Orion Automotive Services Incorporated

Rich Cox and the fellows at Orion are what I would term the dream garage. This survey segregates people into customers versus friends, well, you go there a couple of times and they all become friends. Rich runs his business the way he wants to run it, he doesn't put up with BS from his customers or his mechanics. He does things right the first time and he works with everyone on what he charges. It is the best of the shadetree mechanic coupled with the best of a shop with all the bells and whistles. The shop is off of one of the main streets in Ann Arbor, but it is well hidden so you really need to know where it is. The reason is that he doesn't want to deal with distractions. His guys are professional, they do great work and here is something I haven't seen too much of recently: he actually shows you the replaced parts, you can hold it and he will explain to you exactly why he replaced the part. The feeling is very laid back, Trout the dog will come out and play with you if you want, or you can read Rich's collection of car books or children's books, or you can admire his metal working projects. The whole place just oozes Ann Arbor charm. AND I can walk out knowing that my car has been fixed, I have been taken care of, and I got to hang out with a bunch or really good people. Oh, he also contributes to NPR by issuing challenge donations during pledge drives, what more can you ask for?

Everyone always tries to weigh price vs value, especially in today's economic climate. I am in sales, and if I had a nickle for every time someone said they want to compare apples to apples... well I digress. Anyway, it is hard to figure out what is the best value, especially when you need to get your car fixed. Sure, you can have a friend do it, but there is not guarantee. The best choice is to have a well established and licensed auto shop take care of you. They need to treat you with respect and give you options from a comprehensive diagnostic; not just the problem that led you to them. Orion Automotive has been looking out for the best interest of their customers for a long time and bring the value of their service to the shop every day.

We received a wonderful recommendation 5 years ago from a friend and have been taking our cars to Orion ever since. The crew at Orion is honest and fair. They'll tell you they LOVE to work on BMW, Volvo, and VW (and they do), while providing the same excellent service for the common car, such as our daughter's Honda Civic. Also, the shop is kept in impeccable shape inside and out.

I have a feeling about these folks at Orion that is "all fives"--that is, I couldn't answer the questions as all 5, but I think that's only because I have visited these folks once. But I can guarantee you that I will have them work on this car again. I found them through this website (Car Talk mechanics reviews) after I broke down in Ann Arbor, and I had no idea who to go to for help. I live in Lansing, so it would have been too long a haul to get it either home or to a Mini Dealer (Mini is now made by BMW, so that's the make that I listed). Anyway--I called these guys on a weekend and had my car towed there on Sunday, without much warning for them. Still, they looked at the car and diagnosed the issue right away, and I had the car back in two days, just in time for an out-of-state trip that I had. They knew about the trip, and must have fast-tracked it, given how much business they probably get. I can't say enough about them. I talked to each of the guys over the few days they had my car, and each of them knew exactly the information that I needed, without even having to go ask. Though I have a mechanic here in Lansing who's wonderful (see this site for their review, too!), I will use Orion for routine maintenance like oil changes, and come to Orion for any other issues that come up. I am pretty picky about who I let touch my car, so please believe that this is a reliable review!