Autozone

In the thick of another Boston blizzard, we went here for new wiper blades. Not only did the man with the mustache (so sorry for not getting your name) help us find the right ones, but he installed them on the spot. Excellent customer service!

I was told by the guy who did my last oil change that he tested my battery and it was weak, so I needed to buy a new battery. I came to Unilocal and decided to visit this Autozone due to the positive reviews here. I was not steered wrong. As soon as I stepped into the store a staff member greeted me and asked me if I needed help. I told him I needed a new battery and he offered to test my old one first. I figured a second opinion was not a bad idea. Long story short, Francis, the staff member, took all the time needed to not only test my battery, but clean the leads, explain the ins and outs of battery maintenance, and then retest my battery, starter, and alternator. Instead of spending $ 100 or more for a new battery, I spent nothing and got excellent service and a ton of info on how to keep my car in good shape. OK, I did end up buying some battery acid cleaner, but that was of my own volition. Thanks to Francis I saved a lot of money and learned something too. I’ll definitely be back to this store!

Yes, this place gets Aamir’s coveted 5-​star rating.
The battery on my 2^nd car died, so I bought a battery charger/​starter online at Advance Auto Parts. When I went to pick it up in the store 6 hours later, they didn’t have my order in their system. In fact, it wouldn’t go through till the next day. Not wanting to buy the same product for a higher price in store, I decided to try my luck at Autozone a short walk away.
As soon as I pulled in, I noticed signs in the window that said «Free tool rental» & «Free battery charging». I went in and asked to borrow jumper cables. My car with the dead battery was parked 1.5 miles away at home, and their policy is to not allow you to take tools outside of their lot (for obvious reasons). However, I spoke to the manager real quick and he was more than happy to oblige. 1 hour later, I had jump started the 2^nd car and was back at Autozone to return the cables.
At this point, I asked if I could get my battery charged. The rep said «Of course», and handed me the tools to take my car battery out (a simple job). I handed him the battery, went to target nearby for some errands and coffee, returned an hour later and put a fully charged battery back into my car. All this for a grand total of $ 0!
I’ve been to this place before once to buy a snow brush for my SUV. The manager (I think his name is Manny) went out of his way to find a superior quality one with an extendable arm & foam tips. I can’t tell how much time this has saved me this winter.
Needless to say, I’ll be going to this store first from now on!

These guys seem really nice. I waited in line for a while and saw the staff treat other customers well. Unfortunately, when it was my turn, they told me they were too busy to check my engine light. They told me I could come back at 5 when another staff member would come in. That gave me 30 minutes to go to Target nearby. I ended up going to Advanced Auto Parts next to Target.

Nobody is exceedingly happy, and anyone who raves about the cleanliness of an auto part store ain’t doing it right.
But I will say, with a usually unpacked parking lot, their free rental tools and use of a gadget that tells you, point blank, your whip’s battery is now a paperweight, it’s not a bad makeshift driveway for basic repairs/​replacements.
With a little elbow grease, you can unload the old, pop in the new and be on your way to whichever overpriced coffeehaüs you prefer. And that dead core will save you $ 12 off the already competitively priced batteries, not to mention $ 50 in labor for 10 minutes of wrench-​cranking…
And now this review is PG-​13.
Couple this sauciness with running deals on basics (octane booster, windshield wiper fluid, king size Snickers) and you’ve got an A-​OK store for self-​governed vehicular upkeep.

Since I always bitch about people w/​NO consideration for others, & since you never hear positive things about customer service, here’s one for ya
I went into the Autozone on Washington in Somerville for new brakelight bulbs. The gentleman behind the counter actually put on his coat, came outside, & helped me install them.
He wouldn’t even accept a tip. Damn. It really made my day! Thanks again my friend
=-)

I’ve been here a few times to pick up a few different things ranging from cans of seafoam to keep my motorcycle running strong and too replace a few bulbs in my lady friend’s car that bit the bullet. My experience here has never been bad. As a gentleman who is somewhat mechanically inclined it didn’t take long for me find the seafoam, carb cleaner, oil, and other basics that one needs to perform their own maintenance on their ride. However, when it came to replacing the parking lights on my lady’s sporty little coupe I had no idea what they were, and I couldn’t read the writing on the bulb to save my life.
That’s the clerk behind the counter came through! He asked me for the make, model and year of her car and then BOOM! He was all like you need a 168 in aisle 1. Bulbs are about halfway down! I was in and out of there in a flash and even picked up some fancy air fresheners too!

is it possible to give an establishment a zero? if i could i would. it does not deserve a star. DO NOT GO TO THIS STORE.
i just had the worst customer service ever at this autozone. i have never been spoken to by anyone so rudely in my entire life. do not support this store.
i repeat do not go to this store.

It’s a sad testimony to the quality of customer service these days that I feel obliged to write a Unilocal review for simply receiving repeatedly competent, friendly service. But that’s exactly what these guys are:
Incident #1:
(grainy security camera shot of Peter walking into store in a hurry)
Me: «Hey, do you guys have a 12 mm hex bit for a ¼ inch drive?»
Store guy: (not even a pause): «No problem, 2^nd aisle, 10 feet down on the left»
Incident #2:
(closeup, dramatic lighting)
Random girl: «Um, I think I need oil for my car, the little light is on»
Store guy: «Sure, let’s go take a look at your car and see what you need»
Incident #3:
(avante garde high contrast black and white)
Me: «I need a buffing pad for a 30 year old buffer I found on craigslist»
Store guy: «Hmm. This will probably work, but if it dosen’t just bring it back for a refund. Don’t worry about the packaging, it’s all good».
Good thing my girlfriend dosen’t know how much time I spend in auto parts stores… Oh wait. Crap.

Cops and Robbers and Bulbs
Sometime in 2005 The Bush Administration had a Nationwide Homeland Security Sweep. It was one day. Every single State Trooper and Beat Cop in the country was in on it. They were instructed to stop anyone, anything, for any cause and check it out. Thousands were arrested and deported that day. I can’t find it on Google or the NY Times strangely. I had a headlight out that day, so I was swept. Some state trooper vehicle came roaring after me, tearing down Boyleston the wrong way, against traffic, swerving and stopping in front of my car. Had flashlights
stuffed in my face,
got wrote up, joked that it was only 100 bucks, and sped off for his next prey. Was not this demoralized since a traffic cop shoved his revolver in my face over mistaken identity. (Do I really look like every other asian kid on the block?) I looked down at my ticket and saw that the fine was $ 0.00. Dude was totally yanking my chain. I read the NY Times article the next day and was incensed. (It takes a lot, and you don’t want to get me mad.) Ever since then, I keep spares of every bulb in my cars. And I got a few Boston Police hats. Because these sweeps still happen all the time.
Of course, I was short the one spare I need today – the first cold snap took out one of my headlight bulbs. So figured I’d up my FTR by choosing an auto parts store not reviewed yet. I’m kidding, it was the closest one. This AutoZone was well stocked and for the first time, I found the part quickly with a competent sales clerk. Excellent. Less than 5 minutes and I had 2 matched 3200 Kelvin bulbs running at 55 watts for 23 bucks. I’m happy. I’ll install them myself later, because I’m all grown up now.