(Please read updates at the end). I was having trouble with my Subaru Outback and Steve's Automotive was recommended by another repair shop in town that didn't have time to fix my car, but they did diagnose it. The previous shop had the codes so they knew what was wrong and by their estimates with parts and labor my costs would have been around $600. I was going to just take my car to the dealership, but because the shop had recommended them I took their word. I wish I hadn't. Basically, I had to pay them $75 to tell me things that were completely different than what the other shop had said. They didn't have the codes, so they were just guessing. Their sales guy Richard, just insisted that they knew better than the other guys. They told me about a bunch of other problems and their total estimate for me was $5,300. If you're keeping track, that's a huge gap between their estimate and the other shop. In my opinion, Richard was overselling me and said that auto repair shops are like doctors, they're all going to say something different. I'm writing this review because I was forced to pay $75 for their trumped up services and it was a total waste of time and money. I hope you'll read this and avoid the same trouble. I also hope the shop realizes that people share the word when they have bad experiences and consumers are smart enough to know when we are being upsold. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes all auto mechanics seem dishonest. I picked up my car and took it to the dealership. They only charge $45 to diagnose. That's right, the dealership charges $30 less than Steve's Auto Repair. What a racket. I'll try to re-post when I hear from the dealership as to what their estimate is, but I'm going to venture a guess that it won't be anywhere near a $5300 fix. Update: The Subaru dealership figured out what the problem was. It was a few loose bolts from the rear differential. They charged $45 to diagnose and tightened the bolts for free. They also recommended that I change my transmission fluid, which I did. They loaned me a car while they had mine in the shop and did everything the same day. My car is running great and I'm nowhere near needing a new transmission. Another Update: The other day I got a surprising call from Steve's Auto. It was Richard. After reading my Google Review and realizing I had received poor service, they made the decision to refund the money for my diagnostics testing. Although he never conceded that they made an inaccurate conclusion about what was actually wrong with my car, I do appreciate that it seemed important enough to the owner, Steve, to rectify the situation. Richard apologized for their mistake. Congrats to them on righting the wrong.

I was on a road trip and had some car problems while driving through Salt Lake; I looked up a repair company and called Steve's Auto. From the begging of the convo, to driving my car off their lot, the whole experience was frustrating to me, but Steve helped me out and did it for fair prices. If I ever get stuck in Salt Lake again I will be calling back.

Attempted to sell me over $3000 of unnecessary repairs!

Unfortunately I must write this review. Our family has been using Steve's for about twenty years. More recently I have found it quite humorous and uncomfortable but sad to sit in the office prior to picking up a vehicle while overhearing them on the phone or with a customer present pushing the "up sale" so hard. Well, it finally happened to our family! Having just changed the oil in my wife's car a week prior she was informed they would not perform her annual safety or emissions unless she agreed on another oil change etc. This to a past customer of about two decades. Enough. Being a retired mechanic with most likely more years experience than anyone at "Steve's" aside perhaps granddad I would usually smile at their sleezy up sale attempts. These overheard conversations seemed to increase every year. They complain about reviewers or others not liking their charges being so high with stupid statements like "you get what you pay for". Well, it's finally over for our group of family members. They'll not ever again get what we pay for. Being so convenient we actually felt sad when they were forced to move locations. At least they are no longer in our neighborhood. I never realized oil changed or other services were required to just gat a safety or IM done :) There ought to be an anti sleeze law :)

absolutely horrible!!! they tell you one thing and do another they flat out lied to my face !!! how this is gephardt approved is beyond me ! don't go here

The only mechanic I trust in the Salt Lake area.

We started utilizing Steve's Automotive Specialist due to their proximity to our home. We were initially amazed at the number of cars lining their building and the flow of traffic in and out of their office. It did not take long however, to realize why Steve's is always busy. Their wide range of services available, including the recommended maintenance schedules on our vehicles (at a reasonable price vs. those charged by the dealers), attention to detail and courteous service have kept us coming back. My wife experienced a dead battery one morning and Steve's Automotive responded by dispatching one of their technicians who arrived immediately to assist her. Recently, we noticed Steve's is now sending e-mail confirmations of our scheduled appointments as well as follow-up e-mails regarding their services rendered. Our only reluctance to provide this information is that it will increase their client base and make it more difficult to schedule our maintenance work. However, they truly deserve kudos for their fine work. I would highly recommend them to anybody in need of service or repair.

Nope. Terrible. Don't waste your time and money. I had the benefit of taking my vehicle to three different mechanics and the other two bids didn't come close to the astronomical prices that Steve's was charging. It just felt creepy. And sleezy. And these guys are contributing to the notion that all car mechanics are dishonest. I can't speak to their actual repair abilities because there's no way I would let them fleece me for the amount they quoted, but I would advise you get a second and third opinion before paying their ridiculous charges. I'm irritated that I had to pay $75 to get my car diagnosed by them when the dealership charges only $45 for the same task.

It's rare for me to give a bad review... but this experience warranted it. I just recently moved to Salt Lake, and needed some work done on my Mini Cooper. When I brought my car in, I told them that my breaks were squeaking, and that my car was having a hard time starting (I had replaced the battery less than a month earlier). They called me the next day and informed me that, after checking things out, I needed to replace my breaks and rotors, and that my new battery had a bad cell. They said they could take care of the breaks, rotors and battery that day. My total would be close to $1,300. I tried to explain that my current battery was under warranty, and I could probably get it replaced for free. Their salesman tried to push me to buy theirs for over $300 because it had a "better warranty." I was obviously a little uneasy dropping that kind of cash on what I assumed should be a relatively routine repair. I called the Mini Cooper dealership in town, and they informed me that they could take care of it for less than half of what I had been quoted by Steve's Auto Specialists. At the end of the day, they charged me over $180 for "inspections" ($90 to perform an inspection on my battery that took less than 2 minutes at Auto Zone, and another $90 to take a look at my breaks) so they could tell me what I had initially told them when I brought my car in... my breaks needed to be replaced, and my battery was bad. It seems to me like this is not the kind of business who puts their customers first. I felt very cheated and scammed.

I had an issue with a motor mount in my Chrysler Pacifica. Via the warranty I had with Larry H Miller group the part was covered. But by the 3rd new motor mount that Larry H Miller installed I was nervous, so I took it to Steve Smith Inc to see if there was anything else they could do that the dealer wasn't. The staff was honest and didn't promise me miracles. Here it is 18 months later and NO problems. From that moment on these guys were my "go-to" mechanics for everything car related till I left Salt Lake. They are honest, professionals who (most importantly) KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!! It's nice to be able to go to a small local family owned and operated business in these days. Wish more companies were like that.