I did come here on the first of the month on a Saturday and it was quite busy. i decided to drive off. A couple weeks later I came on a random Friday morning to get an inspection sticker. I walked in and there was a sitting area to wait. They do have a sign they prefer cash which I had for $35 I was in and out fairly quickly and passed and paid what was expected. No complaints from me just avoid busy days. But that it is for any business. read more

I came in a year ago for my inspection sticker. It went fine. I'm new to this area and needed my car serviced and had a good experience with the sticker so figured it would be a good place for auto work too. Terrible assumption. I called yesterday asking if they could look at my car. He said I could bring it in first thing the next morning. While this seemed great they could fit me in, my instinct was, any good mechanic usually has a busy schedule and they couldn't schedule me for a couple days to a week... Bring my car in this morning. There were virtually no cars in the shop or their parking lot. Instinct again telling me, no one really comes here for mechanic work.. Anyways drop it off, he calls me an hour and a half later telling me it would be $500 for the belt, a sticker, and rebalancing 4 tires. He needed to get the belt so it would be a couple hours.... Couple hours goes by, he tells me it's ready for pickup and is now $900+. I right away was like what are you talking about, and called him out on the sudden change. He goes "I can't help the cost of the parts" blah blah blah. Anyways, I get down there and he tells me I needed a new tensioner too, and that's what was so expensive, I was like then you needed to call me and tell me that! And he said they just noticed it as they were fixing it and I gave the okay for the belt so they did the tension too. Anyways, SUPER SHADY! You said you needed to order the part for the belt... wouldn't you need to order the part for the tensioner at the same time as the belt?? I think he significantly marked up the costs of those parts, like 50% more. And charged labor on top of that... will not be back read more

oops, I discovered my inspection sticker had expired by getting a ticket. Don't be me! Really glad that Alan's was able to inspect my car quickly and give her the seal of approval for another year. I called in advance, and they told me to come in at a specific time that day. I followed their instructions and they performed the inspection immediately. BTW inspections cost less than a ticket, which is $50, at least in Somerville. So ask Alan's to inspect your car *before* your sticker expires yall. And they have a waiting room, which is convenient if the weather is inclement. read more

I feel a little bad bashing these guys, but I just needed an inspection sticker, and we paid $1300 not to get one. Our inspection sticker was expired, and we had a check engine light come on in July - probably just a sensor, not the actual function of the vehicle. Paid handsomely to have that fixed, and were told we'd need to drive the car 200 miles on the highway before passing re-inspection within 60 days. Simple enough for most folks, but due to distance, travel, and family care needs, we only got to about 120 miles in 6 weeks, and needed to attempt inspection again in early September. They told me to come by at a certain time, I came at that time. They said if it was under 200 miles highway it wouldn't pass, I asked that we give it a shot, reminding them that this was the only remaining day when I could attempt the inspection before the 60 day window expired (I live 3000 miles away). They just wanted to take lunch (at precisely the time they had said to come by), seemed literally unable/unwilling to comprehend my timeline (and that I had stopped by at the time they suggested), and kept telling me to come back another time. If you've got a simple situation on your hands, I'm sure these guys are fine. If there's any nuance at all, look elsewhere - these guys aren't interested. read more

We had one tie rod replaced, and two days later, the tire broke and the steering wheel was off. After repairing the tire, my husband and I asked about alignment (which is always required), and the owner was rude, yelled at me on the phone, and used inappropriate language. He never informed us that alignment was needed. We later had it done by a certified technician, who confirmed that alignment is always required after a tie rod replacement -- and even said that for the high price we were charged, it should've been included or at least discussed before the work was done. Unprofessional and overpriced. Don't waste your time here. read more

My son went to get an alternator put in his car. Al smashed up my son's bumper and tried to hide it with spray paint. He then called my son and said he would take $100 off the $300 bill for the alternator. My son was devastated- the lowest estimate to fix it was $800. Al also thinks it's completely appropriate to swear and yell in a woman's face in front of her teenage son. This shop is a joke and the owner is just a downright scammer. Read all the other reviews on other sites before you go here. You've been warned. read more

Alan's Auto - Al smashed up my son's car and then attempted to hide the $800 in damage with spray paint. - Auto Repair Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

2nd review 3rd visit is better than the first two, pleasant customer service, different person, fixed car, knowledgeable will be back again when needed read more

Going old school here. Alan is well Alan. He's funny, charming will repair your car quickly and does a great job. He tells great stories. What's not to like and adore. You need an inspection he's fast and fair. Highly recommend him and his shop. read more

They do an adequate job at inspections but bring cash. Although they take cards it is definitely not their preferred method and you'll be certain to hear that. Getting an inspection done here is hit or miss. I've arrived during normal hours to be greeted with a quick come back tomorrow. read more

My car was given a rejection due to an e-brake issue. Fine. But the owner stated "I can't #$@%-ing pass that e-brake". There is NO REASON to use profanity. I explained that my car is more than 15 years old and is grandfathered and he spoke to me very disrespectfully at that point. He even complained about my dog being in the car and was rude and impatient while I was putting her leash on. SUCKY SUCKBAG read more

Writing for Car inspection. Have had two inspections. What I like -quick and easy. Didn't need to schedule. Just get in and get it done -no issues with my cars Can't add anything else really! But it's a good place to go if you need an inspection. read more

I needed an inspection sticker. They took me in right away. There is a waiting area. I've waited to get stickers in the past at other places and some of these gas stations or auto shops make you wait outside in the cold while they are performing the inspection. I was in and out in 10 minutes total. Started the inspection at 9:06am and test was complete at 9:14am. Will come here every year. read more

Alan's Auto - Inspection report - Auto Repair Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

Wonderful old school place. I've only ever been there for the annual inspection, but they do that so well that I wouldn't hesitate to trust them with a real repair job when/if I need one. read more

I've used Alan for two brake jobs, and to fix a nail in my tire. Each time he was able to fix my car extremely quickly. He's a great communicator, and his pricing is fair. I'll go here from now on for any routine auto maintenance. read more

If you're looking for a great, reliable, trustworthy repair shop, look no further - Alan's Auto is the place to go! Alan is the nicest, most courteous man and his staff is top notch! I will be doing all of my inspections and services here going forward and you should too! A little story: It was the beginning of the September, right after Labor Day and of course I have an August sticker and I'm frantically looking for a shop to get my inspection. An awful experience down the street led me to find Alan's Auto and I'm so glad that it did! There was no line (!!), Alan and his staff were professional and quick to inspect my car. Alan even changed the channel on the TV in the comfy waiting room so that my daughter could watch PBS. He even collects emails to send you a reminder for next year! Alan and his shop are the best! read more

Great shop, great and honest person too, very straight forward and really took the time to explain what needs to be done and what can wait. A+++ shop. read more

It's an ok place. The owner seems to always be in a rush to get to the next person, rather than taking his time to deal with a paying customer in a timely manner, in a way that makes you feel like you're doing him a favor. The mechanic does not seem happy to be there, could have been the time of day. Went for a coolant leak fix but was given the wrong information on what is needed to fix it. Not the worst place, but far from being the best place. I felt like I was over charged too. read more

My friend recommended Alan's and I'm glad he did. Great shop, fast service, and one of the rare places in Melrose open on Saturday. No appointment needed and only $35 for the Inspection. read more

I have been going here for several years for my inspection on all my vehicles. Bottom line: if the younger guy is there he will give you a proper inspection in a timely manner and he is a pleasant person. If the old guy (owner) is there, there is a good chance he will fail you for something petty. I saw him fail three people in a row including me. Each one he aggressively tried to convince to come back to get the work done at his shop. He told me a hole in my exhaust pipe (which did need to get fixed but was not a big deal) was a "major problem" and that it was a "serious safety concern" and there was no way he could give me even an approximate estimate until it was "up on the lift". I am not as concerned about his high failure rate as his high pressure sales tactics afterwards. I fixed it myself and got it re-inspected when the kid was in. I still go when the young guy is working because I want him to have a job, but feel bad because I know that criminal of a boss still gets some of the money. read more

Visit 1: Inspection. I previously reviewed this visit. The review was falsely flagged as suspicious. I wrote: "Fastest inspection I've ever had, and no funny business. He also caught and diagnosed a problem, part of which I was aware of, which I didn't mention." I'm not sure what's suspicious about that. There wasn't anything to say other than that I was in and out, and that he's an honest mechanic. Visit 2: Major work. AC compressor, front brakes, front axle and struts, etc., needed replacement. (Don't ask). He took care of it all very quickly. It was expensive, but then, so were the parts - and I know they needed replacement. Visit 3. Portion of exhaust was dragging, broke, fell off. Rather than trying to talk me into getting some major parts replaced, he explained that the part that broke was non-essential and didn't need to be replaced. Now, obviously, you can't be 100% sure that a mechanic is playing it straight unless you yourself are a mechanic and already diagnosed the problem, etc. That said, I think this guy is entirely honest and works efficiently. ___________________ Edit: Downgrade from 5 to 2 stars. (And 2 because of my prior positive seeming experiences). Back in April of 2013, I had some work done including a battery replacement, because the thing was losing charge very quickly (likely dead cell). Fast forward 2+ years. The replacement battery is wearing down in the same way. (I wasn't certain at first that this was the battery from Alan's, but it was labeled 4/13, and I found my receipt from Alan's dated the same, which listed the battery). I have AAA come out to do an on-site battery replacement. As the guy goes to test the dead battery, he says "what the ****?" He then proceeds to show me that the battery Alan's people put in was for Maximas of my model, but built after 2009. Mine was a 2000 and used a different battery. This can be looked up online, and it's also in the manual the AAA people carry. Further, in order to fit the smaller and wrong-sized battery into my car in 2013, Alan's people had replaced the original "battery kit"* with a used one that fit the smaller battery they'd put in. So then, I had to drive rather carefully over to autozone. I mixed and matched a few various kits (they were out of what I needed) and jury-rigged something that holds the new battery fast in place. But seriously. This was such a basic mistake that I'm worry about whether wrong or used parts were put in on other jobs. The wrong battery! ___________ *sorry. Blanking on the term at the moment. I mean the cross-piece that goes on the top of the battery and the metal hooked rods that anchor the battery by hooking through the platform and screwing into the cross-piece. read more

Very unpleasant experience. I went in for a simple inspection first thing in the morning. The woman working in there was friendly, and told me to just leave the registration in the car. I said "do you want me to bring it back in at all?" She says "No, just leave it in the car". So, I go back to my car which is parked right in front of the closed garage door and wait with the registration. Then I see this old guy literally staring at me through the window of the garage. He doesn't beckon me, wave, or motion at all - just stares. I wonder if he's just a worker and bored, I'm not sure who he is so I just look back at him. He eventually comes out, visibly irritated. He says and I'm paraphrasing: "I've been waiting for you to come back in....I'm always waiting forever for people to get their registrations out..." I say that I was told to keep the registration in the car and was not told at all to come back in. He continues to complain, and as he's getting in my car, I ask him not to get upset, and that if this is how it is, I can take my car somewhere else. He says "No, no, it's fine". He drives it in and continues to talk about it to the woman from the front desk (and in her defense, english is not her first language, so there was some language barrier). "She misunderstood you, I told her you always tell people to wait in waiting room, etc. etc." And I'm right there! I again explain that no one told me to come in, and he goes "just let it go already!" He then tells me I need to wait in the waiting room. I decline, saying that whenever I get an inspection, they actually usually have me in the driver's seat, beeping the horn, moving the blinkers, etc. He said he's been doing this for 30 years and it's not how he does it. I refuse to go to the waiting room as my instincts are telling me not to leave this guy alone with my car. He then lightens up, saying that if I give them my email, they will send me a reminder next year for my inspection, he makes me aware that he put the sticker on "nice and neat...no glue". He pulls my car out of the garage and as I'm getting in, he continues to sell me. I just close my door. read more

i had my f150 towed in to this shop as my old mechanic passed away last year i needed a new shop for my vehicles, My family have been getting our stickers here for several years now very good in that department quick polite and very accommodating, so i figure give them a shot at my repair work. MISTAKE, BIG MISTAKE !!! with the use of their computer diagnostics they zero in on the problem, fuel delivery. they changed one relay spent 3 more hours on diagnostics came up with a plan that it most likely would cost between 1000 to 1500 to fix. the vehicle has other issues with them and the projected cost I decided it was not worth proceeding. so had my truck towed homestill not working. payed 400 for part and diagnostic time. Being very mechanically inclined I took a quick look at truck this evening discovered the problem a 1 dollar fuse . truck runs like a dream starts right up. so much for Alans trained Mechanics.it took me less than 5 minutes to figure the problem out. read more

Not so keen on going places without yelp reviews to guide me, but I was in a bind and due for a state inspection - Open Saturdays for state inspections from 9-12. Service was quick and fast - Alan was really nice. There's even a little waiting area with a couch and tv. Nothing fancy, but good, honest service. read more

I have been going here for my MA inspection and the occasion auto repair job for my Saab 9-2x aero for several years. I think they are fair and honest with the diagnosis and cost of the job. they are also reasonably fast with the turnaround. I've had a brake job, a O2 sensor job and most recently a breakdown that resulted in powersteering failure and power loss right before Xmas. Without my notes they quickly assessed my vehicle needed a new alternator (agreed), a new serpentine belt (agreed again-this had been causing issues for a while with my powersteering),and a new battery since the battery had been stressed so much from the alternator going. The car was ready the morning after xmas and the labor and the markup on parts were all reasonable. Despite this being a more expensive fix due largely to the after-market cost of a remanufactured Bosch alternator for my particular car, I wish Alan had asked about replacing the timing belt too. While that would have raised the total cost, it would have made sense to replaced it sooner and piggy-back on the labor being done. But I'm sure he didn't want to freak me out with a fat repair bill. My gut is these are good guys, I have never caught them trying to recommend a service that I did not need. read more

Alan's Auto - The pre-Christmas tow... - Auto Repair Near Me - Melrose, Massachusetts

I go there to get my car inspected. They are always very polite and SUPER fast.

Not impressed with this garage. Long story: I was very desperate for a new car and never trusted Craigslist. A family friend goes here routinely for her inspection sticker and told me this gentleman had an older car on the lot. Again, I was desperate and I assumed I could trust a mechanic would at least sell me something safe. WRONG! (Turns out the owner use to be a car salesman). He told me this hunk of junk had a lot of miles on it but was owned by an old lady who "took care of it". So, I bought this 17 year old sedan. he passed my car for its sticker. Things were cool for the first month, but after the Lemon Law time period was over and done with I started having issues. I work in the Melrose/Wakefield area, so it was pretty obvious to me to just continue to use the garage I bought the car from The guy had obviously been servicing it for a long time and it was right down the street rom my place of work. Now, this isn't his problem. I am the one who bought an ancient shitbox. However, I should have taken the following as a red flag. The first time I had problems with this car was because of the AC belt snapping and melting on the radiator. Not really a big deal, and he DID agree to look at it right away...however, he added a 40$ charge to my bill for changing the oil. Yes, it probably needed to be changed. No, I did not give him permission to do this at that time. Not to mention, the day I picked this car up that time he decided to throw in the tiny detail that this "old lady" who owned this car actually let her 20-something-year-old son take it most of the time. HMMM NO WONDER IT WAS FALLING APART! I brushed it off though, because he IS fast and still seemed to be genuinely concerned about my safety. He also tried to be understanding in regards to my life style--i am a college student who works full time. I'm broke, always. My car is my life, and he kept telling me he totally understood and wouldn't want his kids to be screwed by a mechanic. HOWEVER, the same thing happened when my alternator went about 8 months after having this car. I had it towed to his garage and he called me at home to tell me what was going on. Alright, cars need alternators to run, I get that. But again I did not give him permission. I actually called a family friend who had a used alternator at his autbody shop that would work in my car. I would have had the owner of Alan's install it if i picked up the part, but when I called him back too late! He had already put a brand new alternator into my now 18 year old car. Oh, he changed the oil for me too. when i was about 500$ out i swore i would never, ever go back to this mechanic. Today, I was having brake pads in my car replaced. When the mechanic got it on to the lift, we realized the whole bottom of my car is so rotted your can see the carpeting. I've had this car for a little over a year and not once did anyone at Alan's mention this to me. I can't blame these people entirely because I should have known better than to trust a used car salesman. However I have officially paid WAY more for this car than anyone on the planet would (again, I was desperate for a vehicle) but i've also put the same amount of money into repairs for this thing! and test stories don't even cover all of whats wrong with this car. Oh, he also cracked my rear view once when it was in the shop and i didn't notice until I was home. Of course no one knew anything. The Kelly Blue Book value of this car is less ~700$, so likely around the same a year ago before i put all this new crap into it. I bought it for 1700$, and he wanted 1900 for it! his guy has to be out of his mind! Not worth the time or money! Overly priced for shoddy work. Not at all honest by any means. I will never, ever recommend this place to anyone. read more

I brought my car in as I failed inspection and needed the pipe that runs from the cat converter to the muffler replaced. Alan took my car this morning and she was done at 1:30 this afternoon. She now sounds brand new! Alan showed me the piping that he took off my car and explained it was leaking, totally rusted up. He stated I should get better milage and be much happier. I recommend Alan's for ALL of your car problems =) read more