Putnam Lane Auto Repair

Set an appointment and the man on the phone was rude to me and not professional. I am debating on looking elsewhere to get my car inspected

AMAZING SERVICE! Dan is super knowledgeable, friendly, and professional! He took the time to Explain everything to me and fixed my car for a very reasonable price. If your in the Worcester area he is by far the best mechanic around!

Putnam Lane has some of the most timely, helpful and honest mechanics we’ve come across since moving to the Worcester area last year. My car had a mysterious check engine light that kept coming on— they worked on it multiple times to solve the problem while fixing various issues— they didn’t even charge me during my last visit because of the inconvenience. Happy to say the problem is solved and my car is running better than before! Highly recommended.

Dan is the best.
Very honest. Easy to talk to and always does outstanding work.
Would highly highly highly recommend!

I recently hit a HUGE pothole on 290, and after realizing I had a bubble in my tire, and this was a huge safety concern that couldn’t wait, went to Goodyear to have it replaced… It was a simple request, a new tire and put the most closely matched tires on the front…$ 150 later, no tire rotation and a rough estimate for front brakes at $ 500. I went back to my guy Dan. He not only corrected Goodyears shoddy work, but also gave me a FAIR estimate for front brakes, which can wait till the fall. I will NEVER go to anyone else again!

I wanted to go to this place because of the high Unilocal reviews. I also found out when I told people where I was going that I had friends that personally recommended this place. Dan specifically. I called and made an appointment with Dan to diagnose the problem and discuss other work that had to be done. After a 5 hour wait (dropped it off Saturday morning at 9 and he called me to get it at 1pm) he gave me a rough list of what had to be done with it. He did not however, give me the diagnosis for the one thing that I specified was most important, a shaking right front wheel. «Everything else can wait, the right front wheel feels like a safety issue and I want that taken care of.» I told him, but it was absent from the list of work to be done. I get the impression that he didn’t even get the wheel off to inspect it. Under the hood? Yes. Driving it around to feel it out? Yes, but I don’t think he full inspected it.
For the most part he was straight forward and friendly and I still wanted to go to him (everyone has bad days), but it’s been 10 days and after multiple phone calls this guy is still not getting back to me. I don’t want to sound harsh, but they’re really making it seem like they don’t want my money. If they don’t respond to this morning’s voicemail, then I’m going to someone else.

So far, so good. Dan was very accommodating and seems like a very trustworthy guy. He even waited around for my husband to pick me up after he was ready to leave for the day, since the shop is not in a great area of town (although centrally located). When my husband still didn’t show, he was nice enough to call me cab. Also, saved some money vs. what the dealer was going to charge! Car was done on time as promised, I have no idea how good of a brake job it is because I know nothing about cars, but the car does stop when I tell it to. My other car is a Jeep so I’m sure I will be back.

Last week, I went to Firestone and did a mechanic check for my car because I found the brakes did not work well. The guys at Firestone «recommend» me to change 4 rotors, brake pads, and even tires (REALLY?). The total bill was around 2,200 dollars!
I visited Putnam Lane Auto Repair this Friday and asked Dan to help me diagnose if my car really needs such a BIG repair. He told me only the front brake pads and rotors need to be changed and the price is very reasonable. When I made the payment, Dan gave me 10% student discount (the only auto repair I know that gives discount to student). I definitely will recommend Putnam Lane Auto Repair to my friends!

I met Dan and one of his employees when my car needed a full brake job. I’ll make this short and sweet. He gives off a genuine honest vibe and not someone who is trying to make money off of you. Explains what is wrong and what is needed. It’s hard to find a mechanic who you trust and to make them your go to guy. I found mine.

Went here to get some maintenance items changed (timing belt, wate pump, etc). Pretty fair prices and pretty good service. Dan used top shelf parts to do the job and didn’t gouge me.

I can see why this place gets so many 5 stars. I took a used car to be looked at before purchase. They were so helpful and letting me what was wrong. So professional. I’m very, very grateful for their help.

I first took my car to Putnam Lane Auto a few years ago because it was acting «funny». You know when you can just tell that it isn’t driving like it normally does but you just know something is wrong? Instead of telling me I was crazy, Dan drove it around for several days to try to find the problem.
Since my car is from the 90s, I’ve been back several times for general maintenance and repairs. Not only has the work been excellent, but the service has always been fast, friendly and honest.

Dan is such a genuine, smart, accommodating and all around nice guy!!!
Since I’m a 20 something girl I’m a little wary of mechanics… based on previous experiences.
Here’s a small note about me; I went to WPI to study bio chem and now I’m a lab tech at UMass — so I’m just a nerd at heart. I tend to do some research before I call a shop up so I can give them a better idea of what I think is going on. I don’t do this to sound like a know-​it-​all, I only do this so I can expedite the process of fixing my car. Other places have taken offense to this, instead Dan welcomes my suggestions and explains everything to me in terms that I can understand.
I’ve been to Putnam about 4 times now for a menagerie of things including a melted headlight connector, computer malfunctions and brake replacement. They’ve been able to diagnose everything and fix it right away. I’m pretty sure he knows everything there is to know about cars because he’s built some from scratch.
After he fixed my headlight, I told him that I was going to be moving to Boston soon to start grad school and that before I left I wanted him to look over my car because it’s about to hit the 100K mark. I gave him a list of general concerns, brakes, oil, timing belt, etc. He was super accommodating and told me he wouldn’t have a problem with that and scheduled an appointment for a week later. After the look over he switched my oil over to synthetic (and explained to me why it was better than traditional oil — not in a sales pitch kind of way!) and changed my front brakes because of the pantomimed shaking motions I made of my steering wheel when I would brake at high speeds (after doing that he knew right away what was wrong!)
Each time I have dropped my car off early in the morning I’ve run into the other mechanic, Evan. He’s a super nice guy, very easy to talk to. We were just casually talking about my car and once I gave him my number (for business purposes only) he noticed the NJ area code, which naturally escalated into a verbal bashing of our home state. Then he gave me a few suggestions for good pizza in the area. I’ve never had a shop take interest in their customers quite like they do, most of the time they ask you for your name, number and then run into the back.
Another awesome thing is that Dan knows how much it sucks not to have a car, so he fixes everything the same day, if you drop it off early enough. Also, he’ll offer to give you a ride if you need it, which is awesome and unheard of!
I’ve recommended him to a few of my friends and they’ve told me how grateful they are that I steered them in his direction — pun intended.

I am super happy with Dan as my mechanic. I drive a Ford, and he’s a Ford guy– he was a Ford tech for years before opening up his own shop. He helps me love my car. I never feel talked down to, either as a woman or a non-​car enthusiast. I trust his advice completely. When I talk him up, it’s as «my mechanic.» It is totally cool to have a regular mechanic, and he has my business for as long as I’m in the area and have a car to bring him.

The first time I went in Putnam Lane Auto Repair is when I thought my rear defroster is broken (because I do not understand much about automotive then). Dan used his equipment and told me that it is working perfectly, so he didn’t want to charge me for that but did an amazing job cleaning the throttle body because my engine shakes like crazy.
Today, I went in for an oil change, and tire rotation. He said that the tires are in perfect order, no need to rotate.
Yes, DAN is very honest! Best mechanic in Worcester

Dan did an outstanding job! I had a flat tire and he took my car in on the same day, even though he was incredibly busy that day. The work was done in a timely manner and the service was excellent.
He also has some amazing project cars. I feel more comfortable letting an auto enthusiast work on my car than a regular mechanic, and make no mistake, Dan is the real deal. Check out the old Jeep in the back if you get a chance.
I also want to say that he charged me a low price even though he had to stay open later than usual. Seriously, this is the shop to go to. As long as I live in Worcester, Dan has my repeat business.

Just moved to Shrewsbury, MA. I love this shop. Very reasonable prices and good work. I plan to go to this shop as long as I live in the area.

Dan is the man! I am from the Boston area and was driving to the Worcester courthouse one morning when I hit a pothole on Route 9 and had to stop with a flat tire. The AAA guy showed up to put a donut on my car and recommended I leave the car at Putnum Auto to be fixed. I met Dan when I got there and he gave me a ride to court, then picked me up at the end of the day! He put on a new tire, fixed the rim, changed the oil and charged me a fair price. I believe he’s an honest mechanic who goes above and beyond for his customers. I wish Putnam Auto was closer to my neck of the woods!

The reviews are right on the money. My first time visiting this small neighborhood shop while getting my alternator replaced on my Dodge. Dan was friendly and professional, not intimidating in anyway. I am glad I found a mechanic right in my neighborhood.

I got into a minor accident while driving in the snow one snowy night last month. I ran over a road sign and hit a curb really hard. I had to get my car towed because the front driver’s side wheel was all busted up.
I had my vehicle towed to Dan’s shop and it was fixed the very next day! It was such a relief because I really couldn’t afford to take any time off from work. He replaced the wheel and did a front-​end alignment. Got a really great deal too – I know if I went anywhere else, it would’ve been a lot more money.
Oh, and he gives 10% student discounts, so bring your ID!
Thanks, Dan!