Alewife Automotive

They're an excellent garage. The owner is very willing to explained what is needed on the car. He just doesn't just fix the ones that you brought it in for and then tell you later, that maybe there was something else wrong. He's very thorough and willing to explain. He's always able to offer cost varying solutions for everybody's needs. They do engine work, suspension work, tires, and all kinds of stuff. They're phenomenal.

They sprayed some stuff on to protect it from the snow in the winter, did an oil change and put new boot wiper blades. They charged zero dollars because I'm a repeat customer. Their pricing is incredible and they really take care of you if you keep going back to them. So they just did a complimentary. There is a reason I'm driving from Norwood all the way through traffic up to Somerville just to have stuff like that done. I'm never going anywhere else.

It's fantastic.  They're really wonderful.  I took it in for an oil change and it turned out that I needed new brakes at that point too.  It was expensive but he gave me a good deal on the work.

The time it takes depends on the job. For the brakes it was about half a day, I left my car there all day.  They drove me to work and then picked me up.

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They kept my car for 3 weeks and kept telling me stories about what work they were doing on my car. The workers were charming, nice and extremely pleasant.  Each time I drove by I saw it sitting in the same place, so I don't think they did anything to it at all. He said that they changed out an electrical harness, but may of done other work as well. Once I took my car back, I didn't want to go back to them. The next service provider said it didn't look like there was any new wiring.

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- The main mechanic said the car was safe, everything was lubed up [?!?] and there was no problem - that Mazdas have a reputation for making noises, when idling, for example. When I left, six hours later, I got in the car and the and quot;check engineand quot; light was still on. And the mechanic said he left it on to see if it would activate itself if I drove it another 50 or so miles. Meanwhile, I brought the car to another mechanic who had a sense the clutch and muffler needed replacing a $400 - $500 job - and the check engine light was showing a code of a small leak, but the car was safe to drive. and his opinion was that Alewife auto should have taken care of that muffler/clutch issue - and the soy bow [??] problem, also before they sold me the car. My sense is that they were stalling on the warranty of 90 days: As long as they told me to keep driving the car so the problems would go away, they would prolong having to fix anything for a cost.
My first impression was very positive; I trusted this business. I traded my car in for a very minimal trade [my error!]; they said they'd probably just sell it as parts. Then a friend saw it in the lot for sale, saw it on the Website; then it disappeared from the Website, still on the lot with a and quot;for saleand quot; sign. Hmmmmm...not good...

I'd been going to Alewife for years for car repairs and had always been happy with their service, but my most recent visit will be my last. I got two new tires, a new battery and new radiator hoses. They told me that they needed to order my battery, and that they had given me a temporary one, and I should return in a week for the new battery. The next day one of my new tires was flat, and I had to return to get it fixed. Two days later my car overheated in traffic, and i had to have the car towed back to be fixed. They told me that the car was fixed the next day, but when I drove it for five minutes it overheated again. It turned out that they had taken out the thermostat and not replaced it. A week later I went in to get my new battery, and they told me it was replaced. When i got back into my car, the clock and preset radio stations were still the same as when I dropped it off. Perhaps there's a way to change a battery without disconnecting the clock and radio? Bottom line: 700 dollars and a lot of stress later I joined Angies List to find another mechanic to look my car over again.

See notes above.

Been to a few places to have my inspections done and while they are all okay, these guys are better than average. It was quick and the mechanic actually discussed with me the results of the inspection to give me a heads up on what I should keep and eye on for the next year.
Also, had them change the oil on my car which was quick and easy.

Eli and George and the others do very good work, take you in ASAP and it's not a long wait [e.g. several days], they are honest, very friendly, I don't have one complaint. They have many loyal customers.

He is quick and accurate.

You can't beat Alewife Automotive! George and the crew are absolutely dedicated to their customers, and I always feel like they have my best interest at heart. I think that this approach, one built on winning customer loyalty by putting the customer first, is why they are so successful. They are fast, have unbelievable prices, and do quality work that they stand behind. It is a true pleasure every time I interact with them, and we'll never bring our cars anywhere else. I just wish we had found Alewife Automotive earlier!

We were happy to discover them for all our needs for a 13-year old Toyota RAV4 still going strong at nearly 200,000 miles and a 9-year old BMW X5 4.4i with about 100,000 miles that I love but realize requires frequent care and service, which George in particular really understands and provides - it's so great NOT to have to visit any dealers for anything - they even have the specialty foreign diagnostic computers. They will also drop you off at the T stop in Davis Sq, and there are nearby buses that run frequently when you have to leave your vehicle with them. They also do inspections thoroughly and promptly, and their gas prices are some of the best around. It's hard to find many places about which you can say it, but we truly believe it in this case based on a lot of experience - YOU CAN TRUST THESE GUYS - COMPLETELY! ALWAYS!