Reliable car service in North Shore (Sydney) - Eastern Valley Automotive

Where we are (North Shore in Sydney), getting a pink slip/rego inspection is like playing Russian Roulette. I have had instances where I had to change a wind screen wiper (literally got a new wind screen wiper a month before) or a car tyre just to pass. Rego inspection is open season for some of the "up sell by coercion" auto shops.

James from Eastern Valley Auto was recommended by a friend. In the last few years, we got all our pink slips with him. With James, getting a rego inspection was a straight forward process/experience. No up sell by coercion ever. He is an honest bloke.

We started going to him to service our cars too. Allow me a whinge... I often wonder what does a car service entail ? Do they just open the bonnet and check the oil level and that is it ? Today, I stayed around a bit longer after I dropped off the car. As it turned out, James and his crew actually did stuffs around and under the car as well.

We took our old BMW and Lexus there for service. We dropped off both cars around 8-9. And picked them up around 2pm. During that time, we walked to Chatswood CBD (around 20-25mins walk) and spent the morning there.

We were told the front brake pads of the BMW looked a bit worn and would need to be replaced. I was told about the cost of brake pads and gave the go ahead.

The service cost (inspection plus oil change) for the Lexus came to $320. The day before, I looked at different places online. Some of the quotes online came to $300-450. Last year, when our car was serviced at Lexus, the bill came to over $1000.

The service cost for the BMW was $650 including brake pads change. The front brake pads were quoted for $260.. So service alone was $400. Before booking with James, I called BMW Chatswood. Apparently, basic service would cost $400 or so. If oil change is required, it would be around $900 all up. I called an independent BMW shop as well. To change the brake pads would cost $500. Service cost there would be around $400.

James is originally from HK. He is not a young lad anymore. Easy to talk to. Straight forward to deal with.

If you are looking for someone for pink slip/rego or regular car service (and skip the dealerships), worth reaching out to James.

One tip is to book an appointment, best to call James on his mobile during week day. He doesn't respond to text.

Also the workshop is well hidden. The entrance to the workshop is across the road from the Tesla shop.