Ben Nielsen's Northwest Automotive

Howard Patterson

★★★★★

4 months ago

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ben Nielsen’s Northwest Automotive is hands down the best shop in the area! From the moment I arrived, the team was professional, honest, and incredibly helpful. They took the time to explain what my car needed without trying to upsell me on unnecessary services. The work was done quickly, the pricing was fair, and my car drives better than it has in years. It’s clear they genuinely care about their customers and take pride in their work. If you’re looking for a trustworthy and reliable auto repair shop, this is the place to go. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else!

livia berni

★☆☆☆☆

a month ago

Overpriced and Poor Communication - Beware the "AAA Recommendation" I wish I had ignored the overall rating and read the one-star reviews first. My experience reinforced my thought of not wanting to go to the mechanics. Communication: I dropped my car off Saturday and was told they would update me whether my car would be ready then or Monday morning. I heard nothing. They were closed Sunday, and I had to miss work Monday morning just to chase them down for a status report and my car was not ready until 3pm. We discussed the possibility of my car not being ready by Saturday which was fine but I wish they would’ve called and told me. Pricing: I needed my two front tires replaced and an oil change. Before they even took my car back, a mechanic who must’ve seen my car as I was walking in immediately said I would probably need my back tires replaced too. I asked the guy at the counter how much that would cost he quoted about $800… mind you I have a 2014 Nissan nothing fancy. After the fact I called a different auto shop and they quoted me $500 a substantial difference. The cherry on top after paying close to $800 for the new tires the literal day after they replaced them my low tire pressure sign went back on. Labor Costs: They initially quoted $3,700 for "recommended" repairs. I narrowed it down to the essentials (tires, belts, oil, coolant), and the bill was still $2,000. Parts were only ~$900, meaning I was charged over $1,100 in labor for standard maintenance. If you value your time and your bank account, go somewhere else. Don't let the AAA/ Google recommendation fool you.

Sophie Sniegocki

★★★★★

4 months ago

I had a great experience here and would definitely recommend it to any friends or family looking for car help. I thought I had an issue with my tire ahead of a weekend road trip. I called and they fit me in day of and were even able to accommodate my work schedule. Upon inspection, they found there was nothing wrong with my tire, but still did a full safety check, added air to all tires, and didn’t charge me anything. They were efficient, respectful, kind, and I really appreciated their honesty. I’ll definitely be back for any future car maintenance or issues!!

Mia Anderson

★★★☆☆

Edited 2 months ago

*Edited Review with updated star rating* After posting my original review, Mike, the Director of Operations, contacted me. He listened to me, without interruption, then apologized for the missteps. He expressed genuine concern and to make things right, offered me a solution that made sense. xxxxxxxx Bottomline Upfront: although local and extremely convenient, I will never return. (1) Josh sold me on a quick turnaround (to evaluate/diagnosis) but failed to keep his commitment with the time. My vehicle was only evaluated once I said I was coming back to get it (because they had yet to perform the diagnosis and at that point, I made an appointment elsewhere). And I understand work may back-up, but a phone call or a text with some update ("we didn't get to you yet but...") would speak to a level of customer service this location is not yet ready to offer. (2) When I did get the diagnosis, it was wrong. (3) No consideration at all on doing even a small thing to perhaps earn my business. When I dropped off the car, the low tire pressure light was illuminated. Simply putting air in my tire would have been a SMALL step towards customer service; and although I would never pay the ridiculous (and wrong!) estimate to fix the initial problem, something like putting air in a tire would've gone a long way. My 2016 Infiniti suddenly stopped shifting into 3rd gear. Not wanting to attempt to drive further than necessary, I called this location. I spoke with Josh who said they could take a look at the car that day or the next morning ("at the latest"). I called about 3 hours later to check on the vehicle; Josh said they couldn't get to it until the next morning. The next day, Saturday, I called a few hours after they opened (at 11a). This time, Mike said they still had not looked at the car. I decided to go get the car and arrange to have it sent to the dealer. At that news, Mike said he would call me 2 hours later. He did. They also sent me a text with their findings: car needed a new transmission based on the code they pulled after connecting the car to the computer. Note: there were no "check engine" light on. The estimated repair was $11k. The diagnostic process was just over $200.00. When I picked up the car, Mike said that he knew the check engine light was not on when I dropped the vehicle off but that it was now illuminated because of their investigative work. When I dropped off the car, the tire pressure light (only) was illuminated. It's cold, I knew I needed to add air to one tire. The check engine light was NOT on but the tire pressure light was...did they confuse the two? I then had the vehicle towed to the dealership. The diagnosis was different. The transmission valve required replacement; not an entire new transmission. Still a pricey job but SIGNIFICANTLY less than the $11k quote from Nielsen's. Additionally, the dealer found that my tire light was on because of a slow leak in the tire - they plugged it at no charge. Significant difference in customer service...today, even the most basic businesses' do things to give the customer a decent experience (ie., wash the car; fill window washer fluid; check/correct tire pressure). This place did the absolute bare minimum AND got the diagnosis wrong. Beware.

Mary Tengroth

★★★★★

5 months ago

Just moved to the DMV and I have already found my go/to auto shop. I brought my vehicle in for a routine check up & battery issue and they did a very thorough job. They provided photos and notes to show exactly what services were needed and why, and gave me the option to accept and decline each service. The extra information assured me that I wasn’t being charged for an unneeded service. The staff was incredibly friendly & knowledgeable. After driving my vehicle, I was happy to have my battery issue resolved and immediately noticed increased performance. Would recommend!

Grace Benson

★★★★★

2 months ago

Super trustworthy and kind- they even came out to jumpstart my car for free, and arrived less than 10 minutes after I called! They also do great repairs and offer good advice.

Iris Kap

★★★★★

3 months ago

Best car inspection experience ever!!! Kind, thoughtful and knowledgeable mechanics that take their time to explain in layman's language what needs to get done for your car to function at it's optimum. You'll feel heard and taken care of :), and most importantly your car will be all that you need it to be. ~Excellence all around~

Amir

★★★★☆

Edited 2 months ago

I had to calm down a little before writing this review. Haven't been this irritated in a while. I called them this morning to see if I needed an appointment to get my oil changed. I was told I didn't need an appointment and I could just bring it in and they would take care of it. I asked how much it would run me after giving them my vehicle information and was quoted between $60 or $70. I also asked how long it would take and was told about 40 minutes to an hour. I then drove over there and pulled my car in the lot. It is now around 11 am. The place wasn't crowded at all. I walked into the service area and asked them again how much it would run me and how long it would take. Now I was given a price of $90. All good, I figured it is what it is, let's get it done. He again told me it wouldn't take long and he would call me once they were done. I told him I probably wouldn't be able to pick it up until 2PM. He said cool that works and it would be ready soon. I went back to work. At 2pm after not hearing back, I called them again and asked about an update. He now tells me that he hadn't been able to get to it but would pull it in now and to give him about 30 minutes to an hour. At this point I'm slightly irritated because I now was off the clock and had to sit around and wait instead of going home. At approximately 2:55 PM I returned and saw my car in one of the bays with someone sitting in the driver's seat and another guy sitting on a chair next to my car. I watched them a little from a distance and noticed that the guy in my car was just sitting there and it appeared that he was watching something on his phone. I said cool that must mean that they are done and are waiting on me to pick it up. I proceeded to walk over to my car and still observed the guy inside my car, looking down and smiling. Once I got closer, they noticed me. I then asked if all was done. He looked at me a little startled, immediately popping the hood of the car and attempting to get out of the car. He then stated that he did not start yet and would do it now. At this point it was well after 3PM and I was done.I told him to just forget it cause I had to go home. He told me I could just go ahead and take it. Clearly there was no "busy shop" excuse because they had time to relax in my car probably watching TikTok videos. I probably won't go back for future car services but I read some of the positive reviews about the place and hope that today's experience is not the norm. I hope the shop takes this review and takes the necessary steps to address the listed issues so this won't happen to the next potential costumer. **Update** Just received a call from the Director of Operations. He offered a sincere apology and offered to pick my vehicle up and give me a free Oil change. Although I already had my service done somewhere else, it speaks volumes about a business attempting to make things right when it comes to dissatisfied customers. I understand that management can't always control everything that's going on at the place of business so if customers leave reviews, expressing their dissatisfaction and management reaches out to rectify the issue, it shows that the business actual cares. I blame my bad experience on the folks present that day and I have no doubt that management will have a conversation with them so this won't happen again. I will up my rating for a top notch professional follow up from management.

Monica Brown

★★★★★

a month ago

The weather ripped up my splashguard/undercarriage; found Ben Neilsens online, made an appt, then spoke with Ethan to confirm. And they took care of it. And I was EARLY to my appt. The mechanic literally removed the excess snow, added 2 screws and 2 zip ties to the splashguard and I was on my way! Great service!!

Fidelis Bekong

★★★★★

Edited 4 months ago

I found this place by doing a Google search since they worked on foreign cars. They gave me a complimentary (free) check on my BMW and gave me a thorough report on what needed to be fixed. I highly recommend this place as they were very professional and did not try to take advantage. Update: Came back to get the recommended repairs. Service was done next day and the car drives really well. I will definitely come back to Ben Nielsen's for all my future automotive needs.

Richard A. Taylor

★☆☆☆☆

2 months ago

I had a 2009 Volvo S80 and the serpentine belt came off. I was in Washington DC for the holidays from NC. I had it towed to the shop on Rhode Island. After Christmas the guy called back and told me I needed a new idler pulley, idle tensioner and belt. He quoted me a price of $2100 dollars. I immediately called my mechanic back home and he told me it was a $500 to $600 job. So I called back for a price breakdown and the guy couldn’t give me one…. Started stumbling and bumbling. He said the belt cost $80 but I had already bought one from auto zone for $30. I told him that I knew he was inflating the price. Eventually I called to other locations and told them what the problem was… and they said they would have a manager call me. A Guy named Mike called and said yes…he was “heavy-handed” on the labor and blah blah blah. He dropped it to $1200 which it still was double the price. But what could I do? I had to get back to North Carolina. I feel that they took advantage of my situation being I was at their mercy. I think they are crooks and I hope their business fails tremendously.. very unsatisfactory

Samantha Weitzel

★☆☆☆☆

3 months ago

I had a negative experience at this location. I went in for a routine oil change and was given a full inspection, which resulted in over $2,000 in recommended repairs. They quoted over $1,500 to replace tire pressure sensors, which typically costs under $300 for all four at reputable shops. They also called to pressure me into approving all of these repairs, trying to use complicated car jargon to explain why I needed to pay. Just because I’m a young woman does not mean you can convince me to pay for unnecessary repairs. I do not plan to return.

Scott Kicker

★★★★★

3 months ago

Chris and his team of mechanics did a great job on my 2008 Suburban that has 280,000 miles. Very hard to find good quality mechanics in the DMV. Thanks to COSCO, we found Ben Nielsen's and look forward to using them again.

Nathan Khaligh

★★★★★

6 months ago

I recently brought my car to Chris and his crew to get a couple minor & major things taken care of, and my experience was wonderful. As a new DC resident, I had been dreading the process of finding a new car shop that I can trust. From the moment I arrived, James at the front desk helped to figure out the list of things I needed done and checked out. He was friendly, attentive to my requests, and kept me updated as the tech was doing the inspection. Prior to my visit, I had another car shop not able to figure out an alarming sound in my car, so I was worried it would be an expensive visit. Turns out the crew found the problem, were able to show me pictures and videos, and they were able to fix it at such a reasonable cost. And FAST too! It’s such a relief when you come across a car shop like this one. Chris, James and the rest of the crew deserve all the credit than can get! Definitely stop here for anything you need

Be Da

★★★★★

4 months ago

Incredibly helpful. Had a very simple repair problem with a screw on my door (from another shop’s error) and they were so friendly and fixed on-the-spot. Wouldn’t take payment because it was so quick and simple. Definitely coming back here for any future needs to support good people.

Marshall Breit

★★★★★

a month ago

Amazing amazing service! These guys were so helpful and provided excellent, quick service on short notice when we arrived. So grateful and thank you again! Would highly recommend to any and all!!

Fanus Abraha

★★★★★

2 months ago

I went with a flat tire to the location. Very nice guy who said give me some time I will finish it for you for free. I can only recommend him. Good location and very cooperative guy. Thanks for the service