Hoffmaster’s Auto Care

I acquired a Prius from a friend who no longer wanted it but wanted to donate it for my granddaughter. The car had been mostly sitting idle for 2−½ years, and we were unsure what work would need to be done to get it in shape to pass Maryland inspection. I knew the battery would need to be replaced, since we had to jump-​start the car to get it running. To my great surprise, not only was the car ready the next day, but the repairs cost very little. The technicians filled the windshield washer fluid tank at no charge and even washed the car (it was covered with two seasons’ worth of pollen) The entire Hoffmasters team was friendly, efficient, and very reasonable money-​wise. I definitely will be returning.

I have a 2001 Honda Civic with over 220 000 miles, no a/​c, maintenance light blazing and the engine ran really rough. Steve and the guys not only found the problem but they kept me informed so I can make a decision about the repair. Now the car runs like a top and I really mean it. I really appreciate the hard work and the communication the Hoffmaster’s guys gave me. Great turn around time as well. Now I can pass emissions.

My cousin has been taking her truck here for years and has been happier with them than her own dealer. So I started taking my car. I must say they do an excellent job, what I like about Steve and Warren is that they don’t try and sell you other extra services the car doesn’t need. Thank you so much Steve and the whole team for what you do. It’s rare to find honest mechanics around so when these guys were referred to me I haven’t looked back.

I needed a headlight bulb to be replaced. It was tricky with my car, but they still did it and didn’t charge me extra, and was still about $ 30 cheaper than every place around. They also cleaned my windows while at it!
The place is hidden in the lane, but the staff is super nice and welcoming and they did a great job as well!
Definitely my go to car stop now!

My work just moved less than a mile from their location. I just received my first oil change and must say I am very impressed. I called before I went to see how much a basic oil change was and also availability.($ 28.51– cheap) Within 5 minutes I was at their location. Less than 30 minutes later my car was done. Probably the fastest oil change I have ever received, and I drive 40,000 miles a year, so I get 7−8~ oil changes a year. Will be back many times…

We’ve been taking our cars to Steve and Warren for over 20 years now. They used to own the Amoco in Colesville, and sold it and then opened this place. After the Amoco closed, I did use a couple other mechanics with good reputations, but when I found this shop, in a very strange location off Tech Road, I haven’t looked back. They are better than anyone at figuring out what’s wrong, and work to keep the repair costs low. They work quickly, I have always had a quick response to my questions. All the towing guys nod knowingly when I have my car towed there, I’m sure that must be worth something. Or my car is in bad shape.

My car failed the emission test and I had to get it repaired before the state allowed me to renew my registration. Based on the great review of this shop and the great location (it’s literally around the corner from the emission’s station) I decided to take my car to this shop. I called and made an appointment on a Friday and I was told to bring the car in the following Monday at 7am. I realized they had opened the shop ½ hr. early just to accommodate my schedule. Super nice! I had already taken the car to Advanced Auto to have a diagnostic done and about 7 codes were coming up. After I explained what was going on with the car, I filled out the form and I was told that they would look at the car and give me a call for approval before any work was done. Great, no problem! They called me later in the day and told me they needed to replace the Vacuum (it was busted) and they needed to order the part from Ford and that they needed an extra day. They also gave me the total price including labor and taxes. I was completely fine with that and I gave my approval to complete the work and I would pick my car up the following day. The next day, I couldn’t get to the shop before it closed so I called and paid with my credit card over the phone HUGE MISTAKE! When I picked up my car that evening and took a look at my receipt, they had charged my card an EXTRA $ 100!!! I was livid! I called the shop the following day and left a message. It took them 4 hours to return my call and when they did, I was told that the person made a mistake with the pricing and much more work went into my car! I asked why I wasn’t informed of the mistake before they charged my card, that it’s not my problem if they made a mistake and I should have been notified before they charged my card an extra $ 100. The guy only offered to give me back $ 45. I also had to bring the car back because the car was still not completely fixed. When I brought it back, they told me that it would cost me more money to fix it and they NEVER gave me back the $ 45 as promised. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible…
I would not go back to this shop Nor would I recommend it to a friend… It’s just poor business practice all together.

Just to set the record straight, Hoffmasters eventually refunded my money for the second clutch repair, and as per my review update below I never paid for the third clutch. So, I only ended up paying for one clutch, even though they installed three. Since my car is a very old VW and has since had an engine replacement by another mechanic which in itself had problems, I can believe that the entire clutch issue may have been due to the fact that they used an aftermarket clutch the first two times and my VW was more particular than usual.
At any rate, since they eventually did stand behind thier work, I am raising my rating to four stars.

I took my 2002 Volkswagen here to get a burnt-​out headlight replaced. The clerk was dour but efficient, the lounge clean and comfortable, and the coffee was good. Mr. Hoffmaster was personable and polite, fixed the headlight with no charge for labor, and I was out of there twenty minutes after pulling in. He even lubed up my door free of charge because it squeaked when I opened it.

Absolutely agree with the other reviews. They’ve treated us (myself and my wife) very well the times we’ve had need of their services, and we’ve never felt jerked around or pushed to pay for extra work. They’ve always carefully explained what needed to happen, what the options were, and what costs would be, and we’ve always had good results from going with them. Most recent example: I got a quote for nearly a thousand dollars worth of «oh, we noticed that…» work from a place I was getting an oil change from; took the car here and while there was some work that needed to happen, they were able to get isolate it to just one part of the system and saved me close to $ 500.
It is a bit strange to find the first time, but basically the building is built into sort of a hill and Hoffmaster’s is the bottom level. You have to enter the parking area and go left and down; it makes more sense once you see it in person than in writing probably. If I remember right the top level of the building is a printing shop or something of that nature.

These guys are the real deal. I have been taking my off-​warranty vehicles to them for a couple of years and they get the job done right at a reasonable cost. If they can’t get the parts from their mainstream suppliers (or even if they can) they let me get the parts online or where available.

Outstanding. When you find a mechanic you can trust– you stay put. Steve and Warren are the best.

So my mom’s car is not acting right well in this case not indicating a right directional turn signal when activated by the user interface. There’s no right blinker. Not the bulb something else hidden within. She found a coupon for this place in the mail or paper. I never had heard of them. So early in the morning through traffic I went and got mom’s car and took it to the shop for her, like any good son would do. This place is a little hard to find at first, sort of to the side in an industrial park full of repair shops warehouses and other industrial businesses. Right across the street from Dar Cars Collision building. down a steep hill at a weird angle and you’re in. This place is way bigger inside they what is visible on the outside. We greeted one of the people there yeah I had my brother with me anticipating the need to leave it for several days. Right away they got to looking at it and in no time flat the mechanic had identify the problem and knew exactly what was needed to fix the problem. Only thing is mom’s car is Old with a capital O. A 1989 pristine condition Chrysler New Yorker yeah I know I keep trying to encourage her to get a new car. I’ll buy a new one for you mom! But she loves that car. Anyway it needs a part that they don’t make anymore. That is the real challenge if they can’t find the electrical part for it they can rig one up. Wow! and the cost for all of this isn’t that bad. Double wow! Not trying to rip me off, a good sign.
Another thing is that these guys are real car people with a enthusiastic passion for automobiles. The couple of them that I was dealing with have old antique cars and they love talking about buying them, restoring them, driving them and collecting them or selling them. They really knew their automobiles. And with me being a car nut too well these guys were speaking my language. How often do you find mechanics like that. As good as it gets.