From cher@ksr.com Tue Oct 9 08:47:05 1990 Date: Tue, 9 Oct 90 07:56:08 EDT From: cher@ksr.com (Mike Cherepov) To: jtkohl@MIT.EDU Subject: Re: wanted: honda auto body shop In-Reply-To: Cc: Here is comes again. I used one of the high-rated garages from the list and found the rating well-justified. Mike Cherepov >From ksr!uunet!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!bbn!bbn.com!mesard Thu Feb 1 15:25:03 EST 1990 Article 849 of ne.general: Path: ksr!uunet!snorkelwacker!mit-eddie!bbn!bbn.com!mesard >From: mesard@bbn.com (Wayne Mesard) Newsgroups: bbn.bboard,ne.general,rec.autos Subject: BBN Auto Mechanics List Message-ID: <51603@bbn.COM> Date: 31 Jan 90 01:04:46 GMT Sender: news@bbn.COM Reply-To: mesard@BBN.COM (Wayne Mesard) Distribution: ne Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA Lines: 289 Xref: ksr ne.general:849 rec.autos:1745 ---------SNIP---CRACKLE---POP---------- ( The BBN Auto Mechanics List ) (* Last revised: 1/30/90 *) (* Last posted: 9/27/89 *) (* Maintainer: Wayne Mesard *) (This file contains three lists: Local garages (the Boston side of I95), not-so-local garages, and body shops. If this list helps you, please help the list: send ANY AND ALL feedback, additions, etc. via email to "Mechanics@BBN.COM" (or just "Mechanics" from a BBN machine. When writing, please mention the type of car worked on. And tell them the BBN Auto Mechanics List sent you.) (A note on format: Each entry is given a grade based on recent feedback. "A+" means consistently excellent reports. An "F" means avoid at all costs. "C+" indicates about even numbers of good and bad reports. The three lists appear alpha-betically. When reading this file with GNU Emacs, you can reorder the lists such that they appear from most- favorably-reviewed to least by following these two steps: (1) Enter the commmand Control-X Control-P. (2) Enter Escape-X sort-paragraphs. [Yes, I know I'm a geek.]) B+ A&M FOREIGN MOTORS: 47 Webster Av, Somerville - 776-1760 ASE certified mechanics. 6/89: Excellent diagnosis on a Toyota. "Honest and capable." B- ADAM'S SERVICE INC: 11 Carlton St, Somerville - 628-6877 They work on all makes of cars, but our only experience has been with Subarus, and that was excellent. C+ ADVANCE MUFFLER & BRAKE CO: 101 Fulkerson St, Cambridge - 354-0101 Very friendly, very quick. 10/89: Report of "questionable quality." Can anyone care to defend these guys' reputation? C, ALEWIFE SERVICE, INC: 671 Concord Av, Cambridge - 497-9780 (around corner from BBN) - Charles Bere, own/mgr/certified mechanic. Be careful to limit your business to 'routine maintenance'. B- ARLINGTON SHELL: Mass Av, Arlington (across from Stop & Shop) - 643-7722 Foreign and domestics, all types of work. 'honest and very competent'. Same day service and they are open Saturday mornings. B- ARLINGTON TEXACO: 264 Mass Av, Arlington - 648-9673 Moses Avakian, owner. Another 'honest & competent' place! A- AUTO BON IMPORTS: 14 Decatur St, Cambridgeport - 864-1555 Specializes in Audi, BMW, and VW repairs. 10/89: Excellent job, reasonable rates. B, AUTOMOTIVE CRAFT: Waltham - 899-7996 6/87: Excellent work, good diagnosing. B- AUTOMOTIVE UNLIMITED: Medford B, BOSTON NISSAN: 18 Brighton Av, Brighton - 782-9600 9/89: Expensive, but competent. A- BRATTON, PETER: Medford & Brockton - 395-8263 Professional Subaru mechanic who works out of his home on weekends. Brother of Dave Bratton (dbratton@bbn.com), BBN employee (and loyal sibling :-). Subarus only. 7/89: Hassle-free, highly competent and 50% cheaper than garage rates! B, CAMBRIDGE AUTO CLINIC: 297 Concord Av, Cambridge - 497-1557 6/89: Excellent work on a Nissan: CV axle replacement ($100 less than the quotes by other places) and other minor diagnosis. B, CAMBRIDGE CARWORKS: 51 New St, Cam (behind Fresh Pond Mall) - 661-4800 1/90: Under new management: Matt Ulinski. Good brake work on a Honda at "a very reasonable price." C+ CAMBRIDGE TIRE CAR CARE: 290 Albany St, Cambridge - 864-7575 5/89: Report of recommending unneeded repairs. B+ CINDERELLA CARRIAGE CO: 47 Smith Pl, Cambridge - 876-1781 Great name. Specializing in Audi, Volvo and VW service. Good reliable work. They use first-rate parts only. Make sure you have them check everything; the word is that they don't look for extra jobs unless you ask. B- COOP GARAGE: Watertown (near Watertown Sq.) - 923-0941 Ask for Soheil or Doug. Specializes in Honda, Volvo, Toyota, VW, Nissan, & Audi. B+ DIRECT TIRE SALES: 126 Galen St, Watertown - 923-1800 The name says it all: "tires." Ask about the [no fault] Pot Hole Protection Policy. 9/89: Excellent while-you-wait service. B- EXECUTIVE AUTO: 2578 Mass Av, Cambridge - 354-1536 (15 min walk from BBN on the other side of the W.R. Grace field behind the rotary). Mostly Domestics. B- FIVE-FORKS SHELL: Lincoln St & Marrett Rd, Lexington - 862-9600 (6 or so miles from BBN, close to Rt.128 on 2A) Paul Gillman, Mng/Own. One complaint. Reasonable prices for routine tuneups. A- FOREIGN EXCHANGE INC: 281 Broadway, Cambridge - 661-8558 (enterance on Prospect between Broadway and Hampshire). A little '$pensive. But they do great work. Specializing in VW, Toyota, and Datsun. B+ FRESH POND AUTO CARE: 603 Concord Av, Cambridge - 354-8234 (Shell station right by BBN). Dealer-owner Bob Lakkis. Jack Saakissian, service manager. They promise a $30 labor rate (instead of $38) for BBNers. Be sure to ask about this. They seem reliable and courteous for routine repairs and diagnostics, but I NEED MORE FEEDBACK about how they do on serious repairs and trouble-shooting. A, GOOD NEWS GARAGE: 75 Hamilton St, Cambridge - 354-5383 Very honest and proficient, but they don't work cheap!! Expect a long waiting list. A- GULLOTTI AUTO REPAIR: 395 Trapelo Rd, Belmont - 484-5494 (Across from Belmont movie theatre.) Jim Gullotti, owner, is a certified ASI mechanic. (Hondas, others.) C+ HONDA HOUSE: Broadway St, Cambridge (behind Draper) 6/87: Positive feedback about routine maintenance. B- HONDA VILLAGE: 371 Washington Av, Newton - 965-8200 (Newton Corner, nr. Mass Pike) Reasonable reviews for routine maintenance. B- HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS: 85 Linden St, Waltham - 899-4560 For all types of work on those expensive high performance cars. B- JIM BOUDREAU'S MUFFLER CONNECTION: 737 Boston Road - 667-5346 (Rt. 3A Billerica) For engine work, custom exhaust, brakes, shocks and struts, f/e alignment, tue-ups, tires, inspections. Also a shop in Tewksbury. B- KOZELIAN GLOBAL: 334 Mass. Av, Arlington - 648-9878 Foreign and domestic specialists, computer diagnostic work, mechanic on duty all day Monday through Saturday, 24-hour towing service, inspections done on site. Friendly and honest. C, LIBON MOTORS: 168 Western Ave, Brighton - 783-1300 [One bad report. Anyone want to come to their defense? Kick 'em while they're down?] 10/89: Work done on a VW GTI was consistently shoddy. Also, they were reportedly not helpful on warranty problems. B+ METRIC SYSTEMS: 286 Broadway, Cambridge - 661-0442 "Intelligent people who are honest and can discuss problems rationally." VWs only. D+ MIDAS: Burlington, Brookline, Boston. Low marks all around. Especially Boston. You get what you pay for. B+ MIDAS: 2501 Mass Av, Cambridge - 864-5660. 9/89: Quick and honest. 12/89: Front brakes (new pads and resurfaced rotors) on a Chevy for $89. Porter Chevy wanted $240! B, MIRAK CHEVROLET: 1125 Mass Av, Arlington - 648-5000 9/89: Honest, competent. B- P&M SERVICE CENTER: 82 Concord Av, Belmont (Mobil station) - 489-3530 5/89: Wanted $160 more than Fresh Pond for a brake & bearing job. 6/89: High praise for competence, highest praise for honesty. All makes of cars. All kinds of work (including an engine change). No complaints. B, PERFORMANCE CONSULTANTS: 68 Griggs St, Boston - 739-1441 Porsche and BMW(?) routine and high performance work. 9/89: Competent and quick. B- PETROSILLO BROS: 69 Bow, Somerville (Union Sq.) - 776-1361 & 623-9000 Specializing in VW's. (Good for repairs, but someone had a bad experience buying a car from them) C+ PORTER CHEVROLET: 275 Fresh Pond Parkway - 864-5900 Expensive. Save your money. C+ PORTER SQUARE HONDA: Porter Square, Cambridge B- PROSPECT AUTO REPAIR SHOP INC: 320 Boradway, Somerville - 354-9004 (corner of Prospect) B+ SAL'S AUTOMOTIVE SPORTS SERVICE: 227 Prospect, Cambridge - 868-3245 10/89: "Great" work on Fiat and Honda (carb., brakes, rust spots). C, SEARS AUTO REPAIR: Burlington Mall, Burlington Reasonable prices and no complaints on work done. But don't trust them to notice anything else wrong while working on your car. IOW, best to go there only if you know what the problem is. B, SWANSON AUTO SERVICE: Brookline Av, Brookline (nr. Rt.9) - 738-4856 Volvos (others as well??). Reasonable prices. 7/89: "Fred Swanson is one of the best diagnosticians I have ever run into." B+ THREE SONS AUTO BODY: 103R Felton St, Waltham - 891-8787 They only do work that they can guarentee (i.e. no rust work). 7/89: "Courteous and knowledgable." [$2700 in front end work done on a Suburu.] B+ ULTIMA MOTOR WORKS: 21 Main St, Waltham (by Watertown Sq) - 894-0050 6/89: Pleasant and competent. Imports only. Specializes in Honda/Acura, BMW, Volvo. Also got a good review from an Audi owner. C- UNCLE RUSS'S CITGO: 2485 Mass Av, Camb. (nr Arlington border) - 491-0775 7/89: "Lackluster" seems the best word (as opposed to "dishonest" or "rude"). Generally seemed to lack organization and competence. B- WAVERLY AVENUE AUTO SERVICE: 117 Waverly Av, Watertown - 924-4560 "Reliable and reasonable about their rates." ] ]]]] Mechanics outside the Greater Cambridge area [[[[ [ ] B, BERNARDI HONDA: Route 9, Natick 6/87: Large dealership. Reasonable work. ] B, CLIFF'S AUTO REPAIR: 734 DW Hgway, Merrimack, NH - 603-424-4228 ] B, FOREIGN ENGINE CO: Everett, MA Honda & BMW only. ] B- H & H AUTOMOTIVE: Newton/Needham line - 444-9262 ] B- JIM BOUDREAU'S AUTO CONNECTION: Tewksbury & Billerica (see above listing) ] B, LUCIEN HOULE: Lawrence - 508-687-9426 High recommendation from a Saab owner. ] B- MANLEY BOYCE'S MOBIL: Acton ] B- MCGUIRE'S AMOCO: Framingham ] B+ MIDWAY NISSAN: Framingham 6/87: High praise for their service center. ] B- SAL'S AUTOMOTIVE: West Acton ] B- SUPERIOR GULF: Stoneham } }}}} AUTO BODY SPECIALISTS {{{{ { } B- BOSTON AV. AUTO BODY/CAVANAGH BROS. AUTO GLASS: 527 Boston Av, Medford Tel. 625-5425 Jack Cavanagh. "Low prices and very competent, especially for replacing glass". } B- CENTRAL WELDING CO: 185 Felton St, Waltham - 893-6230 Specializing in car frames and floor panels } D- COLUMBIA AUTO PAINTING: 22 Brighton Av, Brighton. 9/89: Repaired areas rusted within one year. 10/89: Mechanic's work was great, but the body work was lousy. (They may have jobbed out the mechanical repairs.) [Anyone else?] } A- DeLEO'S AUTO BODY INC: 75 Hamilton St. Cambridge - 876-1344 Ask for John. This place does outstanding work, but you may have to wait for an appointment - they're very popular! } B- EURAUTO: 57 New St, Camb. (behind Fresh Pond Stop&Shop) - 547-5008 6/89: Satisfactory work at moderate to high price. Very prompt. } B- MUNROE AUTOBODY INC: 66 School St, Watertown - 924-4845 (Corner of Walnut St.) } A- PENTA AUTO BODY: 483 Pleasant St, Watertown - 923-1528 1/90: Good work below insurance company appraisal. } B- SPRING HILL AUTO BODY: 534 Somerville Av, Somerville - 776-8553 } B- STADIUM AUTO BODY: 305 Western Av, Brighton - 254-6163 Good work at an okay price. 2/89: Took 6 weeks on a 2-3 week job. } A- WOBURN SQUARE AUTOBODY: 8 Campbell St, Woburn - 935-8915 9/89: "Wonderful" work and customer service on a car with extensive damage. ~ Local Variables: ~ ~ eval:(make-local-variable 'paragraph-start) ~ ~ paragraph-start: "^$" ~ ~ End: ~ Date: Mon, 8 Oct 90 16:33:28 -0400 To: jtkohl@MIT.EDU From: jimm@IMA.ISC.COM (Jim McGrath) Subject: Re: wanted: honda auto body shop In-Reply-To: Cc: I just had some major body work done on my Nissan by Cambridge Auto Metal on Franklin St, near Central Sq. I was very happy with the results, but don't know how they are price wise since insurance company paid for the work. Jim Date: Tue, 9 Oct 90 16:42:10 EDT From: ambar@colorful.ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz) To: jtkohl@MIT.EDU (John T Kohl) In-Reply-To: jtkohl@MIT.EDU's message of 8 Oct 90 14:34:3 Subject: wanted: honda auto body shop I liked the job that DeLeo's auto body did on my honda, and they're reasonably close to MIT (off of Brookline St.). If you decide to do it yourself, you can sandpaper it and then a) use the touch-up paint you got with the car, or b) use primer and then spray paint. Any auto supply store will have little pamphlets on the right grades of sandpaper to use, and so forth. AMBAR From mck-csc!csc-sun.mckinsey.com!arthur@EDDIE.MIT.EDU Wed Oct 10 15:23:20 1990 Date: Wed, 10 Oct 90 15:10:20 EDT From: mck-csc!csc-sun.mckinsey.com!arthur@EDDIE.MIT.EDU (Arthur L. Chin) To: jtkohl@MIT.EDU Subject: Re: wanted: honda auto body shop jtkohl@MIT.EDU (John T Kohl): > I've got a few minor dings in my '88 Accord, one of which is through to > the metal (and starting to rust, due to my delay...) and in need of touch-up. > > Is this worth a body shop visit? If so, recommendations would be > appreciated (Boston/Cambridge/Arlington area). If not, any suggestions > on how to treat the rusted area (diameter of about 3/16", on the front > of the hood)? > -- > John Kohl or > Digital Equipment Corporation/Project Athena > (The above opinions are MINE. Don't put my words in somebody else's mouth!) Try World Auto Body on Comm Ave near BU (next to Tweeter, Etc.). They did an OK job on my car, and he fixes a lot of sports cars. ===arthur