Paradise Garage

Paradise is awesome! As some people have noted, they are BUSY. Although this can be inconvenient, I take it as a good sign that so many people trust them with their cars.
Their prices are very reasonable and they actually have referred me to specialists numerous times when they were unable to give me the best price.
Additionally, the woman who works at the desk is AWESOME. Super professional, she can break down the price for you so you understand exactly what they’re doing. As a young woman, I appreciate talking to someone that doesn’t try to awkwardly flirt with me or act like a patronizing father figure (as I’ve experienced at numerous auto shops in the past).

Had a great experience at Paradise. Everyone who works there is very friendly and nice. I would recommend going here.

I have always had a good experience with Paradise, but they are busy. Make sure to schedule appointments and be prepared to leave your car for several hours.

Don’t listen to the people who complain about this place. They probably would have a complaint for every aspect of their lives if you asked them. Anyway, Paradise is a great business. They are honest about their work, have great prices, and all around good character. What more can you ask for from a garage? I went in to get my car reinspected and a guy came out to the alley to replace my lightbulbs for me and printed off my sticker. It took a few minutes. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Dropped my car off at 2:30pm and waited until 6:30 before they could inspect my car. My car was rejected when its never been rejected before. They had a long list of items to get fixed that I have never been told was a problem. Don’t go!

Poor customer service and expensive prices. They can’t accommodate same-​day requests, so they recommend appointments. I made one for an oil change a few days in advance, and dropped off the car first thing in the morning. When I showed up, they didn’t have a record of my appointment, but told me they could get the job done by the end of the day. I called a half hour before they closed, and they hadn’t gotten to the car. They promised to get to it first thing in the morning, which meant that it was done around noon the following day. To add insult to injury, the cost of the oil change was significantly more expensive than at the dealership… which is notorious for price gouging. Won’t be returning.

Everyone who works here is really nice. I don’t know much about cars, but I feel confident that they were being fair with their pricing.

I cannot express how grateful I am to find an Auto Service & Repair Service who takes care of people better. (and automobiles, of course!) I have been taking my 08 Prius with Paradise Garage for the last year for frequent maintenance as I drive a lot in my sales job. Paradise Garage has been thorough, efficient and accommodating: So accommodating that the helped my visiting 81 year old dad get on his way safely to his next destination, Atlanta GA with a last minute oil change.
Their pricing is very fair, they look out for their customers and as importantly, they FIX the car! Thank you Paradise Garage for being the Rock Stars of the car maintenance world!

So I haven’t even gone to get my car yet, but I just got a call stating my car passed inspection. I’m just so excited! Since I’ve had my car I’ve always kind of gotten ripped off when it comes to inspection time since its older. It’s like a target for mechanics to cash out. This place is HONEST and friendly from the moment you walk into to the door to receiving a phone call back. It didn’t hurt they had a puppy as soon as I walked in too (sorry Greg for wanting to steal your dog haha). I also love that the owner is involved in his company. My fiancé checked in to see his availability and though he was busy he was really nice and told us a good time to bring it in. I instantly felt like my car was in good hands. For now on when I need any future repairs, these are my go-​to guys. They were slammed full and are really busy so if you go there be sure to think ahead. It’s so worth it! It’s really weird to see negative reviews from people on here bc I’ve had some really bad experiences before with about 5+ places. This is the most sincere place I’ve been to in a long time. What a relief!

My car just stopped when I was on the highway when it was snowing in Feb. and I had to get it towed to a shop. This one happened to be open at the time and they even waited for my car to come in despite the snow building up. They looked at my car as soon as they reopened after the snow and told me that the repair the needed to be done (spark plug blew out and took the threading with it) would be very costly for them to do but they had done preliminary research for me and found that it should be covered under warranty if I take it to the dealership.
I cannot say how grateful I am for their advice and honesty. Because they gave me a head’s up with that information I did my own research and verification with the car maker which came in handy when the dealership tried to scam me out of my money by saying it wasn’t covered (vaguely told me not covered by my warranty after which I quoted the warranty to them and then had to tell them I knew the mileage on my car their only response being, ‘they marked the mileage up wrong’).
I’ll definitely be back for future services and have literally told everyone I know about how grateful I am with my first time despite only doing a diagnostic there.

I had hit a curb with my car, going fast– and immediately noticed a marked change in the steering and the feel of the car– I absolutely knew that with a mishap like that, it’s not a question of «is the car damaged» but rather «how badly is the car damaged?»
So because of all the good reviews I decided to try Paradise– I’m still on a seemingly endless search for a good mechanic. I explained what happened, dropped the car and left. They have my car the entire morning, and a little after lunch hour I get a call from them saying that there’s nothing wrong with the car. They said it had some body damage underneath– they were very vague about that and no one bothered explaining anything or talking to me about it despite me asking– and that I needed to get it aligned. That’s it. I tried telling them the car made a squeaking noise now when I turned the wheel, and was driving completely different, but that was that. They were not interested in discussing it, come and get my car. Ok.
So I went to pick the car up, and not only had they had my car most of the day to tell me nothing is wrong with it, when clearly, there is, but I had a nearly $ 50 to pay for their insight on this. Now I have to find some other mechanic and I’m almost $ 50 in the hole. Thanks guys. You know, if you’re going to tell me nothing is wrong, at least spend maybe 2 – 5 minutes explaining to me what you DID actually do, what you looked at and observed, what could be wrong in this situation. I don’t know because no one cared enough to talk to me. Did you drive it? Did you put it on the lift? What parts did you check? Where was the «body damage» and what effect could this have on the car? Isn’t my $ 50 worth that?
So what really struck me about this whole experience, is that these guys simply did not care about me, my car, my car’s problem. Not a single f@ck given. I have seldom been made to feel so small and insignificant. I’m sure their friends get their cars worked on here, love them, post great reviews. If anyone had bothered to talk to me at all they would have found they probably know a lot of the same folks I do– one of my bands played a show at this place a few years back. So, no I don’t expect the rockstar red carpet, but it doesn’t feel good to be treated like you barely exist either. But I guess if you’re getting $ 50 for nothing you don’t need to worry about your business sense. Never again.

Easy, convenient, honest!

Vernon is not only an excellent mechanic but he really knows his way around synthetic lubricants.

Overall I’ve had pretty good experiences with this garage.
The first time I took my car there, the bill ended up being more expensive than the initial estimate, even thought the work was the same. I asked about it though and they explained the bill included parts from a different supplier than the first estimate. They hadn’t finished the work yet and were able to bring the price back down, but I would have paid more if I hadn’t asked.

I took my car here last year and received what I felt to be great service. I actually went twice, 1^st time no problem found, they didn’t charge me a diagnostic fee but suggested I drive for a week and see if the problem happens again-​it did and so again I went back, this time they were able to pull the code and fix the problem. I did get the diagnostic fee this time which I had no problem with and understood. Everyone was friendly, explained in detail the problem, fair pricing and overall just great service. I have referred them a few times since then.

Finding an honest auto repair place is like finding an honest politician these days. I am incredibly glad to say that Paradise Garage is the needle in a haystack in that regard.
I went to Paradise Garage twice, once because I needed oil badly for my car (it burns oil occasionally, necessitating refills) and another time for an inspection. When I went for the oil, they happily gave it to me AT COST and without delay, leaving me stunned at their incredible generosity. I made sure to give my inspection business to them as well, and they were quick and efficient about it.
In the past, I would usually go to Merchant’s knowing I would be price-​gouged and given unnecessary service. Now that I have Paradise Garage on my radar, suddenly the prospect of auto repair doesn’t seem so bad anymore.

I park by a wall in my apartment’s garage and though I try to be careful, my hand slipped a few days ago while backing out and my right rear view mirror got bumped against the wall and popped out. Thankfully nothing broke, but I tried my best to pop it back in and just couldn’t do it. I called paradise, heard they were wonderful, and asked if I could get a quote. I told Greg that I had popped my mirror out but that nothing seemed to be broken. He told me to just drop by and he’d pop it back in for me! I finally got around to it today and sure enough, after several attempts and some finessing, he got it back in and working, no charge! Just a friendly «come back and see us». If I ever have car trouble in the future, you bet paradise will be the first place I go.
They seem to run an honest business and are genuinely nice people, not looking to squeeze money out of you anyway they can. This kind of service is a rare gem these days. Though I didn’t really get any work done here, I would highly recommend them as several people I know have had great experiences with paradise too.

Easy to schedule, good service, honest folks, quick turnaround. I came for a synthetic oil change and annual inspection. When I called to make my appointment, they talked a good while with me on the phone to establish a quote (had to make sure I could afford it). I was 30min late to my appointment, but the mechanics at the desk were accommodating, saying it was totally fine. Took a little over 1.5hrs, and all I had to do was sit in a nearby Carytown/​Fan coffeeshop (there are several, and highly recommended) and wait for the phone call to tell me my car was ready. They even had couches in the reception area in case you wanted to wait there (or are just too lazy to move without your car).
I felt confident, as other Unilocalers did, that the mechanics would only charge me the amount they needed to and again at an extremely fair price without all that «fluff». I’d highly recommend this crew for any and everyone. Definitely a go-​to mechanics shop.

I needed a garage that was close enough to my job downtown that I could drop off my car to get inspected and ride my bike to work. They were close enough and they were able to accommodate me on the day my inspection expired. I always wait til after the last minute. I’ve waited months to do it before, but I really don’t have any extra money for a ticket so it was a priority this time.
I showed up a little later than I would have liked and was worried that intake might take longer than I had time for, but nope, dropped the key off and left within about 2 minutes. I sped off to work and got there around the same time I always do.
They called me just 2 hours later to tell me it was done. And that they had gone ahead and replaced the tag light that was out. The total for the inspection and the light replacement was less than $ 30, very reasonable and what I was hoping to pay.
I rode my bike back there at lunch and picking up my car was a breeze. I got out just as fast as I had gotten in. No guilt tripping about a bunch of repairs they thought I needed. I keep my car well maintained so I know what it needs and what it doesn’t, and it irritates me when a garage wastes my time about something it’s not even close to being due for. It took me 25 minutes to ride my bike there and I appreciated still having enough time on my lunch break to grab a sandwich to go at Olio a couple blocks away.
The kicker was what I noticed later — driving out in the dim of the parking garage later that day leaving work, I noticed that someone had pinched a wire or replaced a fuse or something to get the backlight on my speedometer back on (it’s been out for ages). I also brought it in at a time when the washer fluid was empty, so after noticing this little touch, I thought «I bet they topped off all my fluids too.» I tried the washer fluid and lo-​and-​behold, washer fluid burst forth. I’d bet money that they topped off my oil too.
BRAVO Paradise.

Finding a reputable mechanic is intimidating — especially for a single girl who knows nothing about cars. As an out-​of-​towner, it was tempting to resort to the bigger chains, but it’s nice to support honest small businesses like Paradise Garage.
I learned about Paradise Garage through positive word-​of-​mouth and Google reviews. The location is in the heart of the Fan and only 1.5 miles from downtown. The shop has a bright yellow brick mural that you can’t miss and its parking lot is small, but it’s a healthy sign of business when finding a parking spot is difficult. I personally have a Honda, but I have seen a variety of domestic/​import cars in their shop before. The service is always priced reasonably and Greg is honest. To help you pass VA state inspection without breaking a bank, he will tell you how to get the best deal and whether certain repairs can wait. His desk is messy, but I’ve never felt like my car has been mishandled at all.
Business hours are M-​F, 9−5pm which can be inconvenient but I trusted Paradise Garage enough to drop off my spare car keys in advance and to pick up my car later. Lunch hour is the most convenient time to get work done at Paradise Garage, but call in advance to see if they’re able to make it.
Over the year, I’ve gotten plenty of work done — state inspection, oil change, brakes, tune-​ups, etc. Maintaining my car was easy in Richmond! And if I was paranoid about a strange sound with my car, Greg and his team were always willing to check out the issue.