Honolulu, HI
The mixed reviews of this place initially had me worried. So, I called ahead during my lunch break to see if they could squeeze me in after work to patch a hole/screw I had in my tire. I spoke with a girl on the phone who ensured that as long as I came in when I said i would (4:45pm), it will get done the same day even though I don't have an appointment. After work, I get to my car and drive off. Only to find that my tire pressure light was on. Sure enough, the same tire I inflated to 40 psi this morning has become flat again at about 10 psi. Luckily, I planned ahead and had an air compressor in my trunk. Pumped it back up to 40 psi and went on my merry way only to show up about 3 minutes late. Got greeted as I made my way to the big "entrance" sign and had an account set up really quickly. Gave them the keys then headed over to the customer lounge where I watched the 4th quarter of the Ravens vs. Cardinals (great, close game). I could tell a lot of the people in that room were waiting there for a long time as they seemed to be pretty anxious, walking around. One guy even had to charge his phone. Heck, I think his laptop died too. This other couple was ensured that their car was "almost done," but they were still in that waiting room by the time I left. Because this place works on a first come, first served basis, I had to wait about an hour and a half for my tire to get patched. I assume it would've been much faster if I went with my original plan to just bring in the tire itself, off the car, but I didn't want to go through the trouble. I DID get to use the Yelp check-in offer which basically brought the patching down to a very competitive, "tax-free" price just under $20. My car just finished up right after I paid. Other than the crowd of weird people who come here (I ran into a fob Chinese couple asking for help as I got to my car), I liked my experience. Would I come here for anything else other than patching my tire? Probably not. They are unbelievably busy and it's probably in your best interest to go shopping or something while you wait for your car because there is absolutely no way they will finish a normal job before you fall asleep. Though, my situation was pretty desperate and they were more than willing to help me out, all with a smile on their faces. Really cool crew working here. 5 stars!