Central Avenue Automotive Inc

Address:	1514 Central Ave S, Kent, WA 98032, USA
Phone:	+1 253-854-6762
Site:	centralaveauto.com
Rating:	4.7
Working:	8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM 8AM–5PM Closed Closed

Location

Photos 95

Reviews 5

Katey Goering

I took my daughters Hyundai Elantra to Central Ave Automotive to have the 90,000 mile maintenance done. We ended up getting a brake job instead. I only gave this place 2 stars (as opposed to 1 star) because the work they did on the brakes seems fine. However, dealing with these people was miserable. I cant remember the name of the guy I had to deal with, but it was like talking to a cheesey, sleezy salesman. He was very annoying, super phony, AND he was horrible at his job. He never called me back when he said he would. Literally, not once. I continually had to call him and say "Hey, you were going to call me on Friday and let me know....", and he always had some excuse. It was very frustrating. I somehow allowed him to terrify me into getting $1200 worth of brake work done on my daughters car because according to him, she shouldnt drive it more than a couple of days and just around town, definitely not on the highway, until the work was done. Ill never know whether that was true or not. He also tried to scare me into getting the timing belt replaced at 85,000 miles because he said it should have been done at 60,000. We ended up taking it to Korum Hyundai a couple of months later. The service dept. called me 30 minutes after we dropped it off and said that the timing belt had already been replaced at 60,000 miles so it didnt need to be replaced again until 120,000. He knew this because there was a GIANT STICKER under the hood showing exactly when the belt had been replaced and when it needed it next. Central Ave. Automotive made such a big deal about how they inspect the car so thoroughly and take photos, etc., etc., etc. I wonder how they could have missed the sticker?? Im sure they didnt. Theyre just a shady, dishonest company. Ive very disappointed because I love to support small, local businesses. I dont understand all of the high reviews. I will never do business with this company again and will recommend the same to everyone I know.

Anonymous User

I have an 01 Honda S2000, Ive been taking it to Renton Honda for service because Renton Honda has the biggest service department in the area and with all the pestering they do on the phone to give them feedback via survey my impression was that they cared about protecting their brand. A howl in my rear end had me thinking "bearing" and Renton Honda took 30 minutes to say theyd have to replace the entire rear end for 5000 bucks. At that point I had nothing to lose by getting a second opinion, and a google search turned up really good reviews on Central Ave Automotive, who is just down the street from me. These guys were great to deal with (I dealt with Bill mostly), none of the condescending BS you sometimes get with shops and even with Honda service advisers from time to time. They worked past closing because they thought they had a lock on the problem, and ended up diagnosing and replacing a bad wheel bearing at a cost to me of around 400 bucks. They saved me 4600 dollars! There arent many S2000s out there, so it isnt like they see these cars every day, but they jumped right in fixed it in a few hours. If theres a way to have a better repair experience I sure dont know how. Im taking my car there for all services from now on, and Ive already told my folks, who both own Hondas, that they should do the same. No matter what kind of car you own, when you get out of warranty and need a place to keep it going, deal with you honestly, and get it right the first time vs. nickel and dime you to death, you really should take a look at these guys. Props to google reviews also, the positive reviews here were what tipped the scales and helped me decide to take my business there.

Jovian Fry

love them so far! just did a synth oil change today, my first experience with central ave auto. scheduling an appointment the next day was easy. the people at the front desk were engaged, friendly, and efficient. they answered my questions with good explanations and allowed me to ask additional questions without making me feel rushed. my oil change was done in an efficient manner. they emailed me a comprehensive online checklist that was color coded according to priority. it had photos they took today of the specific parts they inspected that need future attention. the lobby was a decent size with coffee, snacks, chilled bottled water, and diet coke. i wish they would switch to diet pepsi to eliminate the aspartame, or i wish coke would stop using aspartame. everything was professional: the people, our conversation, the service, the customer-facing interior/exterior of the facilities, the computer systems, and even the tv content playing in the lobby. they said in the next month or so they should have their text message system fully up and running. i am excited to see this in action once all the kinks are worked out. email is great, but i much prefer a text reminder/notification when it comes to maintaining my vehicle. maybe im a bit paranoid/obsessed/overboard, but i dont mess around with my car, no way! im so glad i chose central ave auto today! ill be back for whatever comes up next.

Dmitry Yusim

I first went to the dealership to get my car checked out because I had the check engine light on. My car is a 2010 Honda Accord that just hit 100k miles, I am the original owner and have always serviced my car at the Honda Dealership, but this time I felt like I was getting taken to the cleaners. The dealership quoted me $3,200 in services for changing the timing belt and having the oil hose resealed because it was leaking, so I wanted to get a second opinion. I called into Central Automotive and spoke to Michael Jenkins, who was an amazing rep to work with, not only was he very knowledgeable, but he explained everything that they would do to my car in full detail. When I arrived at the shop he also looked at my quote from the dealership and found that they were charging me twice for part of the service. Michael advised me to first get the car up on the lift to even see what the actual issue with the car was and as it turned out, there was no leak in the oil hose to begin with!! Michael saved me over $2K that day. They took pictures and gave me an extremely detailed report on what actually needed to be done. WOW, I am extremely impressed with this amazing service and being able to trust someone when it comes to mechanical work, rather than just being sold something. Thank you so much! I will definitely be using them for all of my cars from now on.

Anonymous User

I hate it when something goes kaput in my Kia. I hate every step of the process from start to finish. Last week I had car troubles and Googled a local mechanic. I called Central and the response I received was phenomenal. They asked me what the symptoms were, diagnosed it over the phone, and committed to have it repaired within 24 hours (in an effort to limit my rental car charges to a single day). Most of the time a commitment like this ends in failure. This ended with my starter replaced as promised in under 24 hours. And Central Ave Automotive got me a discounted car rental rate to boot. Repair aside, the service I received was outstanding. The guys at Central are not only professional but they are witty and friendly, making the dreaded car repair experience considerably more tolerable. As a female, I often feel out of my element at car repair places--so dirty and full of men who talk down to you about any work that needs to be done with the assumption you are a complete moron, absolutely incapable of grasping the simplest of automotive terminology. This wasnt the case at Central; the guys were very friendly and the shop was clean and comfortable. I recommend Central Ave Automotive confidently--they do great work, they run a clean shop, and the service level is outstanding. Kudos for a job well done.