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The Questions People Ask Us Before They Book
FAQS
The Questions People Ask Us Before They Book
Twelve questions, answered the way they get answered across the counter. Some of it you will not want to hear. A labor rate that depends on the car sounds evasive until you have watched the same water pump job take three hours on one car and nine on another. Read the group that fits. If your question is missing, the shop nearest you can answer it.
Quick Takeaways
- No published labor rate: it moves with marque, model year and how much factory tooling a job needs.
- Phone estimates work on defined jobs. A noise, a light or a leak needs the car.
- Warranty: 3 years or 36,000 miles on most parts and labor, good at all eight shops.
- Weekdays only: 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday, every location.
- Ten marques serviced, plus an in-house dyno, a fabrication bay and race prep.
Pricing, Estimates and Customer-Supplied Parts
Price questions have real answers. They just do not have one answer. That same water pump on a 2012 Golf and a 2019 Panamera shares a name and nothing else — different access, different tooling, different hours on the invoice. Here is what moves the number.
What is your labor rate for German auto repair?
It is not one figure. The rate on a job moves with the marque, the model year, how much diagnostic time the fault needs, and whether the repair calls for factory scan software or a special tool. An oil service on a Jetta and a carbon-cleaning job on a direct-injection Porsche do not carry the same hourly.
Can I get an estimate over the phone?
For defined jobs, yes. Oil and filter service, pads and rotors on a known model and year, a fluid service, an alignment, a tire mount — those have a fixed scope. Anything that starts with a noise, a light or a leak gets priced after the inspection.
Why do I have to pay for diagnostics?
Tracing a fault is skilled labor with licensed software behind it, not a free lookup. A stored code tells you where a symptom appeared, not what caused it. The hour spent proving which of four parts is guilty saves you buying the other three.
Do you install parts a customer supplies?
Ask the shop doing the work before you buy anything, because it depends on the part, the job and the location. What we can say plainly: the 3-year / 36,000-mile warranty covers parts and labor we supply, and a bargain control arm that fails in eight months costs more in repeat labor than it saved.
Warranty, Certification and the Dealer Comparison
The warranty is the shortest answer here. Three years or 36,000 miles on most parts and labor, at any of the eight shops. Keep the invoice. What backs it is the harder question.
Do you warranty your repairs?
Most parts and labor carry a 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty, so a repair done in Lawrenceville is covered when the problem resurfaces on a week you are closer to Johns Creek.
Are your technicians certified?
ASE-certified, plus factory certification on BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, MINI and Mercedes-Benz. Credentials expire — ASE certification has to be renewed every five years — so a current one is worth more than a framed one. On Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Sprinter work we are an independent specialist with dealer-level equipment.
Is an independent shop cheaper than the dealer?
Usually, though the honest comparison is annual cost of ownership rather than one invoice. RepairPal puts Porsche’s average annual repair cost at $1,192 for 2026, against $652 across all models. Where we save you money is diagnosis time and not replacing parts that were fine.
→ the repair sequence from drop-off to warranty handover
Hours, Turnaround and Getting the Car In
Weekday shop, weekday answers. Every location runs Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and nothing opens on the weekend, which is worth planning around when the car is your only way to work. A Friday drop-off with a part on backorder sits until Monday.
Are you open on weekends?
No. Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, at all eight shops. Book a weekday slot and drop off early if you can.
How long will my car be in the shop?
A fluid or brake job is measured in hours. An intermittent electrical fault, or a repair waiting on a part for a lower-volume marque, is measured in days. You get a timeline once the inspection is done.
Do I need an appointment?
Book one. Bays are scheduled, and a booked car gets seen in order while a surprise arrival waits for a gap. Say what the symptom is when you book, so the right software is ready.
Which of the Eight Shops Should Have Your Car
Eight shops, one standard, one real difference. Repairs, maintenance, diagnostics and alignments happen at every location, so for ordinary work you should pick by drive time and choose the one you can reach before work starts. The dyno, the fab bay and race prep sit under one roof. Performance work routes there.
Which location should I bring my car to?
Whichever one fits your morning. Alpharetta and Johns Creek sit minutes apart on State Bridge Road, and Gainesville, Lawrenceville, Milton, Roswell, Norcross and Downtown Atlanta cover the rest. Your history and your warranty travel with the car.
Do all eight shops work on Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin?
Tell us the marque when you book and we confirm the location. Ten marques in total: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, MINI, Porsche, Volkswagen, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Schedule Service
Eight locations, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Weekdays only. Norcross, 6000 Jimmy Carter Blvd · Alpharetta, 11255 State Bridge Rd · Johns Creek, 5779 State Bridge Rd · Milton, 5630 Commerce Blvd · Roswell, 11702 Alpharetta Hwy · Gainesville, 2210 Browns Bridge Rd. Lawrenceville sits on Buford Dr and Downtown Atlanta on Northside Dr SW. Parts ship from shop.solomotorsports.net.