Brake repair service near Allston, MA

I had an awesome experience with Charly, who owns the place. I am mildly up on cars (and people), enough to know when I'm getting ripped off. I think. Charly was awesome. When I showed up to First Foreign, Charly made sure he dropped what he was doing to come deal with me personally. He spent a few minutes going over the car with me, and made sure he understood everything I was having trouble with before he let me go. The next day, he called with a list of fix-it opportunities, and we made a plan on what we were going to work on. He did an awesome job of being consultative, rather than selling--he gave it to me straight, and I was the boss of what we actually worked on. He then made sure to give me price estimates on everything, spelling out parts & labor costs. He made sure I knew about all my options (like with tires, I could pick between the more expensive factory tires and a less expensive after-market brand. We talked about my driving pattern, and he suggested I go for the less expensive option). He gave me a day estimate and stuck to it. The price was awesomely reasonable for all the work that was done (he even took care of a few quirks for free). I picked up the car during the weekend, and Charly made sure to talk to me on Monday about what was done, what he thinks is left to do, and what to do going forward into the future (how/where to sell this car and get a different one, when it's time to move on). He did an awesome job building a relationship with me--I'll be a customer as long as I'm within driving distance. By the way--the car drives like butter. I never thought it would drive so well.

STAY AWAY! Huge part $ markup, questionable work, and Nickle and Dime central. Let me start by saying I was refereed here by a friend who has his work done here and always gets a good deal because he knows an owner. I made an assumption that his relationship with the owner would at least keep me from getting totally screwed on the work that was done. After I saw the bill I was shocked. I told my friend and he said he would talk to the owner about it. Unfortunately the owners response was that my 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix was not easy to work on and he thought the price was fair. The following is a breakdown of the bill based on the work done. You be the judge if you think it sounds fair. 4 New Brake Rotors: $330. (Local Auto store price:$150, and no, they did not install 'high end or gold plated rotors' on my car) Brake Cleaner/Degreaser: $4.73 (You can get a full can of the stuff for this price or less, this is one example of the nickle and dime job) Labor 1 hour ($97.59): One of the few reasonable estimates/charges I found on the bill. Although the cost may seem high the national average in 2009 that mechanics made was about $45 so I don't believe this charge to be outrageous. 6 Spark Plugs: $80 (Local Auto store price:$42 prices on spark plugs range so the actual spark plugs they installed could have actually cost less) Labor 2 hours: This labor charge is ridiculous. Search for an image of a 2007 Grand Prix engine. You will find the 6 plugs are nicely aligned and couldn't be in a more accessible location. 2 hours to change 6 spark plugs tells me they don't know what they are doing. Or this is another excessive charge. AC Expansion Valve: $88 (Local Auto store price:$44-68 depending on brand) R134A refrigerant: $46 (Not sure how much of a mark up this is but based on the other prices I'm guessing its over 100%) Labor: 1.9 hours: This was for: AC system test heating and air conditioning, diagnose/test includes: partial charge, pressure a

I will never go to this gas station again. The gas attendant was very rude and very slow. I believe his name is Richard. I hope he is not the owner.i hope the owner/owners let this employee go they will loose a ton of buisness due to this attendant.

I own a BMW 328Xi and was looking for a guy who doesn't rip me off but is knowledgeable about the European cars. Mechanic Advisor suggested Nicks which is right off the exit 32 on I93. Nick was very sensible and had given me the best estimate I could get. Even though I was keen on getting other things fixed, Nick suggested that they were in decent shape for now. That is the best quality about Nick. He will only fix what is needed and doesn't not rip you off with sky high estimates. If you have a European car, then this is your guy. Period! Thanks Nick, Abhi

Brought my BMW to be serviced seeing it was running rough and the CBS indicators showed that I needed rear brake liners and a fluid flush. The tech's found the problem and recommended a course of action. They even said that the last dealership I bought the car from did not reset the brake sensor and I did not need pad or liner's. The communication on their progress was great and the price was fair; let's face it, when you opt to buy a BMW you should go into this purchase understanding that these cars need maintenance and the parts for them are not cheap. Gerardo's offers a great alternative to the dealerships and provides service above and beyond them.

Richie is a very honest mechanic, so happy I found him. I had some major problems with my brakes and he went above and beyond to get my car back to road worthy. He explained all repairs and costs. Highly recommended