Evolution Auto Repair

My Experience: Initially, I was confident in bringing my business to this shop. We took our classic car here. Erik, the head mechanic, was very excited to help us. They originally gave us an estimate that we agreed to.

By the end of the job, we had a beautiful, (mostly) functioning car. It ran well, for a car that had been sitting for almost 20 years. I can’t say anything bad about the actual auto work completed. We told Erik we would be happy to refer people to him because he had done such a good job.

Unfortunately, there are two sides to this shop. Erik was reasonable, the business manager was very different. When the time came to pick up the car, the amount was thousands of dollars over the estimated price (which we had paid up front). We were told by Erik it would be “a few more dollars.” It amounted to about 40% over the original estimated price.

I cannot deny that Erik’s work was impressively completed. However, the business side of this shop is run by a manager who knows the letter of the law and is not afraid to use it. In short, the experience was clouded very negatively by the focus on money at the end of it, especially when we asked for a payment plan and were met with extreme resistance; the business manager told us we were trying to steal the car and threatened to call the police on us. Needless to say, we will not be referring people to them.

Advice: If you have an excellent lawyer and set your limits very very clearly, this could be a good experience for you. If you aren’t ready to read up on the laws (I recommend looking at Code of Virginia 59.1-207.3, which states that a customer must ask for an estimate on repair work. If you get this estimate before agreeing to any work, they cannot charge you more than 10% extra than the estimate). Make sure you ask after every single meeting with them for written estimates on your car.

Or, go find yourself a shop that does good work without having to call your lawyer.

WAS TRAVLING FOR X-MAS AND BROKE DOWN ON I-95 THEY TOOK CARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ON THE ROADWE WENT.
GREAT SHOP. WILL NEVER GO ANYWHERE ELSE.
THANKS EVOLUTION AUTO REPAIR

Great Shop Good Price compared to local Shops Thank You Evolution Auto Repair I will be returning for future Repairs.

Lisa Marie Johnson

Happy Customer

Great service with a smile! As I was partway through a 4+ hour drive down I-95, I started experiencing car troubles, but luckily I was right at the correct exit to find myself at Evolution Auto Repair. They were a lifesaver, able to get my car in right away, install a new part, and had me back on my way in a matter of hours. And not only were they quick and had reasonable prices, Eric made sure I really understood what was wrong with my car and I felt I was in good hands, which is more than I can say for my experience with other auto shops. After chatting with his wife, I believe this really seems to be a well run family business, who truly care about their customers, and if only I lived locally, I'd be happy to make them my regular auto shop!

I was in a bind the day before the 4th of July. I was on my way from Baltimore to Virginia Beach to see my mom in the hospital. I plugged in an auxiliary charger and it blew the fuses for my radio, trip computer, and all outlets. I was concerned about not being able to charge my phone so I could keep in communication with my father. I got off of 95 because traffic had backed up. I ran across Evolution Auto Care trying to take a shortcut to get onto Route 1 to bypass the traffic. I pulled in an explained my problem. The owner took my car right away and had everything working in 20 minutes. He refused to take any payment for helping me. When I pulled in and explained my need to be able to communicate with my dad, he could have charged me whatever he wanted -I needed the car fixed. He was such a nice guy and obviously had integrity.

Amazing customer service (CS), but ultimately bad experience. I really wanted to give 5 stars on this, but just can't. I had my car serviced for a drive belt, CR boot, and rear brakes. The CS rep was simply outstanding, she called around and got amazing prices on the parts I needed, even shuttled me to my nearby home while the repairs were made, and even provided me local fishing areas when I mentioned in conversation that I couldn't find any.



The service just doesn't measure up though. The drive belt ended up squealing murder when I started the car or turned on the air - I asked them twice to take a look at it and they did, saying I may need a new AC part. I took it back to the dealer and they threw on a factory belt - fixed the problem immediately. I easily could have chased that repair through hundreds of more dollars to fix it if I'd stayed at evolution auto care.



The CV boot they had to get from the factory and did so at an amazing price, but didn't tighten it enough or something? I took it by two other mechanics to make sure it wasn't right, they both said it was flinging grease everywhere and I needed a new one. I said I'd JUST gotten one a week ago and they both said "well, maybe it wasn't tightened properly, you'll need to replace it though." I contacted EAC and provided them pictures, but the phone number wasn't working anymore. I emailed and called the CS rep directly and she said she'd order a new one, but has never returned a voicemail or email since, so that's another $600-$700 repair I'll have to redo.



The brakes were fine. I had the other mechanics double check that and they're well into the green, so that got done right. One repair out of three is just no good. I'd give one star, but like I said, extremely top notch customer service (until they stopped returning calls) and they really went out of their way to try and save me money. But bottom line, if the car isn't fixed, it's just adding to my costs to repair.

This place is HORRIBLE! I found them on craigslist advertising like a maddog, so I gave them a try. I was on a budget so their advertised labor price was just right where I was comfortable enough to spend. I had previously brought it to the dealership to get an estimate, and see what's wrong, and it was not something I could afford, so I brought it in to Evolution Auto Care. I asked them to price out the parts and labor for full brake service on my 2003 Land Rover LR3. It turns out their estimate was $145 less than what the LR dealership had given me at their labor rate of $120.00. WTF!? I took out the dealership estimate, and compared it. Yup, this is some b_llsh1t. What the hell is a $59.95 labor rate shop costing as much as a $120 dealership. Seriously? I told them to pack up my car, and got the hell outta there. This place is a scam. I would have given them a chance if they quoted my requested work properly. Honestly goes a long way and this shop has proven it to me, a potential new customer, that it doesn't operate that way. PEACE, I'M OUT!

First of all, they gave me a great deal on some brake and rotor work done on my mazda 6.

Additionally, i have a WRX which I had the rear differential go bad in. I had another mechanic who I have been using for 12 years replace the rear diff and then put me back on the road. After one (1) day, i heard a whining noise coming from the drivetrain. I took it back, and my mechanic said it was the transmition going bad, and that he would need to replace it. I asked if the two were related (rear diff, and the transmition). He assured me that there is no way to prove that, and probably not likely.



After having work done by Eric/Evolution on the mazda, i explained my situation with the WRX. He informed me that anytime you replace a rear diff, you need to clean out the transmition, or possibly open it up and make sure it is running ok. The way he explained, seemed like common knowledge. I then called and asked another mechanic if this were the case and he also confirmed Eric's statement.



This lead me to believe that my current mechanic was just trying to get extra work (replacing my transmition), because he doesn't do actual transmition work. In a nutshell, i no longer trust my old mechanic, and appreciate the honesty and information that Eric gave me to protect my car. He gave me a fair price on the work and parts, and I will be having him do any additional work I need from now on.



You need someone that will give you advice on preventative maintenance, and looks to save you money in the long run. Trust is big deal, and isn't earned easily, but is easily lost. I would trust Eric/Linda/Evolution with all of my vehicles. Anyone who is badmouthing this guy/company is crazy!

Great business, they gave me a fair quote over the phone. Excellent mechanic, Eric worked on my automobile. The owner , Linda is very professional, and is friendly. I would recommend this buisness to my family, and friends ...in a heartbeat!!!

OMG THIS PLACE IS AWSOME SAVED ME ALOT OF MONEY! IN 10 MIN. ERIC TOLD ME WHAT WAS WRONG AND FIXED IT 1/2 THE PRICE OF ANOTHER SHOP THANKS ERIC/EVOLUTION

Evolution Auto Care is the best thing that has ever happened to my car. They take care of you and when you buy something they make sure it's what you've paid for. I have personal experience with this because my car needed a new transmission and I'd been quoted one with 42K miles on it and the one sent was 98K miles. Evolution sent it back saying "No Way!" Also, they got my car back to me quicker than I expected and even cheaper than I would and COULD have found anywhere else. I will be going back to Evolution for years to come and could not imagine a more trust-worthy and respectful company. The people who work there are not out to scam you or even to become rich because of you. They are kind, honest, and care about you as much as they do your car.

I have written a review for Evolution the first time I had repairs made on my car, I just had more repairs and felt I needed to post an updated review. Before doing so I read some of the other reviews. I was amazed at the negative things people had to say. I have had nothing but GREAT and TIMELY service from them. I can honestly say that they make you feel like family and go above and beyond just another repair shop. Eric came to help me when my car wouldnt start one day. He knew exactly what the problem was and fixed it in minutes. I have never been overcharged nor have I been told something was repaired that wasnt. I think the people writing negative reviews are crazy. I am taking my car tomorrow to get the belt tentioner put on and I know as always my experience will be Awesome!

I went through all the reviews and was not going to go there, but then I decided to go check it out myself... I have to say the reviews that I read the ones the wrote a bad review must have just been mad because they was trying to be there own mechanic and thought that it would not cost as much or that they were trying to tell the shop what was wrong leave it to them to tell you what is wrong with your car, as for the pricing they were the cheapest price around with only 59.95 labor rate everywhere else was like 109.95 - 129.95.. Eric explained everything to me and was very nice being a single mom I thought for sure I would get ripped off but I called around and they saved me over 300.00 on my car repair... Thank You so much Evolution Auto Care

Please do me a favor and stay away from this shop. They are just trying to make money with no experience. ERIC is a joke! he has no experience dealing with customers and diagnosing a problem. Please and please stay away from these guys.. You will end up paying too much for the repairs and the problem will not go away. They are all very unprofessional and do not know what they are doing. They are better off detailing cars not fixing cars. STAY AWAY !!!! RUN AWAY!!!!

I don't know how "good" Evolution's mechanics are because after spending more than $1000 on repairs to my car its still undriveable! These people are are less than honorable. Linda and Eric are master swindlers! If you find yourself in need of their services get all estimates in writing, ask for detailed receipts, if possible record any/all conversations, and most importantly....don't beleive the $59.95 an hour labor rate (all their jobs take twice as long as average shops). Basically; take your vehicle to someone else!!!

1st they overcharged me for a oil change and brakes. Then when my car needed a small fix they kept it for 2 weeks and never even worked on it. SAid they couldn't find the part which I found at a local parts store. They quoted me a 400 dollar price for the part, I found it for 92. After sitting there for 2 weeks they never called or even looked at it. Do not take your cr there! they are dope heads and have no clue what they are doing.

DIRTY AND THEFT WORST SERVICE.I PAID FOR A COMPLETE BRAKE PADS REPLACEMENT AND THEY REPLACE ONLY ON REAR WHEELS..AND IT MAKES NOISE. THEY ADVERTISE $70 BUT THEN THEY CHARGED ME $140. NEVER AGAIN.THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY. THEY QUOTE $60 FOR HOUR, BUT THEY CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF HOURS SO YOU PAY DOUBLE, FOUND THIS OUT WHEN ANOTHER SHOP TOLD ME THAT IT ONLY TAKES 1 HOUR FOR A JOB THEY QUOTED ME 2 HOURS FOR. LIERS, LIRS, LIERS. LOOK AT THE BAD REVIEWS, THE GOOD ONES ARE MADE UP THEM THE OWNER.

Here you have a buisiness that is built on cheating customers. They will lie, cheat and say they changed parts that they did not. They say they do these services that they do not. They will try to sell you all these flushes if you need them or not, then they will not do them but still charge you. None of the mechanics are qualified, when diagnosing my truck, they just kept changing part after part, but when they said it needed the converter for over $1500, I went to the dealer - the problem, a small vacume leak that cost $124 to repair including diagnostics. They changed 1 sensor, but charged me for 4 according to the dealer. Dealer also said I do not need a transmission flush, or a brake flush, or a coolant flush! good thing I declined those services. Evolution I want my money back!

You must try sending your automotive repair needs to this company. They are fair on their prices, and quick to deliver the great service they guarentee! Thank you EVOLUTION AUTO CARE!!!

I want to say THANK YOU EVOLUTION AUTO CARE. I am a single mom and can not afford alot to keep my car running right but with your rates I can. Thanks. Kim