Discount Auto Service

April Deinken

★★☆☆☆

12 years ago

Been coming here for years. Brought my vehicle in for brake work, was called shortly thereafter with the diagnosis. $1500. Whoa. Okay, with the list of repairs in hand, I called and got another quote for $1000. I called Discount Auto back and was ready to come get my vehicle and have it done elsewhere. They said they could do it for $1000. Okay, fine do it cuz it saves me a couple of trips. He calls a couple hours later and says he tried to salvage my caliper (we knew he had to replace one), but couldn't - so it's going to be another $250. Okay, well you already have my brake system tore apart - what can I say but okay? I call at 4 and he says he's done. I go in to pick it up and I wait another 15 minutes before he comes into the office to start checking me out. Not to mention the greasy footprints on my carpet floormat. After I inspect the invoice the next day I find I am charged for 8 hours of service (@ $95/hr) when they only worked on my car for 5. I go back into the shop to ask about this and am told that they work off some system that tells them how long a repair should take and if it takes less, they still charge the hours that the system says. Okay. I ask why, if you can do the job for $1000, was I told it would be $1500? He says the guy entered something wrong on the quote and the matrix read higher. Okay. Fool me once, twice, three, four times? Forget it. I didn't even argue. I understand that when you take a vehicle apart, you're liable to find more things wrong than the original diagnosis. I get it. I understand making a keying error when working on a computer. I understand that maybe a business pads their quotes a little - a LITTLE. I really do.But considering they charged me for almost $300 in labor/time that they didn't put into my car, and quoted me $500 more than what they could do it for, and then found another $250 in repairs that needed to be done - do the math. They guaranteed that it was my last time bringing a vehicle to them.

Julie Froberg Rose

★★★★★

10 years ago

I was at a Firestone shop getting an estimate on a brake job that totaled close to $700. My then-boyfriend (now husband) stopped me and said I should see Ed at Discount Auto. Ed discovered Firestone was going to do unneeded work. My bill with Discount Auto was around $300! Since that event almost 4 years ago, I only trust Discount Auto with my vehicles. There have been other occasions where a dealership tried to overcharge or do unneeded work and Discount Auto has saved the Day. I will no longer go anywhere but Discount Auto where the staff is honest, friendly and hard working!

Amanuel Medhanie

★☆☆☆☆

14 years ago

The sign said brake special for $95. I went in and they told me $150. I had my own brake pads which I bought from Napa auto parts. As I was leaving (because I decided that was too expensive) the person behind the counter followed me out and said he would do it for $115 (remember, the sign said $95 outside and I had MY OWN NEW BRAKE PADS which they would use to replace the current pads). I decided to let them do it for $115 because my regular mechanic's shop was closed for a couple of days. Two days later, the brakes are making a scraping sound. I will NEVER go to this place again. Incompetence or laziness, the end result is still bad.

Lee Ortendahl

★★★★★

7 years ago

I would give Mike 6 stars if it would let me. We had a flat tire on our truck hauling our horse to the WSCA Champ Show at the fairgrounds. Mike fit us into his schedule, repaired the flat, put the spare under the truck, checked our other tires. He was a life saver! Extremely reasonable prices and friendly service! Don't go anywhere else!

Toni Calderer Elias

★★★★★

11 years ago

Quick and honest service. We went there for inspecting the brakes that were making noises and it turned out to be just some dust on the pads. The inspection was free, and they also cleaned and adjusted our brakes at no additional charge. We also had an oil and filter change for a very reasonable price. Very happy with the service.

Amy Borkenhagen-Fuller

★★★★★

Edited 11 years ago

My friend's car had the 'check engine' light on for some time and just out of coincidence, we were driving down Raymond Ave and saw a sign that said "FREE WARNING LIGHT CHECK," so we pulled in. Her car ended up needing up needing some engine work, which she had done at Discount Auto and was very happy with. I have a '69 Camaro that had been in storage for awhile and I knew needed some TLC, so I asked Ed if I could bring it in to be looked at. I did so, (I was expecting them to "find" all sorts of things that needed to be done). I was happy to hear a report that it just needed a tune up and some minor repair under the hood. The quote they gave me was quite reasonable as well. Ed, Mike, and George are great guys, know what they are doing, and they took care of my car in a short period of time, with little cost for parts and labor. I was pleasantly surprised with the final price and work done. I had been going to another repair shop in St. Paul for years, but I am now a customer for life at Discount Auto!

K2 KS

★★☆☆☆

4 years ago

This wasn't the towing company I called, but they were the ones dispatched I guess. That is the first frustration, since the place I called is 5 star reviewed and also came with a personal recommendation. Secondly, it cost over $150 to go 4 miles. Unfortunately I didn't realize I have roadside assistance with my insurance, so I'm hoping they will at least reimburse part of it. I'll use them next time.

Ashley Lords

★☆☆☆☆

6 years ago

THIS SHOP STOLE MY BATTERY! I’m not joking. I had my vehicle towed there with the battery inside. They concluded they weren’t able to service the vehicle, at which point I had to towed it to another shop. The new shop called me immediately saying the battery was totally missing. George said he did NOT have my battery, it must have been stolen. But the hardware to install the battery was placed nicely where the battery should have been. Even the bolts were put back nicely on the screws. DO NOT GO HERE! THIS SHOP SHOULD BE PRESSED WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES!

Austin Putz

★★★★★

8 years ago

Best auto service and staff I've ever had or heard of! I was visiting MN from out of state over the weekend and my Jeep broke down on Saturday, 20 minutes from closing. Butch diagnosed it that evening and had me on the road again by late Sunday night. I didn't get into my story or why I needed to be home as soon as possible, Butch could see I was in a bind and swooped in anyway. He put over 7 hours of work into that thing on his personal time and I just couldn't believe it. He kept in touch with me to make sure I got home okay and told me to call if I needed any other help with the Jeep. Butch is one of the best mechanics I've ever met, and one of the best people I've ever met. I'm certain the rest of the family at Discount Auto Service and Tire Center share the same traits. Forget about "Iowa-nice", you guys define "Minnesotan-nice"! Thanks again.

Brandon Pittenger

★★★★★

11 years ago

Great Experience here. My car overheated and I had to go to a shop near where it broke down. Just so happened that Discount Auto Services is near where I live so I brought it over there after hours in order to drop it off. An employee saw that I was in the parking lot and looking to drop it off and checked me in after hours. The service was great and they were able to fix it at a reasonable cost the following day. I do think that some of the negative reviews attributed to this business could have been a few people frustrated with the process of their car breaking down. It sucks whenever it happens but all you can hope for is quick and honest service. As far as I'm concerned, I got that here.

Breanne Allen

★★★★★

9 years ago

I brought my car in with out an appointment, I was having persistent tire issues and my steering/handling seemed to be declining. I own a used vehicle and bought it from what I thought to be a reputable dealership. Everyone I spoke to at Discount Auto and Tire was very helpful and honest. They found issues that I brought up to my dealership that they told me they looked at, but clearly did not. Their honesty saved me double the amount of time, trouble and money that I would have spent at the dealership where I purchased my vehicle. They repaired my vehicle in no time. My car has never driven better than it does now! THANK YOU, I will be back!

Nathan Hansen

★★★★★

5 years ago

I called them on a Sunday morning to get my car that had a flat tire towed from the busy interstate on a cold day. The service was fast and well done. If you have insurance coverage for towing, always call the provider directly and then get reimbursed. The service is quicker and the provider gets more money.

Jean-Philippe Poulin

★★★★★

10 years ago

I've been going to discount auto for many years, i've had really good service from Ed and their mechanic i believe his name is Mike. They have done tires, brakes, and my recent work was my timing belt. I've had fast and efficient service every time. Also, their prices are very fair compared to other automotive shops around. They even wash it! I wasn't expecting that but it shows that they go out of the way for their customers. Thank you again discount! I will make sure to recommend my friends to your location.

AbdulGaffar Syed

★★★★★

10 years ago

Very helpful and knowledgeable people! I went there to get a new battery for my car (Toyota), since it died out really quick with no apparent cause, however, they checked and told me that the battery is perfectly fine and I could even get a replacement battery free of charge, if I want to, since the battery was still under warranty..., However, the real issue was the Alternator which was not charging the battery at all times while the engine was running. They explained everything to me in such a nice way, i feel myself half engineer. :) Ordered the part really quick, and fixed the issue in no time. Would strongly recommend their services to people living in commutable distances. :) :) :)

Sam Dzanic

★☆☆☆☆

9 years ago

This company engages in price gouging and is absolutely the worst and most unprofessional experience I've ever had dealing with a business. They advertise tows starting at $65 as seen in picture but charged me $99 just to load the vehicle. I also paid the place they were picking up the vehicle $60 to load the vehicle and it's easy forklift sets car on the flatbed not winching it out of ditch. Very aggressive driver Sean threatened to pull his gun and impound me vehicle when I tried to reason with him for their rates. In the past I have also used them 3 times and previously they've charged me $80 for a compete 20 mile tow. NEVER AGAIN, take your business elsewhere

Sid Manly

★★★★★

Edited 7 years ago

READ UPDATES Had my car serviced here a few times and the price was absolutely fair and had very quick service. They had let me use a loaner car each time to get back to work. Mike is an awesome tech and a great guy to work with. Will definitely go back. UPDATE: Had my water pump and timing belt replaced after the pump started leaking like a maniac. Mike recommended the timing belt to be replaced as it was in pretty bad shape. Had both done and was back in my car the next day. Also had a loaner on hand to use for the day. Thanks again Mike!

Gregory Clute

★★★★★

12 years ago

Discount Auto really did a great job for me! I was in need of a new fuel pump and every garage I contacted wasn't giving me an honest pricing. When I contacted Ed, I finally found someone that would give me a reasonable price. They were very helpful in getting my car to the shop and finishing the job in a timely manner. Ed was fantastic in helping me out even when it wasn't the most convenient time for him and I really appreciate it! These guys were fantastic!