I went to get my Muffler Cut/Welded this week and decided to try Thrifty for the first time. They were extremely nice, treated my car with respect, and went above and beyond my expectations. They let me come in for a quote just before they closed and did extra exhaust patch work for free. The price was very reasonable and I will definitely be going back! If anything changes with my experience I will update it here. read more

Last August I came here to Thrifty Auto Repair with a Groupon and as I was driving away my car was shaking. After a few minutes I discovered when they rotated my tires they didn't tighten the screws. Everyone makes mistakes and the man behind the customer service desk was kind. Recently my engine light came on and I thought I would take it there again. After all the guy at the customer service desk was nice and they'd be super careful. A different man at the customer service desk was incredibly arrogant, rude, and condescending. He gave me a lecture on the dangers of driving with the engine light on and they would only charge me $98 to find out what was wrong. He stated in several different ways that I was making a big mistake and I should let them check my engine light. NOTE: You can go a couple blocks up the street Advanced Auto Parts and use their Diagnostic Code Reader for free. It is super easy, seriously if I can do it anyone can. I explained that I had just searched on the Internet and could go to Advanced Auto Parts and use their Diagnostic Code Reader for free. He laughed and said I wouldn't know what it meant, shaking his head. He's right and wrong, it's a code however, all I had to do was Google the code and read why my engine light was on. I read another Yelp and the woman wrote she felt they were not honest with women. The Yelps that are positive are all written by men. I gave them a second chance and it was not a positive experience. read more

Took my car to get inspected after receiving a rather suspicious inspection from Odenton Shell (assuring me that my front tires were worn down, which was obviously not true). Decided to get a second opinion before plunking down hundreds on a pair of new tires, glad I did. Made an appointment for a state inspection and an oil change at Thrifty, they were done with the inspection in an hour and didn't charge for additional labor for the oil change, only the cost of the oil itself (~$25, reasonable for syn-blend from a shop). The big plus was that the inspection report came back with no repairs deemed necessary. Here's a good tip for anybody dealing with mechanics: Tell the mechanic that you're getting the inspection from that you are not, under any circumstance, going to repair anything they see as "necessary" at the time of the inspection. Tell them that you're going to get a second opinion and if that second opinion verifies what they're saying, you'll come back for more business; however, if that second opinion tells you that everything is fine, tell them that you're never going to return to them and will give them appropriate reviews on sites like Yelp and Google. Be very honest and assertive right off the bat and never agree to any major repairs without getting a second opinion. Once you find a trustworthy mechanic, establish and maintain that relationship with referrals and recommendations. It's worth the additional inspection fee to determine which mechanics are trying to con you and which ones are genuinely warning you to actual risks. read more

Terrible Experience all around and the people weren't much better. Doug told me it would cost over $1900 in labor and repairs for a new fuel system when i took my car up there because it was running rough and i had a check engine light. Afterwards i took my car right down the street to another shop because this wasn't the first time i received a strangely high estimate from Thrifty and the second shop informed me that my oil cap was loose and from when i changed my oil a few days prior and they properly fastened it and cleared the light now my car is running fine again. Was less than $50 for the proper fix. read more

Brought Prius in around 10:30a for grinding sounds in the undercarriage. Ben Stone took the info, said he would contact me and let me know the problem, the cost and when it would be fixed while my son and I went to Annapolis Sailboat show. He contact me a short time later with the problem, the solution, the cost and when it would be ready. Called us around 3p saying it was ready. Cost was reasonable and sound was gone--it was stones in the brake rotors. Service and work was excellent and highly recommend them and especially, Ben Stone!! read more

Took my car there for MD vehicle inspection and was quoted almost $2000(!!!!) for repairs. Took it for a 2nd opinion and walked out $100 later with completed certificate. These guys see women coming - especially ones new to the area - and think they can put one over on us. Go somewhere else! read more

I am a long time reader of Yelp and just had such a bad experience that I decided I needed to join the Yelp masses and sign up. Thrifty Auto repairs is the worst repair shop I have ever dealt with. Dishonest with their inspection to the point that they said I needed to replace things that were brand new! DO NOT GO to this place if you want to have a car inspected. I cannot speak for their repairs as I got out of there as fast as I could. Two great examples, one they said a tail light needed to be replaced, I looked and they had unscrewed it just enough so it did not work. Screwed it back in, and magically it was fixed. They also said I needed 4 new tires, my tires are 6 months old... Stay away, I am sure they are just as shady with repairs... read more

Incorrect diagnosis. Thrifty told me two brake calipers/rotors needed to be replaced, and it would cost $768. I went to another place for a second quote and they personally showed me the issue, that only one brake caliper/rotor needed to be replaced, this other place did it for $50.00 in front of me. Problem solved. Thrifty also told me I needed to have two front drive axles replaced, and two valve cover gaskets replaced. Wrong. Only one drive axle and cv needs replacement. Not two. Place #2 quoted me for $300 for this. While thrifty wanted $596 + $360. I ended up paying thrifty $52 something for their time/quote. Please don't settle for one quote. Take your car to two or three shops and see what they say. Don't tell the other shops you had the car looked at elsewhere. By doing this, I saved roughly $650 for the caliper/rotor replacement, and I saved a total of around $900 if you include the other craziness thrifty told me needed to be done. read more

This is a good shop for regular maintenance and routine repairs, especially for brakes and exhaust systems. Complicated repairs can be hit or miss, so a second opinion may be in order. Their prices are in line with other independent shops, but lower than dealer costs. I take our cars to this shop when I need quick service w/o an appointment. read more

I highly recommend Thrifty Auto Repair. They did my Maryland State Inspection and later they replaced by brakes. They are local family owned business and I really like supporting local family owned businesses. They are easy to work with and reasonably priced. They are very accommodating to my schedule and even offered to give me a ride home while they did my brakes on a Saturday. They are honest and I feel like they are treating me like family. I would never hesitate to take any of my vehicles to them or recommend them to a friend or family member. read more

In for a tire patch. Friendly, quick service. Fair pricing. Will definitely consider Thrifty the next time I need car repair

Honest and low price quotes. Repaired muffler at a fraction of the cost of the dealer. Been in business for many years for a reason. Among the myriad automotive shops on West st, Thrifty Auto stands above most. read more

I split my auto work between this shop and Bay Auto just up the street. Believe it or not, these guys are great exhaust specialists for stock and performance applications and are pretty reasonably priced for that work. However, I'll go to Bay Auto for pretty much everything else engine related as their pricing is much more competitive. read more

I have been using Thrifty Auto Repair for many years. I have found them to be fair, honest and have great pricing. They go the extra step. I trust them completely and tell my friends to go to Thrifty Auto AND they are a locally owned business. read more

I recently moved from Virginia to Maryland and one of the first things you need to do is get a vehicle inspection to register your car. I saw that Thrifty Auto Repair was close to where I live in Annapolis and decided to take my truck in. I am so glad I did! They conducted the inspection and found some items that needed repair before it passed inspection. Ben the Manager took the time to explain to me what needed to be done and gave me a fair and reasonable price, which was not surprising, given that my truck is older and has a lot of miles (i.e. 193K). After agreeing to get the repairs done, Ben was able to accommodate my schedule and the repairs were done within a day. The truck is running better than before! The professionalism of Doug, the owner and Ben are evident in the work they do and the customer service they provide. I am happy to have found automotive techs who care about quality service and want to make sure the customer is satisfied. I look forward to having my truck maintained by the team at Thrifty, for as long as I own it. Give them a try. I am sure you will be highly satisfied. read more