Relying on Yelp reviews in choosing a good mechanic can be very frustrating as there are always "the good, the bad, and the ugly" experiences to consider but because I'm not living in Fairbanks, "word of mouth" recommendations from friends, neighbors, etc. just aren't there. I found myself facing a serious sounding array of idiotic lights and dashboard warnings on my F150 that related to transmission problems. I also faced an emergency trip out of state. Prayer and yelp led me to Simard Automotive so I placed a call and explained my situation to "John". He listened patiently to my problem and then explained my options. We put together a plan to drop off the truck on my way to the airport for the diagnostics and repairs. I was surprised and delighted to find their location was near to the airport and offered a shuttle service as I didn't know that when I picked the shop. I dropped off my truck and flew away for a couple of weeks hoping my truck would be ready to go when I got back to AK. During my time away, I received a diagnostic report and okayed the repairs. I spoke with John and the young woman that works the front desk (Sorry. Her name has slipped my mind.) a couple of times to clarify things. Some parts were pushing the window, but I was assured things would be done to facilitate the repairs to meet my arrival. I'd also made a side request with the shuttle driver, Sam, to clean out the inside of my truck as my dog had completely redecorated the back seat with long black hair that defied my efforts to remove it with duct tape. He was eager to take a shot at the mess in his spare time. I only wish I had a before picture to show the effort he made to satisfy my request. Sam did a great job! I arrived back in AK to find my truck was repaired and ready to go per the pre-planned arrangements. I received a complete diagnostic report on the completed repairs and several other issues that were found and discussed. I'm a very satisfied customer and I hope that this review can help someone else when they need top notch service for their vehicles. The repairs were expensive (IMO), but I think the price is more than worth the peace of mind in knowing the work was done professionally and to a set of standards. As someone else mentioned, Alaska is hard on our vehicles and breaking down 100+ miles from anywhere isn't something to mess around with with winter on the way. So, THANK YOU to Simard Automotive and all of their staff for getting me back on the road again!! I pray the LORD will bless all of you! read more

Simard Automotive - The "furless" back seat of my 2008 Ford F150. - Auto Repair Near Me - Fairbanks, Alaska

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They were quick, did an amazing job, thorough, and very patient and understanding. They also have a pretty good rewards program too.

alignment, estimate of other repairs, diagnostics. This was a great recommendation from someone and the whole staff, from front desk to mechanics, etc were so kind and informative. They were able to get me in on short notice as I am from another part of Alaska and were just amazing. Thank you all so much for a great job and wonderful service!! read more

Simard Automotive is the only place I take my vehicles. I am always getting amazing service and the advisors are the best. Very friendly environment and I am always greeted with a smile and happy vibes. They've got complimentary beverages and the absolute BEST popcorn in town. A super cozy waiting area to comfortably wait for an oil change. They provide awesome diagnostic reports and the advisors explain any repairs or maintenance needed in a priority fashion. Fairbanks is rough on vehicles and I always feel confident getting my vehicle back after bringing it in for service or any repairs. Thank you Simard Automotive! read more

If you are looking for a reputable repair facility, look no further. I've spoken with the owner at length. Their core values are something himself and his employees live by. They are not the cheapest, just the best. Very thorough and concise. read more

Simard Automotive - Core Values! - Auto Repair Near Me - Fairbanks, Alaska

Overbooked and Understaffed. I made an appointment for a front end alignment on a Friday with the promise that it would be completed by the end of the day. I had to travel 80 miles from out of town with 2 vehicles and dropped my car off in the am. I was told right before they closed that they wouldn't be able to get to my vehicle that day. Wish they would have told me earlier so that I could have made other arrangements. To me it is dishonest when you promise a service in a certain time frame and you do not deliver! I will not be using in the future. read more

Late night drop off, diagnosed and repaired within two days. Thank you, Simard team! You are our only choice for vehicle diagnosis and repair! read more

Great place, they got my truck in for inspection and got all the authorized work done quickly. I didn't think it needed any work done but after having them do what they found..it drives noticeably better!! They'll be my guys for now on. read more

I usually go to Jiffy lube for an oil change, chassis lube and (including) the 12-24-35 point inspection. Reason I decided to give these guys a try is because Jiffy lube, Mobile 1 etc. don't ever do what they say their going to do. Example: 1) After a chassis lube I look under my truck and notice nothing has been touched. 2) Pull my truck out and the oil plug is leaking oil. 3) Blow all my fuses etc.Although the main reason I wanted to take it to a shop was because I had a break light that was out (too lazy to fix myself). I seen that Simard has some good reviews (not a single bad review, out of over 600???). So I decided to give them a call. I ask the guy on the phone to go over their prices and what is included in the 15000 mile 75 point inspection. The price was $150. He stated an oil change was not included ($99), So I asked what am I getting other than a kid filling out a inspection check list?He stated they flush this, they flush that and they rotate the tires...I'm like oh cool...I am getting something other than paying for them to fill out a simple checklist. I take the car in at 8AM, as per requested. They have shuttle service (round trip), that was nice. I get a call at 4:15 notifying me that my ride is at my house ready to take me back to the shop (nice).Arrive at the shop at 4:50, was told my car has not been inspected yet. Waited, waited...cars good to go now. ;-) So they go over the paperwork, tell me all the minor (Minor, thankfully) issues my vehicle has. Find out the tires do not get rotated (only upon request), nothing has been flushed, misunderstanding, I'm OK with that and will take it as a misunderstanding on my part. So You are still getting a kid, just filling out a checklist for $150.  They did give me a free oil change for the misunderstanding, and even offered a discount in place of the free oil change if I wished (no bother I was already bummed out and half asleep from resting on their couch for 40 min.).  All in  all I get a less than 35 (could have been 10 min what do I know, they close at 5:30) minute, 75 point checklist for $150. I will give them the benifit of the doubt.  I am not pleased or overly upset, just a bit exasperated.   Question is, why did they come get me an hour earlier before closing time...why would they not take the tires off and rotate them if they have to anyway (to check the brake pads)...why would they wait till closing time (having the car all day) to give a 75 point checklist, what if something was wrong with the car, no time to make any (brake light) corrections? As I am driving out of the parking lot I notice my Brake light in the reflection of the shop window, I think oh, ok the brake light is working I look to see if the other brake light is working, can't see it in the reflection. I thought about driving backward to readjust as to see the other brake light's reflection (to see if it had been fixed), I remembered the checklist that we had gone over, there was no mention of a brake light that was out, I assumed that meant they had fixed it as per my request...being that I paid for it to be fixed.  So what we have here is a 75 point checklist turn into a "less than 75 depending on time...only have 30 minutes, want to get home lets hurry and make this a 75/30 'main points' checklist!  Before I submitted my Vehicle to these guys I was viewing their Reviews online. I noticed that they had only good reviews. At first I thought they must really aim to please, If somebody has an issue they must go above and beyond to make it right...I mean 600+ reviews and all have nothing bad to say, right?  So I give them a call and have to leave a message Quote: "I see you guys didn't fix my Break light, thanks" End quote.   I get no response, no call back...not that I care but It kinda puts a kibosh on my theory of them really going all out to make it right for those that have an issue with the work that has or not been done. It is statistically impossible to have 600+ reviews and not a one bad review...their a statistical oddity.  Although I am not overly displeased, I kinda expect auto shops to be in it for the $$$ and not the Job. Its hart to find good help these days, not much chance finding a kid that is conscientious about his work nor is it possible to find an auto shop that is either. I will put their reviews back in balance...there, now they gain and additional star. read more

Super disappointed in their service. They replaced an oil seal for me, but somehow didn't tighten it well, I drove away with what turned out to be a major oil leak. Luckily I check my oil levels regularly and noticed I was below the L fill line after only 20 miles of driving. When I looked under the car there was an active oil leak and there was oil everywhere. Took the car back to them, the were not at all apologetic and hardly took responsibility for sending a car out of the shop in this condition and made it sound like the repair they had done was so simple that they couldn't have made a mistake. Took them half a day to get around to fixing it and they made no offer at all to help me get the 20 miles from my house back to the shop to pick it up. I would not recommened anyone take their vehicle here for repairs. Only gave them a star because they did seem to fix it the second time. Oh yeah- they are also super expensive and charge for every little diagnostic. With so many repair shops to choose from is amazing they keep getting business. read more

These guys were great. They were able to get my car in quickly, worked with me throughout the process and I'm pleased with the results. Ill be back the next time. read more

Dodge Dakota had poor performance and was setting trouble codes. Took it to them for an estimate for repairs. Was told they drilled holes in the catalytic converters to inspect and found they were bad! Also I needed a tuneup. Was quoted $1600 to replace the catalytic trio and $900 for the tuneup. I choose to do the tuneup myself and have them do the cat. Replacement. The tuneup took this 73 year old man 3 hours to perform consisting of a cap, rotor, wire set and 6 spark plugs priced at $75 Auto Zone! At a shop rate of $145 an hour, total job $510! After having several confrontations of when the parts would arrive and then the the price that had been quoted of which the $189 I had already paid for the estimate wasn't going to go towards the repair now! That was for the technician to drill holes in my three catalytic converters. When I picked up and paid the bill I asked the technician to put my old cats in the back of my truck as they still have value! After driving the vehicle the performance of the vehicle was better but still poor and still setting codes. After inspection of the cat trio, I found no holes had been drilled or any apparent reason to have replaced them other than a tighty profit for Simards! read more

These guys are great and friendly! I was passing through town headed to the lower 48 when my truck had problems. I went to the local NAPA store who checked my engine code, and referred me to these guys. They know their stuff. They squeezed me in and completed the replacement of coils and plugs and got the truck back to me the same day. I was so thankful. I would recommend them anytime. read more

BAD AS IT GETS!! I had my son's truck towed here Sunday night. I first text'd Mike the issue that needed to be done. Then called on Monday to make he understood. Well long story short what I needed done didn't get done that day. Had to pay for what they didn't need to do and parts I didn't need!! Second day they wanted to charge me 2300 to replace a small plastic T that could've been done by anyone resembling a mechanic. They wanted to go by what a computer told them to do NOT the customer. Soooo very wrong!!. When they finally actually seen what I told them in the first place they still said they couldn't get part and so forth. They took me for 730 on they're COMPUTER mechanics and labor that was NOT needed!! These guys are oh so friendly, that's how they lure you in! DON'T GO HERE!! They are "Computer" mechanics who go out of their way NOT to help but charge for every little thing their precious computer tells them to!! read more

Called to inquire about the possibility of my car getting looked at. Was asked what type of car (Mitsubishi) and before I could even finish my sentence I was cut off with "..Yeahh... we're going to ask that you go somewhere else.." I understand that customer service is not every bodies #1 specialty but the guy was flat out rude. I have brought other vehicles there before over the years, but after talking to that guy..wont be going back, or recommending that place again. read more

They helped me out by offering great advice. They helped me by making recommendations for my vehicle without charging an arm and a leg. Cat was especially helpful with me picking up my car and goes above and beyond to deliver excellent service. read more

Todd and crew are a great bunch of guys, I trust in them to mount and balance my tires every fall in anticipation of winter and they always do an incredible job. When I owned an old 86' Toyota Pick Up, I was having real issues, not only did they diagnose said issues , but they told me what needed to be done was going to cost me a lot and that I should probably go to a larger more equipped shop. I appreciated their honesty and candor in that matter and that they didn't just start pulling my rig apart and charge me at the end like some shops have been known to do. They worked within their scope and were personable and honest. As long as I live in Fairbanks I'll take my vehicles to them for tires, oil changes and general maintenance. read more

I needed a slow leak in my tire fixed on a day when everyone else in town was having their snow tires put on. After calling numerous places, Totem Chevron said they could take a look. They found the leak and fixed it in 10 minutes, in the rain, and only charged me $20! Great service, super nice people! read more

Found the staff courteous and efficient. Listened to my concerns and performed the work promptly and with a high degree of skill. I am very pleased with the work performed on my vehicle. I intend to use them for work on my vehicles in the future. read more

I have had a great experience at Simard Automotive Inc. Everyone is very helpful and strive to educate their customers as to exactly what is going on with their vehicle. One thing that impressed me most, is how often they say, we will not spend your money for repairs until we have your approval. They are very concerned with giving quality service and repairs and value their customers read more

My brother and I use simards for business purposes on vehicles in our fleet. They are always super helpful and hook us up on free inspections for our fleet. They always fit us in even though they are extremely busy all the time. Cat at the front desk is our main service writer and she is always very helpful and a joy to deal with whenever we have any issues. I believe they recently had some changes as far as shoo foreman and they brought someone up through the ranks. There have been some hiccups during the change over but they have made any mistakes right immediately with out any hassle. I would recommend them to anyone. If you have any issues just let them know. Mistakes happen anywhere you go but these guys have the best customer service I've ever had and are willing to work with you. I had an opportunity to meet with the owner of simards and he is an extremely nice guy and knew exactly who I was when I told him the name of my business. That says something when the owner of a shop with 2 locations knows who you are when you have never met him before. I will continue to use simards now and for the foreseeable future. read more

Got out of work and my tire was almost flat. Stopped at the Chevron on my way home to get some air, they sprayed the tire, said there's your leak, if you want we can get that plugged in about 15 min. $23 later and I was on my way home. Couldn't ask for better friendly service! read more

I've given these guys a fair shot and really wanted to like them, but I'm on the hunt for a new mechanic. I can put aside the occasional delays and extreme waits to get an appointment at times, all that is understandable. They are professionals and it seems like a decent shop, but my issues are on the mechanical side. My biggest issue is that they just don't seem to have it together and I have had issues from their work on multiple occasions. For example, on a new headlamp assembly install, the lights were pointed clearly upward and I could immediately tell, even visually they weren't aligned properly. I shouldn't have to ask for a headlamp alignment on a new headlamp assembly installation! Also, I had major front end work done (timing belt) and while the work was done, I had them preemptively replace my front main oil seal and it was leaking inside a month. Also, from that work, I ended up seeing a leaking transmission line to my transmission cooler and a faulty clamp on my upper radiator hose shortly thereafter. Both of these were pointed out in a full systems check that I paid for, but apparently they didn't make the connection that they were the last to touch those things only months prior. Frankly, if I'm paying $2.5k+ for work done and a 15 cent clamp is "iffy" just replace it and bill me a few bucks, I won't even think twice. Don't make me come back or pay to tear it apart again shortly after the work is done. The customer service is excellent, but can sometimes slip when they're busy (usually always, but worse into the winter season as new folks winterize) but I would definitely say they have a good customer care side of the business. Overall, I've had far superior mechanic experiences and I'm on the hunt for a better one. read more