A&A The Shop

Vince V

★☆☆☆☆

Edited 5 months ago

For the past few years, I’ve taken my vehicle here mainly for oil changes because of their punch card and affordable pricing compared to the dealer. I’ve trusted this shop for a couple of years, and even though I usually walk in without an appointment, they’ve always managed to fit me in. Unfortunately, I’ve been very disappointed with my last two visits. The first issue was after a service I noticed a scratched on my front bumper. I had photos with the date and time, but decided to just ignore it. On my most recent (and now last) visit, I feel like I got robbed. I brought my car in for a free oil change and was charged over $200 for a suspension inspection. Most shops include basic inspections with oil changes, so I was surprised by the charge. I was told that they checked the cameras and confirmed four techs looked under my vehicle, saying everything appeared normal and that the noise could be caused by “weathering.” Later that same day, I checked under my vehicle myself and immediately noticed the left rear sway bar link bushings were clearly worn out which was the cause of the noise. After this experience, I don’t feel like I can trust this shop anymore. UPDATE: Thank you for the quick reply. However, I have to clarify a few things that were not accurate in your response. I was never informed about any diagnostic or inspection fee at check In. If I had known there would be a $208.65 charge, I would not have agreed to have the vehicle diagnosed. That lack of communication and transparency is exactly why I felt blindsided, it wasn’t made clear that this was anything beyond a standard inspection. Also, none of your service employees or technicians were able to pinpoint the exact source of the noise. I was told over the phone and in person everything looked fine bushings, links, suspension, etc. The only explanation given was, sway bar links and bushings are most likely the noise I'm hearing or that it might be due to “weathering.” That’s not a diagnosis, that’s speculation. This raises real concerns about the quality and accuracy of the inspection I paid for. I’ve been a loyal customer for years, but this experience — being charged for something I wasn’t informed of and receiving an unclear, speculative outcome was very disappointing. The response I got didn’t pinpoint the exact problem with my vehicle, and if you were in my shoes, I’m sure you’d understand my frustration.

Aaron Hersh

★★★★★

2 months ago

Good communication. Got the job done as promised. They let me know when they found additional stuff in order the parts promptly after talking to me. Better warranty than other shops.

Benjamin Barrientes

★★★★★

a month ago

Great customer service, great price, and great work. Dexter specifically was a great representation of the company, working with my budget/timeline and kept me in the know when the work changed while being sociable and concise.

J. Frank Godfrey

★★★★★

6 months ago

We were thousands of miles from home, and needed a scheduled oil change. The local Subaru dealer recommended A&A The Shop. They took us right in and were very professional and thorough. Pleasant experience with good people.

Caroline R Duncan

★★★★★

2 months ago

Great experience with an oil change and follow-up on a check engine light code reading. Love that these guys offer a punch card for oil changes (do 3 and the 4th is free)!

Karen Ford

★★★★★

2 months ago

Needed nonworking headlights replaced. an appointment was quickly scheduled. the headlights changed out in close to 30 minutes. appreciated A&A's prompt and professional service.

Ralph Benham

★★★★★

a month ago

Excellent service! Very friendly, got the job done perfectly and quickly! I will bring my Lexus back when it is due for service.

Adam Suciu

★☆☆☆☆

Edited 5 months ago

I recently paid $779 at A&A the Shop for brake and rotor replacement on my 2017 Outback. Afterward, I discovered Continental Subaru charges only $540 for the exact same service. When I called A&A to discuss the huge price difference, the manager I spoke with showed no concern about overcharging customers. Lesson learned: call around and get accurate price quotes before committing to service. Based on my experience, you cannot count on A&A the Shop to be transparent or responsible when it comes to pricing.

Todd Vuckovich

★★★★★

4 months ago

My Forester acouple shifting issues I bought it in on Wednesday and after going through a good half day of diagnostics a decision was made. The proper repair was made and some service and maintenance suggestions were made and my car was back to me by that Friday. Professional and courteous service at all levels Thank you

Isabella Rosina

★★★★★

4 months ago

I have found the only mechanic that I will go to in Alaska! They were very quick and informative throughout the entire process and I never once felt as though I was being taken advantage of. Each person I interacted with was kind and knowledgeable. I trust this shop with all my vehicular needs and you should, too! Will go back time and time again.

wrick luv

★★★★★

Edited 3 weeks ago

A&A the shop is most awesome, yet unfortunately my Subaru is not! Through out the last 8 years or so Ive had much help from them with the great repair service they provide and big knowledge of Subaru vehicles. Dexter and the whole staff. Are friendly & courteous people! I was around few times in the earliest days of the once tiny shop’s beginnings sometime in the mid 90’s if I'm correct with my time line. Ive seen them grow & expand into a very awesome shop! Kudos! I would & will go nowhere else to get help & care with any Subaru(s) i own & have owned!

Jennifer Carpenter

★★★★★

2 months ago

Rest assured, you are in excellent hands here! This company does a great job with your car. They have experienced, competent mechanics and service people. Their customer service people are very helpful and informative, always service with a smile!

Bradley Ward

★★★★★

a month ago

Brought my truck in with what I thought might be a long and expensive fix. Very suprised when they called just a few hours later saying it was ready to be picked up. I appreciate the honest, fast, and great service! Shawn at the front desk was very helpful and nice! Will definitely be back

Adrian Dmd

★☆☆☆☆

Edited 3 months ago

*Update*. I contacted my credit card company and I was granted a charge back for the work that BMW completed. I asked for $868 the cost of replacing the parts w/ labor for the transmission issues that were not diagnosed by A and A in Eagle River. Case Closed! I have returned to the shop multiple times to repair my leaking differentials after a 60k-mile service, and the front differential is still leaking. That alone has been incredibly frustrating, but unfortunately, it’s only part of the reason I’m so disappointed with A&A The Shop – Eagle River. I’m extremely disappointed with the service I recently received here. I’ve been coming to this location for years, and it used to be a place I trusted. Unfortunately, the new ownership and management have completely changed the experience—and not for the better. The service has become disorganized, communication is poor, and it feels like customer concerns are no longer a priority. What used to be a reliable and well-run shop now feels poorly managed. I left feeling frustrated, unheard, and questioning whether anyone is actually paying attention to what’s going on. What makes this even more upsetting is that one of the best employees—the person who consistently provided honest guidance and great customer service—is no longer there. Their absence is noticeable, and the quality of the entire operation has taken a major hit because of it. I will be following that employee to their new repair shop, because their professionalism and integrity made all the difference. I truly hope things improve at this location, but based on my recent experience, I can’t recommend A&A The Shop – Eagle River anymore. It’s disappointing to watch a place that once had such a strong reputation fall so far under new management. I added this last photo just now to illustrate the amount of fluid that leaked overnight from the front differential. The rear differential is fine. This saga has come to an end! Turns out transmission fluid was also leaking. But, only a tiny amount which did not cause major damage. No indicator lights popped up on my dashboard. The two plugs for the front/ rear differential fluid were properly fitted after several failed attempts! Drain plug is leaking and the pan for the transmission fluid needs to be replaced. See the last two pictures. The two previous leaks were solved from the front and rear differentials. Another shop quoted me $1200 for parts and labor! I am going to reach out to Zach and insist after 3 failed attempts to fix all three issues, he needs to reimburse me for these additional costs that I have incurred. I was denied any reimbursement from Zach and with 3 strikes you're out!!! First visit was for the 60K mile service and two more visits to try and remedy the three leaks. My wife and I have found a much better shop to have our Subaru’s serviced at, BMW of Anchorage!

David Mesiar

★☆☆☆☆

3 weeks ago

I contacted AA to determine whether it was possible to drain and refill the CVT (continuously variable transmission) in my 2014 Subaru Outback with 97,500 miles. They quoted $300 for the service, but said they would check a sample of the fluid prior to replacing it, and if it was found to be too dirty or containing pieces they would not advise the service as it could result in driveability issues. All consistent with what I had read. They did not mention use of a proprietary Subaru software tool that resets the transmission and makes it “relearn” its shifting ability. The tech took a sample and advised not to do the service due to rather large particles he observed in the sample. He also advised that the antifreeze was low and that stopleak product had been added, and the rear brakes were down to 3mm. I’ve owned this vehicle since new. There are no leaks of antifreeze and no additives have been put in the system. i paid the roughly $100 service charge and spoke with Folks at the Subaru dealership. They advise transmission service between 50 and 100K miles. They performed the service, noted zero pieces or chunks in the fluid, refilled it, ran the relearn program, and it all works just fine. Cost was $550. They also checked brake wear and told me both front and rear brakes are at 6mm, twice as much as AA’s tech reported. Being wrong on 1 of 3 items would maybe be forgiveable, but being wrong on 3 of 3 items tells me this tech does not know what he or she is doing. Was this a way to generate unneeded service revenue? Are the techs paid based on how much they generate in earnings? Your customers, especially those unable to verify your diagnoses, should be able to trust that you are only recommending necessary work. Taking advantage of the less mechanically inclined is not ok. Come on AA, fix this.

Tallee Wellman-Ullom

★★★★★

3 months ago

I love the ease of Sked on line and the ability to text status and request changes. On top of that, they’re always friendly, on time and quick! The waiting room is clean and well lit too. So thankful our friend recommended them!! (Reason enough to buy another Toyota or Subaru, when you have a MX team you can trust!!). They’ve even taught me about settings that make my vehicle more efficient and they fixed all the the things the Toyota Dealership messed up!

Michael Graham

★★★★★

a month ago

Once again, I was very impressed with their professionalism and the quality of work. I brought in my 2001 Toyota RAV 4 that was leaking oil on the engine block. They did a full inspection and let me know what really needed to be done now, and some other things I might want to consider in the future. No hard sell. Just good info. They were able to what what I needed, cleaned the engine up, and it’s running great. I’ll continue to use them again as it’s nice to work with knowledgeable people I can trust.