I did not have any work done at Totem Lake Auto Care. However when my dad (who suffers from dementia) got lost he somehow ended up at their shop. We do have a tracker on his car, and apparently dad had left his cell phone behind when he left. Since I could see he was parked there at Totem Lake Auto Care I decided to call the shop and I caught Caleb just as he was headed out the door to guide dad to his doorstep. Caleb took time out of his day to drive to my parents' place so that dad could follow him... then he called me from the parking lot as he watched dad head in the door and knew he was safe. While I obviously can't give input on any repairs made, the action he took for my dad tells me that this is a man of character and that speaks volumes about him and his desire to treat people well. I want to recommend this shop to everyone I can, and my family and I are so grateful that my dad somehow wandered in the door of this business. It's awesome to know that there are still people like this in the world- my dad would have done the exact same thing in that situation and I'm so thankful to see that those people can still be found. read more

This place is phenomenal. Caleb and the team have been looking after me and my family's cars for years. I always feel like they do exactly what is needed and don't "find" extra charges for more. They're timely and communicate well. They even talk through when it doesn't make sense to fix something or when a warranty could cover things elsewhere, despite the fact they could make money off the repair. If you're looking for someone you can really trust, this is a great spot in an industry that can be hard to trust sometimes. read more

This is a great shop! Caleb and his team are knowledgeable, cheerful, and love their work. We've brought our vehicles to these guys for routine maintenance as well as repairs and feel well cared for for the price. They are my family's trusted shop. They've worked on the following vehicles for us: 1. 2012 Mercedes Sprinter - Diesel 2. 2011 Mercedes ML 350 3. 2009 Honda Odyssey read more

I'm really happy I finally found a mechanic who is trustworthy, reasonable and knowledgeable to be able to work on all our cars. In fact, our whole family relies on Caleb and his team. We appreciate the professional and friendly service and it feels good to know our vehicles are well taken care of. read more

I found them thru AAA after my car just stopped on the side of the road. They were very transparent on what they could actually do - even suggesting that they would reach out to a specialty shop (I drive a German car) if they couldn't figure out the prob. Also, I don't know his name, but the older gentleman that answers the phone seems like a just a nice guy. He went above and beyond when I was unhappy about something (don't want to go into detail here). Overall, very pleased. read more

My clutch stopped working on my Hyundai Elantra just around the area and called that Monday. Brett was very professional and took it in that day as it was not very busy at that time. Brett called and updated me on the condition of the failed clutch and advised solutions. Normally I do all of my own mechanical work but I was leaving for Las Vegas the next day for a week and had no time. As Brett talked to me about my clutch repair I felt very confident in his professional ability and knowledge. I felt my car was in good hands. I normally don't trust anyone with my car. Brett is a very nice stand up guy. If you have car issues take it on over to Totem Lake Auto Care. read more

I went in with my janky 2005 CR-V due to A/C not working correctly one day. They did a running diagnosis on the A/C and could not find anything wrong. They did this most of the day and did NOT CHARGE ME ANYTHING! This is such good customer service. I know I will return w/ any A/C issues and to do my big 150k service. Tucked back in a Totem Lake industrial area and worth the find. read more

We chose Totem Lake Auto Care to fix a problem which has been intermittent for over a year, based on a recommendation of a friend. Oh my holy cow freaking gosh. Not only is the problem solved, but I don't think the car has run this well since I've owned it. Bret not only found the parts which were faulting, but made adjustments to the idle plate which all the forums we'd read hadn't even heard about. The guy is good, friendly, experienced, reasonably priced and great at communication. I would give them more than 5 stars if I could. Highest recommendation read more

I went there with my Acura for a diagnostic on why the car stopped while running. After 1 hr of dilly dallying they had no diagnosis and gave me a bill of $100. I asked him that was a little steep and he gave me his spheel on how this compares to the dealership. I took the car to the dealership and they diagnosed the problem in half an hour. It was caused by a missing screw in the fuse box, All they charged me was for the missing screw $10. Ofourse with the amenities of a loaner car, coffee, fruit etc. These guys don't even have water or coffee in the waiting area. That was my last time there. Thanks for nothing :(. read more

I recently took my 2015 Ford F-150 in because it was having all sorts of sound issues. The breaks where squeaking, the motor fan was switching on full speed after just turning the truck on, tire pressure indicator had shown that my tires needed inflating, fan belt was squeaking...you name it my truck was doing it. It was essentially screaming for help. With so many issues I really didn't want to take the truck to the dealership and pay the high prices that they would certainly charge me with all these issues. I read Totem Lake Auto Care reviews and saw how many people expressed how trustworthy Bret was so I gave him a shot. I don't write many reviews but after meeting Bret and the quality work he did on my truck I really had write this review. Great experience, truck runs great, and the price was fair. I'm happy to say that I've found my local mechanic. Thank you, Bret!! read more

I have had the best and most honest service at Totem Lake Auto Care. Bret B. is so accommodating and proactive. After my son's recent experience with Bret, he is finally convinced to continue having his car serviced here instead of at his high-priced dealer. He's sold on Totem Lake Auto Care, as am I! read more

***Updated post**** Previously, Kelly took of vehicles for my family for over 15 years. He is no longer affiliated with Totem Lake Auto Care. The shop is now run by Brett Bollinger and the quality has not skipped a beat. The level of service has stayed high and remarkable. Both Brett and Brad are extremely knowledgeable. Even though we live in North Seattle, we still bring our vehicles to Brett and Brad for routine maintenance and service. Thank you for your exemplary service! read more

I am a first time customer at Totem Lake Auto Care. I WILL be back. They did a great job with my Ford F-150 rear brake job. Honest; did exactly what they say they would do and did not try to sell me more than I needed. The bid was right on and their follow up has been great. read more

Super quick responding via email to set up an appointment and quickly and easily fixed a problem in my car- super painless and very efficient! Very happy with the custom service and overall experience with Totem Lake Auto Care and will be back next time :) read more

Bret has been taking care of my 84 Pontiac for 2 years, he has it running like it just came off the showroom floor. Craig D

I've been going to Bret's shop for 6 years for the care of several vehicles, and have always been happy with the work. I've taken some odd problems to him over the years, and he's always handled them well. He diagnoses it quickly, figures out what the most cost effective repair is, explains the situation to me, then gets it fixed quickly. Its always been fixed right the first time. He's always been fair, does more than the minimum required, and been great to work with. He's aware of the cost of work & tries to find the most cost effective option. He doesn't just fix the problem at hand: he takes a longer view and lets me know when future maintenance work will be needed. Bottom line: Bret does a great job, treats me right, and does great work. Having found a shop this good, I can't imagine going anywhere else. read more

We have been so impressed with Totem Lake. We were referred to them by a family friend several years ago and have kept going back with any issues our cars have had, from window motors burning out to clutches needing to be replaced in our manual vehicle. Brett has always been straightforward with us, and the jobs have been done well. We had a very old, very high mile Expedition that was giving us grief- Brett worked on it for several hours trying to diagnose the problem. When it became apparent that the only way to really get at it was to completely remove the engine (which would have been a very labor and time intensive thing to do)- he talked with us about it before moving forward. We decided to get a new vehicle rather than spend a bunch of money trying to fix a 20 year old car. And he didn't charge us for the hours he had already spent on it. When it came time for us to buy a new vehicle, Brett inspected our prospects for us- was upfront about any issues, and generally went out of his way to help us make an informed decision about which vehicle to buy (even to the point of me emailing him pictures of the underside of one of the cars to see what his initial thoughts were). We feel fortunate that we have a mechanic we trust, and we really appreciate how Brett has gone the extra mile (both literally and figuratively) for us. read more

I've been going to Totem Lake Auto for about 6 years. Bret does a great job, is easy to deal with, and is always fair. He's done some major repairs on my husband's fleet of 3 vehicles, all to our satisfaction. We took advantage of his detailing service recently, and I was thrilled with the result. read more

I had my car towed to Totem Lake Auto Care based off a friends recommendation when my car wouldn't start over the weekend. I had the best service from Brett. My car was repaired quickly and Brett went over and above and called the dealership to get the radio code so my radio would work after the battery had been disabled in the trouble shooting process. Totem Lake Auto Care is my new go to place for auto repairs! read more

I chose Kelly's as a recommendation from a friend at work and I couldn't be happier. They were very accommodating with a last-minute schedule change and even stayed a bit later than their normal business hours to finish working on my car so I wouldn't have to wait an extra day before picking it up. Kelly was great to work with and very responsive to both my e-mails and phone calls. In discussing one of the services requested; we realized the dealer had quoted me a price which was less than Kelly quoted. He then determined that the work would likely take less time than he originally estimated and adjusted the price accordingly. He really didn't have to do that since I wouldn't know anything about the time required. Due to that, I saved about $240 dollars over what I would have been charged by the dealer for the services performed. Over all, it was a great experience and I will recommend them to anyone requiring service or repairs. read more

I'm really happy to write a review for Totem Lake Auto Care. I was a first-time customer today after patronizing another local shop for over 15 years. Wish I'd known about TLAC 15 years ago. The owner, Bret Bollinger and his staff are first-class people who know how to treat customers. Today I needed a power window regulator replacement on a faithful '92 Camry. Over the phone, Bret gave me a precise quote on parts and labor and estimated the work would take 90 minutes. Not only was the work done in almost exactly 90 minutes, but they showed me the failed part, explained why it had failed and stayed on the quote to the penny. The shop is clean as whistle with a comfortable and quiet waiting area. While waiting, I had the opportunity to hear Bret interact with other customers over the phone. Each call was handled politely and cordially for scheduling and trouble-shooting, and not a single call came in from someone complaining about something. If you are looking for an honest and fair quote, the work performed on-time and on-bid and a shop that does things right, I could not more highly recommend TLAC. Most pleasant experience I've ever had getting a car fixed. read more