Smart Service

I have only had my car inspected here. They seemed honest and upfront about what was deemed necessary and what could probably wait for repairs. I appreciate that they identified something that another shady car repair shop had done. I will probably be back for service soon. 4 stars because the quotes were a little on the expensive side. If I am extremely pleased with the service, I will update to 5.

UPDATE: I am extremely pleased with the level of service provided.
Customer service was over the top. AJ kept me informed along the way with what was being done to my vehicle. AJ explained every repair that was needed in detail, and was also very patient with all of my questions and concerns. My original appointment was the have the 60k service done. Timing belt, water pump, fluids, leaky hydrolic hose, etc…
My car (2000 Outback 180 k) needed more work than was originally expected. There was a lesson learned here.
I had the head gasket replaced 5 years ago by a «we can fix everything» shop. That shop took an abrasive sanding disk to smooth out the heads resulting in now having to resurface the heads which added to my invoice, also If the job would have been done correctly in the first place by the other shop, I probably wouldn’t have had to replace the head gasket. The moral of this story is Take your Subaru to a qualified mechanic that knows Subarus!
A loaner car was given to me so I didn’t have to reschedule any of my time.
When I went to pick my vehicle up, AJ, and the mechanic that did the repair and maintenance went over all the work that had been done, and again answered all of my questions.
Attention to detail! This is not seen to often, and this shop is all about details. Burned out Headlamp and tail light bulbs were replaced, and the sweet surprise of no charge for replacing a taillight wiring harness that had gone south. I spend a lot of my time in the woods hiking with my dog who has put layers and layers of dog drool on my windows it is now gone. The dust and dirt gone from the floors.
This shop took the care and time to make sure I am safe.
I now have a car that should serve me well for years to come. My car runs and drives beautifully.

I’ve been coming to these guys for the past 10 years or so with my 1995 Legacy. Just had my 60k-​interval service. They do solid work. Costs in the Seattle area are pretty high overall, but Smart Service has some of the more competitive rates. They are a great value.

I just got my car home from Smart Service in Shoreline and I could not be happier with their service! Before coming to Smart Service, it was such a stressful situation. After leaving a cousin’s funeral in Maple Valley, my car broke down in the middle of nowhere. I had to wait 3 hours for a tow truck to get the car and take it to a shop in a different city. They took a look and told me it needed a new engine and it would cost AROUND $ 4400. This was simply for the new engine and labor. They were not including the multitude of other things that may need to be done and they would need the car for AT LEAST a week.
Luckily, I have a friend in the parts department of a Subaru dealership and he suggested I check Smart Service out. They found a used engine that would be far less expensive so I decided to get the car towed to them. Once they got the engine, they checked it out and gave me a call to let me know what kind of condition it was in (it was in great shape) and they told me I had a leak in the radiator (which I already knew about), a leak in the oil pan (again, I already knew about it) and it needed a new battery cable. On top of that, they did a multitude of other things on the car that I had already ok’d. That call was yesterday. I got a call this morning telling me that my car was done and ready to be picked up. In less time than the first shop had gotten the work done and with all the extra work they did, it still came out about a grand less than the ESTIMATED price of the first shop! When I picked it up, the exterior and interior were clean (I had recently gotten back from driving on dirt roads in Port Angeles so it was definitely not clean on the outside). I also found that the steering was more stiff than when I dropped it off (which I LOVE). Bonus: whoever last used the stereo had it tuned to 99.9 which made me like these guys even more.
All in all, AJ (and everyone at Smart Service in Shoreline) are absolutely fantastic and will definitely get all my future business. As a single woman, it’s frustrating finding a shop that doesn’t talk to me like I’m an idiot but will also give me an honest price. High five, Smart Service.

I just have to express the heart and generosity behind the shop I took my car to. After spending thousands of dollars on a new engine several weeks ago, you can imagine the frustration I was feeling when my car began having trouble starting, and the check engine light started coming on. I took it to the same company, only here in Shoreline. It turned out to be a sensor, but was going to cost around $ 250. I’ll admit it – I cried. I can think of a million things I’d rather spend my money on than this d@$# car, and I just felt frustrated! I could tell the two men working had NO idea what to do with my emotions, and I apologized and explained how much I had just spent at their other store. Well, they had to order the part, so I went today to have it put in. When I went to pay, they graciously said NO CHARGE. Say what?!? And so I cried some more. Haha. But seriously – these people have heart, and they do an excellent job. I don’t know if they realize how thankful I am, but wow, my heart is full.

I have been coming to Smart Service for my 2000 Outback Sport for a few years now, after being recommended by a trusted friend. I needed a trustworthy, honest, and friendly mechanic that specialized in Subarus, and as a woman, sometimes it can be intimidating dealing with car «stuff.» I have always felt comfortable with these guys, and you can truly rest assured with them.
Recently, I had my Subaru stolen from the Alderwood Mall. After it was recovered in Seattle, and dealing with a head-​ache of towing companies, police departments, etc and it finally being found in Seattle, it was towed to Smart Service. Amidst a very stressful time, as they evaluated the car, and after I found drug syringes and paraphernalia (thanks thieves and Seattle PD for not processing), Smart Service was gracious, timely, and accommodating to me and my insurance company. They let me use one of their loaner cards for a few days and facilitated towing my car up to an off-​site detailing shop. It was my car’s «home» during that time. Thank you Smart Service for your excellent customer service! I highly recommend Smart Service, and have recommended them to many other Subaru owners (including my sister and father).

As always, I felt like SS had my car and my interests at heart. I was treated with great respect and friendliness. I have come to trust smart service completely with my car, which is very important to me.

I have been going to these guys ever since I got my first Subaru. Never once have I felt shorted on the quality of workmanship and the one time I had an issue with a rebuilt motor I got from another place that they installed for me they got the car fixed and handled all the info with the other place I got the motor from. They now take care of my wifes car now as well and I know both cars are in good hands when I need anything done that I cannot do myself.
To a tribute on the quality of their workmanship I live down south and I have driven to both their locations for work over going to any other place; my faith in them is that good and driving a few extra miles I don’t even bat an eye at it… and the only time my car needed a tow I *my fault* I paid the extra money to get it to these guys — the quality of the work is worth it at very fare prices too!

I have had a few oil changes here and also had my 90k service done here. The whole staff is friendly and know what they are talking about. If you have a question they always have an answer. Also for all the big services you get done for you car, you get a loaner car. Prices are fair. Smart Service is trustworthy, friendly, knowledgeable and this will be the only place I’ll take my Subaru from now on! Thank you Smart Service!

Check engine light came on in my 2006 Subaru Baja. After Ballard Subaru estimated $ 5,000 just for labor only, I picked it up and drove it to Smart Service. AJ was very professional and prompt with his communication. Job was brought in at 40% less than the dealer plus it included timing belt and a host of other services & parts and a loaner car for the week. Will definitely be taking my car back here again.

Was hoping for good things… but will never go back.
Went in for a grinding noise that I knew to be a wheel bearing (I have mechanical experience and work on my own cars but didn’t have all the tools to fix this problem) in the front passenger side. Dropped the car off with the night drop and wrote «Replace wheel bearing» right on the form. I get a call the next day from them saying that it’s an axle. I thought to myself… uh… ok, well you guys are the «experts» so if you say so, go ahead and replace the axle (scratching my head)
Later that day they call me back and tell me that it was not the axle… really?!
So they said that they will need to keep it another night and replace the wheel bearing the next day. This was a problem because I expected to get the car back that night and did not plan for another day without a car. They did not offer me a loaner.
The net day I get a call for someone else there and say that the car is ready and if I can pay over the phone. I ask them to go over the bill and it comes out to over $ 1000?!
They had replaced the axle that did not need to be replaced and expected me to be a fool and pay for it. I told them to yank the new axle out and put my old axle back in.
After that, the total bill was still higher than what they estimated.
Overall I got the sense that they were unorganized, didn’t know how to listen to the customers requests, and told me a bunch of information that was useless obvious information. I was not impressed at all. I was expecting a lot better because they do have a really good looking website, but after that experience, I would not recommend them to anyone.

Took my car in for it’s 30k and it was one of the best experiances I have every had with a mechanic. They ran out of loaner cars, so they just rented one from enterprise for me. They called me right away to give me updates on my car and let me know what needed to be done out side of the 30k (which were just rear brakes) and when they went to change the transmission fluid they saw that who ever flushed it previously put the wrong fluid in. (So there has been why my car was having trouble shifting!) they walked over to the place I had the flush done and found out what it was. Then they flushed my transmission. When I got in my car to go home the front was vacuumed and it had little gifties in it. Driving it afterwords was like driving it when I bought it and I couldn’t be happier.
Thanks Smart Service!

Just had them do my 45k service. Done well as always, and they also checked out a supposed CV boot grease leak that another shop had pressed me on. It turns out the leak is extremely minor/​intermittent, not an issue, and the boot is good for a while yet. It’s Subaru-​specific knowledge like this that saves me having to prematurely replace parts that I appreciate.

I’ve been very happy with the service from this shop for my WRX. They beat the prices of all the dealerships and do good work. I’ve had them install the catback/​downpipe on my car, as well as do the regular maintenance. If you drive a Subaru, I’d highly recommend them for your regular maintenance.

Knowledgeable, friendly, and get the job done.
Every time I have taken my car in, they’ve been spot-​on with the cost estimate, which comes in consistently at around 30−40% less than the dealership even with the dealership coupons that get sent my way every couple of months. And they are all Subaru Master Mechanics, so I know I’m getting the best for my car.
A couple of years ago, they mentioned that my rotors only had about one more resurface left in them, and showed me how to check. They warned me that the OEM Brembo rotors cost a fortune (which I verified with the dealership — holy thievery, Batman!), but since I had some advance warning, I was able to find and procure an aftermarket set of rotors that performs at least as well as the Brembo units for significantly less than the OEM cost (which they installed for me once my rotors finally needed replacing).
While I was waiting in line to pay, the lady in front of me ended up getting some free service/​advice on something (I don’t recall exactly what it was) that was a 5-​minute fix. This is the kind of place I feel like I can refer my grandma to, and not worry that she is going to get sold some service that she doesn’t need.
Knowing that I have a reputable, friendly place to take my car is enough of a reason to consider a Subaru before any other make of car the next time I’m in the market. How many auto repair shops can you honestly say that about?

I took my Subaru here after finally getting fed-​up with Walker’s Renton Subaru. Despite the fact this place is a bit out of my way, I will be going back!
They did a great job on my Subaru maintenance and I felt the prices were really fair. The service specialist patiently answered all my questions and went through all the work they completed. (I am extremely anal about going through the maintenance check after getting burned multiple times at the dealer — Smart Service was totally tolerant of this and walked me through everything).
He also took meticulous notes on my car and any ‘watch’ items that may need to be worked in the future. He did NOT try to upsell me on any additional services (pet peeve) thankfully and didn’t urge me to replace things that I could get more miles out of.
You can tell they take pride in the work they do. This is a smaller shop but it makes for a more personal experience and you don’t get handed off to slick-​talking salesman after slick-​talking salesman.
Support this great business!

They do good work, but I just don’t see much difference between here and a dealership (price or experience). I have had three interactions and they have been all over the map.
My 30k service was great until I noticed they removed my personalized license plate and replaced it with theirs (part of the fine print on a coupon). I also noticed the $ 20+ for new windshield wipers listed when I had just replaced them on my own. Nothing was ‘hidden’ but I did not find them as upfront as they could have been.
Soon after my 30k a Check Engine light came on and the checked and cleared it with no problem.
Lastly, I called the other day to ask how much an oil change costs if I brought my own oil and filter (just haven’t had the time to change it on my own) and they quoted me $ 40! I found another ‘specialty’ shop who quoted $ 13.
2 stars because they do good work but man do they find ways to charge for it!

$ 484 in labor alone for replacing two wheel bearings. What is that, 5 hours to replace two wheel bearings? Did they turn the new parts themselves?
Nuff said…

I brought my car in for a starting issue after I had replaced the starter myself. The shop took me for a fool and decided for themselves that I didn’t know what I was doing because I left the battery cable loose. After 3 back and forth trips to their shop for repeated engine lights they couldn’t initially diagnose, I come to find out myself that of all things the battery was dead.
Now please tell me why a shop can’t check a battery, they went to the extent of charging it but couldn’t check it after 3 return visits?
I’ll be taking my car elsewhere from now on… especially at their prices. Sure for the uneducated mechanic they seem like a great shop… but as a person that owns two subarus and has gotten their entire family into this automaker, I’m not willing to give them a thumbs up on their ‘specialty’ service. The only things that special about it is that they charge more than a dealership… and thats ridiculous.
ALSO: If you’re heading north from Seattle to go to this shop, I’d suggest heading south instead. PIA located in Tacoma, Wa offers entirely more of that ‘specialty’ service from its family run location.

These guys are awesome! This is the first place I’ve taken my car where I never worry if they’re ripping me off and I know they are experts at what they do because they only work on Subarus.
They are super friendly and are AAA rated.

Great service at lower prices than Carter Subaru. I recently had my 1998 Outback’s 210k mile service and timing belt done (Subarus last a long time if taken care of, people!) and they did it for a pretty reasonable price, along with a lot of other work (new water pump, steering rack seals, etc).
They also did the timing belt service on my wife’s 2000 Outback with quick turnaround and quality labor.
The only ding from 5 stars is that they contract with Enterprise Rent-​a-​Car for service loaners, and the cars are really bottom end (Kia Rio with absolutely no power). But you do get free service loaners — most independent shops don’t even have ‘em. I’d rate Smart Service 4.5 stars if I could.