McLean, Saskatchewan · Owner-operated since 2009
Honest auto repair from the one mechanic who actually works on your vehicle.
Cars, SUVs and half-tons from McLean, the Qu'Appelle Valley and east Regina. You talk to Mark, Mark does the work, and nothing gets replaced without your say-so.
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You talk to the mechanic
There is no service desk. The person who answers the phone, looks at your vehicle and calls you with the quote is the same person who fixes it.
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A quote before we wrench
Diagnose first, explain it in plain language, then a written price. Nothing gets replaced because it “might as well” be done.
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Parts chosen for prairie driving
Gravel, salt and minus forty are hard on vehicles. We pick parts that hold up to it and tell you when the cheap option is fine.
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12 month / 20,000 km warranty
Parts and labour on every repair we do, and if a check-engine light we fixed comes back, the re-check is on us.
What we do
Everything a car or light truck needs, short of a paint booth.
From a quick oil change to a full brake job or chasing down a check-engine light, it all happens in the same two bays with the same set of hands. Prices below are starting points for common vehicles; you always get a firm quote before any work begins.
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Oil Changes & Scheduled Maintenance
Conventional, synthetic blend or full synthetic, with a 30-point look-over every time.
From $89.95 Details -
Brake Repair & Replacement
Pads, rotors, calipers, lines and fluid, with a no-charge brake check first.
From $249 / axle Details -
Tires & Seasonal Swaps
Winter and all-season tires, balancing, flat repairs and off-season storage.
Swaps from $60 Details -
Diagnostics & Check-Engine Lights
Factory-level scan tools, live data and someone who reads them properly.
$119.95 diagnostic Details -
Steering, Suspension & Gravel-Road Wear
Shocks, struts, ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings and the rattles gravel causes.
Quoted per job Details -
Batteries, Starting, Charging & Block Heaters
Cold-weather starting, alternators, starters, cables and block heater installs.
Batteries from $189 installed Details -
Exhaust & Muffler
Mufflers, pipes, flex joints, catalytic converters and small repairs welded in-house.
From $149 Details -
SGI Safety & Pre-Purchase Inspections
Accredited light-vehicle safety inspections and honest pre-purchase checks.
Safety inspection $129.95 Details
17yearson Railway Ave
About the shop
One bay door, one set of hands, seventeen years of keeping the neighbours moving.
Tinline Automotive is Mark Tinline: a Red Seal journeyman who spent nine years in a Regina dealership before opening his own two-bay shop on Railway Avenue in 2009. There is no service writer between you and the person under your hood. You get a straight explanation, a written quote and a repair that holds up on gravel.
Most of what rolls in is what the area drives: half-tons, farm trucks, commuter cars heading into the city, and the family SUV that has to start at minus thirty-five.
- Red Seal Automotive Service Technician
- SGI accredited inspection station
- 12 month / 20,000 km parts and labour warranty
How a visit works
No surprises. Here's exactly what happens.
Four steps, and the fourth one is you understanding what was done and why.
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1
Call or book online
Tell us the vehicle and what it's doing. Same-week appointments most of the year; October and April fill up early.
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2
Drop off
Pull into the lot on Railway Avenue. There's a key drop by the office door for early mornings, and you can wait in the office if it's a quick job.
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3
Diagnose and quote
Mark looks it over, finds the actual cause and calls you with a written price. Nothing happens until you say go.
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4
Pick up and walk-through
The invoice matches the quote, the old parts are there if you want to see them, and you leave knowing what was done and what's coming due.
By the numbers
Small shop. Long memory.
- 17 Years on Railway Avenue
- 1 Mechanic who does the work
- 5,800+ Vehicles serviced
- 30 Minutes from Regina
What the neighbours say
Word of mouth is the only advertising we've ever done.
Reviews collected from Google and from the counter. Names and towns used with permission.
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Mark found a wheel bearing the dealership missed twice. Showed me the play in it with his hands, quoted it, and it was done by lunch. I haven't been back to the city since.
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My F-150 sees a lot of gravel and a lot of trailer. He put in the right shocks the first time and talked me out of the lift kit I thought I wanted. That's the kind of honest you don't get much.
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Check-engine light, three shops, two guesses, no fix. Tinline found a cracked vacuum line in under an hour and charged me the diagnostic and a ten-dollar part.
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Been bringing my trucks here since the day he opened. Prices are fair, the work is right, and he'll tell you straight when something isn't worth fixing.
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Worth the drive out. Pre-purchase inspection on a used Civic saved me from a rust bucket, and the report was so clear I used it to negotiate on the next one.
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Battery died at minus thirty-eight. He fit me in the same morning, tested the alternator while he was at it and didn't try to sell me one. Small-town service the way it should be.
Straight prices
Common jobs, posted up front.
Prices are for typical cars and half-ton trucks and include shop supplies but not tax. Heavy-duty, European and diesel vehicles are quoted individually.
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Oil change & 30-point check
Up to 5 L conventional oil, filter, fluids topped up, tire pressures, written inspection notes.
Synthetic blend from $109.95, full synthetic from $129.95. Diesel and European quoted.
$89.95Book -
Seasonal tire swap
Tires on rims swapped, torqued and pressures set. Off rims from $120 including balance.
TPMS sensor programming extra if needed. Storage $60 per season.
$60Book -
Diagnostic scan & test
Codes, live data and the testing to find the actual cause, with a written report.
Comes off the repair if we do the work.
$119.95Book -
SGI safety inspection
Accredited light-vehicle inspection with itemised written report.
Re-inspection after repairs done here: no charge.
$129.95Book -
Pre-purchase inspection
About an hour on the lift plus a road test and a plain-language report you can negotiate with.
Buyer or seller may bring the vehicle in.
$149.95Book
Makes we see every week
Domestic and import, gas and light diesel.
If it's a car, SUV, van or pickup up to one ton, we can look at it. Diagnostic software and specialty tooling covers the makes below and most others.
- Ford
- Chevrolet
- GMC
- Ram
- Dodge
- Toyota
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Kia
- Nissan
- Subaru
- Jeep
Around the shop
Two bays, a tire rack and a pot of coffee.
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Bay one, first thing Monday -
Everything back where it belongs -
Off-season tire storage -
Belt and tensioner check -
The office. Coffee's on. -
January, 4:30 pm -
Exhaust section welded in-house -
Keys back, questions answered
Common questions
Things people ask at the counter.
Don't see yours? Call the shop and you'll get the mechanic, not a phone tree.
(306) 699-2840Do I need an appointment?
For anything beyond a flat repair or a quick look, yes. It's a one-mechanic shop, so booking keeps the wait short for everyone. Call or use the booking form and you'll usually get a slot the same week.
Do you work on diesel pickups?
Yes, light-duty diesels (Duramax, Power Stroke, Cummins in pickups up to one ton) for maintenance, brakes, suspension, exhaust and diagnostics. Injector and high-pressure pump work is referred to a diesel specialist.
Can I bring my own parts?
You can, but the warranty then covers labour only, and if the part is wrong or fails we have to charge for the second install. Most of the time we can match or beat the price you found anyway, so ask first.
How long does an oil change take?
About forty minutes, because it includes a 30-point inspection. You're welcome to wait in the office, or drop off and pick up later in the day.
Are you an SGI inspection station?
Yes, for light vehicles: out-of-province registrations, rebuilt-vehicle inspections and general safety inspections. Book ahead, and bring your registration paperwork.
What warranty do you offer?
Twelve months or 20,000 km on parts and labour for repairs done with our parts, whichever comes first. Some premium parts carry a longer manufacturer warranty and we pass that along.
Can you give me a ride, or do you have a loaner?
We don't have a loaner vehicle. If you're in McLean we're happy to run you home and pick you up. For longer jobs, a lot of customers arrange to leave the vehicle and get a lift with a neighbour heading to the city.
How can I pay?
Debit, Visa, Mastercard, e-transfer and cash. Invoices are emailed if you like, and we keep your service history on file so you can ask what was done last time.
From the shop
Plain-language notes on keeping a prairie vehicle running.
Seasonal reminders and the questions that come up most often at the counter.
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Your battery is fine in October. Here's why it dies in January.
A battery that tests “good” in the fall can still leave you stranded at minus thirty-five. What actually happens to a battery in the cold, and the three things worth doing before the first hard freeze.
Read -
When to put winter tires on (and take them off) in Saskatchewan
The rule of thumb is seven degrees, not the first snowfall. Why the compound matters more than the tread, and how to make a set last five winters.
Read -
What gravel roads actually do to your truck
Washboard, dust and stone chips wear a vehicle in ways the maintenance schedule never planned for. The parts that go first and how to stretch them.
Read
Book a visit
Tell us about the vehicle and what it's doing.
This is a request, not a confirmed appointment. Mark will call or email to confirm a time, usually within the day.