed more discrepancies. One section claimed it had been over 10,000 miles (which he was saying we went over that by 4,000 also) since the last oil change and recommended a flush, while another line stated it had only been 9,000 miles (true mileage at 9,314) Given that 9,000 or 10,000 or 14,000 miles is well within the acceptable range for synthetic oil, this inconsistency only further highlights their attempt to upsell unnecessary services. Further checking the paperwork on oil change services the 2022 to 2023 oil change was at 11,510 miles back when there was different ownership, no one tried to upsell me, and they were using a more accurate OL6 system based on better real time oil change recommendations. They switched to a cheaper system recommending basic and shorter time between changes. (Images attached) I understand times are tough, but pressuring customers into unnecessary maintenance is unethical and a terrible way to do business. I can't say for certain whether the other vehicles needed a flush, but I strongly suspect they didn't. The way they pushed the same line on us felt like a tactic to pad their bottom line, not genuine care for the vehicles. This is not how you treat customers. I won't be back, and I urge others to be cautious.

    Grease Monkey said the oil on the left was so bad that engined needed to be flushed.

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Shawn H.

    Pam, we sincerely appreciate your business very much. Shawn (owner)

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    12 years ago

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    Page 7 of 7

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    Review Highlights - Grease Monkey

    Efficient, very welcoming and on top of it, car's floor was vacuumed and windows were cleaned.

    Mentioned in 5 reviews

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    Bernie's Automotive Service - We have an assortment of coffee, hot chocolate and tea for you to choose from while you wait

    Bernie's Automotive Service

    (103 reviews)

    Ballard

    I was stopped waiting to merge when another car came up on my left and scraped my left side and…read moretook off my side view mirror. Insurance companies were terrible, wanting to declare the car 'totaled', and giving me a small check to buy another car. I started looking for someone to just put the mirror back on. Got crazy estimates of $2,500 to $6,000. Finally went to Bernie's where Sam said we can do it for $850 plus tax. They did it in two days and it was a quality job. Looks brand new. Sam was great to work with, Martin

    After taking my vehicle here for 6 years, it's unfortunately time for me to change shops. I'm still…read morehappy with almost all of the mechanical work that is done in this garage. I'd give 4.5 stars for the actual service here. However, a couple years back they hired another service advisor (desk guy) who is a bit of a problem. He's nice, but in the used car salesman kind of way. He will pressure you to get work done, whereas the original desk guy (he still works there as far as I know) just says "here's what we think, tell me what you want to do" and then will have a straightforward conversation with you if you have questions or want to brainstorm ideas. If you're good with boundaries you might be ok with the new guy, but I'm usually pretty good about saying "no", and I still ended up with some stuff that I didn't really want/could have done myself. The other issue, which is harder to get around, is that the new guy just doesn't listen. You can explain your problem to him, but he may or may not talk over you or pay attention to what you're saying. You need to be very forceful, to the point of feeling even a little rude (which I hate doing to anyone in a customer service role) to get your point across. It's almost like he takes personal offense if you have a different observation than he does. This is an issue because the mechanics can only fix something if they know what the problem is, and customer history is an important part of that. I was really hoping that the service advisor was just having an off day the first time this happened, because I like Bernie's, but unfortunately it has persisted. For context, I am a woman: I don't want to assume this is part of the problem, but I'm open to the possibility that it is -- basically, this is my caveat that your mileage may vary.

    Moe's Automotive - Sign

    Moe's Automotive

    (58 reviews)

    Loyal Heights, Ballard

    Moe is THE MAN. Particularly if you own a SAAB, as he's been working with those since they were…read moremaking jets. I'm on my fourth SAAB that only he touches, and have been working with him for over 20 years. I see some reviews that say hes been difficult or unfair and I can only assume it was double sided. I'm a customer that drops by whenever, always pestering him with questions and expecting him to turn same-day miracles because I don't like to be without my car. He's gotten far too busy to oblige me anymore, but he's never been rude. I buy SAABs because I love them, and he's the one that helped me to appreciate them. His first repair on my first SAAB, I was driving home at 11pm when my front wheel fell off and passed me. I slid on what was left for half a block. I had picked this car up from a friend for $150 and it was thrashed, so.... So I called a tow and had it dropped off at his place. In the morning when I called him, he says, yea yes I'll take a look, it'll be done when you get off work. How much? Don't know yet. 6:00 I go to pick it up, it was ready, and the Bill was $65.00. That was 20 + years ago, but he has ALWAYS BEEN FAIR, done great work that he's stood behind, and has ALWAYS TREATED ME respectfully. He kept that first SAAB running for 2 years, then finally said we needed to put it away, but look, he said- "I've built you a new one, should you want it". That car ran for ever. The latest SAAB is a 9-5 that I bought from his lot. I made a down payment, drove home, and a freak problem popped up. There had been a small crack in a spot where you'd never see it on the cooling tank for the turbo that finally broke. I'd driven it less than 2 hours, and I said to Moe, "You gotta fix this". He reminds me that I've bought the car, and he won't be fixing things for free when they come as a surprise to me, because they sneak up on him as well. So he charged me towing $100, and fixed the $400 problem the next day. Even though it could have never been caught prior and really wasn't his problem. I've NEVER had any problem larger than that with him. He will always explain the situation, what he has to do, and advise the worth of it to me. Wouldn't fix a blown head gasket on one car because it was about time for other parts to wear down as well. See, he won't just take your money- he wants a happy, life long customer. This is his passion, and I'm so happy to see how much he's grown since we met. Because I used to tell ANYONE WHO'D LISTEN about the magic mechanic on 85th that treated a person fairly and refused to do it any other way. In closing , this man here is an artisan of motor vehicles, a lover of his trade, and the most honest man whose palm I've ever crossed with silver. You absolutely have nothing to lose meeting him, and you just may gain a lifelong mechanic/friend that will make that part of your life less aggravating. Someone you can trust, and not lose sleep worrying if he's treating you wrong. It's just not in his nature. And as for the variety of vehicles on his lot for sale, he'll be honest about which ones he's examined and if he thinks they'll fit your needs. (Yes, I'm adding "honest used car salesman" to his accolades!). Look, if the guy even cared about Yelp reviews I don't know. I think he's unaware of them. But his attitude and professionalism make it look like he wants them all to be 5 star, for his own pride, for his reputation. For how he's viewed by his peers. Old school honesty lives at Moe's Automotive. Plus I dare you not to crack a smile every time you start your conversation with a "Hey Moe". Look into this shop!

    Took for oil change. Second day I was driving and smelled strong burning. Took back immediately and…read morethey told me the technician left whole bunch of oil spilled around the area. Now it's the third day, it still has the awful smell when the car is running. Just careless. Hope spill is the only issue.

    Doctor Don's Automotive - Does this car look "unsalvageable to you?

    Doctor Don's Automotive

    (83 reviews)

    Ballard

    Alternator went on my car. I needed someplace close so as not to have to have my car towed too far…read more I called Dr. Don's and asked if it would be ok to have my car towed there. guy I spoke with was very nice and welcomed me to bring my car as well as listening to me as I described the issue with my car. This carried over when I arrived there. The guys were pleasant and told me they'd look my car over and get back to me in a couple hours with a diagnosis. When it was confirmed that it was definitely my alternator that needed replacing, I was quoted and told the job would take a day to get to. About 2 pm the following day it was ready for pick up. About $1100 later I was up and running again. This is also the approximate rate for a replacement, so I felt the price was fair enough with labor etc., and again I needed a mechanic that was close. There was the usual slight upsell on other services, but they weren't pushy about it which I always appreciate.

    We had an emergency. Someone at our company put regular gas into our diesel Sprinter delivery van…read more This rig is our workhorse and we needed it running. First we went to Mercedes of Seattle and they said $30K for a whole new fuel system. Then we tried other independent mechanic shops and nobody wanted anything to do with it. Finally I called Don at his shop in Ballard. He said "We can fix it...bring it in". I had it towed directly there in the morning. By 4pm on the same day he called and said the van was fixed and running again. And now, a year later, it continues to run great with zero problems. The price was fair and the service was excellent. I highly recommend Doctor Don's.

    Grease Monkey - oilchange - Updated June 2026

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