McKenna is a rural run with real distance between shops. We try to diagnose fully on the first visit so nobody makes that drive twice.
Auto Repair for McKenna, WA
Auto Star is in Graham, about 12 miles from McKenna — roughly 20 minutes, south on Meridian to SR-702, then west. We're not going to pretend we're around the corner. It's a real drive, and we plan for that.
That distance matters more for McKenna than for towns closer to Graham. If you're coming from out past the Nisqually River bridge, or from around Harts Lake, you don't want to make that trip twice because we missed something the first time. So on rural jobs like this, we try to get the diagnosis right before you leave — checking related systems while the car's already up on the lift, rather than sending you home to come back a second time for something we could have caught the first.
We work on the usual list: routine maintenance, brakes, engine and transmission issues, electrical and A/C work, check engine lights, exhaust and emissions, oil changes. Jabarjeet Singh handles A/C and electrical diagnostics, and our lead mechanic Tony Sindhu does driveability and engine/transmission work. He also covers brakes, oil changes, and light body work. Our front desk can talk you through what's going on with your car before you commit to the drive out.
We're open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. If you're out in the Nisqually corridor and your week is already full, call ahead and we'll help you find a time that works for the drive.
We're a small, family-run shop — Jabarjeet and Gurjivan Singh bought the place and run it themselves, so you're usually dealing with an owner, not just a service writer relaying messages. Punjabi is spoken here if that's easier for you. We've got about 110 reviews on Google, averaging 4.8 to 4.9 stars, which we think reflects the fact that we try to do the job right the first time — especially useful to know if you're driving 20 minutes each way to get here.
Call ahead at (253) 375-7057 if you're coming from McKenna, so we can have a sense of what you're bringing in before you make the drive.
Getting here from McKenna
From McKenna it is roughly 12 miles — south on Meridian to SR-702 then west — and typically about 20 minutes outside of rush hour. If you know the Nisqually River bridge and Harts Lake, you are on the right road.
Customers come to us from McKenna, Harts Lake, Nisqually corridor.
What we handle
- Routine Maintenance — Oil, filters, fluids, tires, brakes checked properly. Boring, cheap, and the reason some…
- Oil Change Services — The right oil for your engine and the way you actually drive. Not a 3,000-mile sticker on…
- Brake Repair & Services — Grinding, pulsing pedal, pulling to one side. We measure the pads and rotors before we…
- Check Engine Light — The light tells us a system, not a part. We find out which before anyone spends money on…
- Auto Diagnostics — Warning lights, no-starts, and faults that only happen sometimes. We find out what is…
- Engine Repair — Oil leaks, misfires, timing components and head gaskets. The work that keeps an engine…
- Engine & Transmission — Timing belts, head gaskets, slipping transmissions. The expensive jobs, done once and…
- Transmission Repair — Slipping, hard shifts, leaks and fluid services. Transmission trouble is worth looking at…
- Cooling System & Radiator Repair — Overheating, coolant leaks, radiators, water pumps and thermostats. An engine that runs…
Booking from McKenna
Call (253) 375-7057 or send us your vehicle details. Tell us the noise, the light or the mileage and we will tell you what it takes before you commit to the drive.