We do not want to tire you with technical explanations regarding what and how we do it... we respect your time.
Suffice it to say that we offer you every possible service your vehicle might need, be it preventive service, repair service or emergency services.
We want you as a returning customer, therefore we will go the extra mile to see to it that you receive what you paid for... and sometimes a bit more.
We appreciate for your patronage.
One-stop Shop: #1 Auto Repair makes it easy for you by providing a comprehensive list of services.
All Factory-Scheduled Maintenance including 30-60-90-120k-Mile Intervals
Save money through preventive maintenance. All maintenance services are performed by our ASE-certified technicians.
Hours not specified
What clients say about Number One Auto in Iowa City (IA)
DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!
They majorly over charged us! I paid an outrageous amount and they STILL didn’t fix the problem!!! My truck is worse now than when I brought it in. I think they are purposefully causing more problems in hopes of having to return to get even more money from me. Absolutely disgusting. They also damaged my vehicle and unhooked my exhaust and then left it like that didn’t hook anything back up. I am contacting an attorney as well having everyone look into this fraud company and investigate!!!
Do not bring your vehicle here!!
I'm a news editor and reporter. This was my first time at this shop, as it's close to my home and has good reviews on Google. Yes, it's a small business. The shop doesn't look fancy, and the work environment isn't particularly high-end. But the owner, Raffy, welcomed me warmly and helped me with the inspection and maintenance of my car. He completed the work according to my needs and also enthusiastically helped me with an interview I was doing. I'm very grateful that he took some time out of his busy schedule to give me some time. I had a comprehensive diagnosis and maintenance. Honestly, the price was a bit high, but not outrageous. Raffy told me they use higher-quality parts, so I understand the slightly higher price. One suggestion: next time, it would be better to call and ask before deciding on any parts. While I don't mind them using more expensive parts, as I want my car well-maintained, I'm sure some customers would be bothered by them using parts without asking. After the service, the car is in excellent condition. They told me the brake rotors and calipers need to be replaced, bringing the total to $2,000. I value my car, so if the work is done well and honestly, then I'm fine. I'll certainly continue to monitor the car's condition. Overall, it was a positive experience. The owner, Raffy, was very friendly. As a Chinese immigrant, I felt his warmth. He impressed me deeply; he was confident and genuine. I've seen some negative reviews, but I didn't feel he was rude or racist as those reviews said. Regarding some people's allegations of dishonesty, I will continue to monitor the car's condition. I believe time will give a fair judgement. If the price is truly overpriced due to dishonesty, I will edit this review. As a journalist, I also expose dishonest behavior. As long as there are no issues, I'm willing to trust Raffy and his shop. As I said, they treated me with respect and completed their work efficiently. It left a very good first impression.
We were traveling across Iowa on I80 when our 2016 Acura MDX had major problems and would not go over 45 mph. I looked up the nearest auto repair shop and got #1. I called and got the word he could help. We limped in and was told, since we were traveling we would get top priority by the owner, Raffe. He determined the problem and ordered the part and fixed it. While test driving, he noticed a brake wobble that I knew about. He said he could replace front brake rotors and pads in a half hour if we wanted. We wanted and a half hour later we were on the road. Raffe and his team went above and beyond to help us. I can only give him the highest review possible.
Fantastic experience! My son's BMW alert lit up on the dashboard the Saturday he was driving out to join college - engine thermostat not functioning. Raffy fixed it promptly with fast friendly service, and even came in on Sunday to put the engine thermostat new part in, which he had special ordered the previous day. My son just made it for his first orientation session 130 miles away that Sunday evening!!!
“DO NOT trust this business or the man behind it.
The owner, Rafak, has shown a disturbing pattern of racism and unprofessional behavior that should not be ignored. During our time interacting with him, he made openly racist and disgusting comments toward my partner—mocking our relationship and making derogatory remarks about African Americans.
We rented from him between April 14 and June 14 and had already paid to stay through July 14. Despite this, he told us we needed to leave early due to his complete refusal to take accountability. As of now, he has still not returned the money owed to us.
My partner also experienced serious mistreatment through the auto shop. The loaner vehicles provided were in terrible condition—falling apart—and when issues came up, the owner falsely accused Ron of causing damage. When Ron attempted to discuss the situation professionally, he was ignored and ultimately threatened with police involvement just for trying to resolve things.
This man should not be managing rental properties, running a business, or interacting with the public in any capacity. His behavior reflects deep prejudice, dishonesty, and a total lack of ethics or professionalism.
AVOID his services and properties at all costs.
He is not someone you can trust with your money, your time, or your safety.”
I consistently select this mechanic due to their honesty and ability to resolve any issue with my vehicle. The owner and staff exhibit kindness, integrity, and a commitment to ensuring your vehicle's safety, surpassing expectations. Their prices are always reasonable. I appreciate their services and will keep coming back.
Bought a good they were very nice and cut me a new key for free, installed a new O2 sensor for free, very happy with this dealer ship, very recommended!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ve bought two cars from #1 Auto in Iowa City, and I couldn’t be happier! Both vehicles have been reliable and exactly what I needed. What really sets this place apart is the customer service — not just during the sale, but after as well.
About a month after my second purchase, a small issue came up and they took care of it completely free of charge. No hassle, no runaround — just honest and professional service. That kind of treatment is hard to find these days.
I’ll definitely keep coming back and recommending #1 Auto to anyone looking for a trustworthy car dealership!
Thank you, Raffy. Great mechanic. He has been great and gets to the point. The job was done very quickly. Very honest mechanic with great work and quality. Will come back again even if I run into any trouble.
They got our car in quickly and we really appreciated that and did the repair and were helpful to us . We have a Chevy Cobalt and they got the work on a Sat, which was great to have the repair done,. We are thankful to Raffi.
I'm from Illinois and was traveling to Kansas. I had problems with my car and the people at this shop helped me. I was very satisfied. I recommend them for any problem.
Traveling to Kansas City when a belt snapped. They got us in last minute before close and fixed what was needed immediately! Didn’t take long at all and wasn’t nearly as much as we thought it would be! Raffi was a life saver!
My regular mechanic was unable to fix seat latch on my SUV. Found #1Auto online, called, Raffi answered. After explaing my car trouble, he suggested I bring it in. He had a bit of time and diagnosed the issue quickly! A lot of moving parts to the work, too. It was great to see his expert knowledge and evident skills put into fixing my seat latch expediently! Thank you Raffi and #1Auto!!
Great guys! Called around trying to find a place to get a tire replaced and wasn't having any luck. Called Number One Auto and they immediately said they could do it for a more than fair price. Let me and my 2-year-old son hang out in the office while we waited and within 30-mintues I was back on the road! Will certainly be calling them first next time!
We were heading to Cedar Rapids from Illinois. Our Yukon blew out a spark plug. When I called them, Raffy was super helpful! When we got there he fixed it himself! Right then and there. Within an hour we were back on the road again. Super nice guy and super fast service. So happy that we found this place. Would recommend to anyone.
No sir that's not what happened. 1 star because you didn't even welcome me. First thing you said was "that's not a parking space". I am a customer and that's ok if I didn't pick the best space to park at my first time there, just drove in and parked for a short time where I see was "available" I was gonna drive away quickly anyways since I just stopped by to see if you are available to tale a look but you wanted me to park somewhere else even when there's no one else driving in and out. And I wasn't blocking anyone or driveways. Thats not a big deal I could park somewhere else of course, but you need to be more welcoming and at least say hi first and be more friendly.
Bought a used car that Rafat had done some work on to fix up. He's very friendly and helpful, he even offered to fix some minor issues after buying the car. Would definitely recommend him.
I had some issues with my car and brought it here to #1 Auto from a direct referral from a good friend. Some of the other mechanics in the area were thousands of dollars higher than Raffi's estimate. He got me in right away and took the time and care to fix the issues properly. I've only met him a couple of times, but I can tell the good from the bad, and he's one of the good ones. Thanks #1 Auto
Rafat and his team were great to work with. My son is a student in Iowa and I live in IL. His car would not start and we called #1 Auto who towed his car and diagnosed the problem and got his car going again right before winter break. I am very thankful they were so helpful and quick to get the work done. I would recommend this auto shop to anyone in the area.
I waited a bit to write this review, as I wanted to make sure that I had some time with the car before I made any quick judgements. I’ll start off by saying the car we purchased from Number One Auto has been in the shop 4 times total after putting less than 800 miles on it. The car was purchased the end of July in good faith that this would be a reliable vehicle. When we bought the car, we noticed a leak in the driveway when we brought it home. Called him, he said bring it back and he’d fix it. He supposedly fixed it, still leaked, brought it back, he supposedly fixed it again. The car still leaked - engine oil. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt as he seemed very knowledgeable about cars. We brought it to our mechanic and they were floored in the attempts made to fix the leak. He used some type of glue, and older, stripped parts that shouldn’t have been used according to our mechanic. (Lots of labor, lots of money to fix.) The fuel pump went bad shortly after leaving me stranded with 2 kids and needing the car towed. And now this car is in the shop again. (The catalytic converter went bad!) We expressed our concern and told him how important it was to have a reliable vehicle as we are a one income house, with my husband out of state in grad school with small children. His demeanor makes it challenging to have a two sided conversation with as he comes off as arrogant. He also talked about how much money he was making in rentals as we were completing our transaction with him which I found to be very unprofessional. It is my belief that he is smart and knows what he’s doing with cars - however he “fixes” cars he’s trying to sell on the cheap in an attempt to make more money. Nothing can be done as the car was purchased “as is.” He seems to know every loophole to protect himself from selling sub par used vehicles. I’d be very hesitant to recommend him to anyone.
In response to the reply - we purchased a Toyota Camry from you. I even have some screenshots of telling you what was wrong with the vehicle. Your sad attempts to make yourself look like the good guy are completely obvious when someone reports a true experience they’ve had with your business. This is sad.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE!! The worst ever car shop!! This guy is a scammer and he will eat your money. Avoid his shop at all cost. He sold me a broken car and lied that the car was fine. And I trusted him, because he said he doesn't sale his cars if he know that they have problems. Before I purchased the car, he deleted all the codings on the car so that I wouldn't see what is wrong with it. 3 days after I purchased the car the codings started appearing. The engine, transmission, oil and battery lights came on signaling that they are in need to be fixed or maintenance. I took the car to this guy to fix it as he promised to fix the car for free if there was anything wrong with it after a few days of me purchasing it. When I got to the shop, the guy denied to fix the car and called the police on me to get out of his compound. I wanted him to take his car back and give me my money, but he did not want to take his car back and give me the money that I wasted on him. Mind you, I am a college student and all I needed was a reliable car for school and work, but now I have been scammed. And I'm here with no car to depend on. My money has gone to waste, sadly. Now the car stops in the middle of the highway every-time I drive it. I realized he has done this to so many other people. PLEASE DO NOT BE SCAMMED BY THIS GUY. Take your money elsewhere. God will deal with this man named Raffy!
Don’t buy a car from this shop, the guy is a scammer and the place is terrible. Basically, they buy janky cars and clear the codes out of their cars, sell them to the customers, and lie to you the car is clean and the Engine & Transmission are new. They try to convince you by telling you to take the car if it has any problem you can bring it back they will fix it for you without a warranty that's how they get you. They will lie to you that they trying to take care of their customers so you can like the car and drive it off the lot by the time you take it home, 3 days later or a week you will randomly start seeing codes popping up out of nowhere with different issues and if you try to take it back they break their promises and try to have you pay more money to fix the car, please don't buy a car from this place they will get you people. Terrible place I’ve ever experienced in my life they got my sister real bad!
Just got a used car from here. Rafat was really helpful and he respond to messages very quickly. He was also willing to fix minor problems that I had with my car after sales. So far the car runs great and reliable, would recommend buying a car in Number One Auto.
Had a 4 inch screw in my tire i was able to call them 15 minutes before they closed. They got me in and out in about 10mins such a life saver definitely recommend coming here
1st review.. Took my car in for an estimate.. liked the price.. in and out in less then 2 days.. looks great.. thanks again......
2nd review...someone side swiped my vehicle and took this one here also.. got it back and I love the work..
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