Have had work done at Karns for over 10 years on all of our family vehicles. Wouldn't trade for another mechanic in CT. Honest, fair and reliable. If I could offer 10 stars, I would.
There’s a heart-felt letter from a longtime customer of Karns in the waiting room, one line reads “if a consumer is lucky enough to stumble into this business…” and the sentiment holds true.
Yesterday, I had my fully loaded rusted pickup with trailer in tow stopped for gas and air in Groton during a solo 250mile move to NJ - what would have been a quick stop turned into a permanent nightmare when I saw that my tire’s valve stem had cracked in half while pressurizing and watched in horror as it went completely flat. With no usable spare and AAA/local tire places stating I needed to tow to them (and leave my trailer), I was resigned to the fact I going to live in Groton for the next day or two. Defeated, I walked around the corner to the nearest auto body in search of a miracle - I found it at Karns.
Despite no shortage of customers or work, Dan immediately had a solution and shuttled his tech AND my tire back and forth from the truck, repaired the stem and had me on the road in a little over an hour. I was treated with the kindness and respect I’d only get from my hometown guy AFTER he hands me the bill.
Dan and the whole team at Karns are an absolute class act and I could not have been “luckier for stumbling in”. If you want impeccable work by incredible people go to Karns. Thank you Dan, Sally and Zach!
My girlfriend brought her vehicle in for AC issues and was hit with a $300 bill without any communication or authorization for the work to be done. We had already consulted two other mechanics who diagnosed the same issue, and the part Karns replaced was already confirmed to be working. The owner, Dan Karns, also suggested that we come back a week later for more work, likely to squeeze us for additional charges, because his “fix” didn’t address the root cause of the problem.
When we picked up the car, we tried to have a conversation to understand how the problem was diagnosed and Dan Karns quickly became hostile. When we expressed our disappointment that work was done without any communication from the shop Dan became erratic, combative, and defensive. We wanted to understand why they thought this particular part was the issue, but instead of addressing any of our questions Dan Karns began verbally attacking us. Between the hostility, wanting us to return a week later for more work, and not calling for authorization it became clear the type of shop Karns Auto is.
I had been a loyal customer for years and recommended this shop to my girlfriend, who’s new to the area. After this experience, I can’t recommend them anymore. As a paying customer I expect transparency and respect, especially when dealing with my vehicle and my money. Karns offered neither.
There’s something I learned about men who feel the need to treat others the way Dan (the owner) does. They often feel inadequate and sad in their own lives and don’t have an outlet to correctly process their feelings, so in turn they lash out on people who don’t deserve it. People like Dan, never seek help or tools to better themselves in life. With that being said, I truly hope this comment will be a wake up that this man needs. May this comment help the all future customers (ESPECIALLY WOMEN) & learn to stay far away from this sexist, verbally abusive, arrogant human being. Please Dan, if you see this- do better.
A sexist mechanic! Shocking 🥱 it shouldn’t be hard to clearly communicate what services will be provided and what the cost will be. Customers deserve to know up front what will be done to their car and when they ask, they shouldn’t be belittled 🤷🏼♀️
I had one of the most unprofessional and hostile experiences I’ve ever encountered with Dan, the owner of Karns.
Dan performed unauthorized repair work on my car without obtaining prior written or verbal consent and failed to provide an estimate in advance. I was simply told over the phone that the car was ready for pickup and that the cost would be over $300, and it needs to be brought back the following week. There was no opportunity to approve the work beforehand.
When I arrived to pick up the car, I calmly asked what diagnostic tests and repairs had been done to better understand the issue. As my boyfriend questioned why the work had been done without authorization, Dan exploded. He became immediately combative and proceeded to yell and belittle me with condescending, sexist remarks. To quote him directly:
• “Well why isn’t your dad fixing your car?”
• “Wow, NOTHING is good enough for you!” (This was repeated to me multiple times).
• “You’re embarrassing yourself in all these customers!”
• “You’re putting on a performance.”
This went far beyond bad customer service — it was verbal abuse. I remained calm and respectful the entire time, even when a grown man shouted in my face. I walked into that shop simply trying to understand what had been done to my car. Instead of offering a professional explanation, Dan chose to escalate with hostility and personal attacks.
Despite our repeated efforts to deescalate the situation and have a respectful conversation, Dan continued to berate me, insisting I was “performing,” “interrogating,” and “causing a scene,” while he was the only one yelling. His inability to justify the unauthorized work sparked his defensive and abusive behavior, simply because a young woman asked reasonable questions.
This experience was not just unprofessional – it was degrading, unacceptable, and deeply concerning. No customer, under any circumstance, deserves to be treated this way.
Excellent service at Karn’s Auto! My brother-in-law has been using them for years and as always, they did a fantastic job for me on my 2015 Toyota Tundra. The team was communicative when checking the truck out to buy and the pricing was very reasonable. It's refreshing to find a place that provides such high-quality service and customer care. Their honesty and expertise are truly appreciated.
Dan has always been super nice to me, and they've always been very fair. He calls me anytime he's doing major work, explains what needs to be done and how much it costs and then confirms i want it done before starting. He never pressures me if I say I want to check with someone else and call back. But in the end, they're always the best option! Definitely recommend if you need any work done!!
Called Dan to ask about a stuck bolt that was holding up my license plate. Came in at 4 and he made sure everything was taken care of, even installed my new plates free of charge. Cost was very fair and wait was about 20 minutes before he got to my car.
Update: came back for a spark plug change, charged 125 for 4, consider bringing your owm parts.
Stay far away from this place, the guy insulted me and my wife. Wouldn’t give me a straight answer and was very nasty when I tried to explain to him I didn’t feel comfortable with the answer of this will take hours and hours and I might be able to it friday but I got people ahead of you. All I wanted was an estimate and a ball park timeframe. Please consider else where. I’ve never had someone so combative from the beginning and insult me off the rip.
Dan is literally the best. If you want a job done right and in a timely manner, then this is most definitely the place for you. The professionalism here really sets the standard for the industry
Karns is hands down the best automotive service you will probably ever find. Anywhere. They will go above and beyond to meet their customers needs and do it at the best price! Mr. Karns is one of the most hardest working men I've ever meet. Been taking my cars here for over 10+ years.
What a amazing place. The owner is super friendly listens to, make sure that all your questions are answered. I needed my car the same day and they finished it for me so that I could drive to work
Awesome service! Totally trustworthy. Great prices! After having a broken tire stud, damaged lug nuts thanks to Goodyear Service, Vernon, CT, I was referred to KARN’s! Thanks be to God. They are a very trustworthy local business, conveniently located near EB in Groton. How refreshing to do business with fair, honest and extremely kind people. As a single 67 year old woman…. This is so so appreciated. I highly recommend people doing business with these folks!
Karns Automotive in Groton CT did a GREAT job with my timing belt, idler, tensioner, water pump, radiator hoses, and coolant flush. I have an older vehicle (2003 Jeep Wrangler) and they got the job done in a reasonable amount of time and at a good price. I’ve been using Karns for years and this is the biggest most impressive job they have done yet!
Called when they opened this morning because my exhaust pipe snapped in two just upstream of the flex pipe. They were booked solid, but let me drop my car off anyway and she was ready for pickup by 1 pm. They did a great job for a very reasonable price. I will be coming here from now on!
Dan and his guys are always there for me when I need them no matter how big or small the job is. they treat my Wrangler as if it was their own. His prices are more than reasonable. everybody is treated with the utmost respect I love the small family atmosphere. They come highly recommended.
He is a very honest about the work you need done and he is very reasonably priced. I also have my daughter bring her car and I feel comfortable knowing she will be taken care of and the quality of work is awesome.
Believe it or not, I was referred to this place from a guy at another chain auto shop. He told me they would be fair and honest as were their prices and he wasn't lying! I haven't gone anywhere else since and am only sorry I didn't come across Karns earlier in my life because I've had some pretty expensive car repairs that I'm sure I would've been happier having them done at Karns. Thank you Dan & Sally for always taking care of our cars. Hope you will be around for a long time!
My story is similar to other peoples, they started off great with us, me and my wife's car, we spent thousands of dollars over the years and they do great work, when they want too, but eventually one day you'll meet the real Daniel, so pleasant when everything goes well, but ask the wrong question or dare to have a disagreement and all h-ll breaks loose. Use them if they treat you well, but beware and read the reviews, its not just me that will not use them again. I wish them well and I forgive them, but go back, me... no! I give them 5 stars for great work, but zero stars for customer service. Dan, please, work on your customer service!
I've been going to Dan Karns for 7-8 years now and there's no one else I'd trust to work on my car. Trustworthy and dependable. The folks at Karns Auto will drop everything to make sure you're taken care of. I don't normally write reviews, but I felt obligated to do so today as my experience over the years has been top-shelf.
It is hard to find a great service shop and someone who you can trust. Well let me save you the hassle. Karns Automotive is trustworthy and dependable. I also notice their hourly charge beats the big name dealerships service departments. They are also thorough and explain my car problems like I am a novice and not like I’m a child. What was really great though is the relationship that I have built with the crew through out the years, and that is why I would recommend everyone to go to Karns.
DO NOT USE! Dropped my car off at Karns to have the power steering and 4 wheel drive fixed. I was told for 2 months that they were working on it but were waiting for a part to come in. The part finally came in and i was told they would call me with a quote the next day, but never called. I called back and they told me the wrong part came in, please come pick up my vehicle they weren't going to fix it. Had my car for 2 months and did absolutely nothing but waste my time. Took the vehicle to another shop and it was fixed in 4 days. Worst customer service i have ever dealt with. Dan Karns the owner was extremely rude and had an attitude when i became upset they had my car for 2 months and were not going to fix it.
Almost every time I've been there, I've had a problem. Last time, I brought the car in for the AC. Karns inserted dye to see where the leak is. I was told to bring it back in a week after the dye got through the system. I am ill and was not able to bring it back for months.
So Karns said I had to pay again. I did. Then they could not get me in for the follow up within a two week period. I tried to confirm whether that would be a problem. Obviously I did not want to pay a third time. Sally hung up on me, saying I was ridiculous to be asking the question. When I called back, she simply would not listen to my concerns, and hung up on me again.
Further, Dan told me the price I paid upfront covered the entire repair. But when I tried to schedule the follow up, Sally said I would have to pay more again.
I decided to cut my losses and go somewhere else.
Could not even take 5 minutes to discuss car issue the next day, said bring it in next week. I said no rush on it and I asked if I could talk tomorrow before I had it towed in, "No, sorry, not interested, goodbye" after 20 seconds communicating through the secretary. Exceedingly poor customer service! Sorry I called at the end of the day and it is great that you can turn away customers, but that is not an excuse to be belligerent towards potential customers. Very poor customer service. While others I know had good experiences there, I will never use them nor will I recommend them based on the terseness and antagonistic attitude. It takes skill to make someone never be a customer again in a 1 minute conversation but you succeeded.
Very bad experience with these people. Will never trust them again. I had my truck towed here and they refused to lift it saying that it would likely break and they would be responsible for it. Even when I offered to sign a waiver I was told that "many honest looking" people have done the same thing only to sue me later. Are you calling me dishonest? Thanks Karn you are a real gentleman. He told me I had two options. First one: take it to a garage with a drive on lift. I asked who had one of these? He said he had no idea. Only later I discovered that his brother just down the road has one...why he didn't share this piece of information I can only guess. Second option: wreck the truck. "Ok fine I'll look into it" I reply....his reply "Sure but don't take too long I need the parking space"...thanks for nothing Karns never again. Oh BTW I went across the road and they fixed it.
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