No. 1 Japanese Auto Repair in
Seattle Hill (WA)

On the recommendation of a friend and fellow Corolla owner, I started going to Tony and have stayed ever since. This was over a decade ago! My car is 26 years old at this point and when the time comes for a new one, what Tony will work on will influence what I buy, just so I can keep going here.

Excellent experience. I came here to diagnose an issue with my landlords car overheating and Tony found out the radiator needed replacement. The price seemed very reasonable, he allowed me to drop it off and pick it up a couple days later to work around my schedule and the car is running great again. Will definitely be back next time I encounter any car troubles. Thanks again Tony, much appreciated and happy holidays👌

Tony is phenomenal. I moved out of Greenwood 2 years ago and I still make the trip to come see him from Alki whenever my car needs work. Honest, kind, fast, fair pricing. That’s all I can ask for when it comes to choosing a good mechanic.

Excellent communication, reasonable and straightforward pricing. Not an upseller. One of the best auto service places I’ve ever been to and I won’t go anywhere else as long as I live in the neighborhood.

Tony rocks. Honest, friendly, does quick work, and asks a super fair price. Best mechanic I've been to in North Seattle!

Tony is great at communicating what is going on and is just generally a delight. Everyone I've talked to who has gone to him speaks so highly. Solved my problem in minutes. Now my go-to guy in Seattle.

Tony is great! Responsive, genial, professional. Have brought my car in for a few things over the years - when I call and leave a message he returns my calls promptly. He has been successful at speculating what my issue is just based on my descriptions (while also saying he needs to see it to be sure). I feel great about taking my car there and also about recommending it to others.

I love this place! Tony is the best! Not only is he incredibly skilled at diagnosing and repairing cars, he is also incredibly honest. He has helped us out countless times. He finds things other mechanics miss and he never up-sells. I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else. Thanks, Tony!

Best mechanic ever. Tony has been our mecganic for literally years now. He is trustworthy and meticulous. My only regret is that too many others feel the same way these days and his business is going well. Getting in in a timely manner is not as easy any longer. But I am happy to see his business doing well for him.

Tried to make an appointment to have my car get standard service. The owner replied "I have nothing available until next year." I paused to see if I could wait that long. Then I said to go ahead of which he responded "No, you call me back when you're sure." Not a response I expect. Surprisingly, cause I've had my car done there before too and seemed to be a nice guy. Glad he's got enough business, but you can choose if that's the possible relationship you might get. So much trying to help the small business.

Tony has worked on two of our cars and I couldn't recommend him enough. He is both knowledgeable and considerate in that he's upfront about what work is critical and what can be tabled. I appreciate his honesty and promptness whenever we have work done on our Subaru and Honda vehicles.

Very honest. They were not sure about a problem my car was having, and rather than just throwing parts at my car and charging me, he opted to wait till he knew for sure. I don't mind bringing it back when the problem gets worse. Id rather get it right than drop $1000s on repairs that may or may not fix it. Very highly recommend this shop. This is the kind of honesty and directness you look for in a great auto mechanic.

I was happy with No. 1 the first few times they worked on my car over the past four years, including the time they replaced the timing belt and neglected to replace a part and my car died in traffic the same day I picked it up. They accepted responsibility without hesitation and fixed the problem. They struck me as a little spacey but honest. Last summer, however, was the straw. I took my 22 year old 4Runner to them in July, requesting a major tune up, spark plug change, oil change, top the fluids, replace the battery, etc. Major maintenance - those were my words. It had been to Texas and back within 9 months, and I told them this. They charged me $900. A week after I picked it up, the car failed to turnover. I took it back to them. They replaced the starter. I spent close to another $500. A week later it failed to turn over again. I called again and spoke with Tony who was so clearly not interested in the problem that I realized I'd been had. That was when I looked at the original receipt. They had NOT changed the oil or oil filter or air filter or topped the fluids. I'm still so angry, it makes me sick to my stomach. They charged me $900 to change the spark plugs and replace the battery. Think about that. No. 1 Japanese Auto could not pay me to let them work on my car. They are not worth the risk. These people are inconsistent in quality of work and attention. And when push comes to shove, they don't care. You can rock along and the work they do is fine for a while and then - boom. You're screwed. I've read this in other reviews. It finally happened to me. You would be wise not to let yourself be next.

I went to this auto shop to have them check out a car I was thinking about purchasing. I don't live in Seattle, so I was going based on a recommendation from a friend. This shop was great! They were super helpful, personable, honest, and amazing all around. They saved me from buying a car that would have had a lot of issues. If I'm ever in need of Japanese auto repair in Seattle, I will go to them again without hesitation. If you're in Seattle and you have a Japanese car, I highly recommend this auto shop.

Tony is the most honest and trustworthy mechanic shop owner I have ever met. In addition, for all the different cars (Honda CRV, Civic, Acura, etc.) that I took for repairs in his workshop, they had a completely efficient service. I highly recommend this mechanic shop!

I've been bringing my Subaru here for service regularly and recently I was hearing some noises from my car. They checked it out and found the problem which was apparently some looseness of the plastic underbody which they found and fixed quickly and at no charge. Just really appreciate their honest and friendly service and would recommend!

Brought my Mazda in for some diagnostics. Tony is a sincere technician; made some great recommendations; but also spent a good 30 minutes on the inspection. At the end, he didn't charge me for the service. I'll be sure to make an appointment with the shop when it's time for the car's oil service. Thanks, Tony!

We have been taking our cars to Tony for 15+ years. He is simply amazing! He will save you money, you can be sure the work is done properly, and you never have to worry about him telling you your car needs work that it doesn't. I highly recommend Tony and No. 1 Japanese Auto!

I recommend them all the time. Having a 2002 Subaru I've had different issues over the years. Very honest with their assessments and the work is done correctly. Prices always seem reasonable too.

Very happy so far with Tony and Number One Japanese Auto! I have been having a frustrating intermittent problem with my 1998 Corolla-almost impossible to reproduce in a shop. Tony has been patient with my ongoing saga and also willing to continue looking into the problem. He always follows up right away and pricing is very fair; he also doesn't push unnecessary work. Glad he is down the street. as I am hoping to keep my car for a while!

We had our first experience at this small auto shop. The owner is very polite and straight forward. The place may not look plush, but the service and repair are the best. The dealer had told us that our Subaru Forester with hardly 55k miles will need large dollar expense and repairs. At No.1 Japanese place, the owner explained that there was no need to do the dealer suggested repair for another year or two. The final bill was quarter of the dealer quoted price. Agreed that not all the work was performed, yet it was much reasonable. Honest businesses treat their customer with respect and they do not need to advertise for their services. The experience speaks for itself. This is one of those businesses. Five stars plus!

Tony is the best. He's usually booked weeks and weeks in advance because he's so credible and trustworthy. I appreciate him so much. I have a 2+ previous owner, 2003 Nissan 350Z. It purrs because of Tony.

Tony is great! Been taking my car there for the last few years as I’ve transitioned away from the dealership. Is always honest, only suggests repairs when actually needed and much less expensive than the dealership. Always accommodating! He does great work.

The previous owners of my Subaru recommended No. 1 Japanese Auto Repair. I trusted their opinion based on the care and maintenance of the car they sold me. No. 1 is amazing! As a single woman who knows a limited amount about automotives I am so grateful for a business that operates with such honesty, transparency and integrity. No. 1 has always given me straightforward information, never tried to gouge me. They give honest recommendations with realistic time frames and no scare tactics. I highly recommend them and plan on using them for all my automotive needs.

I first went to Tony's shop when I was in the process of getting cheated on a starter motor problem at a nearby auto shop. It was my lucky day finding Tony! He repaired the starter motor where the other place had quoted me one price and tried to double it for replacing the motor. Since then I go there any time my cars need maintenance. If you want a competent, honest repair center you just can't do any better than these guys.

This shop is all that car owners hope for: honest, fairly priced, and efficient. I own a 97 Camry, and after racking up 150,000+ miles (3000 of those while driving across the country) my engine started having trouble while on the road. While on the road back to seattle, we went to a few repairmen - all of them quoting ridiculously high-priced repairs. I decided to forgo the repairs and eventually found #1 in Seattle. After he took a look at it, he told me it was only the ignition coils and asked to fix it. Worked like a charm. Extremely honest. Ive brought my beauty back to him every time since, and he always gives me fairly priced quotes on repairs.

I went to Tony at No. 1 for several repairs to my beloved 1991 Toyota 4 Runner. Tony was fair an honest with me about the repairs that needed to be made. Prices were reasonable, and work was great. I was happy paying for good work. I only wish Tony could take care of my new Ford! Thank you Tony.