Durham Auto Diagnostic (out of business)

These guys are wonderfully compentent and their prices were the best I have ever experenced.  This is a no BS shop, they will tell it like is and nothing else. 

The guys that run the shop are great.  Ask for Dietrich!!

I have been looking for a good mechanic in the area for a while, and located Durham Auto Diagnostic and Repair through web research. I had a pretty good idea what the problem was, and they were very good about letting me explain how the car had been acting and what I thought the problem was-- they even let me go and point directly at the relevant areas of the car while it was up on the lift. They never made me feel like I didn't know what I was talking about, or talked down to me. Frank was very upfront about exactly what the mark-up on parts was going to be, and how much labor was going to be (based on the handbook time for how long the repair should take). He and his mechanic took the car for a test drive before calling me, and he took me for another test drive afterwards to show how the car was now working. Also, he personally gave me a ride back home on his way to go pick up the parts.

I have quite a positive experience with Frank McMillen and his mechanic. They had serviced my VW brake system well and recently changed the timing belt and water pump. My car runs well so far. Frank is a person to trust to me personally.

I drive 25 miles to take my car to this shop. They are honest, kind, have a great mechanic, have been more than fair in pricing, and, although it is not part of their service, they have always given me a loaner when necessary. The owner, Frank mcMillan, answered my ad on Craig's List when I was trying to sell my old Volvo. Another car shop ran a diagnostic and told me I had to rebuild the engine. Frank looked at my car, told me they had no idea what they were talking about, and said he would repair it for $300...which he did! Frank has also always come to my rescue if I was broken down, and finally found another car for me which he sold me for an extremely reasonable price.

The address should read Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd. or Google maps will send you 2 miles away to Old Chapel Hill Rd. These guys are great! Their prices were much better than 2 other quotes I had, and they explained fully. Some of their competitors recommendations were bogus, while Karl found some other things that needed to be done. He added a tune-up with no labor charge because he was changing valve cover gaskets. This is the place that will help my car get from 150K to 250K miles.

I took my 2000 Nissan Maxima here after repeated problems following a compressor replacement at another repair shop. They found that there was a hole in the condensor and fixed that, then discovered that the compressor that was put in by the other place was bad. The guy called the other shop for me and explained the situation and got them to replace the compressor for free. I was extremely satisfied with this shop's work and would definitely go there again. They took the time to help me out when I needed it.

I have two great experiences with this shop. I moved to the Durham area in August of 2008 and was lucky enough to not need a mechanic until of March of 2009. During this time, I didn't heed advice and search out a quality mechanic before I needed one. Of course, when I needed a mechanic I had no one to turn to and went to a national chain repair shop. Well, this chain repair shop almost destroyed my car. I brought my car into Karl Konrad and he was able to determine the original problem and fix it! He helped me keep costs under control which particularly important to me since I am a struggling college student. Karl helped to fix my car and provided me with an education about the problem and how it was repaired. He also provided me with the old parts. The combination of the education and the used parts helped me to return to the chain auto shop and regain some my money. Karl didn't need to help me try to regain money at another auto shop but he went out of his way to helped me understand what had happened so that I could speak in detail about the issues. I was very impressed and touched by his concern and commitment. During my second experience with the shop, I had my water pump and timing belt changed. The repair was great, speedy and cost effective. The water pump part eventually was determined to be a faulty pump by the manufacturer. I returned the car to Durham Auto Diagnostic and Repair, and they replaced the part without any charges to me. I find this auto mechanic shop to be very trustworthy, reasonable and honest. I trust them when they tell me information about my car. This is very important me as a female car owner. I have recommended them to friends and I will continue to recommend them.