Bernie's Automotive Services in
Seattle Hill (WA)

I have only good things to say about Bernie’s. I have been taking my car here since I moved to Seattle and was continually impressed by their honesty, communication, friendliness and excellent work. Unfortunately my old car is no longer with us, and my new car is a model they don’t work on. But I cannot recommend this place enough, and will miss the kind people and service I received here!

I appreciate the honesty of these guys, I had a broken bolt in my thermostat housing and Sam found I could get this fixed for cheaper by taking it to the last place that did other service due to a few belt being frayed.

Strongly recommend Bernie's. My car broke down suddenly during the holiday's, and even though it turned out to be a problem Bernie's could not handle, they kept my car for a few weeks until the next shop had room to take my car in. They were honest, fair and nice; can't recommend them enough!

This review is now corrected! Owner made things right. Very courteous. Bernie's is A OK Forget this pevious review below: Rip Off. No proof of what they say they replaced. Turn a small job in to a big job with lots of hours. They make no effort to be courteous when they over bill you, and offer nothing to keep you as a customer. They don't follow through on basic courteous things they say they will do. Rude.

Charlie, Sam and their entire team are absolutely incredible. I’ve taken my Prius in for multiple issues: oil change, breaks, skid plate replacement and a new catalytic converter. Charlie is kind, honest and professional from start to finish. I trust them completely with all my car needs!

Had a great experience with them. My tail light was out and they took time to figure out the concerns on the spot for me. If I lived locally, I’d use them!

Set an appointment for Wednesday to get my brakes done(1.5 hour job), wasn’t told a time to show up so I assumed whenever and it would be 2-3 hours. Show up at 10 AM(they open at 8) and am told they will not be able to fix it today and that I have to leave it overnight if I want it fixed. Why have an appointment if you aren’t going to fix it that day. Waste of my time 🙂

Fantastic, honest, knowledgeable, thorough repair shop. I cannot express how happy I am with not only their service on my vehicle, but the customer service I had received. Not too many good, honest repair shops these days and these people are moving the sticks forward. Thank you Bernie!!!

My old mechanic shut down and have been avoiding finding another one for ages… went to Bernie’s and they were incredibly helpful. They communicate very clearly, are honest, and helped get my highlander back in good shape! I highly recommend them. Charlie is the best!

Staff at Bernie’s were quick and honest with their service. I was referred to them by Pacific Rim auto repair. Checked my battery and recommended me to go to o reilly for battery change.

I just wanted to say in regards to a recent review by redelephant515.. I was there and none of your review is truthful not even a little. You and the other 3 people in your car moved your car once and u all had at least 2 six packs a piece before walking across the street. So in my opinion u knew dam well u weren't supposed to park there and it wasn't ten minutes but 45 min and u didn't go to Fred Meyers. So there's the truth and bernies and employees are good people and do stand up work.

So my car check engine light comes on so I thought I would stop by Bernies because it is close by. They were closed so I decided to leave my car there while I walked across the street to Fred Meyers to buy a court of oil so see if that would solve it. I come back in maybe 10 minutes tops and my car was gone. It turns out it was towed. When I went to pick it up the person at the tow company told me that I got unlucky because a tech stopped by I saw my car there and then mentioned they were buddies. So either the tech was irrationally angered by a car parked there while they were closed or he was trying to give his buddy at the tow company some business. Either way I find it morally reprehensible at best and super shady. I can't speak to their work and now never will be able to, but I would not want to do business or trust my vehicle to Bernies. I would like to reintegrate that they were closed and had no need for those parking spots at the time. So shady

I am from out of town and was nervous to find an honest place to take my car, and they exceeded my expectations. Prices were high but I figured it was normal for the area. I was not able to pick up my car when it was done so Sam was nice enough to drop it off at my house! Super kind staff that were willing to help and answer my questions.

The Review: Brought my old (1991) truck to Bernie's for a number of reasons over the years, nearly every visit has had some issue and the overall quality of work is average. Most recently there was an issue with parts not fitting or being lost and weeks after the repair i find more issues that were caused or flat out unaddressed by their techs. Customer service is sometimes great, other times not. I would not recommend if your vehicle is over 10yrs old. The Story: Long so I apologize in advance: Years ago (2019?) I brought my truck to the Bernie's on Market. Cedar worked there at the time and although he was very charismatic there was a lapse in communication causing my truck to sit in the shop for a week before techs began work on it. Whatever, it happens i get it they're busy NBD. A portion of my work was installing a refurb starter and a couple weeks later my starter engages while I'm driving down the street. It locks up on the flywheel and fries itself. I pull over as starter is smoking. I drive manual so I disconnect starter and bump start to get home. I call Bernie's and Cedar makes it right. Installs a new starter and even gives me some credit for a future visit. Awesome! Fast forward to some months ago. I redo passenger side ball joints on the same truck. I have some money and i didn't feel like spending another weekend on driver side, so i call up Bernie's and schedule appt. Later that day I drop off and ask for upper and lower ball joint replacement on driver side then alignment. Ball joints are new in box on passenger seat (AC Delco Gold i believe). They say "we don't use customer supplied parts" which makes sense (i had no clue) but they make an exception for me. Very cool +1. They state because of it there will be no warranty on any work done. No problem, understood. Later that day i get a call stating they're working on other stuff and they'll begin working on my truck in a few days. Why a few days? What's the point of making an appointment if my vehicle sits there? They say they are slammed so i say OK and buy a bunch of bus tickets for the week. Two days later they call and tell me they've started working on my truck, but the upper joint doesn't fit in the knuckle. How? It's the same model as the one I installed on the passenger side... i wonder... but ultimately i say OK and authorize them to buy and install a new one. (they gave me back the one that didn't fit. It's absolutely mangled. I still have it in my garage.) The next day I get another call: "Hey so we got that ball joint in, but where's your camber sleeve?" (for those that don't know a camber sleeve is a metal cylinder that sits in the ball joint of some Ford trucks. Without it the tire will wobble endlessly making driving difficult and dangerous) I don't know if they lost it, threw it out or what but there's no way i was driving without one. I had even taken the truck in for an alignment a few weeks earlier! No way it was "missing". They say they can buy another one and put it in for me: "Don't worry they aren't very expensive..." Another day goes by and I finally get the "everything is completed" call. I stop by after work and make it just in time before closing. Immediately i notice my steering wheel off center and slight pull to the right. Did they align it?? I take it to my tire guy and have them align it. It was so off i couldn't believe it. Bernie's must've forgot to align it after doing the work. *sigh* A month or so later i install new brakes and rotors on my truck. while removing my hubs i notice my spindle nut is cracked! There's no way this went unnoticed during the work they completed. Either that or they tightened it SO tight is cracked and got worse over the past few months. Either way I order a new spindle nut and reinstall everything to torque. In summary: Frequently inconvenienced and felt looked down upon for bringing in such an old vehicle. Will not be returning here. I'm not looking for any conciliation, by the way. This review is only to share my experience. I'm sure some of the techs here do good work.

The first time I brought my car to them the technician ended up installing a part without much care and it prevented my headlight from working. I brought in my car and photos of what I was seeing and they immediately dropped everything to correct it and I was back up and running in 10min with no charge. I was also informed that that that technician was actually no longer with them. How easily they owned up to the mistake and how quickly they corrected it was very professional and instilled a lot of trust. Mistakes aren't a big deal to me, we're all human, but owning up to it and making it right is huge. I want to trust that my mechanic will do what's right, and I'm now confident that that's exactly what they'll do. Will be going to them for all my car maintenance needs from now on and would recommend them to anyone.

I moved to Seattle recently and was nervous to find a good mechanic (loved my previous one). Luckily Bernies has been nothing but wonderful. They do their best to help you and not overcharge you. Their work feels very honest. They are quite busy so I try to schedule any maintenance a month in advance. However, when I’ve had an emergency, like a faulty battery, they were able to squeeze me in to their busy schedule. I would recommend them!

Be patient, these guys are busy but will take excellent care of your car. I left my car with them in case it could be serviced early (I couldn’t drive it in it’s state anyways) and they got to my car within the week. An estimate was given to me before any work was started and the next day I was able to pick up my car. Charlie is on the phones and he’s solo up there so have a little patience when you call and if/when you drop your car off. Take a cold 6 pack when you pick up if so inclined. It’s a hot, dirty job that these guys are doing and a cold beverage tip is always appreciated. Thanks guys!!

Friendly. Transparent. Honest. Competent. I dropped off my 1990 Jeep Wrangler for a top to bottom inspection - it has been sitting idle for a while. The folks at Bernie's came back with a long list of needed repairs and then helped me prioritize what needed to be done ASAP, what I probably should do, and what I could do later. In the end, they got my Jeep running great again. Great folks. I'll be back.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Will, who had helped me figure out my check engine light problem. I had experienced a similar problem where the CEL came on, evap code popped up and clearing the code got me back on my way without any problems. The light came back on thousands of miles later, I tried to get a same day appointment before I had to drive back to Tacoma which wasn't possible due to them being full booked, understandable now based off of my experience. Will checked out my car, same code was read, he cleared the code and told me it should all be fine. It was a quick interaction, 5 minutes maybe, but Will's simple gesture was greatly appreciated during a very busy morning for the shop. Great example of customer service, I have since recommended Bernie's to others.

Bernie's Auto shop was the best car/customer service I've ever had. I looked on google for a good place that I could trust and found this little gem in Ballard. I walked in the door and Seeder (sorry for the spelling) greeted me and seemed to actually care about what I was saying. I had just gotten my oil change at the dealership and was not told much as to what was wrong with my car. I was just given large numbers for vague problems. Seeder on the other hand, walked me through what everything that was wrong from the inspection and told me what I should do and when I should do it. I felt like he was a human being and wasn't trying to squeeze a couple extra bucks out of me. They were honest and did a exceptional job and will have my business for as long as I'm in the Seattle area. Great work!

Thorough, fair, and extremely helpful. My customer experience here has been top notch. I have so much more piece of mind about my vehicle after talking to these guys and their experience with Subaru's in particular. Alan even managed to save our family vacation this summer by squeezing us in on late notice. While I don't want to be too regular at any mechanic, these are quality guys I'm happy to rely on.

I'm normally pretty wary of car repair shops but Bernie's Automotive restored my faith in them and I have gone back to them many times over the last ten years. I had to replace some tires in Portland and used Firestone. At my alignment last month, Firestone on Aurora in Seattle told me that I had to have new front brakes and rotors and that the sky was falling. They gave me an estimate of $596 for their Plus Brake job with a limited warranty of 24,000 miles or 24 months on the parts and 12,000 miles or 12 months on the labor. I asked them how much brake lining did I have. No response. So I took my 98 Volvo S70 that I rely upon to get to my QuickBooks and Quicken clients that I set up, review, and train at their offices and homes in the Greater Seattle area to Midas who also tried the same thing. Only their estimate was $715 but they offered a "lifetime warranty" on their brake pads but not for their labor which was only warranted for 90 days. They also neglected to tell me how much brake lining I had. Since I was having my 30K tune up at Bernie's, I was curious what they would say. Will told me that I have about 3mm (the first auto shop who gave me precise numbers) on my front brakes. He said "You can replace them at your next oil change. You don't need to do them now." So I asked him how much I should start budgeting for this repair. He replied, "Oh, about $400 and that includes the rotors. And that is covered by our 3 year, 36,000 mile warranty on labor and parts." You can trust these folks to tell you what and when you need to repair, at a lower price, and a superior nationwide warranty.

Certainly the most courteous and friendly auto shop I've visited in Seattle, and I'm a local. Thank you Allen for your professional and prompt support. Long story short, my Subaru dies and I take it to Bernie's for a checkup. Soon after they call me saying the engine is likely totaled (my fault), but end up only charging a few bucks for the oil they poured in when they were taking a look. They could and should have charged me for the time spent under the hood, and honestly I felt bad when the bill was just retail for some engine oil. But was I grateful! Honest vibes here, no BS. Though I cannot speak to the quality of their repairs or prices, I know I won't hesitate to come here again when my next car needs any work done. Very professional service.

First review I've ever written, but had to highlight the great service Bernie's Automotive offered me. I have built a bit of a franken-car and most mechanics won't touch it. Didn't have the time to put in my new axle and they didn't hesitate to help me out. Great group of people

I send everyone I know to Bernie's! Almost two years ago I decided to purchase a early 90's Ford Bronco. I was referred to Bernie's by my mechanic at the time who only worked on imports (that alone says a lot). Since then, I've never regretted the choice of mechanic while I've occasionally regretted buying the Bronco. Will worked with me to do a thorough inspection pre purchase which helped me understand the costs of any future repairs and he has has been a great partner on quite a few repairs since then. He has patiently explained the repairs and personally stood behind his work. When I had an issue with a defective heater core they installed, he replaced it the same day at no cost. I expect to never take my truck anywhere else.

I was very impressed with both the customer service I received and the work that was done on my vehicle. I came in thinking that my broken down '98 Honda Civic was a lost cause, but it's running really nicely now and for what I feel is a reasonable price. Tayler was very responsive to all my questions and I felt like I was getting an HONEST appraisal of what was going on with my car (I've had terrible experiences at another repair shop in town - so this is super important). I will definitely be coming back! The only drawback was that it took a few days for the work to be done because Bernie's is so busy. Busy is a good thing, though, because it means lots of other folks like what they do as well!

Bernie's is great. They are extremely friendly and helpful. Their opinions and auto work are both high quality and trustworthy. They go the extra mile to make sure your car is safe and will last, informing you of your options and never pressuring you to buy more. They are not the cheapest I've ever experienced, but I think it's because they focus on the long-term care of your car.