Since 1957 Frank Thomas family led the area with a home town auto service business. The key to our success is honest work for honest pay. We have enjoyed bringing auto repair and towing to the Rapid City area for 68 years with thousands of satisfied customers.
Hours not specified
What clients say about Thomas Auto Inc in Rapid City (SD)
I would definitely go there again and advise people of their service. Friendly,courteous and got my part installed and back on the road in a timely matter
Towed me on a weekend and took care of me right away on Monday! I can’t say thank you enough!! Great communication, fabulous customer service! Would definitely use again!!!!!!!
The service I received at Thomas Auto last week was absolutely extraordinary. I am an older gentleman, had never seen Mount Rushmore, and decided to drive 13 hours from Milwaukee for a 3 day bucket list journey. On my first day, and after going up and down the badlands for 6 hours, my car overheated. I actually had the white smoke billowing out. With water I made it to the place I was staying. The next morning the first 8 places I called said......"Maybe Friday." It was Monday. I am a Church organist and had a big wedding in Milwaukee on Friday. I was seriously close to: flying home, flying back, selling the old car, buying a new car........when the good folks at Thomas Auto literally came to my rescue. First, they could see me right away. With the divine assistance of Saint Rita, patron of impossible things, I made it to the shop. (When you hear what was wrong, it is a Vatican-certifiable miracle that I was not in an accident or in need of a tow.) Looking at the radiator, the good men pointed out to me that it was cut in half! Relating to a front end accident 9 months earlier, the left and right sides of the radiator um..... were not touching. They also showed me that much of the front end was held on by only 1 bolt. They fixed that for free. When they gave me a very reasonable bid, I sheepishly queried "and you could be done in......?" "2 hours!" I said "do it" and started dancing.
5 hours later the car was perfect and the fee was the original bid. Looking back, the charge for labor was about 5 dollars per hour. I told them a dealer would have charged over $3000.
I am forever indebted to Thomas Auto, they were fantastic, fair, very inexpensive, incredibly accommodating, I could not ask for more. When I drove away (remember, this was a bucket list trip) I drove immediately to see the buffaloes at Custer, then Crazy Horse, then drinks where Wild Bill was shot, then drinks and food at One Eyed Jacks in Sturgis. (No, I did not need an IV!) The car has been great since. Thank you Thomas Auto. Oh, just 1 question: I tipped you with a bottle of Badlands Whiskey. How was it?
Sincerely
John Puchner
We just stopped in on a long road trip to have something checked out and they were absolutely amazing. If I'm ever in Rapid City again and need a car serviced, I would go back.
11/10 customer service and expertise. Would definitely recommend Thomas Auto Inc. Derek and his team provided excellent and genuine compassion and expertise.
I’ve been bringing my car here for three years now, for everything from oil changes and brakes, to an unexpected front-end repair. I won’t go to another shop in town if I can help it, and I have (unfortunately ) been to several.
These guys really know their stuff and they won’t try to upsell you on anything you don’t need. Never had to wait for long, but if you do they’re quite accomodating! There is a waiting area inside with snacks, drinks, and sometimes a couple very sweet shop dogs to say hello to! Couldn’t ask for much more out of my auto shop. I would recommend them to anyone looking for fairly priced, no BS service.
Great crew to work with for towing and fair pricing. They worked to my schedule and were always there when I needed them. I highly recommend Thomas Auto. Locally owned and conscientious.
Our family was in from out of town. Our van needed an urgent repair. The great folks at Thomas Auto Service were able to get us in on the same day. They were fairly priced for their service and did a fantastic job. We thank them for helping us get back on the road and make it home safely! We absolutely recommend them!
Unfortunately I've had alot of car repairs owning older cars. But i have always been taken care of and got my vehicles in as soon as possible. They are fast, easy to contact and kind. Derek has always been a pleasure to work with!
Thank you to everyone at Thomas Auto
These guys are the absolute best! They were able to come tow my Jeep in about 40 minutes and are super reasonably priced. Thank you so much for all your help! You guys are lifesavers.
Superstar team at Thomas Auto. They were able to get my problem fixed in A DAY while the other shops quoted me out over a week - and gave me a more fair price. Will definitely be coming back.
Great experience with Thomas Auto, I bought my business vehicle from them and had my van worked on by them. I have mechanical expertise and know when I'm being overcharged or when work is sub par. These guys came under the estimate and got the work done ahead of schedule. Good work, good team, good business that I would recommend.
Thomas Auto is phenomenal.
They get the job done right, speedy and at a reasonable price.
They also support military by providing a military discount. Thank you!
Highly recommend!!! I had a very minor issue that could have been a major one during a recent trip from the east coast going to Missoula and while driving through southern South Dakota, I had a misfire and my engine light came on. After trying several automotive places all within an hour drive, and after these places not picking up, being very dismissive and obviously not wanting to help or just limited on their side regarding technology and potential parts needed, Thomas was a ray a hope! The office manager was very professional and compassionate of my situation and told me they’d be able to assist and to come on in. Once I arrived, they were obviously busy as all the bays were full but they were very responsive and hooked my car right up to the diagnostic machine and confirmed it was just a misfire from the wrong type of 87 gas. They wouldn’t take any money for their troubles! Very professional, kind and personable people!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
We were driving through town on our way to Ohio when we had an issue with our front wheel bearing. They got us in right away and had the truck repaired the next morning after receiving the parts needed for the repair. The entire staff was friendly and helpful.
We had an issue with a water pump on our Suburban. They were super busy but got us in and had us on the road, to continue our vacation in the Black Hills, in two hours. They towed us to their shop as well and were professional in every sense of the word. I wholeheartedly recommend this longtime Rapid City business!
Our AC broke down in 103 degree weather, we called lots of mechanics, no one would look at the car. Thomas Auto Service was kind enough to squeeze us in, promptly diagnosed the problem and were proactive in locating the compressor right away and fixed our car next day. Excellent service, professional, quality work, and it made our vacation much more enjoyable with a working AC. Great customer service and good price also. Thank you!
Doug is a lifesaver. We were traveling from Utah and needed someone to quickly look at our power steering. They were able to go over the problem and get us back on the road in no time.
Highly recommend and happy to see more good people helping others. We would stop by again just to say hi.
We are so pleased with the service they did for us. We were traveling from Mn and stopped in Rapid City SD and discovered we thought a brake problem. Explained to Doug we had to get this fixed. They took us in the next day and fixed it right away. We tried others that people suggested and nobody couldn't serve us till middle of July . I researched on Google and seen they were in business for 36 years as a family business. I thought that would be a good choice. I was right !!. Doug was very helpful and courteous. I would highly recommend there services. Thank you Doug and the tow truck driver
HIGHLY RECOMMEND! My family and I are visiting from out of stated when we thought we broke a brand new wheel bearing. Ended up having to tow it and they repaired my issue IMMEDIATELY! (it wasn't the wheel bearing it was the E brake, it basically disintegrated and was causing MAJOR issues) THEY ARE HONEST MECHANICS WHO DONT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PEOPLE! THANK YOU!!
I discovered Thomas Auto after taking advantage of a promotional offer for their auto detailing service. They did a fantastic job. The interior looked (and smelled) like new, exceeding my expectations. That plus the friendliness of the staff earned them a new customer. I definitely plan to consider them for other automotive service needs in the future.
I have had my vehicle towed numerous times by this company. They also do all the maintenance on my cars and have for years. I highly recommend them for all your auto needs. Family owned and operated and ran with integrity.
I had to get towed and my car was fixed faster than I had expected. The service I felt was very good and I didn't feel like they were pushing me to do added unneeded maintenance to get me going again. I was also relieved to find they would accept my credit card because let's face it who plans for their car to break down.
I will only go here now. (unless I'm traveling) They earned my trust when they were able to help me on a very bad day and I haven't been disappointed yet! I heard they got a new detailer too (been wanting to try that!) and the last time I was there I saw more new employee faces. I recommend Thomas auto to all my friends and family who come visit the hills.
Talk about lucky! My car had blown a surp. and v belt the same time this caused an oil leak at the crank shaft oil seal, I was early in the morning so I tried several towing services how, someone were too expensive and some were having there breakfast and it would a few hours! Bummer! I then called Thomas towing and auto service. This was the best move I'd made in a long time, the tow tow truck was there in 15min.it took the man just few minutes and off we went to the garage about 2 hrs. I was back on the road and the price surprised me it was super easy on my wallet to top it off they game me nice Veterans discount...If you're ever in Rapid City, South Dakota look them up and say hello and tell'um Jim Y sent you....ps. they have 24/7 towing happy motoring and happy trails my friends..
Great people! my car wouldnt turn on, I thought the battery was dead but jump starting my car wouldn't even work so i called thomas auto to tow it and fix it.
However, when they came over the man put the keys in and the car worked just fine! I asked how much I owed for him bringing to tow truck out because I know just getting it a few miles out can be at least like $50, but he told me not to worry about it since no towing was required!
I'm in college and need all the money I can get so that was greatly appreciated.
I will be going to Thomas Auto for any of my needs, they proved themselves more than trustworthy and honest to me.
Stay away, worst experience ever! Took my pickup for detail and change my winter tites to my summer ones. Both sides had one tire white letters out and one tire black. The detail left dirt under and around the seats, sprung my hood. I just had the winter tires put back on and all 4 had chunks tore from the inner bead, one so bad it was destroyed! At the same time my wife had her tires changed. The low pressure light stayed on and they said there was nothing they could do. I kust had her winter tires back on and one sensor was flattened and laying on the inside of the tire. STAY AWAY FROM THESE CROOKS.
The worst detailing experience of my life. They kept my car for 9 hours and still missed the windows, the doors, the pull down in the backseat and more. The boss told me that the guys were working on other things. So I wasn't a priority. I called and told them what didn't get done. They said to bring it back in, and then told me the finger prints on the window were between the glass and the tint. I said, "No they aren't. I just used some Windex and they came right off." I took it back a second time to give them a chance to make it right. When I went to pick my car up, the boss said, "I haven't looked at it so let me know if it's done." He didn't care enough to even check on the work. There's still dirt everywhere. I had to show them where to clean the windows and watched them do it again. You can also see where they steamed the upholstery and where they didn't, which was the backrest, the sides and the front. I will never go back there again.
these guys know their stuff. vehicle wouldnt start so i took it to another place here in town; i suspected it was the distributor. well, this other place told me they had fixed it by charging my battery. distributor was good they said. 2 days later i was in the same position, and now it was right before thanksgiving. thomas came & got it, diagnosed it, and had it fixed the next day. it was the distributor. they even drove it back to me so i could get it & drive their mechanic back. how cool is that? no problems since.
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