Mark Hansen Auto Repair Service in
James (IA)

I’ve been taking my old, beat-up car to Mark’s since I bought it and he did the pre-purchase inspection. It’s been through a lot, so Mark and his team have been incredible in keeping it running smoothly. Jay is also super helpful and always ready to lend a hand. I highly recommend them!

Knowledgeable and honest, they do good work. Too many times at other mechanics, I felt talked down to just because I was a girl. Hansen's DEFINITELY does not do that, and I appreciate it very much.

Professional, polite, and most importantly trustworthy! Cars are one of my least favorite interests but I know I have to keep it maintained. They were very helpful. I did not feel pressured into extra, unnecessary repairs. Also have my significant other’s approval ;)

I had a really good experience with Mark Hansen auto and would absolutely recommend them to friends! My car was towed and serviced here and the owner called me to explain what work needed to be done before completing it; he also gave me the overall price for the service including the tow all in one. My car was taken there in the morning and I got it in the afternoon. Not to mention, he fixed something that was causing a rattling noise that had been bothering me without additional cost. I’m not sure if it’s just in my mind, but I think my car has been running better since taking it here as well!

Got my timing belt replaced here and they were super great! They took my car in one one day at 2pm and I had it back the next day by 3pm! It was a bit expensive, but that’s due to the price of the part. My car works great now and drives super smooth!

Wow! I can not tell you how helpful and effective Jay and the crew were here at this Napa repair facility. Midas right down the street quoted me $2900 to replace a knock sensor, transmission mount, and do brakes all the way around. Mark Hansen's team diagnosed everything and repaired it for $1300, and got me in the same day. They went the extra mile to make sure they didnt make me fix things that didnt need to be fixed. And had me bring it back when there were some additonal repairs needed. Midas charged me $200 to diagnose the problem, told me something needed to be repaired that didnt for over $600, and quoted me $300 more on the other repairs! I more than highly recommend Mark Hansen and his team for your auto repairs needs. They were friendly, professional, and reasonable in their pricees. And my car is running great!

The service seems fine enough, but I am not happy with the price. It cost about double what I had expected it to cost to get a starter replaced and everybody else I consulted on the price thought it seemed very high as well.

I would absolutely recommend these people to anyone needing honest work done on their car. They work with you regarding the issue, how to set up a payment plan, and have flexible hours for working on your car. They are extremely nice people and truly care about helping you get the best quality work done on your vehicle!

Hansen's Auto ROCKS!!! Great service, reasonable prices, will tell you the truth about what your car does & doesnt need! All the staff are very cordial.

Marks auto is awesome I've had so many good experiences and will always return back. I have terrible credit and yet they still have a finance plan that works for ppl with that problem. They do awesome work and I would absolutely recommend to everyone

I have brought my car here three times and I have had a excellent experience each time. The first time they accidentally messed up the AC system (while replacing something unrelated). I picked up the car late on a Friday evening, so their mechanics were out and it couldn't get fixed until Monday. They helped me out and loaned me a car (for free) for the weekend. The second time they went out of their way to get a replacement radiator delivered in time before I left for a road trip. The third time they spent 3 days trying to diagnosis an issue I thought had but they couldn't replicate, and they didn't charge me for it. What you get here are honest mechanics who charge a fair price and take care of their customers. 10/10 would recommend.

What a great experience, daughter’s car stopped working, Mark was able to diagnose and fix it the same day at a very reasonable amount. Feel very comfortable taking your car there. Thank you so much!

Mark Hansen's was a trustworthy mechanic that got my vehicles in and out in a timely fashion. Everything was always fixed appropriately for a reasonable cost. The staff would take the time to educate me on whatever issue my car was having. Thank you for serving me and my husband the past couple years! We hope to find a mechanic comparable to Mark Hansen's now that we have moved out of Iowa.

Best place and best service in Ames. I have a 20 year old pick up and I needed work on my suspension. The mechanic looked over the whole suspension system and replaced the lower ball joints and alignment. Mark Hansen himself explained everything to me what needed to be fixed. Will return in the future.

I live in Sioux City, but I've been in Ames twice in the past 3 weeks. Both times I needed emergency service before going back home, both times I went to Mark Hansen's and received immediate and excellent service! Now I know why my father only went to his father's auto repair business around 45 years ago at Ken's Pro on Lincoln Way &Duff. His reputation is as good as his father's was!

Been having some trouble withy car ever since I took it over to them. Background, used to have perfect service from Hanses, but not any more. Had a 2012 Chevy Malibu taken in for some repairs, mind you never had a problem with her, until they broke something. Now she barely runs, pretty sure they installed a faulty fuel pump, as she dies all the time now. Never even contacted me before installing it, just did and said here's our bill. Now I have a broken car that they messed up. Can't recommend going there after what they pulled. They say finding a good mechanic is hard, they sure were right. Again used them since 2014, they won't be allowed near one of my cars again.

I would strongly warn any potential customers to avoid this auto mechanic. My daughter took her car to be looked at because of a rattling sound in her engine compartment. They told her it was probably a rod or bearing going out and that the engine would need to be replaced at a cost of $4,000. I later traveled up there to look at the problem myself and within a few minutes figured out it was a faulty A/C compressor pulley. Swapped it out myself in short time and problem fixed. Stay far away from this mechanic shop!!

Got my truck towed to Hansen auto via Hanses towing. Was towed in because it would crank but wouldn't turn over and start up. When I got it there on a Tuesday was told id have it back the next day. Come Thursday I hadn't heard anything back so I called, they said they had replaced what we talked about in person and they said they had got it started but it was still acting up, so i talked over the phone for a bit to hear out what their next steps were. They were supposedly "in communications" with a ford rep to further diagnose what the problem was, the conclusion was that the ECM (Engine Control Module) had gone bad and that it needed to be replaced. they had to order the ECM, which at the time a college student with a job and a vehicle that wouldn't start I said go for it because I felt I didn't really have an option and needed my vehicle back to commute to work. Three weeks later I go into pay for it, originally over the phone I was told an approximate cost of all the parts and labor and tow to be around $1100. To my surprise the total was about $580, when I looked at the receipt was where things go downhill fast. The initial communication on the first day was good that was replaced and that was what I was charged for, the ECM that was talked about over the phone was not on the receipt. while relieved because that was the bulk of the cost, I was left dumbfounded as to the communication because now there is something that didn't happen that I thought I was paying for and also a completely different part had been replaced that hadn't been mentioned to me at all. Overall my truck drove off their lot and back to my apartment, the next day it had the same problem as day 1, crank no start. All I have done since is replaced a burnt fuse (fuse 27 for any f-150 owners on 2014, apparently a common problem for 09's-14's). since the fuse replacement its worked fine and the parts they replaced may have done some good to the overall system in line with the fuse, but the lack of communication and boldness to replace a part that wasn't just not communicated but rather something different than what was communicated is unsettling enough for me to not recommend this place to anyone

Fast, friendly, and reasonably priced! We had a tire start leaking and pulled in as this was the nearest auto repair shop. They got us back on the road in less than a half hour. Everyone we talked to was helpful and welcoming.

Last Thursday while traveling from WI to CA, my truck started to overheat. Got to town for the night, Googled local mechanics and noted ones close to my hotel. Next morning I call before opening and Mark himself answered. I explained my issue and he said bring it in. One of his staff gave me a ride back to my hotel while they assessed the issue. 45 min later I get a call explaining succinctly what needed to be done, with a very fair price and the repair would be done by the the afternoon. Promise made, Promise kept. I was able to continue my journey the next morning problem free and arrive home Sunday evening. Thank you Mark and all your team that helped me get home.

Just want to say thank you to the fantastic staff and mechanics here. We were visiting Iowa (about 6 hours from home) and our truck broke down the day before heading back. They got us in as soon as they could, found the issue (maf sensor) and gave us a fair price. Can’t say enough how much this meant to us! Also thank you for the recommendation for the tow company, Ethan from Elmquist Towing was great. Not surprised to see how highly rated this place is.

To start off I'll say I've had great service at the shop before, this review is just regarding my latest visit. I called to set up an appointment because the transmission was throwing codes on my Subaru, I explained to the guy on the phone the codes and issues it was having, told him it was a Subaru, and asked if it was something they were able to work on, he told me yes and set up an appointment. On appointment day, I get a phone call and the guy repeats back to me pretty much exactly what I told him on the phone when I set up my appointment, and tells me that they are unable to do anything about it and I need to take my car to Subaru. When I picked up my keys I asked more details, and I was told "the amount of knowledge this shop has on Subaru, I can fit in the tip of my pinky finger". So why did you have me set up an appointment and waste both of our time? Very disappointing, when that exact same thing could have been said on the phone when I asked about making my appointment.

Took my non-working car to Hansen's 8 years ago at the recommendation of a college friend who worked for Mark Hansen and haven't looked back since. Highly professional and honest service. What has set this automotive service apart is the times I've taken my vehicles in for repair and they've been upfront when certain repairs could be delayed or didn't need to be done at all, saving us from spending unnecessary money.

Absolutely perfect! Was able to get my truck in right away. We originally thought it would be a costly fix. Thinking I was going to spend thousands. I was shocked when the bill was $260. They didn’t lie and charge me for a costly unneeded repair. They were honest and super awesome to work with! Will definitely be back. Thank you for your integrity!!

I was in Ames for a conference & my brakes went out. I was 2 hrs away from home so my husband called him & they set up for a tow truck to come get my car. He had it done the next morning & I could pick up at noon when I was done. The price was great as I thought in city it might be a lot higher. I felt safe on my 2 hr drive home. Thank you for taking care of me in such a timely matter. Highly recommend!!

Originally took my car to Jiffy Lube for my brakes going out as Jiffy Lube is first come first serve. I got a quote from them for a grand and some change and was told they wouldn’t be able to tell me what was wrong unless they took everything apart. Long story short Mark Hansens got me in the next day and diagnosed/fixed the problem for 300$ all in the same day. The time before that I brought my car here for a tire with a nail in it, no one else would patch it but they did and saved me from having to buy a new tire. Very fair pricing and could not recommend this place enough!

This is the place I trust to take my car 100% of the time. It’s an honest, efficient, and fair priced shop. Jay is beyond helpful and is great at keeping in contact with updates. I knew I could rely on this shop and their team when I was told “I wouldn’t charge you with something I wouldn’t charge my parents for.” Absolutely recommend!