Mike's Auto Repair

Tommy at Mike’s Auto Repair is amazing— he really went out of his way to help us (we were in a pinch and needed a tire repair same-day). Docked one star because some of the other staff were unhelpful/mean(?) to us. Definitely find Tommy if you need help.

I ran over a sharp piece of metal about 4 weeks ago on Huntington Ave, had an immediate completely flat tire and wondered where I could get to a garage - I came into Boston for a medical appointment and was unfamiliar with the area- when I looked up and saw a sign for Mike's Auto Repair less than a block away, I pulled in and a young gentleman saw my problem right away, explained the tire was split and he wouldn't be able to plug it. When he heard where I lived he didn't recommend going so far on my emergency spare tire. He checked and found he didn't have a 17" tire that would be best on my AWD car but was able to provide a used tire for only $150 (and I had been worried about how much that metal strip in the road would cost me in the middle of Boston!) The young man did advise me to replace the tire as soon as reasonable with a tire made for my car which would be properly aligned but I would be safe driving on it to get home and while shopping for a fair price for a new tire. I thought I would have to wait at least a couple of hours given how busy the station was but in about an hour I was able to leave. I offered the young man a tip, but he refused. (I'm so sorry I don't remember his name and I hope he recognizes this situation because I promised since he refused to accept a tip I would leave a Google review. He said that would be great because of how good reviews are for business!) So here's the review with my story and deep gratitude for this wonderfully competent, honest neighborhood auto station right there in the middle of a very busy intersection on Huntington Ave but within eyesight of this woman who will never forget the kindness she needed on that day. Please do not hesitate to use this garage for gas and auto repairs. I can assure you they deserve and will earn your business.

I had a very frustrating experience here recently. I brought my car in because the driver’s side headlight wasn’t working even after I changed the bulb and I needed a state inspection. The owner (I think) called me the next day saying “It’s very bad, very bad!” (Scary!) and quoted me $800.00 for 4 hours of labor and parts. That seemed really high and he wasn’t very clear on what the issue was so I retrieved my car. When I arrived he pointed at the switch where you turn the headlights on and the wiring harness as possible problem areas. He said that there was no power going to the light socket and a fix would require removing interior panels, replacing wires and soldering. He then charged me an $85.00 diagnosis fee which he didn’t mention when I dropped off the car. When I had time over the weekend I pulled out my multimeter and within 5 minutes I found that there was power to the socket (when he said there wasn’t) and one of the pins on the socket was bent. I then bent the pin back and the headlight worked fine. I thought it would be a tougher fix and I’d need another mechanic. I called him and explained that his diagnosis of a harness or switch problem was wrong, that I had found and fixed the issue at the socket very easily, and that I wanted a refund of the diagnostic fee. He got mad, blamed me for installing the bulb wrong, asked why I had even brought my car to him, and hung up. Looking back on the ordeal, I’m very glad that I didn’t let him work on my car. I’m not sure what he did to diagnose my headlight issue but he certainly didn’t identify a problem with the bulb or socket, which seems like the obvious place to start. Being quoted $800 for extensive electrical work when the actual problem was a bent socket pin that took me minutes to fix made me feel like I was being taken advantage of.

I came here twice for the state vehicle inspection, and will likely keep coming back given how great the customer service is. The staff were friendly, quick, and even filled my tires when they saw low pressure light was on, without charging me for it.

Overall great experience. The team was thorough, informative, and efficient. I came through with a flat tire with a decent sized hole in it. Tommy quickly took the vehicle, inspected it, showed me the issue, explained the cause and solution. He also presented me with different options which was good to hear. It was a straightforward and genuine transaction. The guy approached the situation trying to help me. Will definitely be back.