Northwest Subie Specialists

Genessa LoBello

★★★★★

a year ago

I scheduled an appointment to come in after experiencing shaking in my vehicle. Without any further to-do, they got right to work and even gave me a loaner vehicle while the repairs were completed. Communication was constant, everyone was really friendly and my vehicle was back to normal within a couple days! Thank you so much for taking care of me and my Subie (:

Jill Marcheschi

★★★★★

a year ago

Excellent, honest service, very reasonable prices. They even have complementary loaner cars for longer work. It is really difficult to find a good, honest mechanic; so happy I found this place. When I had a Subaru recall on the catalytic converter, they advised me to go to a dealership to get the work done under warranty for free rather than take my money from me. Even recommended which dealership did better service than the others. Saved me $4,700. I'm a lifetime customer here now, and drive out of my way to use NW Subie Specialists. Good people.

Lisa Tisdel

★☆☆☆☆

Edited 8 months ago

Edit to address owner's response: Attaching a screenshot of the VM I received where apparently they were calling to “resolve my concerns”. Would anyone want to return this call? I asked 3 times via their messaging app/text why the cost for the diagnostic was so high and after the 3rd time was given a basic list but no explanation of why it was over $600. Then I received a message that told me I need to remove my car from the lot if I didn’t want to move forward with the service. When I picked it up the owners sat at their desks from the room behind reception looking at me but at no point attempted to speak to me even though they knew I was unhappy. It was honestly really uncomfortable. They also act very elitist, regarding work that was done by us or another person. You aren’t the only people that know how to work on Subarus just bc your day job is in a shop. Your prices are high and we aren’t rich. That shouldn’t be looked down upon. My point is, this guy didn’t care about “my concerns” at all until I exercised my right to share my experience and then couldn’t even pretend to have any customer service skills. Also, most shops don’t charge a diagnostic fee for each code. My advice (that will be scoffed at) is to hire a front desk person who has experience as a mechanic so they can answer your customer’s questions instead of just deflecting. Why she refuses to admit she lost the appointment is beyond me, I didn’t need to speak to my husband- I called to make an appointment and made it. Was even given directions for after hours drop. I won’t be removing my review as you have requested. but if you are really interested in speaking to me and hearing me out, i am open to that. ——————————————- Unfortunately, all the things I liked about this place don’t seem to be true anymore. I had my car towed in after making an appt over the phone, only to be told that I never made an appt. Frustrating but not really a big deal except that it seems like they thought I was lying for some reason. I expected the cost of the diagnosis of my issue to be $375 after that price was mentioned when I made the appointment but instead I was invoiced for $622, quite a difference. I mentioned to them that this sounded high but it felt like pulling teeth to get a reasoning for the high cost. I was asking bc I had them do this same diagnosis when I brought the car in for what ended up being blown head gaskets in 2022 and I was charged $187.50. Time will tell if the gaskets blew again and if it has anything to do with them not grinding down the block last time after saying it wasn’t necessary. Also it seems you’re no longer able to speak to a mechanic over the phone or in person and instead speak to a front desk employee who may or may not be able to answer any of your questions regarding what work was done and what tests were done. Last year I asked to speak to a mechanic bc I wanted to know what tests were completed to test the cat converter since it didn’t say in the comments of the email just that it needed to be replaced. I was told they were busy and asked if she should read me the email again as if my reading comprehension was the problem. It’s just sad that where I used to recommend this business to others based on fair pricing and communication, I instead now feel like I am a nuisance to them and wonder if I am being price gouged. I took my car to another shop and won’t be back.

Mark McAfee

★★★★★

a year ago

Took in my 'new to me' Outback for some needed maintenance, and they took care of it on time, on schedule, and for cheaper than the dealership quoted. Process was easy with a full detailed and itemized invoice and report that was texted and emailed to me. They also gave me some good info about random questions I had and identified some parts on my brakes that Les Schwab apparently just forgot to put back, so I think I found my new place for all my Subaru maintenance needs.

Db Wally

★★★★★

8 months ago

Professional all the way. This shop can be trusted 100 percent. Zack is very knowledgeable and will do what he can to use only OEM parts. For Subarus that is important. Subaru is discontinuing some of the parts on older ones but Zack has the knowledge to try to source out the closest to OEM that he can find. Older Subarus are classic (opinion there). Some new ones have issues like oil leaks on the FA and FB engines after a lot of miles. If you keep your cars for a long time, no worries, take it to Zack.

Robert Rodriguez

★★★★★

Edited 3 years ago

+++ READ THIS REVIEW +++ Save your time from reading other reviews. Michael, Zack and Kevin are top notch. I have done a lot of the work on my subie myself. However, when I feel that things are "above my pay grade" I call NWSS to help out. 1. I have already had Zac and the crew work on my car before. After I STI swapped my car, I was itching for more power. I brought NWSS an iag shortblock, braided fuel lines, rails, TGV deletes, a blouch 1.5 xtr turbo, injectors etc and they did the work in a very reasonable amount of time and for a great price! The car was dyno tuned and has been running flawlessly ever since. 2. With the subie being an ongoing project car, I'm always looking for ways to make it better. I wanted to improve handling and driver feel next. I brought in the subie to upgrade my brake master cylinder and brake booster (STI), and put in a kartboy shortshifter. Long story short, the brake booster I took out of the donor car was defective, and the car ended up leaving me stranded. I brought the car back to the guys who put their blood sweat and tears (and lots of shop time) trying to diagnose what was wrong with the break booster/system. Unfortunately, Subaru has discontinued this part thus an aftermarket booster had to be used. With that being said, the car feels absolutely amazing now and is ready to carve some roads with confidence. 3. These guys didn't charge me for this extra work. I think that speaks VOLUMES about the INTEGRITY of this shop. If you are looking for an honest shop that will treat your car like one of their own, LOOK NO FURTHER, NWSS IS WHERE IT'S AT!!

Nancy Purcell

★★★★★

3 months ago

Northwest SUBIE Specialists have done a fabulous job of repairing my car in a fast and professional manner. I will definitely continue to use them

Marvin Thill

★★★★★

7 months ago

Great place to have your Subaru work done. I have had my Outback in for basic oil changes and 30k tuneups, all at a fair price. They also provide me recommendations for future maintanence that may need to be addressed without the hard sales pitch. I absolutely recommend them for any Subaru owner looking for good quality mechanics.

Alexander Bear

★★★★★

Edited 11 months ago

This is the place to go if you want your Subaru fixed right. I brought in my 2010 forester with a broken head gasket leaking oil and a bunch of other smaller problems about 1.5 years ago. They diagnosed everything, provided options to save money (eg getting new tires at Schwab v buying from them) and spread out other repairs over time to lessen the financial burden. We went from being afraid to drive the car more than 10 miles to successfully driving to Reno and back. Plus, they provide a free loaner car! 1.5 years later the car is still running well. The only possible constructive feedback is that I wish they could have predicted I would need a new catalytic converter and that I may run into other issues. I went in recently and learned that I could spend $10k to fix the more recent issues - I had spent like $7k less than 2 years ago to fix the head gasket etc and maybe would not have if I new I’d have to spend another nearly $10k for the catalytic converter, exhaust system etc… To be fair, no one can know exactly when these things may need replacing, but some education on potential future repairs would have been awesome initially. Regardless, even though I got a really high quote, they were still honest about the issues not being anything that would prevent me from driving, just things that would make the riding experience smoother and prevent future complications. And, they provided lower cost non oem alternatives to lower the quote. These mechanics are thorough, honest, and most importantly, experts et Subaru repairs. They can thoroughly fix serious issues and, better yet, prevent them from happening in the first place.

Orah Brown

★★★★★

4 months ago

Great experience, friendly staff. Very much appreciate the mechanic who took time to explain how they would diagnose our issue and possible solutions. The text explanations and updates as the repair was being completed made it seamless and easy. No surprises, just great service. Thank you!

Bryce Figdore

★★★★★

5 months ago

Had our Outback 60k service at NWSS. They are so knowledgeable, great pricing, friendly, and performed a legit full 60k service with many items that would have been extra at dealer. Our new home for anything Subaru!

Bari Vasquez

★★★★★

a year ago

If I could give 10 stars I would. I came in with a well loved 2004 Legacy Outback wagon with lots of issues but wasn't ready to part with it. They provided a detailed and super accurate diagnosis with recommendations and thoughtful notes, answered all my questions, and never pressured me into anything. Ended up springing for an engine replacement, in addition to new axels, resurfaced rotars, and other items, plus full service maintenance since she is over 180k miles. They continued testing as they worked through repairs and kept me notified of progress and any additional repairs needed, and made sure to ask when they discovered one additional item needing repair. And covered another item free of charge. Felt comfortable moving forward with their recommended list of repairs due to them being trustworthy and having perfectly reasonable prices. I absolutely couldn't be happier! You can definitely tell they are specialists and love and care about Subarus. They put a LOT of work into the ol' gal, in such a quick time and she's driving like a dream now. Going to be coming back here for any future maintenance and recommending to friends as well! My pup was so beyond excited when I brought her home. He loves this car. Thank you NW Subie specialists!

Jason B

★★★★★

4 months ago

Northwest Subie Specialist took great care of me. They helped me out quickly so I could make it to an important meeting, their pricing was completely fair, and they were upfront about what services I might need in the near future. I really appreciated how clearly they explained what to look out for and what could wait—no pressure, just honest guidance. Excellent service all around. Highly recommend!

Hannah W.

★★★★★

2 months ago

I was recommended to Northwest Subie Specialists by a friend and now, I will continue to be a customer! They were SO incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. I saw them to get a diagnosis for an ongoing issue with my steering rack and they were able to locate the issue quickly and offered next steps. I also sincerely appreciate them for the friendly service. I've spoken to many mechanics who have been condescending, but the folks at Northwest Subie Specialists were helpful, approachable, and considerate. I highly recommend them!

Kurt Elder

★★★★★

3 weeks ago

Great little independent Subaru shop, friendly staff. I've taken my Outback wilderness there twice so far and was happy with the service both times. It's nice to have this shop here in Everett as the nearest Subaru dealerships are either in Smokey Point or Shoreline

Kim Beckett

★★★★★

2 weeks ago

We love NW Subie Specialists! They are always super honest and transparent about services needed. Scheduling is easy and they are awesome about providing loaner vehicles while work is being done so you can still do life while you wait. Great people, we always enjoy working with them. I recommend them to anyone and everyone!

J Montgomery Houston

★★★★★

3 months ago

Took my 91 Vanagon Westfalia Synchro in for an engine swap after the original SCP engine died (not a good experience). Zach and Michael's work is Top Notch! They swapped the engine out and had us up and running in under a week! Van is stronger than ever and cleared for the big trip in a couple of weeks. NWSS always comes through and always do Top Quality work at a very competitive price too!!!