No. 1 Japanese Auto Repair

Tony is wonderful and knows his stuff, was able to help me with a spark plug swap and answered all my questions about upcoming maintenance on my vehicle. Called in advance before using a special tool that would come with an extra charge, which was a nice change of pace from the surprise add-ons I'm used to dealing with. Still paid less than I was expecting to. I'm happy to have found such a delightful neighborhood auto shop, can't recommend enough.

In short - Honest, sincere mechanic who isn’t just looking to make a profit, but who thinks just as much about what’s best for you and your car. My 2007 Toyota Prius needs new struts and shocks. I started calling around for estimates - Tony’s estimate was about $1k less than other places I had called, so I decided to start saving up to go to him. In the meantime, while saving, my car had an unrelated mechanical problem and wasn’t starting while I was parked somewhere I couldn’t stay for long. I decided to call Tony and get his thoughts. He was very patient and helpful, despite not receiving any financial compensation for this very short phone call. He advised me to try a few things before seeing about having it towed to his shop. I called one other local mechanic, to get a second opinion. This second call was notably different - he was polite, but solely focused on getting the car towed to his shop as soon as possible. I really wasn’t looking forward to an unexpected tow bill. After a while, thankfully, the car started up and I was able to drive it home. Although it was just a few minutes on the phone, Tony’s selfless kindness left an impact on me that day. A few days later, when I was thinking about next steps to getting this problem investigated and fixed, I called Tony again. I wanted to drive it to his shop for a brief inspection, before making the decision to tow it all the way down to Portland, where my car is still on warranty for some large repairs from last year. Instead, he advised me that a brief inspection would be pointless, and it was a better use of my time and money to just take it down to Portland right away. Another shop I called to ask for the same brief inspection here in Seattle before going to Portland was willing to do it. When I called them back and explained Tony’s reason for not scheduling me, they admitted that his reasoning was solid and the inspection was indeed unnecessary. While I haven’t yet been to Tony’s shop, I can attest that in my brief interactions with him over the phone, he seems like a trustworthy man with good principles.

After getting mixed guidance from a couple different auto shops that I didn't feel good about, I brought my car here following a long discussion with Tony about my car's ailments and the apprehensions I had given the prior recommendations I had received. Tony demonstrated extreme patience and care trying to fully understand the symptoms my car was showing and providing a detailed explanation/reasoning for his diagnosis. I felt at ease throughout the process and ultimately left with a car that felt new after neglecting to address some of the issues for a bit. I don't typically leave many reviews, but I know auto shops can be daunting to many. No. 1 Japanese Auto repair is a shop that I felt I could fully trust and I will absolutely be bringing my car back here for any future car troubles that I have. Thanks so much Tony and team!

I wrote a longer more detailed review twice and it didn’t post so this is the short version. …

Excellent experience. I came here to diagnose an issue with my landlords car overheating and Tony found out the radiator needed replacement. The price seemed very reasonable, he allowed me to drop it off and pick it up a couple days later to work around my schedule and the car is running great again. Will definitely be back next time I encounter any car troubles. Thanks again Tony, much appreciated and happy holidays👌