Muffler Works

Great experience of where Unilocal actually works well. Auto repair shops have bad reputations for ripping off people, so I was anxious about getting fleeced. It’s rare to see a solid 5 stars in Unilocal and after reading the reviews, I felt at ease about taking my car to Muffler Works. Mitch is a quirky but easy going guy, honest and extremely reasonable with his fees. He fixed my problem for the cost of what the Nissan dealer would’ve charged JUST to diagnose the problem.
My 8 year old Nissan hybrid was making an awfully loud noise and exhaust smell was coming into the cabin. The full service auto shop I initially took it to said (after a $ 75 diagnostic) that there were 2 holes in the muffler and that I had to take it to a muffler shop to get it replaced. The husband, fearing an expensive muffler job, said he could patch it and did, but patch would ultimately come off (Mitch would later explain that no patch will withstand the high heat of the muffler, it can only be welded).
I finally took it to Muffler Works. Glad I read about Mitch beforehand, otherwise one may see him as rude or brusque. He’s just no nonsense and pragmatic. He looked at the muffler and revved up his torch, welding the two holes closed. But my car still made the loud noise, so it wasn’t the muffler after all. Mitch suggested that my car still might be under warranty, so I should have the dealer diagnose it. After spending 30 minutes with me and my car AND welding the holes in the muffler, he only asked for $ 20 bucks!
Nissan dealer wanted $ 130 just to look at the car since it was beyond the 80K mile warranty. Instead of forking that over, I researched Nissan forums online and figured it was a cracked manifold. I called Muffler Works and explained my findings and Mitch said to leave the car with him for a day and he’ll look into it.
He found and took photos of the cracked manifold and showed me where he welded it, avoiding a costly replacement. I held my breath, but the bill was a mere $ 160, tax included… only $ 30 more than the Nissan dealer would have charged just to look at it and do nothing.
The shop is very clean with a cool toy car collection lining the walls, but there is no enclosed waiting room as it’s just one big open garage. There are a few chairs. Target and Starbucks, however, are just around the corner, a 5 minute walk. Really relieved to have found an honest and efficient welder and auto shop. Thanks to the Unilocalers who took the time to give detailed and helpful reviews that led me here.

As others have said before me, Mitch is truly the man! A couple of years ago I had him replace my crappy exhaust system on a VW van with a Subaru conversion. The shop that did the conversion were great but clearly not exhaust guys. The new system dramatically improved the performance for under $ 500. Amazing!
So today I took my other VW van (with a Subaru conversion) to him. He quickly diagnosed that it had a crack at the manifold. Mitch could have turned this into a much bigger job… but he didn’t. Instead he rolled out his welder and fixed it right on the spot and would not let me give him more than lunch money.
He has my business forever and I am sending all my friends to him. Please don’t think this is about cost either. Im sure if you go in there and start talking about a tuned exhaust system you will pay well for it… what this is about is a stand up guy who delivers value at what ever level you are hiring him. He make me want to go out and buy a sports car so I can really see what he can do…

No surprise that Mitch has 5 star reviews.
I called Tuesday at noon about removing a catalytic convertor from my Pathfinder. I went in an hour later, he looks at it and says, yeah should be no problem. I get to watch him to do the whole procedure (which is pretty damn cool) and it takes him like 15 minutes. I was shocked. Not only that, but his rate seemed incredibly low! My car passed smog after this was taken care of, so I can’t thank him enough.
Great work, incredibly skilled guy. Wish I could hang out at his shop all the time.

Mitch is THE MAN! I’ve had him do a full custom exhaust back on my Acura in 2008 and no problems what so ever! Last year I took my 1968 Camaro to him and he recommended a lot, which I bought online, and Mitch installed it the next weekend. He went above and beyond on the work because he threw away the clamps that piece the kit together and welded the whole thing into 1 piece! Thanks Mitch! Will be bringing my 1969 Camaro in to get a full system done on it!
Don’t look anywhere else, Mitch is THE MAN!

This guy has 5 star reviews for a reason. Finally able to see about getting the hole in my exhaust pipe fixed. First day he both gave me an estimate and showed me exactly why it was best to get the whole thing replaced.
He also gave me some advice and showed me some other things about my car that I would otherwise not have known. Very helpful and does the fixes in a timely manner.
He told me after handing me the keys with the new exhaust pipe intact that it would feel like I was driving a new car. I was skeptical at first but after getting behind the wheel, I can tell you one thing: he wasn’t lying.

Mitch is friendly and very professional, I just wanted to have a not so loud truck sound on my new F150, and he got the job done at a very reasonable price and in a very efficient time frame. I will be back to add a cool exhaust tip with the money he saved me.

Great pricing. Better than midas.
I had quoted the price at a local shop other than MW and they were more as well. Great service and car sounds great. Will refer if needed.

I took my other Alfa Romeo, a 1972 GTV, to Muffler Works this week for a new exhaust system. Mitch put together a custom exhaust with Magnaflow mufflers for a very reasonable price. The exhaust looks and sounds great. I highly recommend Muffler Works.

My muffler was riding too low and was hitting all the speed bumps. It finally came loose after too many bumps. Well I took it in to Mitch explained to him my problem and he fixed in half an hour and refused to charge me for his work. I was flabbergasted who is so nice these days? Mitch braced my muffler, elevated up, and curved the pipe. It’s is held in there really tight now and high off the ground. I think he did a better job than the factory settings b/​c my muffler doesn’t even graze high speed bumps or steep driveways anymore. Thanks Mitch for a great job and for you time.

I had fantastic experience with my touchy Mitsubishi turbo. Absolutely pleased with the result and pricing. My car idles and runs properly now. This Mitch guy gives valuable advice and has great results, glad I found this Muffler Works :)

Mitch came highly recommended by a well known car magazine editor. He did not disappoint!
I have a ’79 vw bus with a complicated exhaust that was almost impossible to find as they don’t make certain essential parts any more. I brought him a beat-​up/​bent crossover tube and a few other misc parts, and asked him to help put it all together.
He immediately started thinking about how to put the puzzle together, and didn’t shy away from the challenge. I knew I was in the right place. He sliced and diced my parts with new stainless parts to restore the system to «better than factory» condition.
He had the job done on time and on budget. His work is clean and professional. I couldn’t be happier!

I brought my Prelude to his shop many years ago. I wanted my Tanabe exhaust system tuned, but Mitch recommended that it be replaced. I agreed and my car’s new exhaust system roared. Several days ago, I brought my car back to Mitch. Even before I could explain my issue, he looked at the bottom of my car and told me the exhaust broke up and it «should not have done that.» He was honest. He told me that it needed to be repair and that it would take several hours. I plan to take it back next week. Hopefully, Mitch will take care of this on the house. I will provide an update.

Not only is his price fair, his work honest, and his craftsmanship quality, but he’s also a nice guy.
His welds are nice. He does good, solid, straight work. All in a timely fashion.
Mitch quoted me almost ¼ of what other shops quoted me, and his craftsmanship, honesty, and customer service greatly surpassed those of his local competitors.
Needless to say, I will go back to Mitch for any of my future custom exhaust needs. And if he keeps up the great work, he’ll earn my trust and loyalty as a customer.
I recommend Muffler Works.

Our 1986 Toyota Camry started making a louder sound than usual, and my wife could smell exhaust inside the car. Not a good sign! After asking around, Muffler Works was suggested to us, and we looked them up, including the reviews here.
What kind of car owner are you? Do you see your mechanic as a secondary psychiatrist? Do you need someone to explain every little detail to you while holding your hand and telling you that everything will be hunky dory? Do not go to Muffler Works. Mitch does not suffer fools gladly. However, I do not mean to imply that his demeanor is hostile in any way.
It’s a simple situation, really. Mitch has been working on cars for a bit, and he knows his stuff. Tell him the problem succinctly and he will tell what probably needs to happen. If you make suggestions that will degrade the functioning of your vehicle and reduce the time between repairs, Mitch will tell you. Yeah, you could put that engine in that car if you wanted to, but do you want to enjoy driving it for ten months or ten years?
This is how Mitch thinks. This is why he’s so good at what he does. He takes the long view. A very valuable and important perspective for any mechanic. I sensed immediately upon meeting and talking with Mitch that here was a man of few words but vast knowledge. Mitch is not a conversational gadfly. He doesn’t need to be. His work speaks for itself.
Mitch replaced our noisy muffler in a day for a very reasonable price, and we really enjoyed chatting with him. He has an awe-​inspiring collection of Hot Wheels in his garage. I wanted to stay longer and peruse them all while soaking up some more automotive history.
Thanks, Mitch!

Mitch has done two of my classic Alfa Romeos, both with Magnaflows. One’s a road car, the other a vintage racer. He is knowledgeable, generous, and honest. My Alfa mechanic (who introduced me to him) goes to him for all muffler work. Mitch is pretty awesome.

Mitch was great, very helpful, knowledgeable and pleasant. I brought my truck in on a Wednesday, made an appointment for Friday morning and it was done by lunch. Fair price, quality work and no headaches or hassles. Thanks Mitch! :)

In response to some of the other reviewers I agree: Mitch may be slightly, just slightly abrasive (sorry man) however: he is a specialized mechanic, not a concierge at a five-​star hotel in New york so let’s keep things in perspective here. He is a seasoned professional and at the end of the transaction — that’s what counts.
I have a 2008 Volvo C70 (P1 model family) and wanted to upgrade/​modify my exhaust; wanted to keep it in Albany /​and one can’t argue with the ratings…
— I received a better deal than on-​line (which is unusual): most exhaust «kits» for my car were slightly more money than having mandrel bent, custom «cat back» exhaust done by Mitch and Muffler Works.
— The job was done on-​time /​on-​budget /​and without any glitches — with a special order involved — priceless
— If you are doing a Volvo project please consider my opinion: keep your resonator — it is there for a reason and can be upgraded (Magnaflow) (Mitch thank you for suggesting this; I thought getting rid of it would be better.)
At the end of the day I love how my car performs and am thrilled with how «throaty» and «deep» it sounds It is Loud enough for the engine to exhale /​quiet and tasteful — not to bother the neighbors or announce my arrival (no «rice-​rocket» sound with all due respect to those who prefer it)… Thank you thank you thank you.

Mitch did an amazing job installing my SLP loudmouth exhaust. You get what you pay QUALITY SERVICE! He even went out his way by welding everything together that was very nice of him. This is the place for muffler service.

Make sure to keep all receipts and get a work order before allowing him to do any work! He installed the wrong part in my car then denied even doing once I went to get a smog check on my car. Don’t trust him.

So delighted to give Muffler Works a 5 star review.
Had a noisy muffler; he looked at it and said he could probably patch it … 30 minutes later it was done.
No more noisy muffler!
Ira
PS — the shop was clean, tidy and has a cool collection of model cars on the north wall.