Just wanted to thank Frank and his staff for helping a lady in distress. Driving up to NY..stopping overnite in Thornberg VA...had a nail in my tire. They were closing at 3 :30 and I made a panic phone call at 3 :05. Frank gave me detailed directions to the shoppe where his staff was waiting for me. Tire was plugged and I was on my merry way. Staff let me know that they opened early am just in case I needed any further help. Happy to say ....back home in North Carolina and tire is doing great. Thanks so much for your help!!
⭐ 1 Star – Extremely Disappointed and Feel Ripped Off
I took my car to Frank’s Truck and Automotive Repair in Woodford, VA for a diagnostic. I paid $100. I explained clearly that my steering wheel was locking, grinding when turning.
They kept my car from Friday to Monday—just to tell me the tires were bubbling and to “go get them fixed and bring it back so that we can take a deeper look.” That’s it. Nothing else. No proper diagnostic. No deeper inspection. They charged me $100 for something I already knew—and completely ignored the real, obvious issues I came in for.
I immediately took my car to Midas in Fredericksburg the same day, where I got a full, honest inspection. Turns out I had major problems:
Bad CV axles
Ball joints
Rear suspension issues
No coolant
Worn brake pads and rotors
This is exactly what I feared—and Frank’s didn’t even catch a single one of these problems. I’m now looking at almost $3,000 in repairs, plus I had to pay for a rental because they held my car for days and did absolutely nothing useful. When I called to ask for a refund, I was told, “Frank will probably say nobbutnwill give a call back.” No apology, no responsibility. And no call back!
This is not how you treat people—especially people in stressful situations trying to stay safe on the road I told them I have a 7 month old and we were going to north Carolina for a graduation party. I left feeling scammed, unheard, and taken advantage of. You don’t take money for a diagnostic if you’re not going to actually diagnose the problem.
Avoid this place unless you want to waste money, time, and come out worse than you went in.
This place comes recommended by a lot of locals
Inspections stop at 3 PM heads up. I found out after hooking up and driving out there the inspectors don’t work the full business hours.
Frank's is a very professional business that takes care of there customers. Great employees always courteous and willing to go the extra mile for the customer.
What mechanics used to be like. Friendly, knowledgeable and not just rushing to get you through with the bare minimum to get your money. They actually seem to care about the quality of the work they do and charge incredibly reasonable prices.
The mechanic fix everything wrong with my vehicle. I had to take it back to take a recheck they was very quick about it. Very professional both inside and out. Definitely deserves this rating
Provides exceptional service with a friendly and knowledgeable staff. They are transparent, efficient, and deliver impeccable repair work. Highly recommended for all your automotive needs.
They do fine work on your large trucks. This shop is more in line with tractor and trailers, dump trucks and the such. If you need repairs to a large vehicle this is a place you want to check out and give them a chance on your commercial vehicle. Stop by or give them a call, down to earth people.
Came here to get inspection. Caroline was very kind and courteous with me on the phone, helping me with directions and also squeezing us in at last minute. (Major points).. When we arrived which was even past time they stop inspecting. They were kind enough to wait. Earl was inspector. Again very courteous, friendly. All the staff were. Thank you so much for assisting us and waiting. Meant a lot to my husband and I. Keep up great work. Definitely worth taking any of your automotive needs too.
I walked into Frank's to get my car inspected. It had previously been inspected at Meineke and I had been quoted almost 1000 dollars for the repairs. The gentlemen that work at Frank's let it be known that Meineke was being dishonest with me. They then fixed my exhaust (which is what my car had supposedly failed inspection for). They fixed my car for a price that was so low I almost couldn't believe it. I can not recommend this company enough. Its employees are honest and they care about their customers. I will use Frank's for the rest of my life. Thank you Frank and company, you all are truly a blessing!
Good mechanics, honest people, quick labor. Couldn’t ask for a better service on my truck when I was in a pinch and it was quoted at a day and half of work max and it was done in 4 hours. Get all my inspections from them as well. Not corporate, and not cut-rate.
Had work done to our Toyota Tundra..Inspection and brakes real fast..Great people..Good place to go..I trust them..World Renozned Folkartist Mark Prieto
I’ve been trying to get a appointment in Charlottesville for two weeks I was recommended Frank’s so I decided to take a little trip and definitely worth it!
I appreciate them so much for getting me out fast I highly recommend them and will be telling everyone who needs any kind of work done.
Family friendly ?
Great people, and they did great work!! Very quick turnaround time and a surprisingly low price. They got me out of a huge jam and they could have gouged me on the price but didn't. All around a great shop to work with.
I highly recommend Frank's. Took my car there for suspension work. They called to let me know there was additional work that needed to be done and quoted me the price for it. They really took care of me there and even let me add on an oil change. They're reasonably priced and I will definitely be taking my cars there in the future.
Five Stars All the Way!!! I assist my elderly parents, and they needed a VA Inspection. I tried several shops, and I either had to wait several hours or leave the vehicle. After calling Franks, they suggested that I come in at 1:15 - 1:30 after their lunch break. Sure, enough, they got me right in. They said that the front brakes were marginal. Again, this is my parent's car, and I do not like marginal, so I asked them if they change them while I wait? They were happy to accommodate my request. While waiting on parts, they took off the old brakes and had everything prepped for the new brake pad's arrival. The mechanic showed me the old pads, and it was apparent that I made the correct decision. The parts arrived quickly, and I was out much faster than I expected, and the price for the inspection and brake job was very fair! Now, Franks will always be my first call!
State inspection fast and easy. Friendly staff, family owned and operated. I was impressed with the shop. Thanks Frank!
Year 2 - Same excellent customer service. Came for inspection renewal and the place seemed to pick up in popularity with there being a line but these guys work quick and have a great family vibe. Also some cool landmarks nearby if you like history.
I am super late with posting this review, however I couldn’t go without letting everyone know how awesome this place is. 2 weeks ago I was out seeing patients when I notice what seemed like something was dragging beneath my car. I was really panicking because I am not really familiar with the area that I was in, and I didn’t have a clue on what to do. After I calmed down, I googled what repair shops were near me, and lucky for me, Frank’s Truck and Automotive popped up in my search. I was only 3 minutes away, so I decided to go there and have them look at it. When I got there, I was seen right away, and I explained the situation to the owner (Frank). He was super nice, professional, and extremely honest. Luckily my troubles were minor, but he completed the job very quickly, so I was able to get back on the road to finish seeing my patients. Everyone there is extremely nice, and what I loved the most was their honesty. No one was looking to make a quick buck like most auto shops. I am going back to have them replace my brakes. The prices are very fair and reasonable. They are definitely not looking to rip anyone off! Thank you all so much for your help that day!
Had a tie rod and brakes done on my girlfriends van. Fair price and great service. They even dropped me off at my house while I waited. I will take my cars there when needed and highly recommend them to others.
After listening to my Van making a "Open Wide" Noise when usually a quiet ride; stopping at Jiffy Lube and being told "LOL" "there's nothing wrong by the Manager who took it for a Drive!" I went into Frank's. Not only did they fix the problem; they also took care of my Muffler and Tail Pipe which I had been told would be much higher and I got my Van back the same day! Very pleasant "and honest" Guys and "Gal", very reasonable, I won't be going anywhere else from now on! And now they are going to be doing State Inspections in the next month or two so that's where I'll be going for that too!
We bought our daughter's car which had been sitting unused in a field for over a year to Frank's. As parents with a new driver, they understood our concerns and looked over that car from bumper to bumper and gave us back a road worthy commuter car. The gave us a great estimate and took they time to keep us up to date on the progress of the repairs. HIghly recommended and we will back!
Wow, what can I say. These guys are awesome. Great service and they care about their customers. I thought I needed an new drive axle, Frank took to time to see what was going on. Turns out I didn't need a drive axle at all. It was just something minor with my power steering. I highly recommend Frank's. Thanks again!
The service was awesome, all the workers were wonderful and polite. It was my first time there but definitely not my last. I was even given a cheaper price then first estimated. My husband and I had a wonderful experience there and I would recommend them to anyone.
Fantastic work, amazing customer service, trustworthy, fair prices.
My late model Volvo started to die on I-95 at 7:30 this morning. Overheating, weird noises, it was bad. I pulled off the highway and into an Exxon, and the young lady there told me that Frank's was awesome and I should give them a call. I considered going to the nearest Volvo dealer (on the theory of "better the devil you know than the devil you don't"), but the young lady at the Exxon spoke so highly of Frank's I figured I'd give him a call and decide after talking to him. He picked right up (at 7:30 am), did a quick over-the-phone diagnosis that sounded pretty good to me, and told me he could have me towed in, but also gave me the option of just sort of coasting the few miles to his place (it was all downhill as he explained). I took that option, figuring I could save the towing charge... I thought that was pretty cool of him to give me the option rather than just increasing his fee with a tow.
As soon as I limped into Frank's place, Frank and Chris popped the hood and immediately started working to figure out what was wrong. It was as if I'd pulled into an old friend's garage; they were explaining everything to me, showing me how you could tell that this or that wasn't working right, to make sure I understood why the symptoms were occurring and what needed to happen to fix it. Chris took the lead in taking apart what needed to be taken apart, and while he did this he not only didn't mind me looking over his shoulder, he continued to explain what he was doing as if he was teaching me how to be a mechanic. Chris is amazing, I think I could take anything mechanical in there and he could tear it down and figure it out. Best experience I've ever had getting my car fixed.
They also gave me a few options along the way, e.g.: "if you do x, we can get you out of here really quickly, but you'll have to bring it in somewhere within the next few months. But if it was my car I'd do y because then you know you are going to be in good shape and not have to worry about it." And they made sure I was informed enough to be able to make those decisions, so I was always confident that we were doing the right thing with regard to my time and my money.
Took about 30 minutes to get the part delivered that we needed, and during that time I had a chance to chat with Frank. He told me all about his family's roots in the business, how they used to be pretty big into racing, and how he grew up working in his family's service shop (which at one time was the only shop in the county that was permitted to work on police cars). All of the guys that work at Frank's seem to be either family (e.g.: Chris is Frank's nephew), or close enough that they are basically family. The philosophy of this place is one that seems to be missing from a lot of businesses these days: that you take care of people, you help people, and if you do that everything else will generally work itself out.
When the part showed up and Chris was putting things back together (with Frank dropping in from time-to-time to make sure things were going well), I could tell that Chris was more invested in getting this car fixed than I was. He takes an enormous amount of pride in his work, it was fun to watch.
I thought I was going to be stuck all day (if not more), and I thought I would end up getting charged an arm and a leg. Frank charged me for the parts, and embarrassingly few labor hours relative to the time he and Chris spent. "Fair" is an understatement, I feel like I got "friends and family" pricing. And they got me out of there quickly, and of course the car runs like a top now.
Sorry for the long review, but it really was a fantastic experience. I will be making the trip from Richmond to Frank's for everything my cars need in the future, and believe it or not I actually look forward to going back.
I can't say enough good things about Frank's Truck and Auto Repair. I'm a new customer but Frank squeezed time into his schedule to put new brakes on my car just before New Years when other shops hadtold me they were to busy. They got the job done fast and the price was extremely friendly. His prices beat the daylights out of what you would pay in Fredericksburg. Frank and his mechanics are all very friendly and will make you feel like one of the family.
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