MINHS Automotive

Joel and his team at MINHS have given my 1999 Lexus new life. They are very thorough with the high tech diagnostics and they do whatever they can to fix the problems with my car. They take photos/videos of problems and sends them to you ranking the highest priority (red), what can be put off for a bit (yellow), to what checks out fine (green). They are transparent with the cost estimates and get you the best prices they can.

Because the car is 27 years old, it's getting harder to find the parts for it. I had an issue with the exhaust system and the part needed is no longer made. The team came up with a creative way to resolve the problem. They keep me abreast if additional work or parts are needed and are very accommodating with my schedule of when I can get the car back. I trust their work and I highly recommend their services!

I had MINHS do a pre-purchase inspection on a used GTI I was buying from out of state. They were fantastic from start to finish. Mike took the time to explain everything in detail – not just what was in the written report, but also what to prioritize and what could wait. They were super flexible working with me (a remote buyer) and the seller to get the car checked out. I never felt rushed or upsold. If you need an honest, knowledgeable shop that actually communicates, this is the place. Highly recommend.

Now that after 1 week since I did my cayenne checked (including state inspection) and tire balanced in the shop, I am still in deep regret that I made such a bad decision to go to this shop for an overall check and a diagnosis for some steering wheel vibration at around 60mph. The reason I picked it up is because of the super good reviews and they have a PIWIS diagnostic system to read the error codes for Porsche vehicles and they are relatively cheaper than a Porsche dealer.
James is a good guy to communicate with and he answered all the questions and was very patient. However, this review is mainly for the work they have done and the results/problems they left with my newly bought vehicle. I just bought my cayenne for about two weeks and it is still in its manufacture warranty. And the condition is like new and I liked and valued it a lot. However, after I picked up the vehicle and drove it back home I immediately found problems.
1) They did the car wash as a courtesy without asking for my permission. However, when I looked at my car after wash, I notice the wash was so bad. Water wasn’t dry out almost everywhere. And they brought damages to the paint on the door trim at the passenger side. Which should be due to improper use or too much force using a towel or they simply do not know properly wash a vehicle. On the driver side, the door when opened, the inside has several big dirty water marks. James immediately got some towel to erase those. But the next day, I noticed the driver’s seat, the side was dirty to the extent it was darkened. It must be that their mechanic drove my car and he wore very dirty pants (and didn’t put some cover to it). And there is also dark marks on the bose audio on the door side. I have consulted a decent detailing shop, to fix those door trims, they could put some gross black wrap on it, which shouldn’t be done one side, but two sides including the driver side to make them look even. I was quoted $300 for that. And to detail the seat/interior and the exterior, $250. These two things easily cost me $500+ to fix. Btw, this is the only car wash I had since I bought the car so they cannot claim it is due to other washes. And if the car initially looked like that, I wouldn’t even consider buying it. But that is not the worst part.
2) The worst part is, when I drove the car back home, I immediately noticed the steering wheel felt much much looser than before. When I initially test drove the car, the biggest thing I like is the feeling of the driving, the steering wheel felt tight and heavy and precise, even at low speed. Now that driving feel/fun totally gone. I have made appointments to have this checked at an accredited Porsche dealer. Hopefully they could figure out what they did wrong to my car.
3) They claimed they fixed the steering wheel vibration at highway with the tire balancing. Actually they haven’t. I still felt the same way after driving on high way for some good miles this past weekend.
So all in all, I spent close to $400 to have a check & state inspection together with tire balancing (I actually hesitated to do any fixing work here. However James talked in a way the balancing should be an easy job for them to do so I trusted them). I left with a car which looked and drove like 5 year older than it actually is. For this, I have to spend extra thousands of dollars and tons of time to fix (my hand crossed the driving feel can be back). I was so regretted on my decision that I wanted to save maybe a couple of hundred bucks to do all these at this store instead of at a dealer. I think they are inadequate or incapable to perform the quality job that is needed for a vehicle like cayenne or Porsche. I advise you do not come to it for even the simplest work if you do not want to have unexpected incidents to happen with your cherished vehicle. I didn’t want to leave a bad review but I felt if I don’t my conscience won’t allow me to keep silent. Had I seen a review like this, I would never leave my car at the hands of mechanics here.

First of all I want to thank Joel for the way he communicates with customers. He is a real pro — very attentive to questions and details, always polite and responsible in managing everything.

The service itself is clearly done by experts. You won’t regret choosing MINHS over dealer servicing if you want an alternative. Being a “dealer alternative” is their biggest strength.

This can also be a downside for people who don’t want to spend a lot of money on older or heavily used cars. MINHS usually works with original parts and doesn’t offer alternatives even if those parts are made by the same companies that supply automakers. So their approach is similar to the dealership model, but without pressure tactics and with a fair evaluation of which parts actually need replacement.

Overall I highly recommend this shop. You can expect a very high level of service and professionalism. Just be prepared for a high price. That cost makes sense given the quality of work. It’s usually lower than dealership pricing, without unnecessary upselling or inflated service recommendations.

P.S. I was told I would get a car wash but it didn’t happen. I’ll assume it’s because I turned down some recommended services :))