Truckee Auto Repair

I took my car there here three times and all three times were an expensive nightmare. 1) I went in for an oil change, and they performed a major maintenance without asking me first and I ended up with a $500 bill. 2) I went in for snow tires and asked them to save my old tires since they had some life in them. They got rid of the old tires (with on 20K on them) because "they were crap girl, you wouldn't have wanted them." Nobody called to ask or notify me of this. 3) They told me my car would be ready by Tuesday (after having it for a week while I was on vacation) and it wasn't ready until Friday and then they made me feel like I should be thankful they got it to me by then. They aren't transparent and I don't trust them. Buy your tires from Stone's down the street, get your oil changes at the Chevron in Tahoe City, and take your car to Reno or Sacramento for major maintenance. Would love to recommend someone local, but as Tahoe goes - most mechanics there are overpriced and under-deliver

I've had two prior experiences with the Auto Doctor that have made me scratch my head but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Being a local business, I wanted to give them my business so I went back for a third time and then had price checks done. I now hope I never have to go back. First head scratching experience was replacing my timing belt at the tune of $1000. A labor intensive project done every 90K miles. Gas usage slipped from 27-28 MPG to 23-27 MPG highway. Car lacks power and sometimes surges. I took the car back to them a couple of weeks after the work was done and insisted nothing was wrong with it after running their checks. Check engine light came on. They fixed it with $200 of labor and $400-600 dollars of parts. Check engine light came on intermittently afterwards. Ugh. Finally, check engine light came on and took it in to find out what was going on. $1500 estimate - $105 of labor and $1400 worth of parts. :-( Price checked down in Reno. While labor was constant at $105, two different quotes were $600 and $900 for parts. That choice was clear. While John and the Auto Doctor are only a couple miles away, they appear to be going out of their way to gouge customers on parts. :-( While they gave me a little bag of Hershey Kisses thanking me for supporting a local business, I'm not going to pay over 133% for parts to support a local business. Suppose if you are stuck in Truckee and can't get down to Reno, say Automotion, one should consider the Auto Doctor. On the bright side, the Auto Doctor does have WIFI and comfortable sofas while waiting to be gouged.

My 2000 Honda Odyssey broke down climbing Donner Pass while bringing my family and my camping trailer for a summer camping trip. I got the name of the Auto and Tire Dr. from my Honda dealer back home and we managed to limp in for service. John was able to help us right away. He had a tech read the check engine light and gave me my options. When you break down on a trip, you are really vulnerable to being fed a bunch of BS because they have you over a barrel. That never happened here. John explained what the quick check showed (valve timing problems) and gave me his advice w/out any pressure like "you sure need to get this fixed - this car is unsafe...blah blah blah" I decided to leave the car and John helped me find a tow company to tow my trailer to camp. We returned to Truckee the next day and picked up the car, all fixed. I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again and it is nice to know about an honest shop out there on the road.

Used them for years. I trust them. I am sure I could save money if I went to Reno, but who's got time for that?

Note: The Auto and Tire Doctor is located at 12000 Pioneer Way in Truckee. The guy that took over their old location on West River street calls his business "Doctor Auto". What a cheeseball. I love these guys! I'm the type of gal that doesn't know a carburetor from a carbuncle and given my tendency to drive cars into the ground, I'm at the Auto Doctor a lot. I've given them many, many opportunities to empty my wallet but they don't. They are honest. Sure there might be cheaper places for car repairs like the retired guy down the street that does tune-ups for a six-pack, but I trust their work more. Their wait room is large, clean with nice restrooms and a large flat screen TV. And Wifi. The selection of magazines tends to be of the motor sports/golf kind. There's also tables and benches outside. They like to have your car all day if you are doing more than a tune-up, so it's good to make arrangements for transportation. But if you're short on time, say your thingamoniter just blew up and you absolutely have to be in the bay area by 6pm, they will do their best to get you back on de road in a short amount of time. Unless you pull attitude, then they will refer you to the retired guy at the end of the street. Ha! Good luck with that!

We own a 2005 VW Toureg. I thought I had seriously damaged the engine by failing to replace the oil cap shortly before driving over Donner Summit. Andrew at the Auto Doctor agreed to see the car despite the fact that it was Saturday and he wanted to be home with his family. Andrew is a VW, Audi specialist who is very professional and the shop appears to have very best equipment and tools. finally, the cost was competitive. Even though I live in Marin County, I am going to make a point of bringing my cars to Truckee for service whenever possible.

I was told they were the best in town by some locals. I went due to my breaks were sounding bad. I was told by the Ford dealership that I could bring it in and they would turn the rotors and change the pads. I decided to go to the Tire doctor. The Owner said he wouldn't turn the rotors. He would only replace them due to the dangers of living in the mountains and all the breaking. It was going to cost me over $600. I asked him to just listen to me and fix them for the week I was to be gone and I'd be back to have them "done right" He said "I don't have to listen to you", and walked off! I haven't been back and I tell everyone I know not to go there! Funny how the FORD company doesn't seem to think turning the rotors is dangerous!

Andrew was very helpful and knowledgable of my car. He took care of me in a timely manner and because of him I would reccomend the Auto Dotor to my friends

Sunday wasn't the best day of my life. Having a mechanical breakdown on HWY 80 was pretty miserable. Fortunatly for me, ""The Auto & Tire Doctor"" was where the tow truck took my vehicle. The staff made everything easy, from the repair to the car rental recommendation. I REALLY like the chocolate kisses left for me in my truck. I hope I never need their services again, but if I do, I know I will be well taken care of!

I'm not a local. I was sent to the Car & Tire Doctor from someone at a restaurant! I really lucked out. I had a nail in my tire. My tire was almost flat. It was a bad situation. I rolled into the Car & Tire Doctor and they saved me. The waiting area is spacious and comfortable. They have a flat screen TV and lots of memorabilia on the walls to entertain you... They were kind and best of all, they fixed my tire. It is comforting to know that when I am in the area (and I'm here 10+ times a year) I know of a place to take my car from first hand experience!