I had a checked engine light on for my Nissan Sentra. I went to 3 different shops who could not help. Joe at this location is a must and go to for all your mechanical needs. He diagnosed my car problem and fixed it quickly and efficiently. He is honest and reasonable. No overcharge or gauging hard working customers with high price of repair. There is no one like him. Look no further and get your veh. fixed here. You will be happy with the results. I will not got to anyone other shop. I will recommend him to all my friends and family. He is five stars in my books. read more

Always honest and helpful, I know a bit about cars so know he is a straight shooter. RM read more

Late review but it's good information. I went there to get a alternator fir my brothers dodge caravan. Best selling can and they didn't have in stock. Phone ahead first. Staff were still very friendly but I needed on asap read more

Recently was forced to drop in due to my brakes getting down to zero. Very friendly Joe gave me a quote of $2500+ for front and rear brakes on my cargo van. I had it towed to my regular garage where I ended up paying $600 including tax. My garage said Joe wanted me to get a number of things that were really not needed. I was in shock when I got this quote , which as it turned out was at a rip-off level. This is what a lot of us average drivers live in fear of when it comes to auto repair. read more

Soares Auto Repair has by far exceeded my expectations for a great mechanic in Vancouver. I mentioned in an earlier review that I had a great experience working with Soares Auto Repair. I found them very honest and helpful during my recent repairs that I needed to pass an out of province inspection. My truck needed a lot of work to pass and Joe at Soares kept me up to date with all the repairs, even called me long distance when I was out of town to keep me posted on the progress and the final estimate. The work at Soares has been done on my truck for a few days now and I went to an Autoplan broker today to have it insured. The Autoplan agent and I quickly realized that we could not find the VIN anywhere on my truck. It was like it was never there and we had no idea how to find it. I called the former owner in the US and asked him where it was. I had never seen anything like this before. He explained that the dashboard had been replaced a few years back and the VIN plate is actually under the new dashboard. So in order to get to it I had to remove the plate around the instrument panel and pull the dash back. I called Joe and asked him if by chance he knew how I could do that. Joe from Soares happened to be right down the street at the bank, he had no tools with him but offered to come to where I was and see what he could do. Joe arrived, went and borrowed a screwdriver from London Drugs and was able to quickly uncover the VIN number. If I couldn't get to the VIN it would of meant ICBC fees, paperwork and applying for BC VIN number that would of taken who knows how long to have approved. Joe came out of his way to help me and made the frustrating time trying to even insure my vehicle so much easier to handle. He had a garage and customers to get back to but he took the few minutes to assist me and I greatly appreciate that. I will always trust my vehicles to Soars. read more

Definitely gets my vote. Not least because Joe seems to respect your money staying in your wallet. Lemme explain. My car knowledge is sketchy: I can jumper my car or put in the spare tire when I have a flat, that's about it. Early March my car doesn't start, but manages to be jumpered. After looking around a bit, I find Soares as one of the nearest garages with good Yelp ratings so I go over there. He listens to my story, takes note that the car is about 5 years old and still running on the original battery and guesses that, yup, old battery. Runs a quick voltage check to confirm it too. 15 minutes later I am off with a new battery, problem solved, cheaply. Since my car hasn't had much service besides regular oil changes, I ask him to schedule an inspection. There are two kind of inspection, the (roughly) 90$ one and the 135$ one. Joe talks me out of the $135 version, because it's mostly geared towards car buyers who need checks on all items, which I don't. I just want to check if anything needs mechanical maintenance, not whether a door handle is stuck or not. One reason I want this check is that, at my last Mr Lube oil change (Nanaimo location), they recommended a purge of the ignition area or whatever by blowing pressurized gas through. $100, a bargain, great when you go in for a $50 oil change. I declined at the time, feeling pressured, but resolved to look into it on my own. After the inspection, I get the all-clear from Joe. Basically, nothing wrong with the car. He explains that, yes, carbon does build up and that yes, they provide that service, but more thoroughly than by just using gas. No, my car is not in great need of it, despite Mr Lube's dire warnings. I would get slightly better mileage, and it would run a bit smoother, that's about it. Hey, I may still get that carbon cleanup done. But I very much appreciate that I was not talked down to, and was not pressured into purchasing non-essential services. Wish more repair professionals were like that. read more

I have been coming to Soares Auto for about 10 years. The quality and service is great here. Joe is very personable and up front about your vehicle issues. He always informs me of the vehicle matters in order of priority and allows me to make informed decisions based on necessity. You get a printout emailed to you and can check your account online as well. The price is right for the service. I never feel overcharged. I will continue to come to this place because the quality of service is great! I recommend Soares Auto if you're looking for a reliable local mechanic. read more

My wife found Soares when she needed some work on her car. After meeting Joe, she was impressed with his honest straight forward approach. We decided to use Soares Auto Repair as our family mechanic. Over the years he was always consistent, and straight forward. Eventually, we moved away from Vancouver. As fate would have it, we had mechanical issues on a vacation that made driving somewhat scary. Joe came through and was able to move things around to help us out, getting us back on the road. Thanks, Joe! read more

As one who is mechanically challenged I very much appreciate the skills of those that have the knowledge and experience to diagnose and perform auto repairs without a lot of fuss. Even more important to me is true professionalism and integrity and I encountered this at Soares Auto Repair yesterday. There are reasons why this business has been around since 1988 and surely among the top are first class services and reasonable prices. This was my first time there and I will certainly be back. read more

When you're too busy to even consider doing your own mechanical work, your best bet is to find a quality mechanic who is trustworthy and reliable. Look no further than Joe. I've taken both my vehicles to him consistently for three years now. I've never had a better mechanic and I've never dealt with a nicer guy. read more

Joe fit me in at the last minute for a tire repair, after I discovered a flat tire due to a nail. He was extremely helpful and efficient during what is probably a very busy season. The excellent customer service (on a bad day) was appreciated. read more

Honest, forthright, knowledgeable. No enticements with too-good-to-be-true deals or bait-and-switch. Just clear, honest estimates and high-quality work. Joe will tell you what you needs and don't need. No work until you give the clearance. No insisting upon gold-plated options when silver or bronze will do. Forget the $20 Groupon oil changes. Spend a little more at the front end for quality work and an honest assessment that will save you much more in the long run. read more

I have been coming to Joe for years. I trust him to find the problem and give me honest evaluations. I am always happy with the work done. read more

Minit Tune & Brake - Auto Repair Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

If you are looking for an honest, reliable, talented mechanic look no further than Joe! After a few bad experiences at dealerships and other mechanics I found Soares. I haven't taken my vehicle anywhere else in the last 3 years and I consider myself lucky to have found this place. 100% recommend!! read more

I also have been using Soares for several years, and I can agree that Joe and his staff are professional, honest, reliable and consistent. I go every 5000 K's and have never been disappointed. Joe's even helped me out a couple times with an impromtu quick check of my engine light (which is now just permanantly on). And since Joe's beome part of NAPA, the level of service in its various forms has only increased. I recommend Soares Auto. read more

After reading all the Yelp reviews I called Soares Auto to book a small repair in the steering linkage of my Pathfinder. (I knew what part was broken because I found it when it broke) I am mechanical but since moving to Vancouver I don't have the ability to work on my own vehicle. I called Joe and was advised that he was busy for a few days but that I could drop my truck off before work in a few days. I dropped my truck off and waited most of the day to hear back. I finally received a call after 3pm advising me that he found what was broken on my truck (DUH I knew what was broken and left you the part so you could see for yourself) and that he had called Lordco and Napa and they didn't have one and that he would try another supplier to see if he could find it there. He suggested since my vehicle was a 1993 that parts may not be available except at an auto-wreckers. I asked him what the next step was and he advised that he would check other places the next day and get back to me. I then asked him if he couldn't fix it if I should check auto wreckers for parts and do what I could to fix it myself. I said that I could get it to a friends workshop and go from there. At that time he told me he didn't think it should be driven as he found the steering sloppy when he put it in his shop, and that he would look for parts and call me the next day. I waited all day the next day to hear back from him and finally at 3:30 I called to get an update. Joe told me he was too busy and hadn't spent any time looking for parts... I was a bit stunned but was willing to be patient as I needed my truck fixed and didn't want to struggle with doing it myself. Before hanging up the phone Joe advised me that he was far to busy to spend any more time on my vehicle and that his parking lot was full and he needed me to come get the truck. I asked him if it was safe to drive and his response was "you drove it here didn't you?" I went to his shop after work to pick up the truck and was asked for almost $40.00 for the "work" he had done. I asked him why he thought he should get paid seeing as he didn't fix my vehicle. He told me that he had looked at it to find out what was wrong and asked if I would go to work and not expect to get paid. I told him that I would have paid for all the work done once the vehicle was fixed and that I got the impression he had no time or interest in fixing my truck. In the end I left without paying him anything... I think he just wanted to get me and my truck out of there. I immediately drove my truck to another mechanic recommended by a friend and was told I would get a call on Monday. Within the hour the new mechanic called back and was very concerned that I had been allowed to drive my truck out of one mechanics shop to his. He told me that "No good mechanic in their right mind would have let you drive this from his shop. They removed the entire steering linkage and that could have caused you to have a CATASPROHPHIC accident." I told the new mechanic that only the bushing had been broken off my steering link and that the piece as a whole was in my truck when I dropped it off at Soares. He told me that the part had been removed with what he figured was a blowtorch and that it was a complete HACK job and there was no longer anything attaching my steering rack to my frame. Had I known that Joe removed the steering linkage I would have hired a tow-truck to take it to another shop... I guess I now know why he figured I should pay him for work that he did. In the end the new mechanic had a part on order within 1 hour and my truck fixed the day they got the part for under $300.00. They suggested I contact the Better Business Bureau and even forwarded me pictures of the "work" Joe did to my truck as proof that I was made to drive an un-roadworthy vehicle without my knowledge. Not only would I NEVER recommend SOARES Auto, I would highly suggest that people be careful as Joe clearly has no conscience when it comes to people's safety! read more

Joe is honest, hard working and keeps you informed. I have taken my slowly dying 1995 Blazer to him for the past two years with the hope of having him revive it each time (and he has). Once it was time for the fuel injection system to be replaced, he suggested it may not be worth the cost as the coolant system was leaking as well and would be the next thing to go in a few months. After I said my goodbyes to the ol' Blazer, he actually called a guy to get it towed away, and gave me the cash the tow guy paid for it. Joe is an honest businessman who stands behind his work, and this Yelper does too. read more

This guy reminds me of my dad - and that's the best compliment I can give! Joe was great. I had my friend's vehicle on loan and discovered he hadn't fixed a headlight that was out. I called to book an appointment and Joe was able to squeeze me in the next day. I missed the shop the first time around (despite the LARGE sign on the corner - oops!), but it is in a convenient location. Joe changed the bulbs and then called me into the garage to go over what he did. He let me know that a license plate light was out and one of the running lights was out as well. He clearly explained that there was more involved in changing the running lights and let me decide if I wanted to change it or not. This is service I can appreciate. I found the charges very reasonable and if I had my own vehicle, I would return in a heartbeat. Thanks Joe! read more

I'm starting to think the reviews for this guy are fake and from family members/friends. I took my car to Soares to get my brakes fixed after reading the "good reviews". He took off my tire and problem brake to check it out and quoted me $1000!!!!!! I was like ummm...no thank you. So he said alright that'll be "$70" $70 for what??!! Yeah. He never mentioned that hefty fee before. So I told my car-fan friend and he told me he had a friend who worked for this mechanic and how he overcharges like CRAZY. He may seem nice, but if you don't know cars, he'll milk your money out of you. Same friend recommended a mechanic who did the same job for $500. $70 to take off my tire and brake? And you couldn't even warn me of that upfront? Awful. read more

I highly recommend Soares. They've got the tools and experience to work on both foreign and domestic cars... Even the new ones that require special computers and software to diagnose issues. read more

If you need an honest, reliable, far above the standard mechanic, committed to quality, this is the place. My family has been taking their cars to Jo's for about five years now. I would completely recommend him. As well as terrific work, the prices are reasonable. read more

Joe is awesome! He helped me choose the proper winter tires for my car, and worked around my busy work schedule. Joes price beat out all the big name shops and I checked everywhere. I would happily recommend Soares Auto to friends and family. read more

Definitely recommend this place, the owner Joe is a great guy, I use him along with my father for years and years. Very honest, reliable and trust worthy. read more

Super disappointment and really felt like I got ripped off. I brought in my car for a diagnostic, unsure of what the problem was Joe, being the "honest, hardworking guy that keeps you informed" from all the reviews I read. Joe told me one price and when it came to pay it got doubled up...apparently it took 3 hours to "figure everything out" we went to a friend after we told people what had happened and he was able to tell us exactly what was wrong in 5 minutes! I can't believe this place is still in business...WE SHOULD ALL BE REPORTING PLACES LIKE THIS TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. It's people like JOE, who gives car mechanics such a bad name. Oh and for the parts and services that was necessary to "fix" my car...Joe said it would about $2100-2300....we got it done for less than $1000. If you want to throw money away go see JOE. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. read more