Essex Automotive Services in
Essex Junction (VT)

I've lived in the area for most of my life and have used a number of different shops, and Essex Automotive is easily the best. They are transparent, communicate throughout the service, friendly, and the work has always been good. If they were to make a mistake, I'd trust them to own and fix it. Highly recommend.

Did my car inspection here and the manager is very friendly and after checking, give me some advise on the area I need to look out. Came back for my oil change, later came back to check on my car gasket and finally get it resolved. The mechanic looks a retiree but he really do a great job!

I have been putting off writing this review for a few months, because typically I don't like badmouthing people, but this place absolutely deserves every inch of what I'm about to say. I brought my car in because it was running and idling rough, and I thought it might just need a new sparkplug due to a cylinder misfiring. What they ended up telling me was that they bore scoped the cylinder, and it had scoring inside of it, which I was told meant that the entire engine needed to be replaced. Naturally this blew me away, and I stood there for about 15 to 20 minutes discussing my options with the guy who gave me this news. He told me they'd do it for about $7,000. I paid about $10,000 for my car (a used Corolla), so I was not about to spend that much to keep it alive. The next part of this story came when I visited the Toyota dealership in Burlington, where I got a second opinion on what was wrong with the car. They did a spark test and found out it was a bad coil, which is a very cheap fix. I got it done for under $300, which for a dealership is still reasonable, especially compared to the aforementioned $7,000 for a new engine. But that's not all about my visit to Essex Automotive- I asked them to replace the spark plugs anyway, change the oil, and replace a belt that has been squealing on and off - they charged me over $500 for this. So not only was I completely lied to about what was wrong with my car, they also robbed me of $500 while they were at it. I was devastated with the news that my engine needed to be replaced, and had to deal with the car running quite badly for a couple weeks before I went and got the second opinion. Thank goodness I did, because it was entirely possible that I could have ended up a victim of this place's dishonest business. I don't know if the other reviewers here were treated differently than I was, or if they got a different mechanic than I did, but please, if you bothered to read this entire review, do not give these thieving liars your business. Take your car anywhere else. If they did it to me they've done it to others and will do it again. Thanks for reading and good luck with whatever work your car needs. -Devin

Straight up fraud! Stay away. Long story short, they said they changed the spark plugs on my vehicle, but there is no way they changed all six. There were two cylinders where it was clear the bolts to get to spark plugs were never removed. Pictures so you can see for yourself. Scam

I dropped off a vehicle with a flat tire after close. They have a dropbox and I left my key and description of the issue. The next day they had it fixed by noon and gave me a call. Less than 24 hours and less than $30 to repair a flat seems very reasonable!

First come first serve saved me when my brake line failed while visiting from out of state. Other garages were booked a week out but Justin at Essex got me on my way in two hours.

I was broken down while on a trip for work. Essex was able to fix it very quickly. Quality of the repair was perfect and people were friendly.

I’ve been brining my vehicles here for more than 10 years - brake jobs, oil changes, tire swaps, inspections, “what’s that rattling sound?” Etc. - and they’ve always been fast, professional, and to-the-point. My car is always set for the next long trip after a visit here. No upselling, no invoice padding; simply good work for a fair price.

Great service. Came to get my tires switched over and have someone check out a busted hinge on my back hatch. The mechanic came out to tell me my options with the hinge problem, and was able to order the part then and there for a replacement. I was back within the same week to get it installed. Good as new. Prices were average and wait time wasn't anything special, but the work is quality, people are nice, and I really appreciate that they don't take appointments, and operate on a first-come, first-serve basis. Makes spontaneous fixes a breeze.

Justin and the crew at Essex Automotive are the best! They provide great service and I trust them to give honest advice as to what my vehicle needs to keep running well.

I have been using Essex Automotive Services for over 30 years. The service they provide is top notch. They truly care about providing excellent service and repairs at a very honest price. They tell you the truth about what needs to be done for your vehicle and give you an accurate estimate for the work to be done, no hidden charges. I HIGHLY recommend this business for all of your automotive service. Jon Harris

My girlfriend took her car in for an inspection and oil change. She was notified that her rear brake pads and rotors did not pass inspection. They quoted her at over $700. We quickly realized they were trying to overcharge her and said we would get the work done elsewhere as multiple other garages quoted much less. She was then told that they could compete the work for $480 instead and that they are very short staffed and that was the reason the original quote was so high. After bringing it to another local garage it passed the state inspection with no issues as well as documenting that the rear brakes have approximately 75% life left in them. I was not expecting this so I brought this in and asked if we could be refunded for the inspection that she clearly was wrongly charged. When asking for the manager the gentleman that came up actually identified himself as the owner. After looking into the shop that was clearly a lie and he said there’s nothing he could do and insinuated my girlfriend made up the whole story. All while another technician was standing behind him antagonizing the situation. Overall extremely dishonest and unprofessional.

I've been getting all the repairs and nearly all maintenance service done here for my 2010 Toyota for the last few years. The mechanics are kind, honest, and do all the work needed to keep my car running smoothly without going overboard. Their rates are similar to others in the area. I like the convenience of not needing to make an appointment!

my car died. i paid 85 bucks for a tow to dave whitcomb’s. they told me i needed a new battery. so they sold me one for 150 dollars. i find out not even two months later that they put an old battery in my car and charged me full price for it. how did i find this out? my car again, even after the battery replacement from dave whitcomb’s, wouldn’t start. so i got it towed (another 85 bucks) to a new mechanic in colchester who just so happened to have someone from interstate battery there at the time. they noticed the battery was over eight months old before it was even put into my car as “brand new”. dave whitcomb’s sold me an eight month old battery as brand new. now i am out over 300 bucks because of someone’s duplicity. watch yourselves at dave whitcomb’s. there’s a snake on the loose.

I had a slow leak in a tire and a small window of time to get it repaired. I was given an estimate of about 20 minutes to get it looked at. The car was looked at within 10 minutes and the tire patched within 20 minutes. Just exceptional customer service. Fast,efficient,friendly and very fairly priced. It was my first time using them but would definitely come back and will highly recommend them.

Had a free day to get some spring things done and called to make an appointment to get my winter tires off and Summer tire put on. They said they don't really make appointments and its a come in and they'll get it done sort of deal... well, 2 hours after I called I am sitting at home with the summer tires on and I couldn't be happier with the service and how quickly they got it done.

My family and I have been customers for over 20 years. I am very happy with their service. Their mechanics do a thorough explanation of any problems they see and will show you if you like. Timely professional service from certified mechanics and a great shuttle service. I feel confident, safe and secure with the maintenance they provide. They are my vehicle's family of doctors.

I needed a pre-purchase mechanical inspection on a car I was considering buying from a dealer in Williston. He took me in even though they were very busy. He found items that needed repairs, itemized them on the work order. Even included costs of repairs should the dealer not want to discount the car. This proved to be an effective tool. The shop was emaculatly, clean and tidy, even though every bay was full with cars being worked on. I highly recommend this shop. Update 11/24/20 I took a second choice, 2011 Hyundai Sonata for a pre-purchase mechanical inspection. Everything checked out good to excellent. This car was from Burlington Subaru. This one I bought. Turns out I found out after I bought it that the car had very special lifetime warranties on the engine and drivetrain along with some other issues that didn't reach recall status. I'm very Happy. Thanks again for the very professional and expeditious manner in which I was treated.

The child they hired to do inspections was trained to scam every possible cent out of customers. I just bought a new used truck in NY that my trusted long time family mechanic had just inspected. They failed it for ball joints only because they don’t have any work to do. SCAM. My family and friends will never go back.

The Good: no appointments, just show up. The Bad: Labor rates are 20% higher than average. The Ugly: If I wasn't desperate, I would go elsewhere. After a couple of experiences here, I realized that I had been spoiled going to my regular auto tech. They fixed what was broken, but exaggerated on other issues. I only go here when I'm up the creek with no paddle. Good luck to you! P.S. Essex Police love to sit in the lot just north of Pearl Street to "monitor activity ". It is a 30 mph zone at that location. About 500 ft. East of this, at Wendy's, it is a 25 mph zone. Know your rights. License the police. End qualified immunity. Empower all humans.

Justin and the guys at Essex Auto are the best! I struggled finding a good shop to bring my car to, but once I found Essex Auto I haven't looked anywhere else. These guys are knowledgeable, fast, and most importantly shoot you straight. I have been using them for over 5 years and recommend them to family, coworkers, and friends. My old car recently died and I thought it was time to junk it. Got it towed to Essex Auto, they figured it out, got it running, and saved me a fortune. Good prices, good mechanics, and good work. 5 out of 5, if you need automotive work go to Essex Auto!

Their no appointment, first come first served method works so well for me! They installed my snow tires and investigated and fixed a newly noisy exhaust. Very pleasant and easy to deal with.

They deleted my review after I explained how they scammed my family. We recently purchased four new snow tires from them and had them mounted after we brought our snow tires in and they said they were no good. They sold us “top of the line” tires and were very expensive. Anyway, one went flat a month and two days exactly from buying them and they couldn’t find a leak or puncture, indicating that the tire was either defective or not sealed properly. They refused to work with us when we asked for it to be replaced since it was either defective or not sealed right (they said the tire had to be replaced even though it was brand new). They didn’t want to replace the tire and claimed that they shouldn’t eat the cost (but we should and it was essentially “our fault for buying a defective one”). They then told us after I said it wasn’t right that the manufacturer would only issue a credit months and months later and dissuaded us from doing that (because they want us to buy another tire so they can profit off five and return the defective one and get the credit for their company, so really they wanted to only buy three tires and profit off five). They were very rude and dismissive and did not even once apologize for the huge inconvenience of me having to take two days off work to get another shop to order me yet ANOTHER new tire and mount it two days before Christmas. This is just my experience, but maybe you’ll have better!

They scammed me out of a tire. I got a defective one that went flat within a month and no leaks found and they said “I should have called sooner.” Would offer any kind of actual service. They wanted me to buy another one from them, when I bought their top notch ones and their trade off was “free mounting.” When we asked how that was right, to buy a defective one and not have it replaced they made excuses and said it was our fault. My wife also made a review about this and they deleted it immediately even though it was not in any way “bashing” or critical, but all the facts were laid out. They don’t want people seeing the truth I guess.

First time I dropped in for an oil change they got me right in and charged a fair price. I was delighted. Every time I've tried to repeat this experience since March, I've been put off due to "end of month" inspections and tire changeover volume....it's mid-June...common really? And they won't even schedule an appointment...have to walk in at 6:59am, wait in line and hope I don't have to wait all day. Was considering other work too but, I guess there's still room for the competition...I can't be bothered with their customer service model and they couldn't care less b/c business is good...I hate that take it or leave it attitude. Count my blessings I guess, based on other "rip off" reviews..

I have been bringing my cars here for a long time and these guys are the best. They fit you in when they can without an appointment, they do great work, get it done timely for a fair price - cannot get better than that. Thanks Rob & Ambrose!

I bring my 2010 Hyundai here for inspections every year. As old as the car is there's usually some repair they could try to force on me but they've never pressured me for any of it. They've always been up front about what I need and totally reasonable on price.