Clintonville Automotive Repair Service in
Columbus Grove (OH)

I was shown a detailed description of what needed repaired and was charged a very fair agreed -upon price. Quick and friendly service.

Paul and his team are the best. I trust them with all of my family’s vehicles.

I didn’t get work done, but I pulled in with the drive shaft hanging from the bottom of my suv. Gary, the service manager, couldn’t help me with short staffing but was able to link me up with someone who could. Sometimes just a little help goes a long way when you need to get back on the road after a long morning. I can’t say anything about the work of the shop but I can say I truly appreciated the assistance, professionalism and willingness just to help me out.

The team at Clintonville Automotive is service oriented and great to work with. I highly recommend them.

Clintonville Automotive has been servicing my Mercedes for the past 5+ years! They are great techs and provide a good value for excellent car care!!!

Great service, kind humans, very knowledgeable and easy to talk to, I had the sense they wanted to help me for the lowest cost they could, the bill was even less then expected!

This is the only mechanic I'll take my car to. As a young woman who honestly knows nothing about cars, I've felt taken advantage of at my fair share of mechanics. This is not one of those places. I've come here twice for major repairs, and both times they've done minor stuff for free (topping off my oil, rotating my tires, etc.) as well as being very transparent about the cost and reasoning behind the cost of everything, and explaining everything very clearly without being condescending, in spite of the fact that, as noted, I know nothing about cars. The first repair happened during a busy work week for me, so my dad was more in touch with the mechanic than I was, and he was very impressed that he was called when the price was $10 more than what he was quoted. I have no doubt that the people here know what they're doing, care about it, and I trust them with my car. I cannot recommend this place enough!

These guys are great. Excellent communicators, speedy but careful work, and competitive pricing. They also fit me in prior to a vacation! They have a great app that allows you to track the work they're doing. I'm thankful!

Hands down the best experience at a mechanic that I’ve ever had. The staff here is SO wonderful!!! They were transparent and honest about the recommended repairs and gave full estimates in advance. This is the only mechanic I’ve been to that has taken the time to explain/teach me what issues they found and how the repairs will remedy the problem (without being rude or condescending to a woman who clearly doesn’t know much about engines lol). Will be taking my car here for everything in the future and recommending to all my friends. Thank you so much for the work you do!

You did a great job. I took my partner to his Dr. appt. On the way back my car just shut down on 161. Took probably 20 minutes to get it started. Got over to White Castle. Got a sandwich and relaxed.When we went out, my car started. But I called AAA to tow us to Clintonville Auto Repair. I was so afraid it'd shut down on me again. I'm 78 and my guy is 80. Not wise to be out there and maybe not have good luck. We praise AAA and Clintonville Auto Repair. They got us back on the road again. Thank you! Thank you ! And you will be the the that works on my car from now on. Melanie

Had a major engine failure on my vehicle. Clintonville Auto helped quickly and accurately give repair estimates and helper balance the decision to repair or replace. When I decided to replace they recommend several salvage yards who would give me a fair price.

Not what it used to be. Years ago, I swore by CARS. I felt like I could trust them and they could get the job done. Perhaps they have had a change in management? I took my car there about 2 months ago, they ran a diagnostic, charged a lot for this, then said I should take it to the dealership, fine. However, they also told me that my tires were about to burst if I did not have them all replaced within the next month. And then tried to sell me 2000$ worth of new tires. I was dubious. When I took my Jeep to the dealership, they said my tires were fine and I should not worry and was fine to go on a road trip. I also stopped in at Discount Tire for a 3rd opinion because at this point I was so confused, they also told me I was fine and didn't need to replace my tires. I feel like I was being scammed. Today, I thought I would give them a try again because I'm having some trouble with stalling about every day. They're close and I want to support local business. I was told that if the problem does not occur when I bring it in they won't be able to do anything and it would cost me 245$ diagnostic fee regardless. This does not make me feel confident. I'm just going to the dealership. If I'm going to pay out the nose, I might as well do that. I'm done with Clintonville Automotive Repair Service.

I called this place because it came recommended and maybe they do awesome work but based on my conversation over the phone, terrible!! Person was condescending and not willing to give info. Saying their hourly Rate was $77.83 but could be more. What? Realize other places charge twice that for hourly rate but just tell me what your rate is, don’t just say it could be more than that based on many factors like make of car etc. I told him it was a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek and he repeated $77.83 but “could be more.” When I asked for clarification about what could make it more now that he knew the car, he was very aggravated that I was asking this like I wouldn’t understand and said I was asking the wrong questions. Then I asked if the diagnostic fee would be applied towards the repairs if I do the them, and he said no but wanted to give me this long explanation about why that was. I told him I understand that and it made sense but he wanted to just keep explaining why. Also said the diagnostic fee was $155.11 but again… “could be more.” Whatever, I’ll take my chances with Goodyear.

This was my first time going to CARS and it was smooth, the staff — especially Erica, Gary and Paul all whom I spoke to at one point during the time I dropped off my car to picking it up. Paul really took the time to explain the condition my car was in and why the repairs were needed. I’m not well versed in the nitty gritty of cars and as a woman I’m hesitant to approach auto repair places, but my experience at Clintonville Auto Repair Service made me not feel anxious at all! I definitely will be coming back when my car needs another service :)!

I was impressed from the minute I made the appointment and along every step of the way. Everything was explained to me and they truly went above and beyond for me to make sure that I had a reliable car and peace of mind. They have made a loyal customer out of me!

I’m a huge fan of Clintonville’s diverse small businesses. It’s what makes it such a wonderful place to live along with its schools, walkability, and friendly neighbors. I’m not one to typically complain about services, but because this situation was so egregious, I just wanted to share my experience so no one else in our community is taken advantage of. I was having an issue with a radiator fan in my car that wouldn’t turn off when the engine was shut off. I took the car Clintonville Auto Car Repair. They told me that it was a leaky head gasket and said repairs would be close to 6 thousand dollars. On top of 400 dollars I owed for the inspection.They wouldn’t take my extended warranty( now I realize it was because insurance would have called foul ) so I took it to another shop. There after doing testing, it was clear that the head gasket passed all the tests and given that there were leaves all over the spark plugs Clintonville Auto Car Repair didn’t even do a visual inspection. I’m flagging this so no one else in the neighbor gets taken advantage of.

I have been coming to CARS for almost 5 years, and they have always been wonderful. As a woman who has limited car knowledge, it's hard to find a place that won't take advantage of you, but CARS is one of those places that doesn't. Most recently, to potentially save me a lot of money, Paul went out of his way to research if my car's problem would be covered by the dealership since it was a common problem for Hyundais, something I would never know or consider. They have also monitored a problem on my car for years that I mentioned hoping not to have to pay for until finishing graduate school. They could easily lie and tell me it needs to be fixed now, but for a couple years now, they have told me at each oil change that it hasn't progressed. I'll be really sad to lose this place when I move out of town!

I'll try to keep my review brief. Back in June, my Hyundai Sonata was targeted and broken into for an attempted theft. They broke the glass and while they didn't steal the car, they completely messed up my steering panel. I tried calling a couple places that could fix this, C.A.R.S. told me they could, so I had my tow truck drop it off there. It took about a month to get my car back (that wasn't entirely their fault, my understanding is there was a cyber hack that delayed things. Still, it would have been nice for them to let me know that update versus me calling them asking what was going on). Not long after, my car was having trouble turning on. Tried jumper cables, that didn't work. So again, I had my car towed back to C.A.R.S. for further inspection. They replaced the starter. A month later, again, I was having troubles turning my car on and took it back for a third time to C.A.R.S. They told me basically nothing was wrong, my vehicle is in "theft mode" and if I just play around with the key fob, it should work. I found that odd because I never do anything different when I get in my car and turn it on, but ok. From there, sometimes it would turn on, sometimes it would not. I would have to basically hope and pray the "key fob" trick would work. After some more time, that no longer would work and I had to use jumper cables to get my car to turn on. I no longer could trust C.A.R.S. to fix this issue, as I kept racking up charges and my car was never reliable. So I took it to Luke's Auto instead. There, they found my module was completely disconnected. Since I had to jump my car so often, I now needed a new battery. I'm not a car guy, so getting into the specifics on the repairs is above my pay grade. But here's what I can confidently share: Driving (if I could drive at all) my car ever since I took it to C.A.R.S. made my life hell. Between my initial insurance claim and future visits, I spent thousands of dollars to not have a reliable vehicle. Ever since I took it to Luke's, it has been a pain-free experience and my vehicle has been perfectly normal. Had I simply taken my car there back in June, I would have saved so much money and had so much less stress. Not to mention, they came across significantly more communicative and customer-friendly, from their waiting room all the way to their follow-ups.

I cannot say enough about the kindness of the people working at this place. I was in the middle of an absolute crisis and Gary was such warm and understanding human. And the people who checked me out were also so warm and kind! They knew that I needed any sort of break, human kindness and understanding. As for my car, they got in back in working condition in no time! They truly seem to care about you. Which is very nice and refreshing. I can’t ever say enough thank yous to them.

The folks at Clintonville Auto have serviced our vehicle on several occasions and they are always very thorough in their diagnosis and thoughtful of how that is going to impact us financially. They have worked with vendors as well as their own staff to keep costs reasonable and stick to the estimate that they provide. I would highly recommend these guys to anyone looking to have their vehicle serviced by trustworthy individuals.

Extremely happy with Clintonville Automotive. I dropped my car off and was walked through the entire process, ensuring that I knew what to expect along every step of the way. They made sure to call before any actions that might result in me paying money, and gave me a detailed report of what they found in the diagnostics. Then they informed me that my used car was still under warranty and were honest enough to send me back to the dealer. They may have foregone one transaction, but they gained a loyal customer for my future family car needs.

Amazing! I felt so taken care of. They were kind and honest which is important for all customers but especially for me as a woman in a mechanic shop. I like their vehicle reporting system and it was just a really nice, efficient experience. I’ll definitely be back.

DO NOT COME HERE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A WOMAN! YOU WILL BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF! First off: rude as heck! Me and my friend’s van broke down on the side of the road the night before bc of a radiator leak. When we came in and asked for help the guy at the front said, “well here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna charge you $150.59 regardless if I fix it or not, then if we decide to fix it it’ll just go up from there.” My friend asked “How much does it cost to fix a radiator?” He said “I’ll charge you $909 and that’s not including a coolant flush which will be $233.” It was like he was pulling these prices from his butt. And a coolant flush is PART OF THE PROCESS. That’s like going to the dentist and then charging you to rise your mouth out after they cleaned your teeth. This company saw 2 woman who were from out of town who were just looking for some help. And he tried to take advantage of us. Luckily we aren’t stupid and have ppl looking out for us. But I advise any women coming here alone, to NOT! They WILL take advantage of you. When we went to tell him no thank you, he was on the phone chit chatting with his buddy and we were trying to wave to be polite and he completely ignored us as if we weren’t even there. DO NOT COME HERE! We ended up buying our own parts at autozone (my uncle has a commercial discount so that saved some $) but we went down to BERNIE’S and they only charged us 2 hours worth of labor. We got our Radiator changed, upper and lower radiator hose change, coolant flush and re-stocked, thermometer changed and a coolant fan changed. All in all, for paying for our parts plus labor, we walked away paying $589.16 Where THIS GUY TRIED TO CHARGE OVER $1,300 , AGAIN, TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WOMEN AND OUT OF TOWNERS! GO TO BERNIES!

Gary well-explained how Prius brakes needed careful diagnostics about how it's wear and interaction with the rotor and caliper. For that reason I chose CARS. My service included the 4-wheel brake pad/rotor replacement, along with cabin and air filter replacement. Driving through Smoky Mtns, I can tell the improved braking performance. Thanks guys!

We moved from Wooster (where we had a mechanic we trusted) to Columbus a few years ago and have been looking for someone in the Clintonville area we felt comfortable with. Clintonville Automotive it seems is going to fill that need. My wife's Jeep had a water pump go out, so I got in touch with them. CARS was very accommodating, friendly and did a great job. They did a complete check over and repaired the problem. Jeep runs great and we've found our new trusted mechanic. CARS have been great for keeping me apprised of maintenence work needed and making sure the Solstice is ready to stay top down and head out. Thanks

I went to C.A.R.S. based on reading many positive reviews over many years. In addition, their location is close to my house and they are affiliated with AAA, which I am a member of. I was very disappointed that they released my car to me after they replaced the brake master cylinder, without properly testing it out, after completing the work. I drove away from their shop fully expecting my brakes were in perfect running condition, only to have them seize up, just blocks away. Rendering my car underivable immediately. I struggled to drive my car to an alley, with the brakes completely locked up. I had to call a local tow truck service, to have my car towed back to their shop, where it had to remain for another day, so they could remedy their botched repair work. They also replaced my cabin air filter, which we did not talk about, and I never agreed to have them replace it. They did reimburse me for the cost of the tow. I am now hesitant about using them again.

Terrible Service! Been to CARS 3 times in two years spending almost $4000. they are expensive, that's not the main problem. When i took my car in there last time, Jason told me they would give me my AAA discount. when i picked up the car, they wouldn't give me the discount, and refused to compromise to any discount despite my loyalty to them. I talked to Mark on the phone who only offered excuses like "we only made $50" (on my $500 bill). Also, while my car was there over night and i was driving by, i seen they left my tail lights on all night!! *see pic TAKE YOUR CAR ELSEWHERE