A friend recommended this place when we were looking for somewhere honest to get our annual inspection done. We've now had our car inspected there twice, and also had some repairs done there. They are very honest with the inspections, they tell you what is wrong if anything and let you know if it is urgent or just something you should do sometime soon. They let us know that our brakes were getting to a point where they should probably have work done on them soon, and we scheduled that a few weeks later. For any work or inspection you bring your car in first thing in the morning, then wait till they call you to let you know it is done. You can't make an appointment at a specific time. How long it takes varies by how many other people got there first and how complicated what your car needs done is. If you're there without another car to go elsewhere, I suggest you take a nice walk down to the water while you wait. read more

Great service. Never had a problem getting an appointment. Quick service. Always responsive to questions. They give excellent advice. I never feel like they are taking advantage of my lack of knowledge. They explain things in a way that I can understand. Prices are reasonable and fair. read more

Not only were they not able to fix our vehicle properly, but our car stayed on their lot for 3 WEEKS. Communication with us was very poor- most of the time we couldn't get through on their one phone line which was often busy and when we took the time to come in to speak with them about our car, we were often found waiting around while they finished a phone call or chatted socially. When we finally got the car back, some parts had not been secured properly and fell off as we were driving. Please save your time and money and have your repairs done elsewhere. In our experience, our family did not feel that we were respected and taken care of as customers. read more

I have gone to Vail automotive several times for minor things such as oil & filter change, summer to winter tire exchange, and state inspection. For starters don't let the establishment's exterior fool you. What the skimp on in fancy exterior they make up for in service. When I got my summer tires, which they helped me find a great deal on, one of the tires popped on the first day hitting a curb. Was it the tire, was it the curb? Regardless they offered a no hassle replacement only charging for the labor. I most recently went in for a change of my brake pads and repair of a very worn and almost completely shot clutch. My dealer had said I needed new brake pads almost a year ago so I assumed I needed them replaced. Instead of replacing them because I would be none the wiser, the owner told me they didn't need replacing them and that I would replace them if I wanted but if it were his car he wouldn't. Saved me hundreds. Then he was nice enough to show me exactly all that was wrong with my clutch and described some further cost saving efforts he did to provide me with a reliable car and the lowest possible price. In summary I will continue to go to Vail automative. Not only do they provide reliable and TRUSTWORTHY service, but also it is nice to spend my money on a small local business. read more

When I realized a front headlight was out, I looked for mechanics close-by to our home, and the reviews of Vail led me to give them a call. The owner worked me in without an appointment, hooked me up with a new headlight, and I was on my way in about 30 minutes. I give them thumbs-up, and would return for future work as needed! read more

They are honest. They are great at their jobs. They are fairly priced. What's not to love?? I've been to them multiple times now and really trust them. My only tip is that because this is a smaller shop, call on Monday morning to get availability for the week! read more

Went to Vail initially for a NYS car inspection. Obviously the price is fixed, but I appreciated that while they told me everything that was wrong with my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee (not a short list...), they didn't push to do anything. We ended up having an issue with the steering column a few weeks later and brought it back in. I think their price was fair (based on my limited knowledge and Google searching) and when we noticed a persistent issue with the steering a few days later, they took it back and had it fixed a few hours later, with no additional charge. The people who work there are nice and pretty reasonable. Overall, a good experience and it doesn't seem like they're trying to screw you with extra fixes. read more

Nice local shop with nice guys and very personable service. They did a very simple repair when car brought in without notice- no charge. Would definitely go back again! read more

I'm forever grateful to my car-wise friend David for steering me to Dan Vail 15, 20 years ago. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better garage. Dan, his son Matt, et al., not only are craftsmen, they're honest, enjoyable to work with, and better-priced than all other garages I've done business with. I wish I could give Vail's more than 5 stars. Plus, wonderful "waiting room" across the street: Equal Grounds coffeehouse in the 19th century Lauterbach Hardware building. Good mechanic, good coffee shop, doesn't get much better. read more

I got a flat this afternoon. Luckily I was right around the corner from Vail auto shop on South Ave. I popped in and out of the pure goodness of their heart, they put the spare on for me. No charge. These gentleman totally saved the day. I will be sending them my business from now on! Thank you for reminding me that businesses still do the hospitable thing, when a neighbor is in a bind. Amazing service! read more

I'm in the capital district and my daughter who is living in the Rochester area was having a problem with 2 of her tires. I sent her to Vail, Jenny and the crew got her right in and out with 2 new valve stems! I can't thank them enough!! This place is obviously honest and reasonable and my daughter now has a place to go that I know we can trust. 1 less worry for this dad. Thanks again to Vail Automotive read more

They seem to be pretty good. The customer service is great and the rates are reasonable. Also, as an added bonus, there is a great coffee shop across the street, so you can hang out while you wait. read more

Really great people/place. Got my brakes fixed there and a very pleased. I was not in the dark about costs and problems. Assured me there was nothing else wrong besides brakes and rotors. Quoted be an accurate and reasonable price for Jon that needed to be done. Very personable staff. Will definitely be back here. read more

My boyfriend routinely goes here to get his car worked on, and always talks about how the service is super friendly, and the prices are great. So, when my car started squeaking a bit, I immediately made an appointment to have them look at it. I don't handle car repairs well, because I always imagine the worst, but they were very straight-forward about what was wrong and how much it would cost. It was repaired within the hour. My dad always told me to find a mechanic I could trust, and now that my Mazda is 5 years old, I may need one every once in a while. My first call will be to Vail Automotive. Thanks for fixing my baby! read more

I have taken my VW to Vail twice. The first was just for an inspection and oil change, and that was totally fine. The second time, however, they very quickly figured out what the problem was and then called and told me that they looked it up and that this was a known recall issue that the dealer would probably fix for free. (I had it towed to the dealer and they did, in fact, fix it for free.) For their honesty and general competence, I highly recommend the people there. read more

My family has been working with Vail for over 7 years (we drive 4 different vehicles) and they are top notch. First and foremost, they are trustworthy. They do only what's necessary and you know ahead of time what your options are. Their pricing is fair and reasonable and their work is excellent. We are very pleased with their service and thankful that we have someone we can trust to work on our cars. read more

Very accommodating and friendly staff. They worked around my very busy schedule and gave me a fair price. Will definitely recommend!

There fair and honest family ran mechanic shop .

I like to do some of the minor repairs myself but when I want a big job done, done right and at fair price I still go back to Danny even though I have moved away to near Brockport. He always been fair and very reasonable. I can whole heartedly recommend him. I have known him since he first moved into his South Ave. location. Mike R read more

Great crew to work with on all repairs. Dan has always been fair with pricing and labor costs and goes the extra mile to make sure the problem is fixed. read more

I've been going here for over 15 years only place I will go they are reliable honest and reasonable They always tell you just what you need and let you know cost before they do the work You can't go wrong if you go here read more