O’gorman’s West Towne Auto Service

We have been going to O’Gorman’s for about seven years. It’s a nice facility. We have found them to be friendly and trustworthy, answering our questions. They have many good deals/​coupons including rewards that build up based on previous work with them. If an issue has come up (for example a tire they installed wearing out sooner than expected) they have always resolved the issue to our liking.
I keep a log of repairs and haven’t found any intentional mischief with suggested repairs. Usually they are catching things I knew would need fixing soon.
In my experience any mechanic will have reviews like some posted here as they are only human, may make a mistake, may charge more than another mechanic. It comes down to: are these people you can trust and work with overall and who will iron out occasional issues to your satisfaction? We are happy with O’Gorman’s.

Needed to get an emissions test done today.
Called ahead to see if I needed to make an appointment and was told no and that they did the testing from 8a-​12p and then from 1:30p-5p. Got there around 1:45 and saw a sign that said there was a 45 minute wait for an emissions test. That’s cool. I can see that there’s cars in the bay, so they’re probably busy getting other work done. Not a problem. I ask if I can just put my name on a list and come back in 45 minutes. Nope. They need me to leave the car, but she suggests going down the road to Fast Track. I do. Fast Track kicked ass. Good job Ricky. Whole thing was wrapped up in less than 10 minutes. So what the hell did they need to hold my car for 45 minutes for? O’Gorman’s seemed very disinterested in being helpful in any capacity. So, thanks for recommending that I take any future business to one of your competitors I guess?

I took my daughters car there because the high pressure hose from the power steering reservoir was leaking. So nearly $ 600 later it doesn’t leak at the top. It leaks somewhere else. Since it’s my daughters first car she didn’t know she got a horrible repair job. I only noticed when I took the car for a drive. It sucks. She’s been driving a car that that could be potentially dangerous. Please avoid this place.

Apparently there is a pattern in the manner in which they operate…
BUYER BEWARE. If you take your car there for an oil change, get it done and ignore whatever they tell you above and beyond that… their intention is NOT an honest one. Incorrect (intentional?) diagnosis plus much higher repair costs than even a dealer!
Here’s my experience:
Brought the car for an oil change because I had a «free» gift card I had gotten at an auction. Assuming the oil change was done correctly, I have not much to say about that.
Here’s where the ugly comes in: The girl comes out and says to me (with grave concern in her voice) that my car needs immediate attention and 2 specific repairs done. One, a leak in the radiator hose, and a second, both shocks need to be replaced immediately. She tried to have me approve the work right there and then (over $ 700 worth, no less), but knowing better (wise general approach in how to handle a similar situation no matter where you go), I thanked her for the information and that I would have it looked at elsewhere (somewhere I trust for starters).
Because she said the radiator leak needed immediate attention (like NOW), I took the car to my trusted mechanic. An hour later he calls back… «hmmm, there is a SMALL leak but not from the hose, but a sensor»… (mind you, O’Gorman’s wanted to replace the hose… so they would have NOT fixed the issue)…end result, an already lower quote for a hose replacement went down… total savings in comparison to O’Gorman’s of over $ 100 PLUS the fact that their repair would have NOT fixed the issue to begin with.
Second matter… shocks. No such thing. My trusty shop keeps good records, and they were able to determine when they replaced my shocks (I had totally forgotten). When I talked to them on the phone they said «if the shocks are bad, most likely they’re still under warranty so we’ll take care of that for you»… great to know, but even then the end result is that the shocks were perfectly fine, new (a year old) and absolutely NOTHING wrong with them.
BUYER BEWARE… Scammers… Scammers, Scammers!

If you want them to tell during an oil change that the brakes you had replaced 3 months ago need to be replaced because they are original to the 3-​year old car then you will love O’Gormans.

My 1^st experience with them was not good at all but Sean reached out to me and apologized for the experience I had. We communicated via email a couple times and through those emails we were able to reach a solution that I and they were happy with.
I was shocked and impressed that Sean cares so much to try and make the customer happy and figure out the root of the problem. Because of his actions, I will consider taking our vehicle back here if it needs any repairs.

The professional approach of the owner and the technician was appreciated. The place is clean, up-​to-​date, and friendly. We look forward to using them again.

O’Gorman’s has been my car shop for years and I will continue to go back. I enjoy speaking with the women up front, they answer my questions and explain what I need to know. I did ask to see what they recommended last time and the technician showed me everything, it was really nice! They have stood by the warranty for me when I had an issue. I don’t think they are the cheapest shop in town (although, they always send me coupons :-) but I prefer going here over the dealer and feel they do actually care about me! Thank you for the good service!

It’s been more than three years since my encounter with O’Gorman’s, but the experience left such a bad taste in my mouth, I feel I need to spit it out now. The memory was prompted by a mailer we received from the shop at our new address in Seattle (!).
We brought my wife’s Civic to O’Gormans for a routine oil change December 2009. No complaints on that front. They did the work we asked, used a synthetic blend oil, per my request, blah blah blah.
After changing the oil and looking over the car, the mechanics determined that the brakes and battery needed to be changed. How they handled this is where I have serious problems with the shop.
I made two mistakes in the situation:
1. I gave them my wife’s number as point of contact.
The lady in the shop called with the update that the brakes and battery would need to be replaced. She suggested that the pads were dangerously worn (they had not been making noise). She said that the battery was almost dead and likely to break down if my wife went to the store in the middle of the night in the winter. Fortunately, my wife is very savvy and too smart to be manipulated by this fear mongering. The battery was fine all winter, and we didn’t end up replacing it until eight months later. Even then, it wasn’t on its last legs. That the brakes and battery were worn much less than she made them out to be was the least of my concerns. If I can’t trust a shop to treat my wife like a person, I’ll take my business elsewhere.
2. I asked for a written estimate for the repairs.
When I went to pick up the car, I wanted more details on what they would be fixing if I decided to hire them to do the brakes … the number my wife had been given on the phone was a lot higher than I expected. So, I asked for an estimate. The lady in the shop refused, until I insisted that I just wanted to know what I would be paying for. Apparently they were having a problem with potential customers getting estimates there and using them to get a lower price at competing shops. With the way I was treated, it’s not a surprise.
The estimate for the brakes was around 350 and the battery, 150 installed. The shop insisted on changing rotors and pads as a set, and would not do only the pads even at my request. I’ve changed pads only plenty of times on my cars, but they’re not the first people I’ve heard suggest that you should do both at the same time. I ended up changing the pads myself for $ 80, and when we got the battery done later on, it was $ 90 with free installation from another shop.
(Regarding the mailer I mentioned at the beginning … we’ve moved three times since getting service done at O’Gorman’s, this last, to Seattle, and continue to receive their mailings!)

Women BEWARE! This so called auto service locale is your typical «Let’s rip off women» type of place. I am extremely disappointed and disgusted at the thought of how much I would have spent had I not had a second opinion. I recently dropped my car off to have a howling noise looked at. About 2 hours later I received a call where the costs seemed terribly high for just a slight noise but then again, what do I know? That’s why you go to the expert, right? At any rate, I declined the services and took my car elsewhere. To my dismay, O’Gorman Auto Service mechanics recommended parts be replaced that had no business being replaced. 1. Serpentine belt. According to the estimate, it was cracked and needed to be replaced. When double checked, the belt was like new-​NO REPLACEMENT NEEDED! 2. Water Pump was leaking. The water pump was not leaking, it was the condensation frm the A/​C! 3. Air & Cabin Filter needed to be replaced but I MYSELF had replaced the air filter the day before and the cabin filter was replaced 6 months ago. My car needed an alternator, which they did have on the estimate as well. Makes me wonder if these mechanics take pride in their work or if they’re proud of providing an estimate of over $ 800 for fictional work.
I would NOT recommend this place not in the least bit! It’s a relief knowing that I knew better than to trust such an outrageous quote but others may not be as lucky. Hope this review can deter anyone from thinking they can trust O’Gorman or their employees.