Great shop!! Bought our car from Carmax last year with an extended warranty, just in case. Well, 'just in case' popped up. It was not an easy issue to fix but Hillmuth did it. They were very thorough and communicative. Most important for us, though, was that we didn't need to contact the warranty company ourselves -- Hillmuth did ALL of that work for us. It would have been a pain for us (and it was based on our conversations with them). Our car is now running fine with no warning lights on and all codes cleared. If you need service in 'downtown' Columbia, I'd suggest heading to Hillmuth. Very very satisfied. read more

Quality auto motive services , still over priced but , been there twice and feel there honest and good service!!

Excellent repair shop! I have been a customer for over 25 years. They have always gone out of their way to provide quality service and have worked with me on pricing. Early in my experience with them, I had an expensive part fail on a relatively new car, something that shouldn't have happened. There was no recall notice, but Hillmuth spoke to the manufacturer and got the part replaced free. They do small things, but very helpful things, like when I need air in my tires, they take care of that for me, no charge of course. The service advisers are top-notch, friendly, polite, helpful, and again, and very important, help me control prices. I highly recommend Hillmuth. read more

An absolutely excellent experience! As soon as my 2016 Cadillac had tires replaced and a handful of other tweaks provided, I felt like my car was brand new. The Gents (and Lady) were efficient and gracious and kept me up-to-date; it all took less than a day, pretty much an overnight. I recommend them for repairs and replacements supported by efficient and professional service. Many thanks to you all! Peter in Owen Brown read more

When reading this review, note that this not the first time employees at Hillmuth in Columbia have treated me with gross disrespect, dishonesty, and misogyny- I returned out of reluctant necessity. When bringing my car in for service and explaining the issues I've been having, technician Kevin Palma (glasses, dark hair with a lot of gray), CUTS ME OFF MID SENTENCE to snidely state, "oh, tests will have to be done, can't tell anything yet." Customers have the right to approve transactions over $25. I was not told what tests would be done, or what the cost would be, and since they were checking on a repair they'd previously done, I assumed my repair warranty would cover that. Kevin calls to tell me what is wrong with the car and what repairs would be needed. He gave no new information, since I already tried to explain the problem when I dropped off the car. I decided not to move forward with repairs at Hillmuth (they quoted me $780- I paid $450 for the same repair and TNT auto). When I went to pick up the car, I was charged for a diagnostic test that.. surprise ... WASNT NECESSARY BECAUSE THE TECH DIDNT LISTEN TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE ABOUT THE ACTUAL CAR ISSUE. The real kicker was the way Kevin could only mumble, condescend, and avoid eye contact when speaking to me, but somehow gained the ability to look up from his computer and speak with respect as soon as my husband had questions. Right in front of me, it was like a different, respectful tech somehow appeared to help my husband. Titus, the manager of this location, sits in an open office mere feet away from these interactions. He had no phone calls or headphones in. Yet, he only commented when I directly addressed him to say this isn't the first time I've been treated poorly here. His helpful response, "well, I don't think we treat women differently here." Ah. Great. After firmly demanding one days later, I did receive a refund for the diagnostic. But the treatment remains the same and people need to know. I called owner Scott Hillmuth over at the Glenwood location at 10am. Didn't make it a priority to call me back. That's ok, that's what reviews are for! Update- 20 minutes after writing this review, Billy Hillmuth (son of owner) found the time to reach out. Interesting. I called back this morning (6/5), and he listened as I recounted the situation. While he agreed that I should have gotten an estimate and customer rights should be more explicit, he maintained the idea that his employees don't treat women differently. I explained that most misogynists DONT think they treat women differently, it's a huge cultural issue, and his opinion doesn't dismiss my experience. read more

Have been servicing my cars at Hillmuth for more than 20 years and have been generally satisfied with the service. Brought my 2020 Toyota Highlander in for routine service a couple of months ago and service was great (appreciated the use of a loaner.) What disappointed me, was that when I was given an estimate over the phone, the actual service charge was $700 more than the quote I received over the phone. I discussed this with Hillmuth when I picked up the car, but all they said was I misheard the quote from that morning. Had I realized the amount would be so much higher, I would have deleted some of the items. Not a very happy camper. read more

Honest, professional and customer service oriented. Needed a State inspection and they were accommodating and timely. Thanks Hillmuth! read more

Way overpriced for a replacement battery. Other places would have charged $280 but Hillmuth charged $431 plus $98.13 for an electrical analysis that was not needed. Ripoff. read more

Quick, reliable, quality service. Hillmuth of Columbia has worked on our cars for several years.

Quality work, but high pricing. Quoted and charged parts costs were marked up at more than 2x. Added "shop charge" of 10% was tacked-on, on a relatively simple repair. read more

Hillmuth on Route 97 is our go-to in the area for many years. My Acura RDX developed a front tire leak on the day I needed to head out of town. After calling they fit me in same day (awesome). Based on age of my tires decided to replace them with recommended set that we love! Unfortunately the delay in getting tires was over 3 hours (beyond their control) but still not a great experience on that front. Alignment was spot on, and workmanship is always fantastic. My only complaint with Hillmuth was the estimate being 150$ less than the final bill. We hope this was a one-time thing as Hillmuth has always been spot on in the past with their estimates. read more

I brought my 2018 CTV in for it's 90K mile servicing. Stan, Scott and George were extremely attentive as always (Hillmuth et al has been MY service provider since 1987, when i had a small fleet of vehicles). The service occurred without a hitch. The car runs fine and performs well. I will stick with Hillmuth! read more

I had an appointment for Wednesday, but the car wasn't looked at until the following day, Thursday. I brought the car in for a rear blinker problem issue. Hillmuth prepared a laundry list of repairs totaling $9,6553.11 for all sorts of issues; some of the repairs were marginal at best**. I declined all of the extra repairs, except for the original reason for the appointment. Hillmuth ordered the part and strangely it took about one week for the part to arrive. I received no calls from my tech salesman, but another salesman called when I called him for a status. I got the car back 13 days later, costing $928.81!! The repair was to the rear tail assembly--the problem was obvious, once the tech pulled the taillight assembly. (the assembly circuit was burned), yet I was charged roughly $708 for labor and $208 for materials. I got ripped off!! I would never recommend going back to this auto service business. Oh yes. When I was driving home, I discovered that the taillight wasn't working!! I had to go back the following day. Never again... *The tech recommended a new battery, without testing my own battery. ??That's just one example. read more

Great experience! They care about the customer and won't oversell things that aren't needed.

I as tettering between a 3 and 4 star... let's settle on 3.5, ok? We have visited this place twice within the last month... once fo rmy wife's car (inspection, oil change, etc) and once for my car (inspection and oil change). I have to say that they are quite knowledgeable and friendly, and their prices are failry comparable for other places I have seen. Although they have two advantages in my mind... 1st, they offer a loaner car if you wish to drop off your car before work and get to work. They are rather timely too by the way, they get their stuff done at, or before, the time they say they will! The second is that they have perks, like referrals to other businesses, recommendations, and they have a candy dish... free candy. That's the icing on top of the cake! I will definitely be back when I need additional work done. read more

My 18 year old was traveling ~400 miles from home. She heard a scraping noise on the car. Took the car to Hillmuth who checked it out. Turns out there was nothing wrong or only something minor stuck on the rotor. They returned the car to her without charging her. Would have been easy to find something to fix, but they did the right thing. Thanks for being honest to someone in a vulnerable situation. read more

Hillmuth in Columbia, MD did a great job reinstalling my hybrid battery! Stan was very responsive and knowledgeable and explained everything in a way I could understand. The operation is totally professional from top to bottom! read more

Very service oriented business. Helpful, consistent and will let you know if there's a cheaper option for a repair or replacement. We've been taking our cars here in Glenwood since they opened and have found the mechanics to be highly trained and knowledgeable. The customer service is impeccable; working with our busy career schedules they will offer to deliver our car back to us when they are finished. read more

As usual the customer service and workmanship was excellent at Hillmuth. Special thanks to Scott for recommending a brand of tires that seem to be running quieter and smoother than the ones I replaced. read more

I was not happy with the service. I took my truck to Hillmuth Certified Automotive, INC a company that works on tires and rims. I bought a new rim cause one of the rims got bent and kept leaking and I thought they would fix the tpms or ask me about it but never did. I then asked about it and why they took apart my brand new one to use parts on it and they "used" it on the tire I have in it already. So they gave me a rusted one instead of giving me an original and told me to drive a little bit to register the tpms in it. I told it won't work and they won't work on it till I drive on it. That's not how it works and I know this if it's not "relearned." They charged me $55.28 to take my tire off the bent rim take apart my BRAND NEW TPMS sensor to use it for one new one. Then tried to argue about the missing pieces; they ended up giving me a rusted valve stem. I drove 10 miles and brought it back the same day knowing I would. I told them I drove for about a year on it and the light was still on. Then proceeded to charge me $97.98 to relearn ONE of the tpms that they messed with. Never taking it back here again and not happy with this type of service. read more

Very happy with service AND they have loaner cars! Feel fortunate to have found Hillmuth - our new go to mechanic. read more

I've been going to Hillmuth since I moved to Maryland in 1994. I completely trust their advice, to the point, that if they think you don't need something, they tell you that too. They have taken care of 5 of mine and my kids cars and two of my husband's cars. I like they call you and tell you what's going on to get your approval. I recently had to take my car to the dealership because the rubber around the windows was allowing water into my car (5 year old car). While there, they did a couple of other things that added up to an additional $175! They didn't call me to tell me they were going to do that, and frankly, I wouldn't have had it done, but there I was had to pay anyway. So I trust Hillmuth completely, they've always been straight with us and they always do a good job. Highly recommend! B. Riedel read more

I had taken my Mazda to the dealer and they gave me a high quote for getting my shock and axles replaced. I came here for a second opinion and they quoted $500 less than the dealer. I was able to get a same day appt and my car was ready early the next day. The issue I was having with the car was fixed so no complaints. I downloaded their app and already have enough points for a free oil change so I'll be returning soon! read more

Hillmuth does good work and has always done me right. I have always given Hillmuth 5-star reviews for years. Most recently, I paid $473 for work there. I thought that price was a little high so I checked with the dealer, who would have done the job for $300. If you have a vehicle that is out-of-warranty, I recommend that you get a quote from the dealer before you commit to Hillmuth. read more

Here is my Hillmuth experience My car dies on the side of the road so I have it towed to Hillmuth. They tell me it's the alternator(makes sense) $1000 dollars Two weeks later My car Dies on the side of the road again. Have it towed to Hillmuth because its should be under warranty. They tell me alternator is fine its you battery (ok I can except that when the first alternator failed maybe it fried the battery) $150 One week later Battery light comes on. Bring it back to Hillmuth only because my whole charging system is under warranty with them now . They say it's the battery again One Week later Battery light again. Got to bring it back to Hillmuth again... hey at least everything's under warranty right? Nope this time they says the fuse box another $150. Guess what that's all that's was ever wrong with my car!!! I didn't need an alternator or a battery. Will never deal with them again read more

Are you frickn' kiddn me? $46 bucks for a oil change ($15 dollars labor)? $28 bones for labor to change a fog light? Dude are you serious? And then the nerve to say happy holidays on my way out. What did Spicoli say to Mr. Hand in "Fast times At Ridgemont High?" "You DICK!" The mechanic called me and said "Theres a nail in your tire that I cant remove so your gonna have to buy a new tire." SHure Bob! That about sums it up with this place. Please for your sake go elsewhere. Oh.. and to boot they said I needed my trans. fluid flush yet it was done in August...hmm. At least grease me up with my old oil! Total 1970s car scam joint! http://www.hillmuth.com/ColumbiaMd.aspx read more

Always a great experience with them, accommodating, nice and will work with you on price if you are on a tight budget although it took me awhile to get used to the high prices for everything that is charged here in Maryland after moving from Florida, they still were kind enough to work with me. I had to leave the car for a few hours and they drove me home so I could work instead of wasting my hours in the waiting room. I highly recommend them even if they are slightly higher then the other guys but if there is a problem, they will fix it, guarantee it and with a smile. Thanks guys, you rock! read more

I had my first experience with this company when getting some work done with an extended warranty. They are one of the providers for the warranty company. The people I worked with were professional, personable, and helpful. I called this morning to see about getting a shuttle to bring me to get my car and thirty minutes later one was at my front door. Such a nice free service to offer! Highly recommend and will be glad to use again. This company is also very highly regarded amongst my neighbors for good, honest work. read more

First off, I want to say that Hillmuth has employees that are very knowledgeable and will definitely fix any issue with your car. The first time I went there they were reasonably priced and performed what was needed in the same day. Awesome! When I went back for the second time, it was a different story unfortunately. My car was having brake issues for a day or two and wanted to have it checked out. I knew I just needed the Pads and Rotors replaced on my front drivers side, and I also know that brakes are replaced in a set so the front passengers side would also be replaced. Typically this job is between $400-$600 including labor if that is all that needs replaced. For Hillmuth's good reviews, how they treated me the first time and made me feel confident in their work, I was willing to pay on the higher end for this. To my shock I was quoted $2,100. Fortunately for me, I am educated when it comes to cars and knew that this estimate was extremely high for this job. If I was getting all 4 replaced including calipers then I could understand the estimate but this was not the case and I was not looking for all 4 to be replaced and communicated that. I picked up my car and decided to take it somewhere else. I was quoted $421 by this new location and they fixed the issue perfectly and have not had any issues since. I would just research issues with your car and be educated when going to any repair shop. The reason why they received two stars is for how they treated me the first time. read more

I picked Hillmuth after researching places that are good with hybrid cars. I have no complaints with the basic maintenance performed on my hybrid car. My boyfriend's non hybrid car cost $50 more than mine which was the first oddity. The second oddity occurred when we called to complain about acceleration issues post-maintenance. The person on the phone was extremely dismissive and not helpful. I don't have confidence in their shop and will not return with either car. It's certainly possible the issues we're experiencing aren't related to the service from Hillmuth but their attitude is definitely suspicious. I can confidently say if you don't have a hybrid there are plenty of better mechanics for your car. read more

I've taken two vehicles to Hillmuth in Columbia. They are not the cheapest in town, but you do get what you pay for. I've been to several other local auto shops, but will be sticking with Hillmuth. read more

The best, kind, honest, great at what they do. They are a blessing to have in the area, don't trust my car with anyone else.

I have taken my hybrid Volt here a few times for various repair and maintenance needs. I really appreciate Scott and the Hillmuth team's straight forward and honest approach. There are never any surprises, communication is always prompt, and a loaner vehicle was provided when my car was in their care for over a day. I would definitely recommend them! read more

Great guys. Friendly and fast service. They might be slightly more expensive but you can trust them. They won't b.s. You with up-sells you don't need! read more

I cannot recommend Hillmuth. In short, I felt lied to and they did not like me asking questions. Among other things, I was told I needed rear brakes. I knew I had replaced them about 15 months ago. Having a warranty on them I went to my regular mechanic who said the back ones were fine and the front ones were almost ready to be replaced. I will not be back. read more

Very inflated pricing. Being new to the area I brought my vehicle in for an estimate. I thought it was extremely high based on some past experience with similar work I had done. So I took my vehicle down the street to another shop and got the same work done for less than HALF of the cost!!!! read more

Took our 2004 Lexus ES in for 120K mile check to Lexus of Silver Spring. We were told that there we needed a valve cover gasket because of an oli leak, cost $985. We were also told that there was a coolent leak and we needed to replace the thermostat, cost $865. They also said we needed new windshield wipers, $26. The representative kept refering to a "belly pan" when he talked about the coolent leak. The only belly pan I had heard of was something to protect the bottom of the car so I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. After some discussion he said they would drop the price for both from $1280 with a coupon he had to $910 for both. This didn't seem right to me. We told them not to do the work and we picked up the car. Two days later we took the car to Hillmuth Automotive in Columbia MD. They checked out the car. We told them what the Lexus dealer had said. They told us it would cost $75 to do the check. They called us back after about three hours. They didn't find an oil leak or a coolant leak. They did change the windshield wipers. Total cost was a little over $100. Needless to say I was happy with the service at Hillmuth. read more

I didn't check Yelp about this place and so regret it. Very nice people but make sure you ask the cost of labor. I paid $115/hr. for brakes. Fool me once, shame on me... I was told the price is because the mechanics are college educated and have lots of certifications. I got the wrong degrees. read more

Had a complete brake job done by a shop in Laurel and several weeks later as I was driving home from work, smoke appeared from under the hood and something smelled like it was burning. I was able to drive the car to Hillmuth the next day where they determined that the brakes had malfunctioned and had to redo the brake job. I haven't had any issues with my brakes since. Hillmith auto is reasonably price, knowledgable and provides good service. read more

I've trusted my auto repairs to Hillmuth Auto for many years. The techs do a thorough check of your vehicle even for an oil change. They recommend repairs that are important and those that can wait. I've taken my car to the Hyundai dealer only to be told I was 2 quarts low on oil (I wasn't) and that I needed $600 worth of repairs "in the next 2 weeks" (I didn't). For the dealer, it was all about making money off of me and instilling fear. The family-owned Hillmuth Auto is an honest local business. read more