If you have a Volvo, Tarn and his team at Independent Auto are going to become your good friends. Why? Because Volvos, while nice, are one of the most unreliable brands of car you can buy. They are consistently in the bottom quarter for reliability whether you're looking at JD Power or Consumer reports. If you're a Volvo owner that doesn't believe me, either A) you got lucky or B) you value anecdotes over data. Here is the 2022 Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Report rankings of major automotive brands: 1. Lexus 2. Mazda 3. Toyota 4. Infiniti 5. Buick 6. Honda 7. Subaru 8. Acura 9. Nissan 10. Mini 11. Hyundai 12. Chrysler 13. Porsche 14. Chevrolet 15. Audi 16. Cadillac 17. BMW 18. Ford 19. Kia 20. Volvo 21. Ram 22. GMC 23. Mercedes-Benz 24. Volkswagen (31) 25. Genesis (30) 26. Jeep (26) 27. Tesla (25) 28. Lincoln (18) https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2021/11/18/consumer-reports-most-reliable-cars-trucks-suvs/6385214001/ Knowing all of this, I somehow still bought one. Why? I was "subscribed" to a Volvo for 2 years and, fell in love. At the end of the subscription, all my payments counted towards the principle and...it just felt stupid to NOT buy it. Now, Volvo is steadily making its money back through maintenance and part costs. This is a 2019 car (XC40) and, already, the driver's side seat heater stopped working. Tarn and his team looked into it, ordered another heating coil and...it still wasn't working. They said I would have to go to the Volvo dealership. You could tell that he said this with sadness in his voice. I have an appointment at Volvo for October 17th, they are charging me $200+ just to DIAGNOSE the seat heater issue. My previous car, a 2006 Acura TL, had 170,000 miles on it over 11 years and never had an issue with any of its seat heaters. Tarn was able to help with my 60,000 mile brake job. The brakes were grinding and his team replaced them for an eye-watering $1,570. After doing lots of research...that seems to be the going rate, not a hideous mark-up. Insane. It took a while for Independent to get the parts. I left my car with them while I was in Fairbanks for work for a week and came back and...they still didn't have the parts. They were kind throughout the whole process and explained to me the issues. And, when they finally attempted the seat heater (that they ultimately couldn't fix, sadly.) they gave me a Volvo loaner car to use, and they didn't charge me to diagnose the issue...as the dealership already has committed to. read more

We called and made and asked for an appointment for a heater issue, tech got on the phone gave a couple of suggestions for easy fixes. Which we did and found they helped but did not fix the issue. Called back and scheduled the appointment. Mechanic diagnosed the issue, got the part (heater blower motor) and had everything repaired the same day. We are thrilled and will be bringing the car here from now on. Price was great too since we had the car back and fixed the same day. read more

The gang at Independent Auto are very good. The team is pleasant and we're there to advise. They found the issues & others. Fixed what we requested. The price was quoted before the work started and was completed on time. We had our brakes serviced read more

Tarn the owner and his team are amazing mechanics. I have a Honda CR-V I needed my sway link bars fixed and an oil change. He did it all at a reasonable price and extremely fast. Before my lunch break calling me saying it was done. If you want an honest mechanic he's your guy. I'll always go to tarn for now on. Thank you!! They are now open on saturdays! read more

guy told me it would to be $11,000 to fix a subaru that's only problem is rod knock. I don't know much about cars but i'm definitely not stupid read more

Excellent service, friendly staff, fair prices and they love Volvo. They specialize in Volvo and Subaru vehicles although they work on other cars. They have moved to 314 International Airport Road. read more

Tarin and his staff are so friendly and professional. He works very hard to meet my needs, does exceptional work and has very fair prices. It's so nice to have someone local so I don't have to worry about getting ripped off by the dealership. I recommend this shop highly to anybody looking for tires and tire repair as that's all I have experienced here. It's a joy to have a shop that is reliable and trustworthy. read more

These guys are the best in anchorage. Great work, honest, and they really care about you. Have been going to them for 4 years wouldn't go to another shop and refer everyone I know here. First time I went to them they quoted me a price for head gasket replacement at 1/4th the price of their competitor, who is located a block away, and they had no idea--I told them later about how incredible this was and Tarn(the one you will talk to) just shrugged his shoulders. They do Bussiness the right way, period. read more

Tarn and the guys and gals around the shop are great. They are honest, reliable, and do good quality work. They knew more about the car I had purchased than I did, remembering it as one of the vehicles they'd worked on in the past. They're always easy to work with and charge fair prices. I've used many places in Alaska for auto work but would recommend Independent Auto above all others. read more

I have never written a recomendation for a company before, but felt I had to after the remarkable experience we had at Independence. Last summer my daughter drove from California to AK in a subaru with a rebuilt engine (supposedly) only to have the engine blow up outside Anchorage. We towed it to a shop and had a horrible experience. Took it to another shop and had the engine replaced with better results, but not an optimal experience. Over the winter she took it to another shop and was not happy with the service. Recently my daughter went to Independent for an oil change. They did an oil change, full inspection and washed the car (that was her favorite part ;-) for $50. They found a couple of preventative things that were easily fixed for cheap before they became expensive repairs. Last week I arrived for a visit and as we were leaving town for a road trip, the check engine light went on. We called Independent at 4:45 on a Friday and they said come on down. We arrived after 5 and they hooked up the diagnostic and discovered it was the coil and spark plug wires. They were real busy themselves getting done for the weekend and said that it was an easy fix and I could do it myself. I explained I was visiting and my daughter had no tools.... and we were leaving town on vacation. This was a prime opportunity to make some money... instead, they suggested we run over to the part store and buy the parts. They called ahead and arranged for us to get their company discount on the parts (a very substantial savings). When we got back they loosened the bolts, made sure I put everything on correctly and assisted me with the last difficult spark plug wire. When I asked how much, they said "don't worry about it... have a great trip. Bring it back to us when it's something you can't fix". After we protested enough they agreed to let us bring them some of their favorite beverages. Not only were they awesome about getting us on the road, but they were a wealth of information on how to take care of the suby ... What to worry about... What not to worry about, etc. Our daughter will never take her car anywhere else...... read more

I cannot say enough good things about the folks at Independent Auto. After a bad diagnosis at another local shop, and getting a 2nd opinion over the phone from a mechanic who used to service my car in ME, I brought my car to them and they were able to fix the real problem for $200 (versus the quoted $5000 at the other place). I have not trusted anyone since. I love that they always give me a run down of what needs to be fixed but are honest in what needs to be fixed now and what can wait. I live three hours away and love that they set up a loaner without being asked and always get my car done the same day. Exceptional service! read more

So thankful my Brother sent me to Independent Auto to have my car repaired. They even took time to explain what was wrong with my to someone else since I don't know much about engines and were reasonably priced. I really didn't expect to see my car for at least a week. It was done in 1 day. I would highly recommend this shop. read more

Honest and professional. Very good work they know what they are doing. We have been there twice and wouldnt hesitate to take our car there again. They even gave us a loaner car to use. read more

Independent Auto is great! We received friendly service from start to finish! When I called to obtain a possible quote (I called about 4 times because I am new to car problems and didn't know what to ask) it was no burden to Tarin or the other mechanics. He answered all my questions promptly and professionally. I was turned away by several other auto repair shops because they "could not provide a quote over the phone" which I understand, to an extent. So, I decided to go with Independent Auto because they were able to provide me with a ballpark cost for what I thought was the problem, which was all I wanted. The service was great when we used their Wrecker man to tow our truck-the wrecker man was friendly and polite. When we got to the shop, they said they would take a look at my truck the next day and probably have it fixed by then. I received a call the following day with good news! It wasn't the costly issue we thought it was, it was a (minor) issue that was fixed rather easily! Tarin had a great attitude when he called and delivered the good news! My truck is good to go and we will definitely be back if we have any further problems and will recommend our friends and family to this dependable auto shop! read more