This review is based on help instead of actual services. I recently busted a tire and went here to get the tire fixed and the spare switched off. The mechanic was awesome and when the tire couldn't be patched, he encouraged me to go back to the place I bought it instead because they could replace the tire for less money. It's rare to find someone honest in the auto business and it was so great to find that. I'd definitely go back next time I need another service. read more

I had a large screw in my tire, and called to see if they could fit me in. They said to come right over. They were friendly and kind, and patched my tire in about 10 minutes. They did not even charge me. Great experience and service. read more

The words honest and car mechanic don't usually go hand in hand when talking about getting your car repaired but in the case of Murph's Car Zone they do!! This place is amazing. My family and I have taken our cars to Murph and referred countless others to him over the years. Everyone has been more than happy with his work and his service. He has been honest, and genuinely helpful. So many times he has suggested NOT having work done because it wasn't warranted or wasn't needed yet. He always greets you with a big smile, remembers your name and car history without even looking things up. What more can you ask for when you need to have your car taken care of! read more

Murph and his team are the best! I have been going to them for years, friendly and honest. He is always available and fast with repairs, his prices are great and helps suggest how I can save some money with my car. I recommend them to everyone I know. read more

The brake light had been coming on in my car for a few weeks so I searched yelp to find a garage near me with good reviews to hopefully find an honest garage (being a young woman, most mechanics would likely take advantage of my lesser knowledge of cars). I called and scheduled an appt the next day to have someone look at my brakes. Bring my car in, leave, and get a call back later that afternoon that it's going to cost me $1300 to have my brakes replaced!! I talked to a friend and my dad to see if that was appropriate and both told me I was being ripped off. I told the gentleman thanks for the estimate but I was going to pick up my car and look elsewhere. When I went to the garage the next day, I told someone I was just picking up my car. I sat in the waiting room for 15 minutes before having to get up again and ask again for my keys since no one had come back. The guy picked up my key sitting on top of the front desk, not locked away anywhere securely. Once I finally get to my car, the inside is covered in dried mud. I'm shocked that this place has so many five star reviews, which is the exact reason why I chose it in the first place. But this place is not honest, they'll take advantage of you if there's the opportunity, and they don't care if they return your car dirtier than when you dropped it off. read more

Zone Kar - Dried mud and dirt when I came to pick up my car. - Tires Near Me - Malden, Massachusetts

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I went there for a quick fix and when I asked Wade what was the price, he said it was free. That's an answer you simply don't expect from a mechanic. read more

Murph is the man. We have been bringing our '01 Honda here for five years, and always come away surprised at how inexpensive automotive maintenance can be when you can trust your mechanic and only the necessary is repaired. Yesterday morning, for example, I brought the car in for an oil change and A/C recharge, and a flaky rear hatch. Murph fixed the hatch for free, and had it all done by the afternoon. Note that the shop has recently moved--Car Zone is now located at 468 Columbia St in Somerville, after a very unceremonious end to a 20+ year tenancy at his old spot on Broadway in East Cambridge. Ask him to tell you the story, it's an indictment of the insane and soulless state of Cambridge real estate. Murph tried to change the address with this Yelp listing, but was told it would cost hundreds of dollars to do so. Did you know that? I didn't know that. Anyway. Six stars for Car Zone, if that were an option. A rare beacon of personal, down-to-earth, honest service. read more

Murph and his crew are fantastic. Great mechanics and great people too. There must be so few reviews here because they moved recently - but if you google car zone you'll see the glowing reviews. I mean how many mechanics get GLOWING reviews? Murph is always accommodating - he's never been unable to take my car on the day I ask. Good turnaround times. He often does stuff free of charge, and will tell me when I definitely need something done asap because it's unsafe and when I can wait - knowing how expensive cars are. Whichever reviewer said he treats people like the way he'd treat his own daughter - it's so true! UPDATE I found the old link. Read the reviews here! http://www.yelp.com/biz/car-zone-cambridge read more

I have had consistently good experiences at car zone. They are so accommodating and their pricing is very fair. I had stopped in to get a nail removed from my tire the day before my vacation and they took me right away and did not charge me anything for the service. I highly recommend them. read more

Murph is the best car repair expert I've known. We've been taking our cars to him for many years. He clearly loves the work. He always clearly explains (and writes out) what's wrong with the car. He makes sure you don't spend money without need. He's done small repairs for us for free more than once. In short, he's a professional in the best sense of the word. read more

I recommend Murph to everyone. Such an honest mechanic. When my G37 broke, he called my dad to explain the repairs it needed (I know nothing about cars and had just moved up north after my dad taking care of my car for years so an $800 repair frightened me...welcome to adult life). My dad agreed and Murph took care of the car in no time. I now have a new car and won't let anyone else touch it! They rotated my tires and changed oil/filters in less than hour. Great service. read more

Murphy is the best. Quick, honest, reliable, very reasonable prices. Highly recommend going to him.

I would go back to Murph and recommend him to my MA friends. I was not a regular customer, but brought in an overheating Subaru to determine what was the issue. He looked at the car first thing (I had made an appointment by phone), refilled rad, provided advice, and then didn't charge because they didn't actually do work on the car. Very much appreciated the friendly, calm advice. Check them out. read more

Such a great place! Brought my car in and it was finished in just a few hours. They are so considerate, they called me once they figured out what was wrong, quoted me and asked how I wanted to proceed. Such considerate people, I will absolutely be going back! (Hopefully not too soon though lol) read more

Went in with a flat tire and Murph identified the problem, showed it to me, and told me I had to get it fixed at a dealer. All in all took 10 minutes and best of all, no charge. That's one way to win a customer over for life. read more

This mechanic shop is actually run by descent & honest human beings. They are amazing and I would recommend them 100% I took my car in because it was making this awful metal scraping noise. Turns out, my back calipers had seized and were rubbing up against the pad bracket. I explained to Murph (AWESOME man) that I am planning to get rid of this car in a few months and asked if there was a quick fix that he can do to make the noise stop. He fixed it and DIDN'T CHARGE ME A DIME. Even after taking off all my wheels and back brake system. Such good people. read more

Great service!!! Super nice people. My only go to location for auto repair. Murph is the man. Thanks

5 minutes before beginning a 7-hour drive to PA I realized one of my rear tires was flat. I called Car Zone and Murph told me they were having a busy morning but to swing by in an hour and they would get it taken care of. It was worth the wait. Once I got there they took my car back, found a nail in the tire, and had it fixed in 10 minutes-- for free!! (so I tipped instead) My experience here was better than any other car place I have gone. Will definitely be using Murph and his team as my go-to for car issues in the future! read more

Easily 5 stars. Murph was very clear, reassuring, and the only mechanics in town that will be honestly telling you that it's not necessary to change parts or repair. Will be his customer from now and the future. read more

Truly the BEST mechanic I have ever been to in my life. Murph is so kind, so professional, and will fo well out of his way to save you money. He saved me $600 just on parts alone in one visit. He's so fair and honest and very efficient. I could not recommend this business enough. I'm a single female who knows nothing about cars and has often gotten ripped off by dealerships and mechanics because of that. Murph has always been completely honest and truly found anyway to save me some money in the process of expensive repairs. I am blown away by him and his crew and truly thing if every business ran this way the world would be a better place. read more

I went to Car Zone his morning for a pre-purchase inspection, and I fully agree with all the other stellar reviews. Murph was on time (even took the car in 10 minutes early), he was very thorough in his work, told me that he would be happy to answer all of my questions (and he did, even the stupid ones), and he even gave me his expert opinion on whether the price they were asking for the car was fair. He took the car for a drive around the block to make sure it drove ok, and even showed me the breaks and tires while it was up in the air. If there is ever anything wrong with this car, I will make sure to come back to have it checked out at Car Zone. This was a very pleasant and positive experience. Murph was very friendly and polite, which was a different world compared to the condescending and intimidating attitude I've experienced at other car shops. read more

Great service! My husband brought my car in for a flat tire to be patched. Quick and highly recommended by not only myself but many others.

Murph is The Man! I had ordered 2 Yankook tires via DirectTireOnline (also awesome) and had them delivered to Car Zone, and called ahead to have them look out for them. They had arrived this Monday (Dec. 13), and I asked if I could come by on Thursday. "Absolutely," they said. So, I drop off my car and say I'll wait. Murph suggested I hang out in the Dunkin D across the street, estimating it'll take an hour. LESS than an hour later, he comes over and waves me back. $40 for two tires and rotating out the two worst ones. So polite, honest, and straightforward. I highly recommend Car Zone! read more

Bottom line: Not recommended for European cars. I took my Audi here a few weeks ago for an oil change and, long story short, ended up being towed back. My car has other issues unrelated to their work on the oil change but they put 2 QUARTS too much oil in it! Murph and the guys are plenty nice, but it seems they mainly work on older Hondas and Toyotas. I would not recommend taking your car here if you have a European car. read more

Great service! I called to find out to see how long it would take to get an appointment to fix a brake light. They said, come over anytime and we'll fix it. I showed up 20 minutes later, they fixed it, and off I went. Amazing! read more

Not gonna lie, I was a little sketched out driving up to this place. I had pre-Yelped for mechanics in the area and saw all of the glowing responses, so I figured looks could be deceiving. I needed the wheel bearing replaced in my car and the heat shield ripped off my car. Just got off the phone with them, and he said he couldn't fix the wheel bearing because it was too small for his tools, etc. So that sucked. Also said that the heat shield would be $100 in labor since Subaru's have a ginormous one. His suggestions? (1) Just take it to Midas/Meineke for the wheel bearing. (2) Don't worry about the heat shield because "we live in New England and it will just rot and fall off anyway". Not every day you hear that from a mechanic :). Here's the best part....total cost: nothing, zip, zilch, zero point zero zero dollars. He apologized that he couldn't help me on top of it all too. The next time i have car trouble, i'm definitely going here first! read more

Slight addendum to the story: while it was really cool that they patched my tire and didn't charge me, I now kind of wish they had, because then I would have some leg to stand on in asking for them to cover the costs I later incurred. You see, when they put the tire back on, they cinched the lug nuts on with the air wrench, which is much faster than a regular old wrench-with-a-handle, but which torques it to three hundred pounds. Three hundred pounds of torque is a Very Bad Idea. In the best case, if you get a flat tire, and all you have is the dinky little 12-inch wrench to put the spare on, you're completely fucked unless you weigh 300 pounds and like jumping on wrench handles. In the WORST case, you are me. I drive a VW, which has those finicky little locking bolts that require a key to open. When you apply three hundred pounds of force to that key six months later, it shears in half, leaving you with a bolt that has to drilled out at some expense, and leaving you with three out of four snow tires on your car, which you can barely limp over to the dealership in. Not a good scene. Sounds like a really cool bunch of guys, but make sure you ask them not to use the air wrench to put your tires back on... read more

Murph and the team were friendly, communicative and straightforward. I needed new brakes and to get a "check up" before a road trip. Got me in right away and quickly back out the door. They communicated exactly what needed to be done, how much it would cost and when it would be done. Highly recommended! read more

Wow! That is all I can say. I went in as my FJ Cruiser was making a strange noise as a result of a wooden piece hitting the underside of my truck on the highway. I went to Car Zone after reading all the reviews. The staff was super-courteous. My vehicle was looked over and the problem solved in 10 minutes flat! On top of that, they refused to charge me. I mean, I was at a loss for words. I have never experience better service. I will be going in again to get some other repairs done. I highly recommend this place and only wish the very best to the guys working there. God bless. read more

My friend's dad is a mechanic and when the cooling fan on my '94 Accord wouldn't turn off when the car turned off (resulting in a dead battery several times), I took it to him and he fixed it. Unfortunately, he only resolved the symptom and not the underlying problem and, within a few months, the fan was working overtime again. This time, I gave Murph a try and he immediately diagnosed and solved the problem. A year and a half later and it's still fixed! We've been to Murph once since then for an unrelated issue and, again, he resolved it quickly. By all accounts, he's honest, reasonable, and transparent in his dealings. Given that the car just celebrated it's sweet sixteen and has 210,000+ miles, it's reassuring knowing Murph is within walking distance. read more

I can't recommend Murph at Car Zone highly enough. I have taken my vehicle here twice now for repairs. They are the best mechanic that I have ever worked with. Due to convenience (practically next door to my apartment) I took my car to another shop for an inspection, and my car failed the "front end check." Knowing that this place had dubious reviews at best, I took my car to Murph for repair. He personally showed me what the problem was on my car, had the repair done in less than 24 hrs for a very reasonable price, and even took my car for a test drive to the place where I had the inspection performed to get the inspection sticker replaced. The mechanic tried to pull some shady shit about "Well the brakes look kind of low" to try and still fail my vehicle, but Murph advocated for me and showed that during inspection my brakes were fine (and still are). I have no doubt that if I had gone there myself, they would have refused the inspection sticker in an effort to scrape some more money out of me. The disparity in customer service and integrity between these two shops is shocking. If you live in the Boston area, absolutely consider Murph at Car Zone in Somerville for any mechanical service that you need. You will not be disappointed. There's a reason why he has nearly 200 Yelp reviews with 5 stars! read more

Love Car Zone in Somerville. Hit a nasty pot hole in Boston and heard a squeal afterwards. Brought it by and they looked to make sure it is safe and it's all good. No fixes needed but he showed me what he looked at, etc. I like that. No mansplaining . Highly recommend this spot! The Nanaru is pleased. read more

Wow. I'm impressed. So helpful, so above-board, so friendly. I wish I had known about them before getting brake work done at Broadway Gas (that place is pretty shady). Great work, genuine Honda parts, very communicative about what needs to be done when and why, and whether or not you actually need the work done. And no added pressure or scare tactics! I highly recommend them. read more

I have been taking my Infiniti M35 to Car Zone for 6 years. I hardly ever have any issues. 3 years ago brakes. They allowed me to order parts at Rock Auto and install them. Best brake job ever. Had to take my car in twice in the last month. They put it up on the jacks, took a look and sent me off somewhere else to get things fixed. Actually the first time just helped me realize there was no problem. No charge. No BS. Tried to give him some money and he wouldn't take it. Probably saved me $600 between the 2 visits. You don't find people as good as this guy in any business these days. An honest place that does great work. read more

Went to get my car checked out after the heat shield started rattling. I was nervous about getting a bad deal since I don't know anything about cars, but Murph was really nice and helpful and didn't try to upsell me at all! I'll definitely be going back again for future car issues, and referring my friends. read more

Top notch quality of service is the only way I can describe Car Zone... Formerly known as Honda Zone. I've been coming here for the past 5-6 years and the work has been consistant. Never have I come back for the same problem, also if there's an issue with my car, they would first investigate a lower cost solution then offer the flat put solution which is great cause other places would try to take your money from the get go. Expert advice and true professionalism is what earned my full trust to this place. Jut speak to Murph the owner and everythings all good... read more

If I could give 6 stars, I would. This place is the only place I trust for servicing my car. Murph is awesome and always goes above and beyond! Super nice, super honest, fast, and competent--what more could you want in a mechanic? He has helped me out numerous times with my sometimes finicky older car--always trying to save me money without sacrificing quality and never trying to push anything on me that I don't need. Convenient location (near Kendall T) and Saturday hours help to make this place my "go-to" for all of my car servicing needs. You will be hard-pressed to find anyone better than Murph--trust me! read more

Due to experiences with other mechanics, I was worried about getting ripped off, but the people at Car Zone are very nice and honest. I took my car (06 civic) here to get the AC looked at since it would randomly stop being cold. Called first for an appointment and was told that the diagnosis would be free. Sweet! Turns out that my car was just low in freon, which they added as part of the diagnostic procedure. It ended up costing me $150, but I figured it was worth it for a functional AC for Boston summers. I also asked about doing an oil change since my car was "due". They could have just taken my money, but they were very honest and showed me that it wasn't actually necessary. Unfortunately, two days later, I noticed that my radiator fan suddenly wouldn't turn off and it drained my battery. Called these guys up to ask if it could have anything to do with the AC diagnosis procedure since it seemed like too much of a coincidence. Brought my car back in and they figured out the problem right away (stuck relay, but did not need replacement). Despite it not being their fault, they fixed it and didn't even charge me! I will be coming back here for future car needs. =] read more

Murph and his team are the best -- we don't take our car anywhere else. They moved recently so they should actually have tons more five star reviews but looks like they didn't transfer over from them old location's Yelp entry. They are always super responsive, answering questions on the phone and taking our car same day every time we have needed them to do so. Today Murph fixed our windshield wiper FOR FREE. I have never had this level of service in an auto repair store before -- so amazing!! PS -- Now they are conveniently located next door to an auto parts store. read more

I've been a proud MA (Boston) resident for more than a dozen years and although I have found a few good mechanics none can even hold a candle to Murph and his crew. I have never for a second felt like they were trying to pad the bill in fact they are open and honest and dont to any unnecessary work. This is a spot I would gladly stake my reputation on and would highly recommend them to anyone and everyone as an ethical honest business. read more