Sterling Automotive

It’s always difficult to find an automotive shop that actually is there to help the customer. How many of you have dropped your car off for one issue just for more things to start going wrong «randomly» over the course of the next couple weeks. Or even better, an oil change which turns into $ 300 worth of additives you «really need» and a new fantastic oil that is going to quadruple your gas mileage! How amazing!.. not.
Well Sterling and his shop are not there to scam you or rip you off, they genuinely care about their customers. I brought a truck in for making a high pitch squeal I was guessing was the serpentine belt or a pulley and I just don’t have the tools to repair it myself. I met Sterling at the front and he was kind and very personable. I brought him out to the truck and he explained that he could replace all that stuff or I could do something very simple myself to fix it since it was probably transmission fluid that just hardened on the belt. I spent 3 dollars at Autozone and he was absolutely right about the problem; it went away immediately!
Although they did not do any work on the vehicle, I trust Sterling for giving that advice without trying to make a buck off me. He’s not a salesman, as must mechanics these days tend to be, and I’ll definitely be coming back to him for any future issues!

I came in unannounced at 8 AM with a check-​engine light. I commute a long way, so I really needed my car fixed that day otherwise I’d be stranded 70 miles from home. Sterling delivered. They fixed the issue within a few hours and at a reasonable cost. They even explained in simple terms what was wrong, and let me keep the crappy spark plug. Car runs smoothly. Very happy!

Caught mid-​road trip, 2000 miles from home, anti freeze was coming through the vents. I researched auto repair shops & chose Sterling based on Unilocal reviews. Sterling suggested a quick fix that I could do myself. Diagnosed the problem, added anti-​freeze, on a Saturday, when the repair shop was actually CLOSED, all for no charge! Be aware that Sterling is actually not open on Saturdays. Thank you for your honesty & helpfulness!

The place goes above and beyond. Super trustworthy too. On his day off he came to my house (which is not even a block away from his shop) to listen to my car and give it a quick diagnosis. I mean, who does that?! Sterling does, obviously. 5 stars.

I found Sterling using my AAA app to find an approved mechanic, and have been coming here ever since.
–They’re always incredibly polite, never rude or condescending.
–They’ll explain exactly what’s going on with your car, answer questions you have, and quote you a price including tax before taking any action.
–They will give your car a complete checkup for free, and if you’re having issues will diagnose for free.
–I had a dealer tell me I needed almost a thousand dollars worth of repairs, but Sterling told me one of those repairs would be unnecessary, and in the end I only paid about $ 500.
Honestly, I take my car to the dealer because they have the cheapest oil changes in town, and after they do their 17-​point inspection and report anything they think needs to be fixed, I call Sterling. Every time, the quote is much less than what the dealer told me, and I get to work with much more polite, professional people.

Scenario:
Finals week at WWU, daughter moving out of dorm in between finals and gets first load to storage unit, car won’t start.
Mom lives 5 hours away (on a good day) from said panicked daughter, and gets the dreaded ‘Daughter in Distress’ call.
Mom immediately goes to Unilocal to find an auto shop in a town she’s not familiar with to help her daughter. She calls the first one she finds with good reviews and gets Sterling on the line. Sterling was extremely patient and helpful to the now panicked, somewhat pushy mother. Mother explains situation, expresses her need for immediate resolution of the issue because her daughter needs to get home the following day to prepare for a trip to Europe that is taking place 3 days from then.
Sterling was very helpful and understanding and pushed her car to the front of the pack! Next day, car is ready to go-​new starter in place. and mom and daughter are two happy gals!
Thank you so much for all your help. My daughter will be back to town this fall for some other car repairs and you are the one I will surely call on!

My car made a high pitch whirling sound and died on me when I came to a stop sign. The battery light came on briefly, so I turned off the A/​C and radio, and I was fortunately able to start and drive my car to Sterling’s shop.
All 3 stalls had cars being repaired, and there were a variety of cars parked just outside probably waiting their turn. I was happy to see Toyotas, Mazdas and a PT Cruizer indicating that the mechanics here can handle a wide array of problems regardless of car manufacturer.
Upon entering the business office, I was promptly greeted by Sterling himself. He was friendly, jovial, polite and professional. After introductions and the obligatory customer explanation of sound effects and suspected problem, Sterling stepped outside to inspect my car. My A/​C compressor did indeed need replacement. He looked up the cost of labor, parts and tax and gave me a fair estimate. He also explained that it was something I could go without replacing if I didn’t want to incur the expense and didn’t mind surviving the summer heat without A/​C. The work would take a day to complete once parts had been ordered and received.
While he was looking under the car hood, I also asked him about replacing the plastic piece where the windshield wiper hoses connect. He didn’t have my car’s exact part, but he quickly found a generic piece that allowed the hoses and fluid to do their part, and he offered this service at no charge.
I was delighted at the superior customer service, and I will definitely be back to do any major repair that my car requires for operation.

Sincerely above and beyond expectations. BEYOND.
I called Sterling Automotive in a crisis. I’m driving down Lakeway and my clutch hits the floor and takes a little nap down there. With the kind help of strangers, I got enough pressure in the line to get my car to Sterling. They took my car in the morning, my expectation for completion was two days and I had a phone call within 4 hours!!! WOW!
The crew diagnosed a few other issues that were building and educated me on how to maintain and prevent further damage in the area. I have all the trust in the world for this company. I am fortunate to say I’ve found a shop that I can TRUST!
Take your car here, take it there now.

Updating to share my experience:
Was getting nervous (again) because I had dropped my car off expecting it to be done the next morning but didn’t get a call. I went in to check on it and they said it still hadn’t even been inspected yet so they would give me a call that day at 4:30. Didn’t get a call so called them back this afternoon and they said it was done, phew. They apologized for not calling because it had been a busy day.
I still didn’t know how to feel because I didn’t know what was wrong with my car, what work they had done on my car, and most importantly how much it would cost. Thankfully, all ended well! I got a free break inspection (coupon) and they found that there was just a rock stuck in my brakes. Left there with no charges! YAY, happy Friday y’all
Minus the communication issue and keeping my car there for 2 days, it was still very friendly service!

I took in my son 97 Honda I told sterling it was blowing the fuse that runs the speed sensor/​alternator. At this time I had a good fuse in so the check engine light wasn’t on to get the codes. I told him the alternator was good and I showed him 3 codes of which would come up with the short. I left the car there a half hour later he called and said he couldn’t get the fuse to blow to get the codes and he said the alternator was bad and he said it was more than likely the cause so I told him to replace it. I go to pick up the car and he reads me everyone of the codes I showed him and told me the sensors and two other things needed replaced. Long story short I blew a fuse right after I left his shop my son crawled under the car and found the short. I don’t recommend this place.

I had an excellent experience here. Sterling is very helpful and accommodating, and kept in touch throughout the diagnostic & repair process. Highly recommended.

I have gone to Sterling’s for several years and have been blown away every time at the work done at the shop and Sterling’s way of doing businesses. A great story was when I was in high school and tight on money right before prom Sterling fixed up my car by putting in a new alternator and not charging me a dollar because he knew of my situation. If you’re looking for a no bs mechanic shop this is the place to go. They also offer a student discount! Highly recommend!

Sterling is the best!
My 2000 Honda Accord was acting up last year and after hours of troubleshooting with my Dad, we still couldn’t figure it out. I called AAA and they recommended Sterling!
I had my car towed over to Pasco street, dropped the key in the box and left him a voicemail. The next morning I got a call. In well under 24 hours they had diagnosed my car and recommended that I take it down to Honda for further service. I was expecting a charge for the diagnostics but when I arrived at Sterling Automotive ready to pay, he handed me my keys and sent me on my way without any charge. I was shocked! As a woman, I have been warned many times not to trust mechanics but Sterling Automotive is such an honest business.
I have brought my business back time and time again! Thanks Sterling!

I’m new here and my Tundra started acting up shortly after. My Son in law to be recommended this place. Gave em a try and was very pleased with the service. A few months past and my Sons 98 Honda seems not right. I take in get a check up and leave sad at what is needed. Another week passes and I’m still uneasy about repairs so I go back and Sterling is in. He puts car up shows me the items. Scary worse than I knew. Told me what I need to try and hurry on, what can wait and so forth. I felt much better. Now their not inexpensive but the service is worth the ease of mind provided. So weigh it out, for me the time he took showing me, trying to make affordable made the difference. Thank you Sterling

This is probably the only automotive shop that has not tried to take advantage of the fact that I am a woman who knows very little about cars. They are very honest and straight forward and don’t try to up-​sell you on things you don’t need.
Several months ago, my car died in a coffee drive through due to an overheating battery that melted some fuses and I was towed to Sterling Automotive. Sterling was very friendly and had me all fixed up with a new battery in a couple of hours. He also gave a pretty sweet coffee mug. Unfortunately, today I got in my car and it wouldn’t start. Triple A came and checked it out and found that my new battery had a faulty cell. I drove straight to the shop and they installed a new battery for me at no charge and I was out and about in less than hour. Defiantly headed back if I have anymore car troubles!

I had a bad gut feeling when I first walked in this place and I should have gone with it. This review is not about the work as my car is running great. This about what a skeezy guy Sterling is. As a woman, let me tell you, it is SO difficult to find a mechanic that won’t try to take advantage of you (which is an entirely different story that I won’t include in this review). Fortunately, I know cars well enough that I know when I’m getting taken for a ride. Ladies, do your research and it will save you a ton of money.
I knew the cost for this part that needed replacing and initially that is the same price Sterling quoted me. Then he called me and hemmed and hawed that it was actually going to cost more ($ 70 more than the high-​end he quoted me) but I needed it done quickly so I could get to work, so I said okay. Then he called me again and said «your car is done and the total bill is so-​and-​so, but if you want to throw me another $ 20 or $ 30 under the table. If I’m not there just give it to the person at the counter.» Uhhh what? Seriously? Well, that’s not legal. I also heard him telling this same thing to a customer over the phone so it’s obviously something he does. I’m sorry, but that is sketchy, and if you are trying to get me to pay you extra for doing your job then you should be a waiter. He also told me that since it’s «under the table» that I would need to pay cash, no card. He told me this after he already did the work so, since he had my car, I had to walk to the bank to pull out a couple of hundred dollars because who has that much cash lying around? If I knew this was «under the table» I would’ve taken my business somewhere else. Maybe his business is struggling and he needs to pocket the cash. Who knows?
This guy is clearly doing something illegal and sketchy and I wouldn’t trust him one bit. My car is once again running well so I’m thankful for that, but go somewhere else with your car and your money.

I just took my 06 Subaru Outback today because my car was smoking under the hood profusely. I wanted to take my car in the morning but he was so busy. But, he was kind enough to let me bring in later in the day to check. He fully checked my car for good 20 minutes and told me it was because of a bad oil change. Then, he sat down with me and told me about my car and past repair history for another 15 minutes. All for no charge. He was so knowledgeable and talked to me in the term that I could understand. I am definitely taking my car to him for next service. Too bad I didn’t take my car right away to him.

Taking the time today to write some positive reviews for great service I’ve received over the last couple years.
These guys were straight forward, honest, and made referrals to other similar automotive specialists in town. nice work gents.

Sterling is pretty honest, and he does good work.
He’s more than helpful for the do-​it-​yourself-​er type. I’ve called him and he’s walked me though what to do in a few situations. If I can’t do it myself, the 15% student discount is nice, too. He also lets you bring in your own parts to do the job – which, if you order them off eBay, can save you some serious dough.
Good location, and usually a good turn-​around. Can’t complain.

This place is great. Everyone is so honest and they really do try and work within your budget. They are knowledgeable and accommodating. Ask to speak to Sterling. He will give you the news on your vehicle straight up.
I took my boss’s car in there and they could have charged me anything. Instead they gave me sound advice. Fix this part now, you can wait 6 months for this part, go to this place for tires… Truly honest advice. I really appreciated it.