Virginia Tire & Auto of Ashburn Farms

I made an appointment to get my oil changed and windsheild wipers replaced. It took 2 hours. I talked to them after the first hour because my car was sitting out front and done. They kept saying that it would be ten more minutes because they had to do paper work. It was another hour before I got my car back. And they told me at the end that they weren’t even able to do my windsheild wipers because they didn’t have the part. I made an appointment in advance. When they called to confirm I don’t know why they couldn’t have told me they don’t have the part. My original appointment was just for the wipers. When enquiring why it took so long they basically said sorry we forgot about your car. This place just lost my business. I am going to the dealership to get my inspection and emissions done there and never again at va tire and auto. You just lost my business of 4 years.

Just did the safety & emission inspections on our three cars, and we were in and out very fast… Greg, and really everyone there, is a pleasure to talk to, and we even got a discount for being loyal, long term customers…

During my time in Loudoun County, I have used all of the VA Tire & Auto facilities from the original one in the Parkhurst Plaza, to the one near Navy Federal Credit Union (Ice Rink) and now the one in the Broadlands (Southern Walk). It has been my experience that if you go in knowing what needs to be done or can explain clearly what the problem appears to be, it’ll get solved. I’ve never confronted a rude front desk person and when I ask a question, it gets answered. Frankly, I have come to believe that these negative ratings are possibly set-​ups by competitors because VA Tire & Auto would not have continued to grow if the service and employees were that bad. Additionally, I’ve come to believe that some people come in and deliberately try to create trouble by saying the problem is one thing when it’s not and then when the mechanics come back with the actual problem, they accuse VA Tire & Auto of trying to get them to buy extra services. These folks should just go somewhere else and leave VA Tire & Auto alone. I don’t take my vehicles anywhere else and on two occasions, VA Tire & Auto did some diagnostic work for me, told me it was a warranty issue, recommended a local dealer to take the car to and didn’t charge me because as the manager said, «we didn’t do the work so there’s no charge.» If you live in Loudoun County, you should take your vehicle to VA Tire & Auto without hesitation.

Came here for an emissions job, soon as they touch the car to load it on the dock thing, they couldn’t turn it back on. So now my car won’t even start when I had no previous issues with it prior to this visit.
Sat here for about 4 hours to no avail, had to leave it overnight.
Overall I wouldn’t rate my experience as positive. Although two persons did end up trying to help out and I thank them for that effort.

Always excellent mechanical work on my car. I have been taking my car to this location for almost 5 years now, right after my new car service warranty expired. This shop has been a god-​send when I had road emergencies. The front desk staff who have been there a long time are always professional and helpful. This is the first auto shop I can honestly say I trust.

Absolutely one of the worst experiences. I always give folks the benefit of the doubt, but they got three strikes and I ordered them to stop work on my SUV, because they kept asking me to replace parts for an A/​C and after spending over $ 800 they A/​C died two days later; the Management suggested I spend another $ 800 to get a compressor, that was the last straw. My large SUV had two units, not sure what they did but the second system which was working fine also went down. You can imagine how frustrated my family and I were in 90 degree summer and no A/​C. The management claims that their mechanics are highly qualified, I think not… The following weekend took the SUV to a local mechanic and within 20 minutes the mechanic told me the problem and what needs to happen to get the problem fixed. He reviewed the receipt I received from Virginia Tire & Auto, and basically told me that there was no need to replace all those parts. Shame on you VA Tire & Auto, never going back there again.

I dropped my car off for an oil change that I was told would be 74.95. I agreed to a tire rotation when it was suggested, for a fee of $ 20. Imagine my surprise when my total was $ 137.70 with my $ 10 off Unilocal coupon. I thought I would be paying $ 85 total one I redeemed the coupon. In small print they pointed to a disclaimer that said it was for 5qt of oil and my car takes 8qt. It would have been nice to know that ahead of time. Plus, no vacuum or windshield cleaned. Not a great deal in my opinion. There was a bright spot, the van that transports you to and fro so you don’t have to wait was nice, the driver very courteous and friendly!

I’ve lived across from Virginia Tire & Auto since they were Merchant Tire & Auto back in the early aughts. I’ve taken 4 cars there for well over 11 years. I am never going back to Virginia Tire & Auto again.
Look, mechanics will be mechanics, you know. They are dealing mostly with a system of imperfect information on their customers’ side, and who can blame folks for making a profit every now and then? One time, back in 2005 or 2006 or so, I had a car I had to park in the street cause we had no parking spots at the time in my block. The street where I parked was a minute away from VT&A – you could see my car from their store. That night, somebody slashed all the street side tires for all the cars parked on that street. When we all woke up the next morning to see our tires slashed, VT&A (then Merchant T&A) was having a sale on tires. Amazing coincidence!
Right? And I’ve had my share of VT&A recommended diagnostic tests that I decided to take someplace else only to have a mechanic stick his hand in, twist something, and send me away without asking me to pay him or her. Whatever – I still did oil changes and state inspections at VT&A, not to mention other needs. And I know management of the place has turned over a couple of times.
But when another office of VT&A (the Dulles branch) did an oil change, and screwed up, costing me a $ 450 towing fee from National Harbor to Ashburn to my local VT&A across the street and to which I have given my business for 11 years, and they learned that it was their other branch that screwed up, they charged me $ 100+ to do a diagnostic test, fixed the car in the wee hours of the morning before I got there, then pretended nothing was wrong with the car, it was all my imagination (and the imaginations of the two other people who tried to help me at National Harbor), and when I showed up said they had «glanced» at the car, seen nothing wrong, driven it and it was fine, then offered to look into why the check engine light was on for another $ 100+.
So I get angry, pay for the first diagnostic test, ask them how I can remove all my 11 years of info from their system, and took the car to a Toyota dealer. The mechanic at the dealer opened the hood, took one 30 second look, pointed out that the filter cap was obviously placed wrong (meaning that VT&A after having already fixed the issue, put it back exactly the way it had been before so that they could «rediscover it» in their second «diagnostic test») and closed the hood and the check engine light is gone, car is fine.
So not only was VT&A not willing to accept responsibility for the $ 450 in towing (which is kind of a longshot anyway), they lied to me and charged me $ 100+ for a diagnostic test, then said they «glanced» at the car, and then had the nerve to try to charge me for another diagnostic test where basically they would fix the problem they set themselves up to find.
Note: they did call me later to try to talk me into coming back and refunded my original $ 100+ diagnostic test fee, without admitting all the crap they already did. But they’ve lost a customer forever, and I still want my information off their system.

Horrible.
My car broke down Saturday and I had it towed there (not by choice, it’s in walking distance to my house). When I walked in, there were 2 employees at the counter and neither of them acknowledged me. Finally after about 5 minutes Gabe looked at me and did a head nod. Went up and I said «my car was towed here, it over heated I’d like to know what is causing this». Without looking at me he asked what brought my car in, therefore not listening to me and being very monotone and short.
Gabe asked if the car smoked, I said yes. My dad (who gave me a lift to the shop) asked clarifying questions. We got a rude response («well I mean, that’s what I meant by smoking»). Asked about a loaner car (Gabe said «we provide loaner cars»…nothing else)
Finally another employee (Mark) came in, and was all smiles and helpful. Mark called me Sunday and told me the problem and price. Very courteous. Unfortunately he said we had to fix the thermostat and there may be something else wrong. In my experience with this shop… there’s ALWAYS something else they find each time they look at my car. We didn’t get it fixed there because also, there’s a domino effect when they «fix» my car. Within a few weeks something breaks that I know was because of them.
Thank you Mark for being the only front desk employee with manners. Gabe… please get some customer service skills.

These folks do fine work as long as you know exactly what needs done and don’t need any help finding the problem. On several occasions they wanted to charge me $ 100+ for a diagnostic test just to find out what they wanted to charge me for. I guess gone are the days of having your trusted mechanic check your car out before you start shilling out the bucks to get it fixed.
The first time this happened, I was sure the battery was dead/​dying and needed replaced. However they talked me into get an electronic systems check as they didn’t see anything wrong with the battery. After $ 60+ dollars for the test, it came up inconclusive. So then of course they would take my money for the battery and charge me for installation.
The most recent issue arose because of VA state emission inspection. We’re new to the area and didn’t realize having a check engine light on (which could mean a lot of things not related to emissions) was an automatic fail for the test. Well of course they were happy to take my money for the emission test only to tell me afterwards that a check engine light is an automatic fail. Then they would love to help me out by charging $ 100 for a full diagnostic test, even more money for the fix, and then charge me again for the second emission test. If they would have told me up front that a check engine light needs fixed before they can do an emission test, they would have had my money for the fix, the emission test, and future business. As it stands now, I’ll be taking my business for both my cars elsewhere.

One of the best in this area! Always courteous and knowledgable. Take care of you quickly and skillfully and get you back on the road. In my dealings with fleet issues and personal vehicles I have always received excellent service!

I was pleasantly surprised – and grateful – when I brought my vehicle in for repairs and was told that the work was still under warrantee! They did the repairs for free! The work they do and the customer service are excellent. In the 12 years we have been taking our vehicles there, they have never sold us any work that wasn’t necessary. A truly honest car repair place.

I’m sorry to see some other customers’ experiences with this shop; I’ve almost always had a great experience and have been a customer for years.
As a woman, stereotypically it can be intimidating to have your car serviced, but I’ve never experienced anything but respectful communication and professionalism here. When I’ve asked questions, I’ve heard thorough answers, and never feel like I’m being taken, especially since you can easily research most issues well on the internet.
Usually, they can complete work within a couple hours at most, including installing a new battery, tire rotation and oil changes. I would recommend to anyone in the area.

Excellent service!
They are very helpful and informative. Customer service seems to be top priority.
Unlike other places I’ve been to, I never feel like they are trying to upcharge me and push services on me that I don’t need.
Very satisfied and I will continue to bring my car here.
Thanks guys

Our company set up a corporate account and to be honest, it was a bumpy start. It still might be… Seems like all locations aren’t on the same page with these accounts, which causes confusion and frustration for both parties involved.
This location is our new «primary» location for our company vehicles. Greg has helped us out several times and is super friendly and accommodating. Service times are not long, they keep you in the loop at all times with your repair from pricing, parts and time frames.
I would definitely recommend!

Update: The owner did reach out to me and apologize and offered a gift card. I understand the mistakes happen so I am updating the review.
Horrible place. took my car in for an oil change. Came out with $ 1500 of recommended repairs.
They wanted to charge me $ 260 to change a headlight bulb. Claimed it was HID and that the bulb was $ 120 and that to install it, they would have to take out headlight assembly so another $ 140
Claimed one of tires had nails and irreparable, better to replace the tires since they were already almost end of life
Took my car to another place down the street, they changed the bulb for $ 40 (including the bulb) in 15 mins. It was not a HID bulb but a $ 10 bulb. The tires were fine and another 6 months or more of life left. THIS PLACE IS A RIP OFF!

Pretty good auto repair/​maintenance place. They quickly service my car. They have good front desk staff who explain all the proposed repairs. They have great virginia emissions and inspection line. Goes quick (even at the end of the inspection month).

If I could add cero starts I would. This place is a joke. I took my truck there for a simple inspection and they failed me and put a rejection sticker on. They said my third brake light was out (which it wasn’t) and that the hid bulbs I used to replace the front headlights and fogs where too bright??? Most import cars and a lot of domestics come with HID bulbs now days so if anything it’s a safety upgrade. (And the dealer did them for me)
The vehicle is a 2012 with very low mileage so there’s nothing wrong with it.
On top of the rejection sticker THEY CHARGED ME!!! For nothing!
I will make sure everybody I know knows about this place and everybody I know spreads the word.

Is there a zero star???
I got my oil change here, and as part of the oil change, they did the battery test, and to my surprise, my 6-​month-​old battery came back with a «yellow» rating, and suggested I replace my battery.
This made no sense to me, so I went to where I originally purchased the battery (advanced auto parts) the other end of the strip mall and asked them about why I got a bad battery from them. So, they did a retest.
To my surprise, the battery rated 500 CCA with 501 CCA (meaning it’s like-​new — sort of expected for a almost-​new battery that has 5 year warranty).
Did Virginia Tire & Auto did the test wrong? Did they suggest changing parts that are still good? I’ll leave it to you to draw your own conclusion. As for me, I don’t think I’m going back any time soon.

The Mister and I took our three vehicles to this location for a few oil changes after moving to the area. Prices seemed high and services that had been courtesies at our old garage now cost a pretty penny. We hadn’t yet found a new garage we trusted when my car died on the highway a week and a half ago. Given its proximity to my house, I had the tow truck take the car to Virginia Tire and Auto.
I could waste your time giving you a lot of details about what was wrong with my car, but it boils down to some pretty basic issues: I explained the problems the car had been having, the way in which it died on me, and asked the shop to test a few specific things. Several hours later, they came back and insisted the car had nothing wrong with it besides a dead battery. Having spent a lot of time in the back of an auto shop as a kid, it sounded like a lots of BS and a lot of money (250 $) to me. I accepted the cost of doing business and took the car home.
Three days later, the exact same sensor came on in the vehicle on my way to work. The problem was clearly not the battery. I called the shop, furious, because it was very easy to tell that the problem was with the alternator — a part I had specifically requested they test. I was told someone would get back in touch with me. Four hours later, I called back.
I spoke to the manager. Ladies, are you looking for a shop that is condescending and finds the concept of a woman who knows anything about combustable engines impossible? Well! Look no further! The manager insisted his ‘best guy’ had tested the alternator and had seen no issues. He claimed I probably had a ‘phantom draw’ on the battery.
Yeah. I did. But guess what, moron? I had already told you exactly what that phantom draw was.
At this point, it was made clear to me that they weren’t willing to go out of their way to do right by me — or help me out with my unreliable vehicle now 20mi from home. I was extremely pissed. I felt both ripped off and wronged — I had specifically asked them to conduct a service and they failed to do so properly.
I dropped my car off at a shop in Leesburg the following morning. Within 30mn, they called me back and confirmed that my alternator was, essentially, dead. No problems with the car since they replaced the alternator. I only wish I’d gone there first — I would have saved a lot of stress, a lot of time, and a lot of money.
These guys don’t know what they’re doing — they only know how to charge you for the service of plugging in a code reader and scratching their ba— um, heads. Go elsewhere.