Barnecut Admiral Way Service

The best price, the best value, the best owner, the best and most talented mechanics to ever touch a car. They all have a heart of gold and would never ever overcharge. I highly recommend these guys. I would give them 10 stars if I could. I have taken at least 7 different cars to these guys and sent all my friends and family to get their cars fixed here. They charge less than you would ever expect and when they make a promise, they stick to it. The son took over his father’s outfit and kept the old school traditional values. Andy is a hands on owner with respect for his customers. I promise you that these guys will never let you down. They really care about their customers. As the father once told me, «Why rip someone off and lose a customer when you can just give them a good deal and have them come back?» (Well Hello!)That’s their advantage over places like Alki Auto, Midas and Tom’s where they just want to jack up your prices and move on to the next one. I’ve been going to Barnecut’s since 1982 and I never left without feeling like I got the best service on the planet. This should be an example of how all companies should be run. The world would be a better place! I am one happy customer! Can you tell?

I was looking for a reliable local mechanic/​service shop in West Seattle and began my research online. Reading the good overall reviews on Unilocal,I decided to go ahead with Barnecut’s on Admiral. I just needed a simple oil change for my car, and the person on the phone quoted me a price between 40 – 50, and I was fine with that since he added that the service was not just changing oil/​filter but also included all kinds of checks, fluid refills, etc. We agreed on an appointment time, and he said that it would take 1 hour to do once dropped off (max 1.5 hours).
I called them to confirm 1 hour before dropping off, and they said everything was fine, and I could bring my car in. OK. I get there, and they seemed to have squeezed in 2 cars ahead of me. They are also based out of a gas-​station that has almost no parking, but it looked like they could manage fine in their tight space. All said, it took them 3 hours, and I had to call them to find out status. Fine. Things change when it comes to shop schedules, and I can deal with that; just had to borrow a friend’s car to make a meeting later on.
Why the low rating? When I got there to pick up my car, they said they couldn’t turn off the «wrench symbol» indicator or reset it. When I asked why not, they asked if I had «the repair manual» (As you may know, this is not the owner’s manual but 1 of 2 special manuals that pros usually get to help with their repairs). I said that I didn’t, and they said that the manual would tell them how to do it or the dealer could deal with it! What? I get my oil changed by non-​dealerships all the time, and none have had a problem with this. Plus, I know that you have to buy the repair/​service manuals extra and they are NEVER asked for by mechanics because they should have this and more in their references/​books/​software.
Next, they did not come through with the side services they promised and even listed on the work order. They promised vacuuming interior and washing windows, and a number of other things, which were obviously not done.
I don’t know why, but these two things lead me to question if the oil/​filter were even changed! See how the the stupid little things can screw with customers? What else do we have to go on but trust? At least they put a reminder sticker on my window, so I guess I should be happy about that.
In the end, because they came off as unprofessional and proved to be misleading on a simple oil change, there is no way I would think of taking my car to them for anything more advanced. There are plenty of other places that can do the basics without fumbling on amateur issues. So much for wanting to help out the local little-​guy!

Wow the reviews for this Shell station definitely span the board, huh? While I’m too cheap to buy gas there they seemed the best option to bring my late model diesel automobile for an oil change — they had the oil and the filter in stock and they were in my planned trajectory so my ecological footprint wasn’t unnecessarily enlarged.
In addition to the usual oil and filter service, they topped off all the fluids, lubricated chassis, inspected shocks, exhaust, steering linkage, suspension and even vacuumed and washed the windows. The guys were friendly to me. A relic of old school service still exists and can be found in West Seattle.
I bow to the blessing of old school service. God I miss that.
They also did a temporary repair on a fuel hose and let me know I needed to replace a couple of parts. Thank You very much.
My car requires more oil than the average rig, the service came to $ 67.30, I felt this was fair and reasonable. So I’ll be back.

What kind of shop notices a car is missing and just assumes that the owner picked it up, even though they still have the keys and the owner never paid for any of the services? This one. Maybe, just maybe if they had paid better attention, then a police report could have been filed on the stolen car in a timely manner and maybe the car would have been found sooner, rather than 6 months later completely stripped of everything.
Not to mention they made reference to the fact that the car wasn’t worth much to begin with since it wasn’t some fancy nice car. Not everyone can afford a nice car, but it was all she had and it would have been nice for my mom to have something to drive to her doctor’s appointments in, you know, since she has kidney failure and all and needs a transplant.
But they were just jerks about it, so I wish I could give them NO STARS AT ALL.

A great experience — honest, fast, knowledgeable and friendly!
Last weekend, I had my Chevy Malibu towed to Barnecut’s because it would not start. First thing the next morning, they let me know that though they figured out the general problem, I would need to take it to the dealer to have it fixed. That was not pleasant to know, but I was very pleased to find out there would be no charge for their diagnosis.
In addition, the diagnosis they provided was spot on, saving me additional charges at the dealer, and letting me figure out a way to get the car temporarily started. They even provided me some gas to help me get it to the dealer.
Thanks again!

Honest, reliable, friendly, open late for pick up and reasonable!!! Love this place. In fact, I will never take my car anywhere else!!!

This Admiral service shop (the Shell station in front of Metropolitan Market) is great — and cheap for car maintenance. Three examples:
1) I went in just now with a burned-​out brake light on my Audi. I have no idea what the Audi dealership would charge for this, but Barnecut charged $ 5 plus tax to replace it for me. No appointment — I just pulled in.
2) I went in with a dead battery. On an Audi, swapping a battery involves removing intricate layers of cowling, replacing the battery, and putting all of the cowling back. The tech was on it for at least 25 minutes, but charged me only for the battery itself.
3) I needed all new tires, so, cheapskate that I am, I mail-​ordered four tires from some outfit in Texas. But then, of course, someone needed to change them out. I think this place charged just $ 5 a tire to replace and balance them.
Also, this is one of the few remaining stations with full service gas. (There are lots of older residents in this neighboorhood who can use such pampering.) Gas is the same price as self-​serve, and they’ll check your tires and fluid levels if you ask. Of course, I’d recommend tipping in this situation.