John & Nicks Texaco Service

I’m a single woman who knows little about cars. Rather than selling me needless repairs, Paul always takes the time to educate me about my choices and encourages me to do my own research. His repairs are well done and last. I feel really lucky to live near these guys.

I just moved to Cambridge and had to re-​register my car. I did the MA inspection at John & Nick and everything worked out perfect. The inspection took less than 20 minutes with no hassles. I’ll go back to these guys for auto service on my car. Service is great.

I recently moved to MA and passed the inspection in former state a month ago. After moving to Cambirdge, I did an MA inspection at John&Nick.
They failed the car, said different states had different rules and asked for $ 600 to fix the problem. So, I decided to fix the problem, but first I wanted to try another mechanical shop (still Cambridge) for a better price. But, the second mechanical shop said the John&Nick lied to me and there was nothing wrong with my car!!!

I have been taking my car here for 2 years. Like some other posters, I’m not the most knowledgeable about cars, but from what I can tell I have always been given a fair deal and great service. I’ve gotten everything from oil changes to state inspections to a full repair of some very messed-​up brakes/​bearings, and always been very pleased with how quick & easy it has been. They also throw in freebies; for a costly repair job done recently, I got an oil change and sensor installation free of charge. I also really appreciate how patiently & thoroughly Paul explains what has gone wrong with the car, what work was done, and what I should do to take care of it in the future. I will be taking my care here for as long as it is running!

I have been taking my car here for 5 years and I am fortunate to live around the corner from them! Paul is incredibly courteous, conscientious, and knowledgeable about car repair. He always takes the time to explain (and even show me!) the repairs that are needed, which I appreciate as a woman who doesn’t know much about cars and is wary of being taken advantage of. He makes sure to focus on making repairs to ensure my safety and avoid overspending. Work on my car here gets done so quickly and affordably — I’ll never go to the dealer again!

We’ve been seeing Paul here for nearly 10 years and he’s awesome. They always treat us with a lot of respect, explaining the repairs, and charging reasonably. To Paul’s credit, he has made many recommendations to us that save us money, even though it is less labor and money him. We bring our kids in to see them and they are all super friendly. I recommend John & Nicks to everyone in Cambridge.
For the record we have a Jetta and a Subaru — they seem to be good at doing all repairs at a reasonable price.

Direct quote from my father: «I’ve never met a mechanic like that in my life.» I brought my car in for a brake repair and as usual had my dad on the line to verify everything. The mechanic (Paul, I think) went out of his way to go to the Chrysler dealer to save me money on parts. I’m so happy I found these guys!

I’ve been taking my volvo here the last couple of years. They’ve done everything from oil changes to new breaks to fixing a huge mess with a broken (snapped off somehow?) e brake. You have to take this review with a grain of salt since I don’t know much about cars and I suppose I could be getting totally ripped off, but I do try to ask around/​google/​etc. when something goes wrong so I have an idea what the repair is going to be. What they’ve said and fixed has always been in line with what I expected from my sleuthing.
case in point: my car was making clicking/​creaking noises when I turned, and at my last oil change (at a different place) they said something about a boot being torn (which of course I completely ignored and didn’t get fixed at the time). It got pretty bad so I did some googling and figured that the axle would probably have to be replaced. that’s exactly what they said at the shop, and the cost was right in line with what I expected. they didn’t try to sell me anything else, and when I asked about new tires they said I should probably get them replaced before the winter, but it wasn’t something I needed to do right away.
I saw a few reviews that complained about some of the people that work here, and I have to say that everyone I’ve dealt with has been so friendly and patient. They take the time to explain everything that they do, offer cheaper alternatives when available (and explain the pros and cons of going with option A vs option B), and are generally just really nice guys. As a woman I am definitely used to mechanics trying to pressure me to get more work done, or prevent me from getting a second opinion, or talking to me like I’m an idiot, and I’ve never felt that way at John & Nick’s.

These are the only guys I trust to work on my car: they are honest, they know their cars, they won’t tell me to spend money where money doesn’t need to be spent, and they won’t overcharge.

STAY AWAY
I only made the mistake of going to these guys once for an oil change. Ever since getting my oil changed there, my car just didn’t seem to run quite right. It turns out they put the wrong size oil filter on my car. I cannot believe how incompetent they are. Had I not found another honest mechanic, I might have gone back and let them continue damaging my car with each «repair.»
Also, notice that most of the 5-​star reviews are based uniquely on the customer service. They were courteous and fast, but at what cost? Do yourself and your car a favor: avoid these guys like the plague.

Excellent and fast service at a reasonable price. Paul took the time to explain everything in detail and, while we went in to change the car battery, he also checked the tires & oil, and he even waived the labor fee because we had paid for him to drive over to our street to jump the car. All this was done 15 min before they closed shop. We would have been happy to pay for the $ 25 labor fee for the installation of the new battery, and when my husband tried to tip him at the end, he actually refused in a very gracious way. We were really pleasantly surprised and will definitely be going back for other car repair needs.

I’ve been a customer of these guys for over 5 years, ever since I rolled in their shop near closing time with a flat. They gave me a temporary patch, filled up the tire for free. At closing time.
Since then they’ve kept my 2 cars running. They have even applied simple fixes to issues with parts other mechanics were looking to completely replace. They go the extra mile for me.

Negative stars!!!
Typical bad service at a place that takes advantage of being in a high traffic area.
The guy who runs the shop (younger one) took offense because I suggested that his employees (apparently his father) know their policy for diagnostic fees.
Basically, a scam: I paid them $ 85 for nothing. He thought it was funny. He told me what was wrong, then told me to go somewhere else, and then thought it was funny when he added that «The next shop will charge you too, haha!»
His father, who took my car when I dropped it off, said he didn’t know how much the fees were — $ 65 to $ 85. But that the money was not creditable to work, if they hooked up the computer. (Is it like this everywhere in MA?) He had an accent, but I understood what he was saying, and he said the same thing, when I asked him whether he knew the exact amount.
So when I pointed that out, not thinking it was a big deal, just wanting clarification, the young guy said, «Never insult my father — never tell me how to run my business.» Well, if your employees don’t know how much you charge, WTF?
When I told him that I wanted to get an idea of the people working on my car, he said, «You know, take your care somewhere else.»
When I came in, in person, and said that we started things off on the wrong foot, and that I’d like to start off fresh, he started acting threateningly, «JUST NEVER INSULT MY FAMILY OR MY BUSINESS.» Really? Taking it personally because I suggest that your employees know your policies?
I spend a lot of money on my car — who doesn’t. He lost at least a couple $ 1000 of business over the next few months.
YOUR LOSS, LOSER
His dad was nice, but I wouldn’t send anyone to that place.

Okay, this place seems to get decent reviews for its repair operation, but no-​one has so far deigned to mention the obscene gas prices here. No one but an idiot would buy gas here. Presently regular is $ 4.19.99, while the state average is $ 3.69.99. What’s going on here?

y’all, paul is my GUY.
my car broke down the first day i moved to boston. in my despair, i Unilocaled ‘mechanics’ and found john & nicks. paul was really patient and friendly, explaining to me what the problem was and how much it would cost. since then, my car’s been broken into, picked for parts, the muffler’s fallen off and i’ve had trouble with the exhaust system… but john & nicks has always got my back. what’re the odds that i would have lucked out on day one?
their turnaround is impressively fast, too. there is only one weird thing that has happened: for my muffler repair, they got the work done in a day, but never called me to let me know how much it would be or to authorize repairs or anything — and it was kind of expensive. usually they’ve called in the past. i didn’t see paul anywhere that day, though, so i can’t say that he’s ever steered me wrong. in fact, he gave my friend a hubcap for his hubcap-​less wheel on his volvo just because he had it laying around. now come on, that’s just a nice thing to do.

Paul can do no wrong. Ask for him. Great folks and talented mechanics.

About 3 months ago, my car broke down in Central Square. I had to get the car towed, but since I had just moved back to Boston, I didn’t know any good mechanics. I picked out a random mechanic on my phone, but the tower suggested a place right down the street instead– John & Nicks Texaco Service. I live almost right across the street and had never thought twice about the place.
They fixed my car promptly (like, one day turn around) and charged me less than I expected. I have an Audi that is a few years old, and it is almost always expensive to get something fixed, regardless of how little it is. I was very excited.
Then a few weeks ago, my car started having some trouble starting and a knob for my side mirror broke off. I took it into John & Nicks. The mechanic spent time with me explaining what he expected was wrong and why (I wasn’t driving my car often enough!). They also said they would order the part for my side mirror from Audi. AMAZINGLY enough, they fixed my battery, changed an air filter, ordered and received the Audi part, and installed it in just 2 days. Also, they charged me about ¹⁄₃ of what an Audi dealer would have charged me. It was fantastic service.
This place is fast, cheap and most of all, they take the time to explain things to me, which I really appreciate. They really know their stuff. They have become my go-​to mechanics in the area.
PS They don’t take American Express, which took me by surprise the first time.

It’s convenient and I’ve found the mechanics to be fairly helpful, and really quick.
However, it’s a little inconsistent, and tends to err on the side of overpriced. My first experience there was great; they patched a tire for a really reasonable price and I was back on the road in no time. I was really excited to have found a local mechanic… then, everything started to get pricier over my next few visits, with quotes a lot higher than I pay elsewhere.
Good in a pinch, though.

Just an update on my last review. We recently went over there for an oil change. Our car has a LOT of miles on it, and we’re always a bit worried that something else is going to go wrong with it. We asked them to look the car over and let us know if anything needs fixing b/​c we are always nervous about safety.
This was basically an «open door» for the mechanics to find anything that they wanted to do and charge us whatever for. The mechanics came back later and said everything looked fine and nothing needed fixing. I have to give them props b/​c they could have told us anything and charged us an arm & a leg b/​c we wouldn’t know the difference. I felt like they were really honest.

I used to think these guys were fair, then they took me for a bit of a ride when they put a new starter in my car. The final straw was when my car failed emissions inspection after they had given my car a tune-​up 2 months earlier. I took it back to them to diagnose the problem. They suggested a brand new radiator would fix the problem. Right.
I don’t know if its because I’m a woman that they think they could get away with this kind of stuff, but ladies, do NOT take your car to these guys, even if its convenient and you’re in the neighborhood.