Auto Doctor, Inc. in
North Spearfish (SD)

Brought my vehicle in for a alignment. the owner I believe his name is Dale. Is a straightforward good communicator and listener. It's been about 2 weeks. I've been observing the tires. There has been no excessive wear. So problem was resolved. Tires were measured and installed. I would like to thank him and commend him for doing the right thing.

I’ve taken my car here twice now. First time was for new brakes and then last week for an exhaust repair. Both times everything was taken care of quickly and for reasonable prices.

Called a few other shops in the area first but I’m very glad I came here! I needed my truck aligned got an appointment scheduled next day and was in and out under 2 hours. Staff was polite and very knowledgeable! I can not remember who I spoke to at the shop but he was very friendly and kind!

About 10 days before I got my vehicle to the Auto Doctor, I was in Eau Claire, WI, and had some work done at the Ford dealership there. By the time I arrived in Spearfish my engine was idling very hard, the oil light was coming on when I came to a stop, and the temp gauge read as hot as it'd go. Talked to Dale and he checked out my Transit Connect. I've held off on my review until now and I'm pleased to say what a great job yall did on my van!!! She purrs smoothly when idling. No more overheating. She has pick up she's lacked and missed after the Ford dealership. My gas mileage is back at 29 to 30mpg. You guys were very well worth the wait. Thank you sirs!!!!

1)Went to get just a diagnosis on my car here. 2)Come to find out my thermostat was out. 3)Left paperwork of car service agreement to see if any of the services would be covered. 4)Not but the next day, as I’m waiting to see if any of the services would be covered, they’ve told me they already fixed the issues and it would cost almost 600!!! (Just for a thermostat and diagnosis) Very poor communication and even UNAUTHORIZED WORK!! This place charges you almost double and WILL ROB YOU BLIND!! DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR HERE. Very upset and unsatisfied. Will be considering filing small claims. Absolutely ridiculous if you ask me..

If I could give these guys 10 stars I would. I was traveling home from Alaska to West Virginia when I heard a noise from my wheel near Devil's Tower. It sounded like wheel bearings which was scary on the open road. I found Auto Doctor on the web and pulled in afraid that I was looking at a long delay and possibly major repairs. Brian was sitting at the desk and said, pull it around back and we'll diagnose it right now despite there being many other vehicles on the lot no doubt for repair. Within 20 minutes they showed me that the wheel was hitting the back of the brake disc because I had likely hit something on the road and it was bent. In 5 minutes they bent it back out- problem solved. And they pointed out a drip in the radiator. What service! And for a very reasonable fee- I even offered to pay extra and Brian wouldn't take it. Thanks for helping me get home safely and quickly folks- you're the best and a credit to small businesses everywhere.

Like many of these reviews, we were finishing our vacation to the coast. Now, more than ever, all mechanics are busy. Dale was great. Squeezed us in the day we broke down (I’ve never had that when traveling, they’re usually always 3-4 days out). If he could of got the part it would have been fixed the next day. However parts are hard to come by these days of course. They were able to track down a part and get it fixed in a week. We had to finish our vacation in a rental. But again, they kept in touch, great communication, didn’t price gouge at all (actually very reasonably priced). And overall, helped us feel like a local customer. I sat in the waiting room the afternoon we broke down. Just sitting there, listening to dale interact with each customer as they walked in, I could tell How much they value customer service. Great place. If they can help they will. Looking at all other reviews, these guys are heroes for many wary travelers. Thanks again auto doctors.

Can't say enough good things about Dale and his technicians!! We were out of towners and our truck was making a noise in the front end and the back end. He was able to diagnosis the issue right away - fix it in a timely manner and get us back on the road and heading home. He was very honest and fair. He even worked with the aftermarket warranty company that we had on the truck and was able to get them to pay part of the repair bill. You are the BEST Dale! Thanks for everything you did for us!

This business is fantastic. While traveling Our car ran over blown tire debris that torn some of the undercarriage and we were dripping fluid. Drive to Auto Doctor and the checked the car immediately and fixed the problem. Quick, polite, helpful and very kind and courteous

Tried to sell me all new GM parts to replace my brakes and rotors $800! Took to another mechanic and only needed pads. Auto Doctor is deceitful not attentive to his front desk (had to call him) and has a mean dog to welcome you too. Charged me $75 to look at my car and give me his bogus diagnosis. Please be aware and don’t allow this to happen to you.

We were from out of state, hunting birds near Spearfish when my wheel bearing went out on my truck. Dale got us in on short notice and was honest and reasonably priced. He had us back on the road home within a few hours. We appreciated him and if we have troubles again, we will know where to go.

We were stranded 6 days while they repaired our vehicle. They were honest and fair. It just takes so long to get parts these days. The dealership couldn't even see us for two weeks. No cars anywhere to rent. So we sat at hotel for 6 days

My car AC broke in the Montana mountains while driving cross country. Fortunately I was staying at the hotel across the street from this shop. They got me a diagnosis within 24 hours, and overnighted a new compressor which was installed 24 hours after that. They were communicative the whole time and came in under their estimate and a few hours early. Would highly recommend

On a recent vacation for my parents 50th anniversary, I ran into air conditioning problems. Nothing is more helpless feeling than traveling and having vehicle troubles. Auto Doctor was super pleasant, VERY helpful, and they got me back on the road with no drama. An excellent experience, and I highly recommend!!

I was in the middle of a road trip when my car broke down. Called Auto Doctor and made arrangements to have my vehicle towed to them, and they were able to look into it right away. Great service, and my car was ready to get back on the road within a couple hours! Really appreciate Dale and the other gentleman who worked on our car, would recommend this place to anyone.

I’m in the Black Hills for a vacation, and was in Spearfish Canyon for a hike when the brakes started making some unpleasant noises. I drove into Spearfish and came to Auto Doctor. Dale was able to get the brake pads and rotors fixed in about 2 hours and I was able to get back to my vacation. I appreciated the quick and friendly service.

My family did a cross country road trip and we needed our brakes fixed before we continued west. We tried getting into another car place but they couldn’t fit us in that day. The Auto Doctor was super friendly and fit us in to their busy schedule. They performed a full brake job within a couple of hours. We are so thankful and couldn’t recommend them enough.

Hands down worst shop I have even seen! Gave them a list of what I wanted estimates for and asked to be called with the estimate and left my key so if I gave the go he could start work on my only vehicle without needing a ride back. They then took it upon themselves to bring my truck on their property and tell me a working part needs replaced. I said no I'll come get it. When I get there he won't release my truck because he wants $63.24 for diagnostics from lying and saying my $100 part that's good needs replaced for $365. I will be taking this mess to small claims court. I recommend not going here unless you enjoy being lied to treated badly and robbed...

Was able to get my car in and fixed within a day of calling. Was on a vacation and no one else could get me in for 4 plus days. Took care of my brakes and had me back out enjoying the area in a couple of hours. Very personable people and all around 10 out of 10 service.

I am traveling cross country with my family in our RV and found that my tow vehicle began to make a loud clanking sound. After doing some research I assumed it was a broken motor mount . I brought it to Dale and he set up an appointment to see him the same day. After checking things out Dale determined that the motor mounts were perfectly fine and the problem was due to all 4 bolts holding the engine in place were loose! Dale fixed the problem and had me on my way in less than 20 minutes. Being from out of state, it is so great to find a place such as Auto Doctor that operates with great integrity and with more than fair prices. Thank you Dale for getting me on my way, I truly appreciate it!

The best of the best. Bob is one of the most experienced guys I met in auto repairing. After visiting 13 lubes and mechanics without solving my car's rear diferential problem, I did not expect too much arriving there, however, Bob quickly found the solution ... Most importantly, they are sympathetic with my frustration in a long road trip after failing to find even one guy quick fixing my car. They are really the good and capable guys.

Great service and Dale saved me! My motorhome had a sensor go out which affected our family vacation. I called around and no one wanted to help or even touch it. But the people at Auto Doctor didnt hesitate, knowing we were on a family road trip in the family truckster Dale said he would squeeze me in. Waled to Pizza Ranch, ate some lunch came back and it was done. So if you are in need or just need to have something looked at this place is the one to go to. Thanks again!!!

FAIR, RESPECTABLE, PRINCIPLED and HONEST. If you next to nothing about your car and do not want to be taken advantage of — consider these guys. As a single young woman, I've had trouble in the past with mechanics who saw me as a ditz and charged more than I should have been charged — or fixing something that didn't need any fixing in the first place. Not Auto Doctor in the least. Dale is old-school and a straight shooter. If there is a problem and he can fix it — he is fair and flexible. If he can't, he will recommend someone who is just as principled in their business dealings. He treats me with respect and even makes an effort to explain the issue. He and his mechanic Rich make an effort to help me to understand a lot of other important information. They've taught me how, when and why to check my oil (I know. Please don't judge.) Today he taught me how to check my tire pressure and read my treads. So ladies (and gentlemen) if you've been taken advantage of simply because you don't know every little thing about a car — check out these guys. Dale will take good care of you and Rich will get you fixed up and back on the road in no time.

Our car broke down on Thanksgiving, we thought our trip was ruined. Dale was able to get the parts ordered and installed before we even had to check out of our hotel. He wasn't even going to work that day, and he has us back on the road quickly and saved our vacation.

Our 1988 Volvo was stalling intermittently on the i-90 spearfish-bound from WY. We brought it into Auto Doctor and were informed by the owner, Dale, a few days later that the main fuel pump was leaking. (Keep this in mind, as it becomes relevant later on.) At a cost of $260 for the pump and $220 for labor, Dale replaced the part and we began our drive back to WY. 80 miles later, the car began exhibiting the exact same symptoms that we originally described to Dale - an intermittently stalling engine that started up after a short rest period, and would continue stalling every few minutes thereafter. We called Dale and let him know that the car had just stalled again; his response was that we could tow the car to his shop and he would have another look at it. At a probable cost of $300 dollars, he presumably knew that this wasn't going to happen. We limped the car home after another few stalls. Well, it turns out that this is such a common problem on the 1980's Volvos that it is documented online in articles literally titled "Top 10 Common Issues with Volvo 240 Models." When we got to researching the problem ourselves, and solved it by replacing a $8.12 part, (Google: Volvo 240 fuel pump relay) we were nonplussed, to say the least. We called Dale and let him know that we had solved the actual problem; he told us that properly diagnosing this issue would have taken him too long. (His words: Would you have liked me to drive the car around for 80 miles to figure this out? Note that a simple Google search would have provided his mechanics with a more accurate, and much cheaper, starting place.) Nonetheless, he would "speak with this wife" and discuss whether he would refund any money to us. Our request, by the way, was only a refund of the labor and his profit on the part- which, if his later assertion of only a $60 profit on the part was truthful, means that we were asking for $280/$480 back, and allowing him to keep 43% of his erroneous charge. Pretty generous on our part, we think. (And as you will soon see, our fuel pump was likely functioning perfectly to begin with.) Dale and we spoke a week later when we called to ask him if he and his wife had come to a resolution. Indeed, they had - and the resolution was to refund us nothing. In further argument over the technicals of the repair, Dale stated that he knew for a fact that the fuel pump was indeed shot- because he "ran power to it and it would not operate." He also told us "I don't need a 30 year old telling me how to run my business." You will recall that when we first brought the car in he said that the issue with the pump was a LEAK. Now, he claimed it was an electrical issue. Well, this sets off our nonsense-meter. We told Dale that our review would be an accurate reflection of the events. He told me "So you're asking me to BUY your review?" Dale, a lesson in free market economics: In EVERY interaction with a customer, you are buying their review. As a business owner, you are being paid by the customer to satisfy him; if you think that a customer's truthful review of your business will make you look bad, then simply change the customer's experience to a positive one. After we used the word "review," Dale did offer to give us a $60 credit at his shop (which, he said, was his profit on the fuel pump) "or an oil change." Dale, the opportunity to turn a nasty and extremely expensive experience into a merely unpleasant and costly one awaits you.

I wanted to say thank you to Auto Doctor. They fixed our Volvo when it broke down on our vacation. They did so in a timely and professional manner so we could get to a family reunion in time. The locals highly recommended them and they delivered with great quality service!

While traveling on a family vacation, our car needed an oil change and a knowledgeable mechanic to check out a weird noise it was making. We stopped at the first place we could--the Ford dealer in Spearfish--and the service manager directed us to Auto Doctor. Karen and Dale made an appointment for us later that afternoon, took great care of us, were fair and friendly, and got us back on the road with confidence--everything you could ask for while traveling. They're fast, honest, and friendly, and it was a relief to have found a shop like our home mechanic while in an unfamiliar area. It's the kind of small business you're thankful to find at home or on the road.