Smith Muffler

***ATTENTION ALL***
If there was an option for no stars that is what I would pick!!! I’ve been taking my car to Smith for about 2 ½ years for oil changes and never went to another service center. As of my last oil change a week ago I’ve noticed small leaks and thought it was oil run off. I took it in today and they had actually stripped almost every thread out of the pan. I was told by the owner, «it’s not my fault and it just happens». I disagreed as there are specs and procedures to tighten the bolt which I’m sure was not followed. He would not do a thing except make me pay $ 75.00 to fix there damage. Highly unprofessional or fair. I even asked to meet him in the middle and he said «how about $ 150.00 and then $ 75.00». Good luck and run the other way since they do not stand behind their shabby workmanship.

Disaster. 4 days after spending +1100 on a new distributor and tune-​up; the car starts to overheat and the transmission blows up. Had to donate the car
I guess totally unrelated but I would really think they could have seen that.

Smith is AWESOME! I’ve taken every car I’ve ever owned to them. Todd is the best and always takes care of me.

We asked them if they started because we had got a better quote he said they had already started. An hour later one of the workers informs us they just got the part an are about to start. Well here is your 1 star earned fair & square shady dealings from a shady company.. . Excuse me I take that back its been over an hour and he said as soon as the part arrives they will start. update: We’ve been here four hours in the part still hasnt arrived had he informed us they didn’t have the parts we would have got it done the next time but because they lied we ended up here for over 5 hours and counting. My family has been coming here since the original owner started the business that ends today.

I have used these guys for everything through the years. They have 20 huge bays and are very fast, most jobs while you wait. I would highly recommend the Smith family for any and every car repair. They start at 8 and are first come first serve so get there early and enjoy a real business take care of you!

This is a convenient service place whether you are in downtown Cincinnati or Covington Ky. They are a full service offering repairs and tires. I have used them an emergency situations as well as routine maintenance,

Judging from the positive reviews here, some people have had good experiences with Smith Mufflers and Brakes. Unfortunately, my experience was not so positive.
I had recently relocated to Covington and as luck would have it, my car refused to start one morning this past September. Not knowing much about the mechanics in the area, and despite being warned against Smith by a friend and former Smith’s customer, I figured I didn’t have much choice and had the car towed to Smith’s since it was close, and being so large a business, I figured it could be fixed pretty quickly.
It turned out that I needed a new alternator, and while I knew that wouldn’t be cheap, I was shocked when the total bill came to over $ 650. After the fact, I discovered that there were cheaper alternator options, but the Smith’s technician didn’t mention them. He claimed they would have to get the part from «northern Ohio». Later on, I found out the Autozone in Covington had an alternator for my car in stock and it ran about $ 150 – 160. The cost on my bill from Smith for the part was $ 300.
When I went to pick up the car, the technician tried to sell me half a dozen other services, including an air filter. Not an expensive item, but at this point, I didn’t want them doing anything else. He became aggravated with me when I said I’d take care of the filter later: «Really?!? Your car has to have this!» He then proceeded to put on the receipt in all caps that I refused the air filter. His attitude and manner of speaking were belittling.
I figured I’d chalk this up to a bad decision on my part to go to Smith’s and just find a different mechanic for future repairs. Fast forward to this past Friday night: my car stalled at a busy intersection in downtown Cincinnati. When I tried to restart it, there was a very strong smell of gas. I had the car towed to Firestone in Covington and the next day when I called, they informed me that the fuel line was knocked loose. I lost about a half a tank of gas.
When I asked how the fuel line could come loose, the technician told me that fuel lines typically don’t just come loose and that the line most likely was knocked loose when the alternator was replaced, since they are in close proximity. Of course, I don’t think I could prove this now since I went to a different mechanic, and frankly, I don’t want them touching my car again.
Since the alternator was replaced, I’ve taken several long road trips. I could have broken down, alone, at any time.
Like I said, that’s great that others have had positive experiences, but I am of the opinion that maybe Smith has gotten a little too big, perhaps. They don’t seem interested in finding affordable options for their customers or in doing consistently high quality work. My friend the former Smith’s customer told me that she had them service her car for years without issue but then in the last few years, their quality had taken a nosedive. I guess with their volume of business, they just don’t care when they do something wrong or not to the best of their ability.

These guys are the best! I have taken my car here a handful of times for different reasons, and I have never felt overcharged, cheated, or helpless. They really keep you in the loop throughout the day through the diagnosis, cost estimate, and treatment. I needed a custom part for my car that was really hard to find and they were able to get it and install and get my car back to me all in the same day.
This is where I will be taking my car so long as I’m living in the Greater Cincinnati area!

I have been to Smith Muffler and Brake several times since I moved to Northern Ky. Mostly muffler work for cars and trucks. So when my wife’s Subaru Outback needed a Muffler we passed the CarX and Midas shops on the way to Covington.
The News was not good and it got worse. It took 4 hours to diagnoses the problem and give us a price. It was obvious they were busy so we cut them some slack. $ 940 for a Y pipe and catalytic converter. With no other options or cheaper fix. It took 7 days to order the parts??? Seemed a little long to us while driving a loud car. Everyday they kept saying we’ll call you.
On the 7^th day My wife called and Todd said you are next in line… that is great except our car was not in the shop. So she dropped it off waited another 5 hrs to call them back to be told we were just getting ready to call you to say you are done and we close in 30 minutes.
Smith muffler was a little light on service. Car is fixed we’re $ 940 lighter. We’ll probably go back but we will shop around more next time.
Ooops her brake light just came on today.

Very impressive operation. Quick, affordable, honest and straight forward family business. In and out in a couple hours is typical with their 18 garage bays. Pricing was straightforward, offered options to fit my budget and the aged nature of my lil corolla.
I will definately reccomend to my friends. If you work downtown Cincy and use another mechanic you’ll wanna give these guys a chance to earn your bidness.

I have been going to Smith Muffler since 2006. They are professional, accurate and keep you posted on all car expenses.
There are two things I really like. First, you bring your car in the morning, and they will tell you to wait, return at the end of the day or wait for a phone call. They have never been wrong! Second, they handle my stress well. Two years ago, my 91 Honda Civic was only using 2 cylinders. I didn’t believe them. They were kind and patient with me and insisted on running the test with me watching. When I was still a bit overwhelmed about what to do, they talked with my brother (a car mechanic).
In addition, they will give you a ride to a car rental place if you need it OR you can walk the ½ mile to the TANK transit station on Madison.

I have been going to this place to service the underside of my autos for almost 30 years. Prior to this place I always went to _​idas _​uffler. Lew Smith’s never has given me a bum deal and I have to say that I must have been there at least 12 times in this time period with different cars. From muffler to suspension work, they always have me in and out in about 1−2+ hours. I try to stop by before lunch time, and then walk to one of the area eaterys to kill some time.
Their prices can’t be beat, and the one time I had to come back with a problem, they fixed it pronto. They will not try to over-​sell anything, BUT the mechanic will take you out to the shop floor to have a look at things that might be a problem, that you maybe didn’t know about. I always appreciate being shown a problem. You then are asked if you want to take care of it then, or not… your choice. I have been given alternatives when this happens.
They have so many bays in the building that there is rarely much wait time… maybe 20 – 30 minutes before getting you into a bay to check out the problem you came for.
I send all my friends there and would not go anywhere else with my autos. HIghly recommended

See Todd, Mike or Alan and tell’em I sent you for fast quality service on more than mufflers. they have a ton of garage bays so they can seemingly get you right. The service counter can be a bit intimidating when you walk up with staff on the phone, printing service orders and talking to customers describing the rattle that occurs when they hit the brakes on a hill but they WILL get to you and all those fears will fade away. The chandeliers in the garages are unique and worth asking about…

I’m constantly trying to find a mechanic that won’t completely take advantage of me. I’m not completely sure that Smith has lived up to my expectations but they have been pretty consistent with service and I’ve been going there for years. I’ve had them work on brakes, exhaust and have almost exclusively been getting my oil changed there. Drop your car off early in the morning and they will have an estimate to you in several hours. Work can often be completed on the same day. When I was working downtown they offered drop off and pick up to my job which helped my maintain my transportation. Be aware if you are a non-​smoker that the waiting area can be nearly intolerable.