The first time I went into My Buddy's Garage on S Charlotte Ave I watched a guy in his late twenties pull a transmission out of an Audi A4 with the kind of methodical patience that exists only when you own the car and the dealer bill would have been five thousand dollars. That's the whole thesis of the business.
### What My Buddy's actually offers
Bay rental by the hour, with a 4-post or 2-post lift, the air tools, the impact wrench, the floor jacks, the press, the parts washer — the full toolkit of a real shop, not a residential garage with a creeper and a crescent wrench.
- Hourly bay + lift rental (book online via mybuddysgarage.com) - Air tools, impact wrenches, presses, jack stands, gear pullers - A tech on shift to answer the question you're stuck on - A counter for the fastener you forgot - Coffee that's almost always running
### Who built it
A small operator running it the way the trades have always wanted somebody to run it — fair hourly rate, clean shop, no upsell on parts you can buy at NAPA for half the price. The "buddy" in the name means it.
### Where they fit in Sioux Falls
600 S Charlotte Ave, south of E 6th and east of Cliff. The kind of working-east-side block where you can park a project car at the curb and nobody calls the city. Through-traffic is light enough to roll a transmission jack out into the lot without dodging a Subaru. That isn't nothing in a town where new commercial space wants you out of the lot by 6 PM.
### What they're not
Nobody at My Buddy's is going to fix your car for you. They sell you the time and the tools and they'll answer questions, but the contract is that you — not them — are the mechanic. If you've never done a brake job and your daily driver is grinding, watch some videos and ask a friend before you book a bay. The customers who get the most value walked in already knowing 70 percent of the job.
### How to work with them
Phone (605) 413-0613 or mybuddysgarage.com. Bays book up — Saturdays, Sundays, and nice-weather weeknights are tight. Pad your time estimate (a two-hour job often becomes four), confirm what tools you need, and stage your parts before you walk in.
If this is your shop, you can claim it at tally.so/r/yPylP8.
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**FAQ 1: How does the bay rental at My Buddy's Garage work?**
You book a bay online for the duration you need, show up with your car and your parts, and the lift, tools, and air are all included in the hourly rate. A tech is on shift to answer questions, but you do the actual wrenching. Weekends and nice-weather weeknights book up days in advance.
**FAQ 2: What kind of jobs is My Buddy's Garage right for?**
Brake jobs, oil changes, suspension work, exhaust work, transmission swaps, engine pulls, project-car restoration, motorcycle work — anything where you have the skill and the parts and you mostly need a clean indoor space with a real lift. Wrong fit if you need somebody else to diagnose and fix the car for you.
**FAQ 3: Do they sell parts at My Buddy's, or do I bring my own?**
Bring your own. The counter has small consumables (fasteners, gasket sealer, basic fluids) for the things you forgot, but they don't try to be your parts supplier. Order from RockAuto, Summit, or local NAPA before your bay slot and have everything staged.
**FAQ 3: Do they sell parts at My Buddy's, or do I bring my own?** Bring your own.