This is without a doubt the best and most trustworthy shop I have ever been too. My car went in with a clogged catalytic converter, blown exhaust gasket and leaky slave cylinder and they did all the repairs for a very reasonable price. Sterling is very kind and will sit on the phone, talking you through all the details, making sure you know what's going on. I was also unable to pay the full cost up front and he very kindly set up a way we could fix the car, get the payment he needed, while working around my paychecks. Very kind, very courteous and does a great job with your car. Will never go to any other car shop for the remainder of my time in Bellingham read more

I wasn't sure what was wrong with my car, it was making a terrible noise, and I assumed it was the timing belt. I called and he offered to drive over and listen to it himself- absolutely free of charge! The diagnosis wasn't good, but he gave me totally unbiased advice about what to do, and told me all he could about it. He did this totally free of charge and was so kind the whole time! I will definitely be coming back for all of my work to be done here! read more

I came into Bellingham from Seattle to look at a used car. When I was halfway to Bellingham I got a call from the mechanic that was going to look it over and they had to cancel. I panicked a bit and started calling other places. I spoke with Sterling and he couldn't get me in at the last minute, but he took the time to ask questions about the car I was looking at and gave me really honest advice and helpful information about it. Sterling warned me about the common problems with the Jeep I wanted and even gave me some tips about what to have written into my sales contract. Sterling was very kind, and he really upped my confidence that I had chosen to look at a good car. If I'm ever in the area and have car troubles Sterling will be my first choice. He was awesome! read more

Caught mid-road trip, 2000 miles from home, anti freeze was coming through the vents. I researched auto repair shops & chose Sterling based on YELP reviews. Sterling suggested a quick fix that I could do myself. Diagnosed the problem, added anti-freeze, on a Saturday, when the repair shop was actually CLOSED, all for no charge! Be aware that Sterling is actually not open on Saturdays. Thank you for your honesty & helpfulness! read more

Patient, Kind, Humble and a man of his word. As long as I am in Bellingham, Sterling Automotive will be my place to go to for any car needs. I am a college student new to a lot of life experiences and I have just heard horror stories of getting screwed over by Auto repair shops. Back in July of 2017 I had my back breaks done with Sterling. After the break job my breaks were unfortunately squeaking and whaling for months after, but of course, would not make the noise when I brought it back in to the shop. Although frustrating, Sterling was patient and kind throughout the whole experience taking in my car and testing it free of charge. Fast forward 6 months later and I finally decide to bring my car back in. My breaks have reached the point of terrible whaling to the point that it is waking up the neighborhood. Sterling takes my car in over night and discovers the issue. The issue was my break pads did not mix well with my rotors. They gave me the normal stock pads that are supposed to go with my Mazda, but it turns out my car may have had new or different rotors put on and so they needed to premium pads. Panicking, because I had already paid for pads 6 months prior and afraid I may have to pay again, Sterling told me I was good and incurred the cost. I was shocked. Many businesses you run into today will have values that are often just gimmicks but, for Sterling Automotive, when Sterling says "We will only treat our customers how we would treat our own family" he is nothing but honest and true to his word. Thank you for your service and I will be back for any other car needs for the future to come. read more

These guys were amazing. They charged me half the price the dealership did for the same work. Honest, phenomenal mechanics. I will never take my car elsewhere!! read more

We picked up our 1990 Toyota Camry this past Friday. The tow truck driver recommended them and I took his word.. No Regrets. The car runs great now and has moved on to the 2nd son! Thanks Stirling. He called me with every updated and left every decision to us! read more

I just took my 06 Subaru Outback today because my car was smoking under the hood profusely. I wanted to take my car in the morning but he was so busy. But, he was kind enough to let me bring in later in the day to check. He fully checked my car for good 20 minutes and told me it was because of a bad oil change. Then, he sat down with me and told me about my car and past repair history for another 15 minutes. All for no charge. He was so knowledgeable and talked to me in the term that I could understand. I am definitely taking my car to him for next service. Too bad I didn't take my car right away to him. read more

I have gone to Sterling's for several years and have been blown away every time at the work done at the shop and Sterling's way of doing businesses. A great story was when I was in high school and tight on money right before prom Sterling fixed up my car by putting in a new alternator and not charging me a dollar because he knew of my situation. If you're looking for a no bs mechanic shop this is the place to go. They also offer a student discount! Highly recommend! read more

I had a persistent starting problem on my '04 Subaru Outback. After going to 5 different shops (mostly chains) and not getting any diagnosis, I found Sterling in Bellingham. He got me in for an inspection the same day, found that I needed a simple starter replacement, and had it completed the next day before the weekend. They asked if I was a student and I deemed the price to be fair. Importantly, Sterling and Damon made me feel valued as a customer and took the extra time to educate me about my car. I am impressed by their accomodating, professional, and friendly service! read more

I was buying a used car and another Bellingham mechanic let me down for doing a pre-purchase inspection. Sterling fit me in with short notice. The inspection was through and showed a couple of minor issues which help me negotiate the price down and give me peace of mind that I was buying a good car. He spent time showing me the issues with the car on a hoist and showing the seller. He was professional and went beyond what I expected. I would highly recommend him for an inspection and if I live closer would use him for repairs. read more

I'm new here and my Tundra started acting up shortly after. My Son in law to be recommended this place . Gave em a try and was very pleased with the service. A few months past and my Sons 98 Honda seems not right. I take in get a check up and leave sad at what is needed. Another week passes and I'm still uneasy about repairs so I go back and Sterling is in. He puts car up shows me the items. Scary worse than I knew. Told me what I need to try and hurry on , what can wait and so forth. I felt much better. Now their not inexpensive but the service is worth the ease of mind provided. So weigh it out , for me the time he took showing me, trying to make affordable made the difference. Thank you Sterling read more

I bought a van and took it to the dealership to have them do a buyers inspection. They quoted me over $4500 worth of repairs... after reading so many good reviews for Sterling, I brought my van to them. They did the repairs for less than half of what the dealership quoted me! Sterling was kind and double checked on several things for me. They called me when they found some extra things and discussed several options with me. This is definitely my mechanic now! read more

I took in my son 97 Honda I told sterling it was blowing the fuse that runs the speed sensor/alternator. At this time I had a good fuse in so the check engine light wasn't on to get the codes. I told him the alternator was good and I showed him 3 codes of which would come up with the short. I left the car there a half hour later he called and said he couldn't get the fuse to blow to get the codes and he said the alternator was bad and he said it was more than likely the cause so I told him to replace it. I go to pick up the car and he reads me everyone of the codes I showed him and told me the sensors and two other things needed replaced. Long story short I blew a fuse right after I left his shop my son crawled under the car and found the short. I don't recommend this place. read more

Called to get a price quote to replace a wheel bearing. Just a quote. Was told that they didn't have time, was told to call in 3 days and then they might be able to tell me a price. I sure didn't experience any outstanding customer service. read more

These guys are fantastic. I live in Everett and was buying a car in Bellingham from private seller. Called them and set up a pre-purchase inspection for the car. They suggested I have the owner drop it off so I would not have to make an extra trip to Bellingham. Everything was handled over the phone and they called with detailed results in a very timely manner. I bought the car knowing it was in great condition thanks to these guys. The price for the inspection was very fair and I feel I got great value for the price. Customer service was excellent. read more

I was looking for a local mechanic to work with on my new-to-me old Toyota, and went to Sterling for a post-purchase inspection and oil change. The inspection tuned up a lot of issues and I was grateful for their time in explaining what the problems were, helping me prioritize what needed fixing first, and even what things they said I don't have to really worry about. They weren't out to sell me a ton of parts or improvements. Their honesty was refreshing and their customer service above par. I look forward to having them be my regular mechanic from now on! read more

Sterling Automotive is the best! I feel so lucky to have found a local, trustworthy automotive shop that I consider my go-to for any of my car's repairs. They are consistently honest and helpful and take the time to explain the work that needs to be done with my car in a way I can understand. Their knowledge, kindness, and attentiveness is like no other! read more

I had a bad gut feeling when I first walked in this place and I should have gone with it. This review is not about the work as my car is running great. This about what a skeezy guy Sterling is. As a woman, let me tell you, it is SO difficult to find a mechanic that won't try to take advantage of you (which is an entirely different story that I won't include in this review). Fortunately, I know cars well enough that I know when I'm getting taken for a ride. Ladies, do your research and it will save you a ton of money. I knew the cost for this part that needed replacing and initially that is the same price Sterling quoted me. Then he called me and hemmed and hawed that it was actually going to cost more ($70 more than the high-end he quoted me) but I needed it done quickly so I could get to work, so I said okay. Then he called me again and said "your car is done and the total bill is so-and-so, but if you want to throw me another $20 or $30 under the table. If I'm not there just give it to the person at the counter." Uhhh what? Seriously? Well, that's not legal. I also heard him telling this same thing to a customer over the phone so it's obviously something he does. I'm sorry, but that is sketchy, and if you are trying to get me to pay you extra for doing your job then you should be a waiter. He also told me that since it's "under the table" that I would need to pay cash, no card. He told me this after he already did the work so, since he had my car, I had to walk to the bank to pull out a couple of hundred dollars because who has that much cash lying around? If I knew this was "under the table" I would've taken my business somewhere else. Maybe his business is struggling and he needs to pocket the cash. Who knows? This guy is clearly doing something illegal and sketchy and I wouldn't trust him one bit. My car is once again running well so I'm thankful for that, but go somewhere else with your car and your money. read more

Had just moved to Bellingham and was looking for a good shop in 2017. Had some work done and had them locate a oil leak in my timing cover on my Toyota. $700. to $800. to replace the gasket and we Guarantee our work. I new the price was about right but the Guarantee is what sealed the deal. Few months later oil is dripping down the side of my engine. Same mechanic says its not leaking to bad and I could live with it or come up with another $1000 to $1200. to replace the head gasket. I left and lived with it until now September 2019. I went in and told them my story, and the guy says they would look it over and he would talk to Sterling and they would come up with something to make everyone happy. Well they are happy. They are not going to do anything for me. Past warranty. Poor craftsmanship, terrible response on service problems. And what does the new guy that looked at my truck say? The leak is not that bad just watch your oil level. The new leak is coming right from where the original mechanic put my timing cover back on next to existing head gasket. 9/27/2019 You got to love this stuff. read more

I came in unannounced at 8 AM with a check-engine light. I commute a long way, so I really needed my car fixed that day otherwise I'd be stranded 70 miles from home. Sterling delivered. They fixed the issue within a few hours and at a reasonable cost. They even explained in simple terms what was wrong, and let me keep the crappy spark plug. Car runs smoothly. Very happy! read more

This was my first visit and when can anybody say they enjoyed their visit to the auto mechanic? Well, Sterling and his team did a great job at a reasonable price. Excellent service and above all, honest local people. Sterling is everything AAA isn't: Excellent!!! He didn't even charge me the diagnostic fee. All businesses should perform like this. Quality work at a reasonable price. No fluff, no gimmicks, no nonsense. Thank you! read more

Went in recently after my car overheated and a belt was squealing loudly when started. Sterling Automotive was friendly throughout my entire experience, and being a girl who doesn't know much about cars, I really appreciated their kind explanations. When I went to pick it up I was pleasantly surprised how affordable their services were! After mediocre experiences with other car repair places in town, I'm glad I've found a great place to take my car in the future! read more

These guys are the real deal. Excellent service, quality work with a friendly attitude. If you need your vehicle worked on don't hesitate to have Sterling and his crew take a look. read more

Everyone in this shop is always so friendly and helpful. I've brought my car in twice now, the first time because I was having weird transmission sounds and they took a look at it and added some fluid for free. The second time because I was having some radiator fan issues and they offered me a really fair price. They never try to rip people off and are always upfront and honest. Being a girl it's hard to find a mechanic that doesn't seem like they're ripping you off, and I never feel that way at Sterling! read more

Brought my 90 Honda in because it was stalling. Sterling told me that the ignition switch was going out. Replaced it at a cost of $350. Left his shop and did not make it 5 miles. As it turned out the real problem was the distributor. He would not stand behind his work. Do yourself a favor and take your car to Lynden Service Center , where they have a conscience and a volt meter. read more

Sterling and his staff are flat out amazing.I took my truck down to them when I was having power steering issues, he topped off my power steering fluid and sent me on my way no charge. When problems persisted, I was informed that my truck was in need of $3000 worth of repairs, and this was only after they searched all local junk yards and parts places to no avail, meaning they would have to get the steering column from a dealership. I put down a $2000 dollar deposit and began the waiting game. Not only did they get my truck back before they said they were going too, I was given a check for $298!! They kept looking around and found the right part, bringing the total cost down to only $1700 for a new rack and pinion, power steering pump, AND a steering column. If you have problems trusting mechanics, you will find yourself leaving this place with a giant smile on your face, much like I did. Very helpful, very friendly, and just plain awesome! read more