Apna Garage

My SO’s Honda was leaking oil at the rate of about a quart a month. She had the timing belt (with the associated seals) changed about a year ago… and that seems to be about the time it started leaking. Rather than going back to the shop that might have caused the problem in the first place, we searched Unilocal for a well-​reviewed shop to take a look at it. That is how we ended up at Apna Garage and met Jay (or Jatin, according to other reviews).
Jay put the car on the lift and took a look underneath. The bottom of the engine was soaked in oil. He lowered the car and removed part of the timing belt cover. His guess was that the oil leak was due to a leaking seal on the front of the engine. He strongly recommended she take the car back to the shop that had done the seals (when they changed the timing belt) and see what they would do for her in terms of doing the work for a reduced price. We appreciated his turning down the work… so she might save a few bucks. He then refused any payment for the half hour he had spent examining her car. You might say he made a very good first impression on us.
The old shop changed the seals for $ 400 (ouch!). When she picked up the car, they said that she needed her brakes done… and that it would cost about $ 500 to do the job. We decided to ask for a second opinion regarding the cost of the work. There was also an issue with the «Check Engine Light» which was constantly on. The shop would not tell her the cause… but just told her to come back before her annual vehicle inspection so they could reset it. This did not seem to be a satisfactory answer to the problem.
We returned to Apna and asked Jay about the Check Engine Light and for an estimate for the brake job. He identified the problem with the Check Engine Light as a failed catalytic converter and showed us the readout on the OBD analyzer that identified the problem. Bad news, but not unexpected with a car with 135k on it. He gave her the option of an oem catalytic converter or an after market one with a better warranty (and price). After all was said and done, she had a new catalytic converter AND a brake job for $ 150 more than the former garage wanted for the brake job alone. To top it off, he did this work in a four hour window on a Sunday.
I think Jay makes a new friend every time another person finds their way to his modest garage. He seems to really enjoy explaining what is involved in repairing their car. I believe the car repair advice he gives to his customers is the same advice he would give to a family member.
To sum up: Read the reviews about this place. Suspend your disbelief that such a mechanic is in business near Decatur… because he is. His business hours are a little odd… he comes in about 11 AM and stays late (long commute), but he is open weekends. He works on almost all Japanese and Korean makes (I think Subaru may be an exception). I recommend him without reservation to anyone that owns one of these cars.

Jay is the best. My whole family works on cars, and I’ve grown up rebuilding classic cars with them, and I can say from experience Jay is the most honest and knowledgeable mechanics I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking my car to. I have a 2003 Honda with almost 200k miles on it, and he keeps it running like it’s brand new. As long as I’m in Atlanta, I’ll never trust anyone else. His prices are great, and he’s so friendly and easy to talk to. He even looked up all the repair notes on a car I was looking at buying to see what the major issues for that make, model and year so I could make an informed buying choice.

I’d been seriously putting off getting my car checked out for an issue since I was worried it could set me back hundreds of dollars. Plus I hate getting any service because I’m not much of a car person, and it always seems like the dealership is trying to milk me for more money. But after going to Apna Garage, I sure wished I’d come in sooner!
Owner/​sole mechanic Jay/​J doesn’t talk down to you, and he explains everything thoroughly and welcomes questions. Granted, I know beans about cars, but I didn’t feel stupid or like I was just a big huge dollar sign. And I walked away feeling like I learned a lot about my vehicle which was very rewarding. Now I can say I’ve walked under my car! The repairs and maintenance were affordable too.
Try to go at off-​peak times, or be ready to wait as it’s first come, first served. Apna Garage is hidden away behind the little shopping center just south of the emissions place on DeKalb Industrial. Highly recommended for your Japanese car care needs!

I have a great tire guy and a great towing guy. I think I just found my great mechanic guy.
He promptly figured out what was wrong with my car and assured me that he would have it fixed THAT DAY. I’m sure it would’ve taken some other mechanics at least the weekend. Yes, the place doesn’t have the «gleam» of your corner Jiffy Lube, but what it does have — a trustworthy, efficient mechanic — MORE than satisfies. You can’t go wrong here.

So, I called Jatin since my car was making this weird sound, and he saw me as soon as he could. It’s a one-​man car place, so your wait time and service depends on how many cars are in front of you! He did his work and is a good conversationalist. He has parts in his shop (bulbs, oil, etc.) and also has a runner to get things, like brake pads and tire covers. He did my brake pads change within an hour, providing that I was there super early on a Sunday morning with no one in front of me.
Notes about this place:
–Weekends: first come first serve, Saturdays are the busiest, so expect longer waits on a Saturday.
–Accepts credit cards (I’m not sure about cash??)
–A bit busted up and no seating space, but I didn’t mind. There are shops in the area to walk about.
–No body work, but he provides a referral
–Only Japanese cars
Overall, I’d highly recommend him for your car care needs!

This place is awesome! I needed a simple oil change but the dude J went the extra mile as others have said. Friendly guy, just chatted to him while he was working and he gave me some useful tips. In return I gave him a tip. Go here! (but not on Saturdays, J said it’s too damn busy on Saturdays).

I think I found my new mechanic! I went to Apna Garage for the first time today after reading all of the positive reviews on Unilocal and I’m glad I did. The service was fast, friendly and most importantly to me, affordable. You never hope for any issues with your car but at least I know exactly where to take it when one comes up.

J, is so nice, reiterating what everyone has already said. the guy even checked in with me the next day to make sure the ride was good. simple brake replacement, but he put air in the tires and threw in some windshield wipers cause mine were old. will definitely be coming back.

Jay, Is a remarkable individual that will tell you what needs to be done and nothing more. He will not try to sell you on any other services other than what you came for. I bought a used car and started having problems with it. I decided to take it to Jay upon a recommendation instead of the dealership. He flat out told me I needed to get rid of the car because it would only be a money pit. He warned me that if I were to take it to a dealership that they would take advantage of me and let me pay out hundreds of dollars for this car that basically would always be in the shop. I am so grateful that I was able to get an honest opinion from Jay. I will definitely be returning when I purchase a new car to get it serviced here.

I never write Unilocal reviews, but had to praise Apna Garage. I received a less than honest repair and bill at another garage and was simply looking for a quality second opinion on a couple of matters. Jatin was ridiculously warm, honest and friendly. He explained what was going on with my car in a manner that I could understand and then relay to my boyfriend. He spent time and energy just to help me out and didn’t even accept any compensation. How lovely is that?

I needed an oil change, and I chose to go here based on a friend’s recommendation. I know that saying the same thing as all the other reviews is beating a dead horse, but what the reviews say about this place is really true: Apna Garage is a business that provides really solid service and is honestly run.
There’s no waiting area; it’s literally just a garage. While he was taking care of my car, Jatin (the owner?) likes to chat and make jokes. I wasn’t expecting a car guy to be so personable, but he’s definitely cool and not annoying/​creepy lol.
I also had him examine other things that I thought might’ve been wrong with my car at the time (I recently bought the car used). He happily obliged, and told me afterwards that there was nothing wrong. Finally, he filled up my tires even though they didn’t need attention; he stated «you’ll need this for the cold weather we’ve been having lately». What a guy.
In most well-​known garages, you can just feel it in your bones: they just want your money. That’s certainly not the case at this garage. Need more proof? They even offer an oil change for just $ 15 if you bring your own oil (…actually, I’m not sure if this is a short-​term offer or a normal thing… but still!)

I found my new mechanic, and this dude cracks me up! Haha.
Moving to Atlanta for the first time, I’ve obviously had to find everything new. From vets to grocery stores to even friends, I’ve had to practically start my life all over. So when my car felt a little rough when driving over those terrible metal plates that serve as an alternative to filling in potholes, I thought my shocks didn’t work anymore.
I looked for highly-​rated auto shops in the Atlanta metro and decided to drop by Apna. I mean, 38 reviews with a five star average? That’s impressive, and it’s totally worth the twenty-​minute drive from Midtown. It’s my car, after all. My experience:
LOCATION: Apna is a hideaway tucked in the back of a building that sells Bollywood movies and on the side of the Waffle House.
ABOUT APNA: It’s a one-​man operation held down by Jay. (Not sure how to spell his name.) One garage only exists, and he does everything.
WHY I CAME: I explained the situation to Jay. He then asked if he could take the car for a ride with me. We drove around the parking lot, and around the neighborhood, and he determined that my shocks were fine.
HIS DIAGNOSIS: He measured the pressure in all of my tires, and found that they all fell 15 PSI aboe what they should’ve been. Unfortunately, I filled up my tires at a gas station the week before, and it read incorrectly. He jokingly said, «at least all the tires are equally over-​inflated.» Haha. But seriously, without him, I could’ve had a tire pop and been in an accident.
PRICE: He did everything for free and even gave me a complimentary tire gauge. What a great guy!
OVERALL: I’m not giving him a five-​star rating, because he gave me a free assessment or tire gauge. I’m giving him five-​stars, because he’s honest and not looking to hustle his customers. Back in Minnesota, I brought my car to a Honda dealership for over five years to get it serviced, and each time they ripped me off. (I found out I was being ripped off, from a family friend.) At Apna, I know who I’m dealing with, and he’s got a good heart.
Support this awesome local business.

So glad I found a local mechanic I like! Jatin is great, he didn’t try to sell me anything extra and I felt like he cared about my best interests. He was very funny and kept making jokes which is a fun bonus when you’re taking care of an unenjoyable chore like fixing your car. He charged me even less than he had quoted me over the phone which was so nice. He followed up with me a few days later to make sure my car was doing better. I very much recommend him, it was the nicest car repair experience I’ve ever had.

This has to be your go-​to guy if you ever have any issues with your car. I’ve been going here for over 3 years now. Jatin has done work for my old car and now my new car and he never fails to do an amazing job! He is very thorough and what I like most is that he’s extremely honest! He will never try to show you problems in your car that don’t exist. He always shows me exactly what’s wrong with the car and gives me a full explanation. Very great pricing! He is also super fast! Does not like to keep you without a car long at all! Once you go here, you’ll continue to trust him with all your car needs! He is honest, smart and very reliable! He even checked in with me a couple days later to make sure everything was to my liking! Highly recommend him!

I wish I had discovered this place 2 years ago when I started grad school and not just before leaving Atlanta. Jatin is very professional, knowledgeable, gives best advice and foremost — HONEST! He tells you exactly what your car needs/​the why & where a certain problem and gives the best advice & service for your buck.
Had a issue with my battery which I’d bought from another place a few months back. The place I bought it from kept telling me different reasons for the problem — alternator/​cables loose/​rusted or apparent leak while telling me the battery was alright. When I got it checked from Jatin, it turns out all of the above were fine, the battery installed was of wrong capacity!!! He believes in trying the simplest tests/​solutions first. Above all this he ordered and installed a battery at half the price what the other place cost me. That’s honesty and true service. I have got a couple of other things fixed for my car from him since after, no complaints thus far.

I had a little difficulty finding the actual garage (it’s tucked away behind the hand wash place).
But I was first up and greeted by Jay. What was so nice and helpful was that he showed me everything that was going on with my car instead of expecting me to blindly believe him. He was honest and kept it simple. I appreciated the show and tell tremendously!
Oil change was $ 25
I’d highly recommend Apna Garage for Toyotas, Hondas, and Lexus.

Knowledgeable, professional and fair priced!
On the outside Jay’s place is kinda small and looks a bit rundown but I’ve honestly never met a mechanic who’s as kind and personable as he is. Awesome experience!

It’s not often somewhere has 5-​stars with 20+ reviews… This place is absolute deserved of it. Jatin is such a gem. He’s so cool and kind and knowledgable about cars. Got into a wreck and felt horrible. Meeting Jatin was a silver-​lining to a very dark cloud of a situation. I had to leave for North Carolina the same day, so didn’t have time to get my car fixed. He put it on the lift and checked it out thoroughly and explained everything going on with it… In a nice and detailed way that was easy for someone like me, who doesn’t know all too much about cars, to understand. And he showed me everything he was saying. I probably took a good 20 minutes of his time, but he didn’t want to accept any money from me. He knew I was from out of state… So it’s not like he was doing that to try and earn a future customer or anything; he is just a genuinely kind person.
On top of being so honest and nice, Jatin is also really funny and such an enjoyable person to be around… Which can be important, because car troubles never put anyone in a good mood. So it’s good to interact with good people through all the bedtimes.
I’d absolutely recommend this place to my friends and family and anyone and everyone. And definitely will come back here if I have car troubles in Atlanta again… Which I don’t imagine will happen.

My friend and I got into an accident while on a road trip and needed a quick fix on our way out of Atlanta. Jatin took a look at the car and determined that we would definitely need a new fan and bumper and warned us that the car could overheat in traffic, so to be careful. He helped us put the bumper back on so it wasn’t dragging on the ground. He wouldn’t accept any money from us. He also gave my friend water while we were waiting.
We made the drive to North Carolina safely, and when we were about an hour away, Jatin called to make sure we made it safely! What a great guy and ethical, knowledgable business.

Been here several times for basic maintenance as well as more major mechanical issues. Just had my cracked radiator replaced, as well as high/​low pressure hoses for power steering, and the final price seemed very fair, and likely much less than most other places. Additionally, he changed my oil and fixed the blocked/​clogged motor for the washer fluid, and did not charge anything above his initial quote that didn’t even include that work. When car was picked up, the stereo wouldn’t turn on, and it seemed like an issue caused during the process of everything else getting fixed. I had to leave my car again, and it was a Sunday. While I stressed to Jay that I didn’t mind leaving it for a few more days, he spent most of his Sunday evening working on it and finding out what the mysterious source of the issue was (ended up being a blown fuse behind the stereo). He stressed that he won’t charge me, even though he spent 3 hours on the work.
I could go on about the kind of customer service Jay provides, but all of my experiences are similar to this particular example. Basically, if you want a person that fixes your car (and fixes only what needs fixing), charges fairly, gets things done quickly, and treats customers with respect (all of these things are almost never an option at most car shops… my guess…) then this is where you need to take your car. I’ve recommended him to all my friends and will continue to send customers his way. I don’t think it gets better than what you get at Apna Garage!