I've come here often over the years for oil changes, inspections and occasional maintenance because the people who work here have been polite, communicative, and prompt. While I have noticed a lack of attention to detail here and there - like forgetting to recalibrate my tire pressure indicator after a tire rotation (a quick fix I figured out how to do on my own) - it was always small things I could overlook. HOWEVER, my most recent experience means they lost a loyal customer. I went in to have them look at my rear brake light that was out. I did my due diligence and knew it could be a brake switch issue, electrical issue, or just that the whole tail light assembly needed to be replaced (it's LED and gone are the days you can buy a cheap bulb and call it good). They assessed the issue quickly and sent me the quote, confirming the whole assembly needed to be replaced....for over $800!?! I looked closer and they were quoting me $544 for just the rear light assembly that I knew was $125-$180 if I just bought it myself. When I asked about this massive mark up they said it was the cheapest one they found as they had called the manufacturer directly and been quoted an even higher price. This is what the $64 sourcing fee they charge is for?! While I respect that businesses need to mark up a part for the sake of profit, this was beyond outrageous. As a woman, I am well aware of the potential to be taken advantage of in these situations and they definitely tried. I picked up my car and will never return to this shop for any service as I do not feel they can be trusted. I was able to source the part for $130 and, with a little help from YouTube and a screw driver, successfully replaced it myself within 30 minutes. My advice would be to find another place for your vehicle maintenance needs or take a few minutes and do your homework before signing anything they quote you. It could save you hundreds of dollars! read more

frequent delays! No explanation. Today it is slowing down at around 10 miles all the way. Rediculous!

The place is under new management. Went to get safety inspection and got fleeced by these Indians. Do not trust them. I got charged 200 dollars more than I expected. read more

I tried to DIY and install new windshield wipers, but struggled to get them on. I popped over to this Shell station in my neighborhood, and met Edwin, who quickly jumped into action. He walked out with me and got them installed in 5 minutes. He even grabbed the trash to throw it away and didn't charge me. Super standup guy. I walked away embarrassed that I was unable to complete the task, but he was awesome and I'll be sure and return when I need other services. read more

Wonderful. Friendly, helpful. I used to own a Fiat and many places won't work on a Fiat but they did. Always happy with my experience. Highly recommend. read more

I took my 2020 car here in August 2022 for an oil change and brake fluid flush. In November 2022 I started getting "warning brake fluid low" on my dashboard. Turns out they messed up my car now I need to have a brake caliper replaced. Listen to the other reviews and just stay away from this shop. read more

Do not go to this place. I initially went in for an oil change (that cost $100) and an interior part to be looked at for replacement. Turns out the part was fine but they charged me $200 just for the time to look inside the vehicle. They dropped the price down 50% when I complained that the labor charge was ridiculously high. They flagged 2 more parts that needed to be replaced and in total my cost to repair was almost 1k. I picked up my car immediately and left. I brought my car to a different autobody shop and they looked inside my hood, took them about 5 minutes to tell me that my belts were fine and I could wait until my next oil change to replace them. Their estimate cost was at least $200 less than the estimate here at Shirlington. I will not be bringing my car back - pick any other place for car repairs because they will rip you off. read more

I had them put on an ecotrailer hidden towing hitch ($300) that I bought and supplied to them for my 2020 Subaru Forester and knew that this required skills outside of my abilities when it required moving the exhaust and making a special cutout for this install. They were upfront about the costs for a regular hitch in the $200-300 range but when they assessed the job, they came back with a real estimate for the work they described which matched my expectations and was more like $500 but considering the amount work, they performed this to perfection, and this hidden hitch and trailer looks perfect with my new bike rack and well worth the money. read more

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This is the best place to have car repairs. The staff are professional, courteous and always helpful. I have used their services for many years and always have a great experience. Thank you!! read more

I went in to fill up air for my tires. One of the employees helped me with it and even used the pressure gauge for accuracy. thank you.

I LOVE the employees here. I've always been wary about going to shops as a young woman, but the people here have been very kind and attentive. They would text personally about status updates and any changes. The prices were fair for the area and their customer service was top notch! This is my new go-to. read more

The gas station is great. The service center is also great when they decide to not scam you. If you need quick fixes, and you understand your car to know what you need then come here. Otherwise, please don't get your inspection here. I've been coming here for about three years, and the first inspection was alright, but it should've already been the last time I've gone here. I remember just changing my windshield wipers, but they still insisted I change it to pass the inspection. The last time, I tried to get a quick oil change, and even though my emission test wasn't due for another 4 months, they insisted to do it then. And after that, they quoted me almost $1500 in repairs and new parts. I took it to a family friend mechanic, and it was only $400 with parts AND labor. The people here are usually nice and friendly, but they also really want your money. Will come back for the gas but not service. read more

Cost! Me $249 for towing my vehicle over, after I "EXPLAINED" what (ALL) the issue's were. And! Then I get a call 2dys later from "Philippe" saying that he didn't have the right (tools) to perform the job. All! I needed/asked for was that the (idling) was going in/out. Truth! Is beyond those guys who work there. And! I was sure they were the right service station to support. As! I , I thought read more

Came in for a routine safety inspection a few mins after they opened. Check in was a breeze and staff members were courteous (except the cranky lady upfront). The inspection took over 2.5 hours. They found a few "faults" when only one was valid. Quote for the unnecessary repairs were ridiculous. Parts were overly inflated vs auto parts store and the labor prices were very high for the amount of work. For example, they were charging over $70 for a 5 minute job. I was also told I had problems that were nonexistent. I purchased the parts online at a reputable auto parts store for $50 vs the $270 they were quoting me. There is a reason why there are a bunch of reviews from Yelpers regarding this shop failing cars for minor or nonexistent problems. They're trying to con people into making these unnecessary repairs to make money. read more

Rip off. Basically taking advantage of me as a woman who knows nothing about cars. I had my dad who is very familiar with cars and parts review the quote they gave me. They recommended a bunch of things that were not needed. Also, very expensive compared to other shops. read more

I just moved into a building nearby and lo and behold I came out to my car in the garage and had a flat tire. As a side note, a man in my building changed my tire for me (thank goodness so I didn't have to wait for AAA) and said I could go down to the Shell for a $20 tire patch. I did just that and was in and out and less than 35 minutes late for work! Warren was wonderful and Ray was helpful too. They must open early because I was there around 7:30 AM and able to get in right away. I appreciated their urgency and plan to return to have them check out my "check engine" light that is on. read more

Crooks. Crooks. They searched for fault on our car's state inspection. They tried to find fault and failed us for nonsense. We left and a real mechanic told us they weren't being honest. Don't go there for your inspection and if they're that dishonest in that regard I wouldn't trust them with anything else. read more

I went there with a specific adjustment that I wanted. I needed a bolt replaced and reathreaded. (I do most of my own mechanical stuff) So, I had a specific work that I wanted completed. They said that they would have to do their own diagnostic before they could fix it. Oh and by they way, it's $95. All they would have had to do is remove 6 -8 bolts and look at which bold they had to fix. Plus it would have taken 39=0 minutes to do that and then they were not sure when they could fix it. That meant that my Jeep would not be able to be used till it was fixed by them. I was not happy so, i just left and I found another shop that will do it in 2 days. read more

I got a flat tire nearby and the staff at Shirlington Shell were super helpful. They assisted me in getting the spare on, and then explained the process of replacing the busted tire to me. They went to get the new tire and then put it on my car. The prices were reasonable and the service couldn't have been better. I highly recommend them and their wonderful staff read more

Still the most shadiest place ever, after I left my 1 star review and asked them never to text me any promos they called me personally on my cell phone trying to bribe me to take the negative review off (basically with a discounted oil change). Again, stay as far away as you can from this place (they scam you by failing your inspection and making you fix things you don't need to fix). I've got three people to successfully change their mechanic and they have seen a major difference (by saving money of course). read more

Okay....they have the FREE AIR which is cool, but what's not cool is that RIGHT AFTER getting my emissions test done here, the check engine light came on in my car....which indicate that there could be something wrong with the emissions system. The car manual recommends ensuring the gas cap is securely fastened....then if the light doesn't go away after 2 or 3 cycles of starting the car or refilling the gas tank....you may have a big problem. Light never went away. I called them back and they said they could check it out, but it would cost me for checking out the code. It's as simple as plugging in a hand-held device into the car's ECU...but they wanted to charge for it. Luckily I went to Auto Zone instead where they offer FREE "check engine light" diagnostics. I am definitely not coming back here again. read more

I have been a customer here for several years and unfortunately have to update my review to say that I do not recommend this service center. As other reviewers have noted, PLEASE DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU ARE A YOUNG WOMAN AND EXPECT TO BE TREATED FAIRLY. Several weeks ago, I brought my car in because the engine light was on and was told, although the engine light had mysteriously turned off by the time they checked the code, all my brake pads were 95% worn down (was experiencing no squeaking, had gotten an inspection 8 months ago, and only have 35,000 miles on the car, but whatever) and needed to be replaced, along with a brake fluid flush. These repairs cost me $1400+, which seemed unreasonable to me, but being a long-time customer, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Fast forward to several weeks later, and I brought my car in because the engine light was on. I was hoping that they could check it out and see if the issue was related to the repairs performed several weeks ago. Ron emailed me an estimate of $845.29 to diagnose the issue ($140.60), replace the MAF sensor ($360.95) and perform BG Fuel Induction Service ($256.48) due to an engine code indicating a faulty sensor. The recommendation on the repair order was to replace the sensor. At this point, the high cost was not something I could shoulder so I called Ron and told him I couldn't justify that expenditure and would go elsewhere. At this point - I KID YOU NOT - he said that what he provided me was just a "worst case estimate" and that he could clean the sensor to see if it could take care of the problem, and this would be taken care of under a $70 diagnostic charge. I don't even know what worst-case estimate even means, is your job not to diagnose the issue and provide me the "best estimate" for repair, per Ron's response to the one-star review below mine, not the "worst case estimate"? WHICH IS IT? Replace the sensor at a cost of $845, including a $140 diagnostic fee? Or clean the sensor at a cost of $0, including a $70 diagnostic fee? Is there something intrinsically wrong w/the sensor? Or does it just need to be cleaned? This is akin to going to the doctor and them saying, "Hey, so sorry your leg is broken. Worst-case estimate will cost you $50,000, we'll have to amputate and craft you a bionic leg. Best-case estimate will cost you $50, we'll put you in a cast and give you crutches." I showed up to pick up my car pretty upset. Ron said "All I wanted to do was to clean the sensor." If that was the case, shouldn't you have provided me with that repair order, instead of the one provided? Turns out that just cleaning the sensor did the trick because the engine light was off when I picked up the car. It takes A LOT for me to write a bad review. If they treat a long-time customer like this, I can't imagine how they would treat someone who just walked in the door. All I can rely on when visiting a mechanic is my sense of trust. I will never be able to validate whether the repairs were actually performed, or whether malicious activities (as indicated by another reviewer) were performed on my car. Once my trust is lost, I have to go elsewhere. This was so beyond egregious today that I have to go elsewhere. Please do yourself and your wallet a favor and avoid this place unless you enjoy the uncertainty of whether or not you're driving a safe vehicle and get a sense of satisfaction from lighting money on fire. read more

The inspector is a dick. Avoid this place like the plague as others have mentioned they will fail for your car for false issues. I grabbed a bite to eat in Shirlington and thought I'd get the 2 for 1 special, an inspection plus happy hour. I drive an older call, which has been serviced almost entirely by the dealership, so I was surprised my car needed thousands of dollars of repairs to pass an inspection. I will be calling the state inspector in the morning and having a chat about my experience, and what I suspect to be fraud. The inspector said my power steering fluid was low, my mechanic checked it and it's not low-- in fact it's full. My mechanic also confirmed that none of the other issues reported are true and has drafted a letter as supporting evidence of the "fraud." read more

I don't even know where to begin. I'll try and be brief. Had car towed to shirlington shell because my fuel pump needed to be replaced. They provided a quote which was close to $1400 and then when I found out that my car was under warranty, the price all of a sudden dropped to just under $900. Hmmm...but that's not all. When I went to pick up my car after it was repaired it had the strongest smell of gasoline inside of the car. I inquired about this and they told me that it was the cleaning products they use when replacing the fuel pump. I couldn't ride in my car with the windows up (in the winter) bc the smell was so strong. So I ended up taking it back and sure enough when they "repaired" my car, the O-ring was cracked and that's what was making my car smell so strongly of gasoline (wasn't the cleaning products). They had to keep it another couple days and repair that issue. Then when inspecting they told me I had to replace my back tail light cover because it was cracked. When I inquired about price, th told me $400. I said, don't do it, I'll take it to my buddy's shop and he said well if you wait one more day I can do it for $240. So for a one day wait you can nearly drop the price in half???? Anyhow, I ordered the tail light for $55. So I saved myself some money. Oh. And one more thing. A few months ago I had my oil changed. They told me that I needed a new cabin air filter. Which was very true. However, when I asked how much, they quoted $170. Yes. $170 for a $10 filter. Well, I YouTubed it and ordered my $10 filter and changed it in about 3 minutes. The point of this very long, not brief at all, review is that you can't trust this place and I will NEVER be back to have anything done here. End rant. read more

I used to bring my truck here. First time they did great and listed a lot of things that needed fixed that I was already aware of. The prices were pretty high but I was doing them myself so I passed. Fast forward to the last time I brought in my truck for battery issues. Battery was dead and they charged it and did some battery cable cleaning and charged me almost $200. This is a $20 service at other shops. Had to pay it. Was mad but got over it. Brought in my wife's car and again they massively over quoted $7k for $1000 worth of repairs I had already quoted at another shop. They also quoted $170 to loosed a single seized lug nut and charged $178 to literally check the engine fault code that I had already given them. These guys are actually insane read more

Zero stars if I could. Boyfriend got his car inspected here where they rejected the inspection and said he has $1000+ worth of repairs. We knew that wasn't accurate so we went to two separate shops for second opinions. Work needed was no more than $600. They will over charge you so please be aware and always get a second quote. Buyer beware! Customer service was also awful. No one kept me informed and everyone was just standing around laughing and cracking jokes. Will not come back here. Buyer beware ! read more

As an experienced "relocator" I will provide you a bit of (unsolicited) advice. One of the first things you should always do after you settle-in to a new area ... find a good, honest, reliable service station for your car! Shirlington Shell station is fantastic! The Mechanics are honest and dependable (ask for Ron) and the service personnel are top notch (David and Ray)! If you want a service station you can trust-this is the one! We just located to the area from overseas and were trying to get our newly arrived (from Japan) car inspected, titled, and registered. My car was not running and the mechanics got everything fixed and inspected (working late and starting early morning) in a day! Well above my expectations! You have won my loyalty!! Keep up the great work Ray, David, and especially Ron!! read more

I unexpectedly had to have multiple repairs to my car when it failed inspection. One of the parts was unavailable until the next day so Shirlngton Shell brought me home without me even asking. When my car wouldn't be ready in time for me to meet a family obligation the next day, they picked me up and took me to my appointment and returned 2 hours later to take me to the station to pick up my finished car. The staffer who served as my personal chauffeur was most delightful. I never expected to receive this kind of personal customer service in today's world. I recommend Shirlington Shell to anyone wanting a truly delightful customer experience! read more

Shirlington Shell is the best!! I have been taking my car here for several years now, for everything from bigger engine issues to emissions testing and oil changes. They are professional, fast, and friendly. Ron and the whole team are spectacular. It's a family-owned business, they make you feel like part of that family by following up with you about your car and sending handwritten cards, it's that personal touch that keeps me coming back. They take great care of the vehicles and the people that come in. Highly recommend!! read more

A large gas station and car shop right off the 395 entrance/exit in Shirlington. I've found them to be honest and fair in their car inspections as well as efficient, communicative, and very professional. The staff there seem duty-focused to doing their job and don't seem to play around with nonsense, which I like. They seem to have a decent amount of people and thus a decent capacity for processing car maintenance and inspections. They have quite a gigantic parking lot that is structured a bit weird and has random bumps due to underground pipes/system hatches everywhere, including leaving your car in their narrow back area for state inspections, but the key most essential part is that in my experiences with them they don't play games in the otherwise sometimes sketchy car maintenance/repair world. read more

Great service - professional, courteous, effective. Went here for warranty service on a transmission-related issue. They processed the claim quickly and repaired the car with factory service quality. Highly recommended. read more

This is the best version of an old fashioned neighborhood gas station and garage. The people inside are friendly and fun and chat you up or have a little joke ready to make you smile before they take care of your car. I waited in the lobby a bit at the end of my service and loved how they treated the elderly that came in for service. They remember regular customers and pay attention to previous jobs to help make the right diagnostics for sensible suggestions to maintenance. They are honest and earnest. I wish this to be the beacon for other shell stations to emulate. read more

$200 parts and labor to change a cabin and engine air filter. A quick search returns $20 parts for both locations and using YouTube it can be seen that the job took the mechanics no more than 5 minutes. $40 in parts and $160 in labor for a couple of air filters on a very uncomplicated vehicle. This began as a $59 oil change and tire rotation and became a $259 total bill taking advantage of someone will little experience with vehicles. A vehicle with 15k on the odometer and an owners manual with a service interval of 45k for the engine filter and 22k for the cabin filter. Changed at that rate, that is $600 in engine and cabin filters over a period in which it should have really only been $80-$100 in parts and 10-15 minutes of labor. Even if the parts had to be sourced from the Autozone 2 miles away no one should be expected to pay a 600% markup to the friendly neighborhood mechanic for opportune and unnecessary maintenance... these aren't specialty parts and a high performance vehicle nor emergency roadside service 50 miles from the next service station. read more

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Let me be clear about my review, it's not the Shirlington Shell station's fault, it's the fact I haven't learned my lesson by continuing to return thinking they will change. It ain't them, it's me. They not only failed my annual VA vehicle inspection, they left my vehicle smeared with oil on the seats, door handle and arm rest, there was food debris on my steering wheel and door handle AND the radio was blasting on a local hip-hop station. My 2014 Range Rover Sport (Autobiography) was PRISTINE when I dropped it off, but not when I picked it up. My vehicle only has 35k miles on it, but I somehow had a problem with my right front headlight alignment, was barely legal on my rear brake pads and failed for a windshield wiper blade. To be clear, my vehicle had major service at the Range Rover dealership only a month and a half earlier and NONE of those issues ever arose. In fact, I had my front brakes replaced on that service visit, and was told I had plenty of tread on the rear brake pads with no mention of replacing them anytime soon. When I called the dealership to explain my right front headlight diagnosis from Shiirlington Shell, the rep at Range Rover asked "do they know they are self-guided and self-adjusting headlamps?" Earlier this year I had brought in my girlfriends vehicle in to replace the front headlight on her vehicle during one of our long cold snaps. That's the ONLY reason I brought it in to them, since I was limited on time to replace it myself. HUGE mistake!!! I walked away with a bill over $450, and knew I had been taken for a ride. The replacement part for the HID lights was $188, and when I looked up the part online, it was $55. Wouldn't you know it, I ALSO was warned by Ron the right front headlight was not aligned (just like I was on my Range Rover). I had to replace the daytime running lamp in the spring, which requires the same amount of effort to replace the bulb, and it took me 20 minutes. Shame on me. I had this sense when I took my RR into them last week I wasn't leaving there unscathed, and I was right. I clearly hadn't learned my lesson, but I promise you, I got it now. Without changing ANYTHING, I took my vehicle into another inspection station the next day with my rejection sticker and passed. The inspector told me all I had to do was fix the defect and I only had to pay $1 for the re-inspection at Shirlington Shell. I explained to the inspector I was paying him another $16 to AVOID them. Make your own mind up about this place, but I advise you to seek a second opinion for any work they suggest. I've spoken to Ray about the condition of my vehicle when it was returned to me in the past (last August for my annual inspection) so my history is not new to them. When you guys at Shirlington Shell read this tomorrow, don't bother calling or texting how you would like to fix this (in fact, lose my number and remove me from your database). You keep doing you. I'm just not interested in facts being spun or rehabbing serial offenders. read more

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Bad experience unfortunately. My old car failed inspection there because of a bad exhaust system (true) and headlights were cloudy (questionable). They were going to charge a lot so took it to my mechanic and got the work done for half the price. He also adjusted the headlights and told me that they didn't need to be buffed. He called it a common way to make money for mechanics. Anyway I took it back for the inspection, but when I picked it up they had charged me to adjust my headlights! It was just done the day before. Everyone was very nice and accommodating except the lady who checked me out, but this was definitely a ripoff. I won't go back there for an inspection again. read more

This is a classic neighborhood service station in the best way. I get my gas here regularly, as well as my oil changesShirlington Shell can help when you need the Today I walked outside to discover read more

This is an excellent place to get your car serviced. My battery died and they came to my house up the street, got it started and replaced the old battery at the station. The staff is honest and direct. It wasn't cheap, but the work was done well and they followed up to make sure all was well. This gas station is probably the last one in NoVA with free air. They will even help you check your tire pressure and patch holes if needed. read more

I am concerned that the Shirlington Shell Service Center (Arlington, VA) may be inappropriately using the state inspection program to generate business for unnecessary repairs. I had my car inspected at the Shirlington Shell Service Center and received a rejection. They told me I needed about $1500 in repairs to pass inspection. I had recent repairs on this part of my car, so I was surprised that the original mechanic wouldn't have noticed issue. Since I had never been to this service center before, I took it to another service center for a second opinion. The second service center passed my car for inspection. They examined each of the four issues the Shirlington Shell Service Center and could not substantiate them or found them to be below the threshold for a rejection. They did not recommend any repairs on the car but said one issue (a tie rod) would need to be replaced eventually. I don't have the expertise to adjudicate between the divergent findings myself, but I can't see what incentive the second service station would have to tell me the car was ok if it wasn't. read more

Took my 2005 Volvo in for inspection and it failed. No surprise as it's an old car that often needs work. Concerned that the shop failed the car to make work for itself, doing the repair. I took the car elsewhere for inspection and learned only a subset of the punch list was necessary. Had the car repaired elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. I will only be back to this location for gas and the free air. read more

Shirlington Service Center? NO WAY! MORE LIKE SHIRLINGTON FRAUD CENTER!!! Of all the reviews I've ever written - actually, of all the 1-star reviews I've ever written (and there aren't many 1 star reviews that I've written), this place is the ABSOLUTE WORST. I visited this place a few months ago to get a state safety inspection for my car and I completely regret my decision to get it done here. There were many things wrong, but I'll start with the most egregious -- they wanted to charge me $1100 for completely bogus "issues" on top of the fee for the state inspection. They said my suspension was malfunctioning and that they wouldn't pass me until I paid them and it was fixed. It wasn't until my 6'3" boyfriend who looks like he knows a thing or two about cars came in that they changed their tune and said they weren't sure what was wrong and said they could potentially reduce the price... Because, of course, the 20-something 5'5" girl who comes in alone is a good person to scam, right? UGH. Bottom feeders. I refused to pay them anything besides the state inspection fee I owed and I took my car immediately afterwards to another car inspection and repair shop, where they told me there was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with my suspension! FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD! Another issue - they have a very tight inspection area and you have to basically either sit in your car or sit in the even less inviting waiting room. If they're really busy that day (busy with first-timers who aren't yet aware of the scam, I'm sure), it could take hours. Their sitting area inside is awful - just two uncomfortable chairs right next to a vending machine. The people inside are very rude and cold and it's just an awful atmosphere. I've been to car shops that are so much more inviting and treat their customers well. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE PLACES THAT PRIORITIZES CUSTOMER SERVICE. Do yourself a big favor and GO SOMEWHERE ELSE for your state safety inspection! Because this place is an absolute fraud and, based on my and many of the other reviews on here, they seem to tend to rip people off! I will NEVER visit again, not even to get gas while in the Shirlington area! read more