Great Bear Auto And Auto Body Shop

I contacted Great Bear to see if they would be able to install some headlights for me and they got back to me quickly-the owner Audra is professional, pleasant, and makes you feel like a longtime customer even the first time you're walking in the door. they scheduled me for an appointment and had the work done in about an hour or so and I am super happy! I will definitely use them again. Fair pricing too.

Great service as usual at Great Bear!!!
Audra is very knowledgeable and accommodating!!!Keep up the great work!!!

A clean environment, with a cute dog, lovable workers, affirmation with many rewards around the shop, service is great! The value is great too.

Awesome service. Audra and her team are really great. They basically do it all here and they are well trusted! They do a fantastic job! Been going here for years. Im fact, my entire family goes here! They really know how to take care of their customers!

Wishing them a Happy 90th Anniversary!

I was recommended by a friend to bring my car to Great Bear, I met Audra and she was so welcoming and explained to me what my car needed in detail and answering all my questions patiently. I brought my car for a second time for a full check up. I trust Great Bear mechanics and Audra. I'll recommend this auto shop a 100%, very fair prices.

Great service. Brought my 2011 Forester in for A/C service and spring checkup, was treated with utmost professionalism and a unique family atmosphere. The repairs needed were explained and completed in a timely manner. Kudos to Audra, Carrie, John and Cedric. Have and will continue to refer my friends and family to Great Bear whom by the way just celebrated their 90th year in business serving generations of satisfied drivers....

Want to caveat by saying the folks at the shop are nice and pleasant to deal with. I came here in the past for an oil change, brake pad/rotor replacement and headlight replacement for an older car and received above average service. I received post-service follow-ups to check how the vehicle was running, which is a nice customer service touch.

However, this is where the 'BUT' comes in. During the week following Christmas, I brought in another vehicle ('19 Honda Pilot) that reeked of gasoline both inside the cabin and when parked after being driven. I came without an appointment, but was told they could take a look before the end of the day. Later that day, I get a call from the shop saying they won't have time to look at the car, but could devote time later that week to check. I was okay with that and went back to grab the car, but had to pay a $50 fee. For the circumstances and wanting a professional to make sure I didn't have a bigger problem, I willingly paid the fee.

The following day, I came back and the shop ran a diagnostic. 2 hours of labor resulted in finding no issues when the car, but it was recommended to change out the engine/cabin filters and fill up with premium gas (for a Honda) as a possibly remedy for the problem. Total fee for all of this - $400+. Yet over the next two weeks of driving, the problem still lingered.

Wanting a second opinion, I gave in and decided to take vehicle to a nearby Honda dealership. They did their thing and found the problem - a leaking fuel injector - which somehow Great Bear missed in their diagnostic. The Honda dealership fixed the issue and no more gas smell since.

Money spent aside, my biggest frustration is Great Bear failed to identify the leaking fuel injector during their diagnostic. The printed invoice even implies they were looking at the same thing as the Honda dealership yet found nothing wrong:

"Intake needs to be removed to check up the fuel injectors 2hr LABOR. Can't not be sure without taking off intake to check. No leak on the bottom..." "Open the upper and lower intake manifold.... No gasoline leak; but it need something else..."

In the post-service follow-up, the shop reached out asking how's the car? I told them how the problem continued after visiting them and I took it somewhere else to get it fixed. I asked if we could chat to discuss the situation and haven't heard back since.

I would like to give Great Bear the benefit of the doubt given my previous positive experience with them, but this recent visit really makes me second guess if I want to bring my cars in for any future work.

I've been coming here for years. Service is great and everybody is so friendly. I get my inspection, oil changes and routine maintenance done here. Everything is done within a reasonable time frame. I've recommended this auto shop to my friends and family and they were not disappointed!

Update to my detailed review from 2 years ago where I noted they, when replacing my tires, they fitted the new tires with USED valve stems. 2 of the valve stems have now failed. Will have them replaced somewhere else.

On a different note, the owner is now a host on Motorweek. I liked the program but will no longer watch this show.

Staff is amazing and love their music as I waited for my car to be fixed. It didn't even feel like long before I was back on the road like new. Thank you !