Expert Auto Repair — Local services in Panama City

The owner took the time to come out to the lobby, sit down, and explain what was wrong, how it works, and what the fix will accomplish. He was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The receptionist was very friendly, helpful, and attentive. I have a neurological issue that causes me to short out mid sentence and entirely forget what I was saying or even the subject topic. That happened while on the phone with him, and he was so kind, compassionate, and patient. I found out afterward that he is the owners son. This is a family owned business done right. Both answered all my questions thoroughly. They were able to diagnose and fix the problem quickly and saved me a lot of money. A previous mechanic told us something needed replacing (O2 sensor) that actually didn't. And did replace a part that didn't need it (Cylinder 4). It was acting up as a symptom of some other part (intake hose/boot was torn). Once the boot was replaced, the O2 sensor and the cylinder 4 misfire worked correctly again. So we can return the O2 sensor and didn't have to pay for the labor to replace it unnecessarily. The old mechanic we had apparently just runs the computer and replaces whatever it says. Instead of fixing/finding the actual problem. Hooray for this place, saving the day and getting us safely back on the road after about a month of car issues. I will be going back on Friday to have them repair something else they found today. A noise I'd been thinking was the exhaust for over a yr was actually a combo of the intake boot/hose being torn and wheel barrings being shot. We replaced the boot today. Wheel barrings Friday. Thank you, gentlemen, for not taking advantage of me just because I am female and don't know much about cars. We found our new mechanic, and will recommend to local friends. Keep up the...

January 2, 2025 - Shawn and crew have once again batted it out of the park. Our 2015 MKC lost some bolts attaching the front dust shield to the underside of the engine compartment. It started dragging the road, creating quite a racket, and looking absolutely terrible. In short, Shawn took us right in when I had a chance to go to his shop, assessed what was going on, took the car to the shop in the rear, ordered the necessary bolts, and reattached the shield at no charge. I've had what I consider to be major work on this and my truck and I've always been highly pleased. I recommend Shawn and his team.

Earlier: Wow. And awesome. I've been having difficulty with a 2003 Camry which was having what I and another repair shop thought were alternator problems, and everything seemed to point that way. The alternator had been replaced under warranty by the other shop two times, and one of those was with another brand to hopefully find a better alternator for that car. The problem only happened part of the time and not consistently. Sean, Muk, and their fine mechanics took my car for the day to monitor its performance. I was realistically looking at potentially needing an expensive OEM alternator to bring the performance of the charging system back up to specs. Muk called midafternoon to tell me that the problem was traced to a defective battery and that I could pick up my own battery if I wanted to. I thanked Muk and asked him for what the charge would be since his mechanics invested their time, Muk and San invested their time when originally talking to me, etc. Muk said there was no charge for their services for my car today. Wow. Awesome....

UPDATE 02/04/2022 I am Very Pleased with the Service Expert Auto Repair provided. All of my expectations were met/exceeded! This was my 1st visit. E.A.R. is on Speed Dial!! A Summary of my experience follows.

Wednesday 02/02/2002: I took my 2004.5 Dodge RAM 2500 truck to E.A.R. early Wednesday morning. There was a problem with the Auto Trans Gear Selector (mounted on the steering column). When the transmission was shifted into "Park", odds were 50/50 that I could not shift "out of Park". Wednesday afternoon, Shawn Brown (Owner) called me. He clearly explained what was wrong and what was needed for repair. (The "MOPAR-only" shift lock solenoid cable had to be replaced. Chrysler/Dodge would need to order it. It would be 1 or 2 days before E.A.R. would get the part.) He asked for my approval to proceed. I said "Okay".

Friday 02/06/2022: Shawn contacted me Friday afternoon informing me that the new MOPAR cable was received that morning, installed, tested and my truck was "good-to-go"!

ORIGINAL REVIEW, Tuesday 02/01/2022: I stopped by to check the shop and pre-register for my appointment tomorrow morning.

Parking was full (a good thing) so finding a spot took several minutes. I met and talked with the owner, Shawn. I found him to be a perfect blend of hospitable, respectfully, intelligent, honest, a good listener, experienced and customer centric.

I have a real solid feeling about Expert Auto...