Ken's A-1 Auto Service

Reviews

• CM

  Cindy Myroniuk

  Aug 21, 2026
  5.0
  Top notch customer service. Fair and Friendly. Prices fair for the fine workmanship.Front brakes, rotors and oil change. Thank you Ken and his fantastic mechanic team. Highly recommend him for a fair estimate. Nana Cindy
• AM

  Al Markwardt

  Jul 30, 2026
  1.0
  They replaced a water pump gasket and thermostat because of a leaky crossover tube on my step brothers Northstar Cadillac. It turned out to be a head gasket but they didn't even test for it. Why wouldn't you test the head gasket on an engine known for bad head gaskets before putting $1000 into a junk motor? You also tried telling my stepmom Andrea sterling that she needed ball joints 3 months after she had ball joints replaced. All because they had some grease on them after a Valvoline service. This place will scam you into the poor house. I honestly can't believe you wouldn't diagnose a bad head gasket when the customer complains of overheating and white smoke out the tail pipe. I always recommended Ken's when I'm not able to help my family with their vehicle needs, not anymore. You guys have turned into the typical "rip me off shop" edit. I had to delete my original review because Ray from kens a1 replied making me out as a liar with his lies. This time I'm adding the receipt so their is no confusion/DENIAL like he did in his last reply. Don't trust this shop. They should've done a head gasket test before doing anything else. These Northstar v8s are notorious for it. The test is basic and simple. If they would've tested it before doing anything else they would've found that the motor is junk and the repairs listed on the receipt weren't necessary. FYI Ean didn't even make it back to Chisholm from kens A1 in hibbing after this service was performed. I looked at the car and as a experienced mechanic the first thing I did was smell the coolant res, after smelling what I already suspected I then checked the oil dip stick to find almost a gallon of antifreeze on top of the oil. This doesn't happen from a 5 mile cruise from hibbing to barely Chisholm. A good running Northstar v8 would take from hibbing to buhl to reach normal operating temp. This means the car came into kens a1 needing a head gasket or both. Instead of doing a basic simple test they charged him $1000. Try denying it now Ray! Ray will tell you that my stepmoms ball joint was loose like he did in his last reply. That's a lie. He lied so much I had to remake this post to call him out on everything. He denied the 2010 Cadillac coming in for cooling system work and He made up the ball joint being loose. And if you ask why I'm making this review instead of Ean or Andrea. It's because they are kind quiet people that avoid confrontation. The exact kind of people Kens A1 loves to take advantage of
• TY

  Tammy Youngquist

  Jun 17, 2026
  5.0
  We went to Kens A1 because we needed new breaks. We needed this done immediately. Kens A1 got us in within a few days. The work they did was Amazing. They are knowledgeable and thorough with the extras I asked for and the main reason I brought my car in. I highly recommend this place. Awesome people and terrific prices and great job! Thank you Kens A1! You guys Rock!
• SG

  Sharon Grosh

  Jun 7, 2026
  5.0
  We were in a bind. Our serpentine belt broke away while traveling to Side Lake. We made it about 2 miles from Ken’s , got a tow from Iron Range towing to Ken’s. They took us right away, offered to drive us to the local cafe and had it fixed inside of two hours. Otherwise, we would not have a running vehicle until Monday. Ken’s is the very best, 10 star’s worthy!!!!! Thank you guys.
• OP

  Orin Paul

  May 26, 2026
  1.0
  I really thought I had found my regular shop with Ken’s A1, which makes this review disappointing to write. My first A/C repair came in under the quote, and the A/C and heat worked perfectly afterward. Ray’s communication seemed genuine, and when he said, “We’ll take care of you,” I believed him. Unfortunately, the experience fell apart after that. After picking up my truck, the plastic skid cover underneath was left unsecured and was dragging when I got home, missing fasteners. Ray told me to come back and they would take care of it, but when I did, he wasn’t there and the person at the counter had no idea what I was talking about. I ended up zip-tying it myself. Soon after, I had a strange smell from the vents and loud thumping from the front HVAC. They found debris from what appeared to be a mouse nest, but said the front blower and HVAC parts were fine. I’m not accusing them of causing that, but my truck had spent about a week at their shop during cold nights, and I’ve never had mouse issues at my home or garage. The bigger issue was communication. I was told I needed a blend door actuator, and because my issue was in the front, I assumed the repair was related to the front HVAC problem. Instead, rear HVAC parts were replaced, fixing an issue I already knew about and had already bought parts for, adding over $600 to the bill. Rear interior trim was also broken and never mentioned to me. It appears adhesive was used to try to repair or hide it, which bothers me more than the damage itself. Older plastic breaks. I understand that. Not telling the customer is the problem. After all that, the A/C worked for about two days before failing again. I brought it back once more and was told there was now an electrical issue in the same general area as the previous work. At this point, my truck has spent much of May at Ken’s A1 for A/C/HVAC issues, the total cost has gone over $2,000, and I no longer feel confident that the problem is truly behind me. The A/C is working now, but I’m honestly just waiting for the next thing to go wrong. I liked this shop and wanted to trust them. Losing that trust is the most frustrating part.

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