About Business
Citadel Auto Repair & Services is a leading Car Repair specialist serving the Charleston, SC, Charleston area. They provide a wide variety of solutions, including Auto repair shop, and other Car Repair tasks. Boasting a solid 4.5/5 rating from 69 verified reviews, their reputation precedes them. As a locally-owned business in Charleston, SC, they are deeply committed to providing honest and reliable Car Repair support to their neighbors. If you are in need of Car Repair assistance, we invite you to reach out to them today or visit their location in Charleston, SC.
Google Reviews
james C
★★★★★
a year ago
Been going here for 15 years. John is an honest and fair auto repair owner. I will never take my car anywhere else.
ray ellis
★
☆☆☆☆
9 years ago
I took my car in because my headlights wouldn't come on. John(the owner) said he would look at it. I used my fog lights to drive to their shop that morning since my headlights wouldn't work, but I didn't tell them that. I called and John tells me he went all through the front of the car and couldn't figure it out but as they were touching wires in my fuse box the lights came back on so just don't touch anything and the car was ready and his labor is 285.00. Upon receiving the car as I drove away I noticed a scraping sound. I got out of the car and noticed I was missing multiple screws from the fender liners and this caused the fender liners to come away from the car and were rubbing the tires. This caused the bottom of the fender wells to rip and could no longer stay attached to the car.I myself had checked the car before I brought it in, under and around the front of the vehicle to see if I could spot a loose wire or something disconnected. There were no loose or missing screws anywhere. I got home and noticed the fog lights were no longer working. I opened the hood to see all the fog light wiring had been ripped out. I called Citadel Auto Repair and John said he had no idea what happened and that it was probably like that when I brought it in. He then told me to come up there and we could ask the person who worked on the car. Upon arrival he called the individual over and asked him if he knew anything about the damage or problems I was encountering, of course he said no. John then asked him where the problem was which caused the headlights not to work and he said on the passenger side of the car. I guess John had forgotten what he told me on the phone. John and the so called repairman both then asked if anyone else had worked on the car and that is probably where all this damage came from. Overall I spent 90.00 for new fender well liners, 45.00 for new fog lights and gave Citadel Auto Electric 285.00. If i could rate zero stars I would. I hope anyone reading this would think long and hard before taking their car to Citadel Auto Repair!
Noah Trahar
★★★★★
2 years ago
Overall good guys. Brought my jeep in for a coolant leak that was letting air in my system. They kept me updated on all the tests they were running and showed me the process. Will continue to go to them because my jeep is a POS.
Robert B
★★★★★
a year ago
I've been going to Citadel Auto for over 20 years and they have always provided great service. John is very knowledgeable and repair costs are very reasonable.
Brandon Fuller
★★★★★
9 years ago
I brought a used car in to have it inspected before purchasing and was very pleased with the service I received from one of the mechanics. He absolutely knew what he was doing and talk about, and assured me that the car I was getting ready to buy was in great shape. Would highly recommend Citadel Auto Repair!
Michael Brewer
★★★★★
8 years ago
One of our company drivers was on his route in Charleston and was having issues with his truck. The first shop said it was the alternator, wanted almost $500 and said they couldn't get to it until the next day. We found Citadel Auto Repair online and sent him there. John diagnosed the problem, discovered it was nothing more than a bad connection and for just over $100, and a couple hours, the driver was on his way. John was very professional, and I saved us $400 in unneeded repairs, plus a hotel room. If we were in the Charleston area, we would use this shop exclusively. Thanks again for the assistance and honest service!
Hannah Baker
★★★★★
7 years ago
John and his team were great to work with, patient with my questions, kept it real about pricing, fit me in the day I called, and in just a few days’ time my car runs better than when I bought it. Will definitely be bringing my car here for all future work.
Luke Meier
★★★★★
11 years ago
John is awesome. I took my Pontiac in for electric issues, 4 way flashers, blinkers, and brake light problems. No one else could figure out what was wrong with it. He fixed it the first time and then the switch he put in went bad, but he did not give up on it. He replaced it with no extra labor charge. He was great with communication too, always available. I'm going in to pick up my car today and I'm sure he took care of it. The best part is, if it isn't fixed, I have full faith that he'll tell me bring it right back so he can take care of it. Just make sure that you schedule an appointment to bring your car in ahead of time, they stay pretty busy!
JoAnna Simnitt
★★★★★
7 years ago
We bring everything to johns shop. He’s worked on two cars for us and weve brought him two cars for inspection that we’ve considered buying. We’ve always had wonderful experiences. An honest man who tells you what needs to be done, what doesn’t, and what you’ve got time for so you can save up some cash. He keeps excellent records on everything he does for you. We couldn’t recommend him more.
Haynes Kendall
★★★★★
a year ago
I have a 1990 Isuzu trooper. There are very few mechanics left that know how to work on these old cars and John and his team do an excellent job. Very detail oriented, courteous.
Danielle Snipe
★★
☆☆☆
2 years ago
Just doesn’t feel like he’s honest. And after Questioning an issue he claimed was wrong with my car when I knew that wasn’t the issue, he told me to not to bring my car back. It’s not always what you say but how you say it. His exact words were,” when you come get your car don’t bring it back to me I don’t want to work on it.” Getting spoken to like that he never has to worry about me coming back to him.
casey nitsch
★★★★★
3 years ago
I love this place! They solved a long-term electrical problem with my car that many other shops over the years could not resolve, and they did it without costing me a fortune. I've rolled in here with flat tires, mystery noises, dash lights on, etc. and they are always patient, clear about the process, and transparent and reasonable about pricing. I've referred friends here, bring my company vehicles here now, and would recommend them to anyone. The staff are truly wonderful.
Stephanie Apple
★★★
☆☆
4 years ago
Mixed review here. Initially I was given an estimate with 55 dollars for diagnostics and additional for the repair of my engine cooling fan. I did some of my own research and the fan was a recall. I told them no thanks for the repair and had it repaired for free from the dealer. When I went to pick up after declining the repair, diagnostic costs doubled to 110. To me it seemed really unethical and as a way to pad the bill when I declined repairs. I have the original estimate in an email and brought this up- was then told I could use the 110 towards the repair if I got the work done there but was given no explanation as to why the charge doubled. I still don’t have a solid answer but paid the bill. Anyway they found the problem so they know what they are doing. John was also very nice about getting me in fast. There are definitely pros here but I’m not a fan of their business practices and professionalism. I do not mind paying for service for my car but I do mind when things on the bill don’t add up.
NNLTKL
★
☆☆☆☆
Edited 3 years ago
I recently had my vehicle's A/C repair here. When I called, spoke to John and told him exactly what was wrong with the car. John gave me a quote over the phone. I brought my car there, he came up with a quote that was $115 higher than what he told me on the phone. I gave the go ahead with the repair, came to pick up my car, now there's another $65 added to the total bill. He stated that he forgot to add the freon for the quote. The total is now $180 higher than what he quoted me on over phone. Then, he proceed and try to sell the repair on my climate control module. John stated that the part itself cost about $489; Amazon price $181. This repair for the climate control module will cost another $700. AVOID Citadel Auto Repair & Service!! VERY DISHONEST, HUGE mark up!!. I would not come here and from the look of the shop, I don't believe they'll be in business for long. Hopefully, more than a year: for the 12 months warranty. Since I just had my car repair there. RUN AWAY from this scamming shop!!
Kayla Terbecki
★★★★★
4 years ago
One of the best experiences my husband and I have had with getting our car repaired! We had originally called a few other shops before we discovered this one for quotes and the other shops quoted much higher and also couldn’t get to our car for almost a week. Citadel Auto Repair was able to get our problem fixed the day of! They kept us updated every step of the way and were super friendly. Hopefully we don’t need anymore car repairs soon, but we’ll be heading back here if so!
Evan Pendergraft
★★★★★
6 years ago
As a young guy with no experience or knowledge about vehicles and what repairs are necessary I was very happy with my experience. All I needed was a simple oil change on my car and John the owner did not even try to sell me an engine air filter that was not needed. (not that I would know better or not, such has just been par for my experience with other places) John seemed very happy to answer my questions. Note the dogs that greet you are very friendly, one of them is just a bit loud :)
Samuel
★★★★★
6 months ago
Great work on tire repair. Modest price and honest work. Thumbs up.
Aj Whaley
★★★★★
a year ago
I have a friend who recently had work done to his truck and they did a awesome job so when my wife had a muffler problem we checked them out and they took there time with us and showed us the problem and had it fixed within a day after settling up an appointment. Would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to find a great repair shop. Thanks Citadel Team!!!!
April Fludd
★
☆☆☆☆
5 months ago
Went to John’s shop for air suspension issues and after they fix the issue he then told me my water pump exploded out of the blue which was hard to believe because it was brand new installed by the dealer ship. So I told him to replace it and he did. When I got my car back not even 5min down the road the car ran hot instantly and I realized that the water was not flowing to the radiator and I took it back to him and he told me my radiator blew and he replaced it but he couldn’t figure out how to get the pressure off the system and he removed the thermostat and didn’t even told me anything until I called him back about 3weeks later because the weather got cold and it caused all the lights to pop up on the dash. So i took it to another shop and the informed me that when the water pump was installed the system was not properly draining and all that pressure caused the car to over heat and blew the head gasket. I informed John of what the other shop diagnosed and he went off on me about my engine was worn out and I insured him and provided proof of how my engine condition before and after and he was very nonchalant about the whole situation after I paid him over $4,000 for my car to not even be driven.
Mara Duke
★★★★★
a month ago
John and his team were knowledgeable and fast. Since I just needed an oil change, they worked with getting my car in quicker to make sure I could get back to work. The bonus were the sweet dogs!
