Cambridge Auto Center

I started bringing my Nissan to NaiNanKo in N Cambridge 20 yrs ago, and when Steve moved to Cambridge Auto Center, I followed him. I trust these guys 100%. If they make a mistake, I know they’re going to make it right. They have never, never, never tried to sell me service I don’t need. I’m on my third car with them. I have also had them do major insurance repairs and the body work is excellent.

Worst place imaginable. Too many people working on one project. Customer service lacking to say the least. Total chaos and horrible results.

My experience here started when I asked for a second opinion on a failing wheel bearing issue — they said they would charge me $ 45 if I decided not to have the work completed at the shop. I should have known better.
They then quoted me two and half hours of time at the shop rate (from a «nationally known guide») to complete a job that should take all but 45 minutes. There is a video of the work needing to be completed on YouTube with a master mechanic finishing the work in less than 15 minutes… for a do-​it-​yourselfer — 45 minutes.
I asked to simply pay for the actual time incurred at the shop rate and they declined the job, which is strange since I see other reviews on Unilocal where they did perform work by the hour. I’m the customer, and this is what I asked for.
Very poor customer service… when I expressed I was disappointed about the flat fee and knew they would have excessive profit on the job, they asked if I was a business student and then lectured me about profit margins. What a joke! I even got a follow up call from the GM loaded with attitude. Hardly a pleasant experience.
I called another shop with strong reviews on Unilocal and they were glad to help me on an hourly rate with an estimate at half of Cambridge Auto Center’s fee.
I will never go to this business again. They locked me into a fee upfront and then charged excessive profit on the back end. They are not fun to work with, are inflexible, and unwilling to work on an hourly rate which to me is very sketchy. That, and they actually made our disagreement on fees personal which is completely unprofessional and laughable.
PS: Don’t listen to the owner comment below. I ended up saving over 120% of Cambridge Auto’s price by going to Fellsway Auto (a 5 star Unilocal business).

We came in randomly to fix a lightbulb and they were so nice and friendly! Never have had such good service and friendly auto repairmen in my life! Definitely come here if you need to fix your car!

Overcharged me, did unnecessary work, installed a bad part, and refused to fix it when the bad part they installed failed. My car broke down again as I was driving away from their shop (I had driven less than 3 blocks away when it failed, after they had said the car was fixed), and when I called them to complain they offered to buy my car for scrap value. There is no reason to ever go to this shop. Sure, the waiting area’s nice and they have rental cars, but they clearly think you’re a muppet.

Dropped off my ’07 Camry 75,000 maintenance check. They recommended ATF flush even though Toyota has a clearly labeled dipstick stating ATF does not need to be replaced. Sketchy.
They did a power steering flush even though I told them not to. To their credit they didn’t charge me. My brakes still work so I assume the pads they replaced was done properly.
They also flushed the coolant system. The next day i heard swishing water sounds in the dashboard. I popped the hood and noticed that the entire coolant reservoir was empty. They failed to bleed air out of the system.
Seriously? They corrected it and refunded that part of the service which is why i am giving them 2 stars. But if they can’t manage to do a coolant flush properly, how can I trust them to do more difficult repairs in the future?
I can’t and I won’t.

First time went there with my boyfriend, who leaves there a fortune every time he goes to fix his car, to put a spare tire on. Good job, done without a problem. Second time went there to get a quote on a right mirror after the snow storm in October and a fallen tree that smashed the mirror. Got rather a high quote because they only order from certain distributors and these distributors charge the full price and more. Was told to get back with a mirror, so it could be installed for free (takes 10 – 15 minutes maximum). Got the mirror through Acura Bernardi online, got back to install. Here the interesting part begins: was charged $ 85 for barely a 15 minutes work. Ladies and gentlemen, if you want to be taken advantage, this is the place to go.

2009 VW Tiguan
I was recently in a car accident. My insurance company recommended 3 local body shops. The first did not answer the phone. The second was Cambridge Auto Center. I spoke with Tommy on the phone and brought my car in to him about an hour later. The damage wasn’t substantial, but it did seem to be labor intensive. Admittedly, I know nothing about fixing cars, only maintaining. Tommy was helpful when I called him with questions. Tommy and his team made the 12 day process smooth and hassle-​free. When I got the car back, it looked great, runs great and was actually cleaner than when I dropped it off, inside and out.
As I had mentioned, I was in a car accident and I know nothing about auto repairs. My insurance paid for the repairs, and I paid the deductible. The cost did seem a bit high, but I never got a second quote. The staff was professional. The repairs were fantastic. I see some negative reviews below and I feel that these guys deserve a positive one. They do great work and I will probably take my car to them for the next service.
Keep up the good work.

Cambridge Auto is the standard other shops should measure themselves against. Everything from the warm reception you receive through the great work they do is top notch. I tend to be skeptical in car repair situations. Am I being overcharged? Is the work done properly? Not the case here. I’ve always, in the many times I’ve trusted Cambrdge Auto with my car, had my expectations exceeded.
You should go there too! But not all of you because I don’t want them to be so busy that they can’t take my car anymore :-)

I spoke to Brian on the phone. He apologized and refunded me the money for the oil change.

My car has been through the ringer since moving to Cambridge. The poor thing.
First, she was hit by a maintenance truck while parked on our street. Her whole front bumper was askew. Rare plastic pieces needed to be repaired and she needed a new paint job. The offender was nice enough to leave a note, and my insurance listed CAC as one of their shops. They did a very nice job, although it took 2 weeks. Tommy was so nice during this experience. He took good care of me, and didn’t treat me like a stupid woman with an expensive car that he could get a lot of money out of.
Then, my trusty steed got a horrendous door ding whilst parked at Shaw’s. I again called up Tommy, and made an appointment. After a week, the paint job wasn’t done, but I needed to go home for Thanksgiving and had to put the work on hold. When I brought my car back, CAC refused to complete the paint job without more $. What the heck?!
So I had to get my insurance, Progressive, involved. This entailed 3-​way calls between me, my insurance agent, and Brian, the manager. In the end, Progressive and CAC ended up splitting the extra cost, but it was a huge hassle that took almost 3 weeks in the shop.
When I finally got my car back, there was a tear on the upholstery of my poor baby. I called Brian, and he refused to entertain any idea that his guys could have possibly done the damage, even though they had been inside to work on an airbag problem. When I expressed my disappointment, he was rude, and downright angry that I brought it up.
What good did come out of this is that I found out how great my insurance company is. I would recommend Progressive to anyone in this area — they have really been on my side throughout all my ordeals at CAC. Progressive downright told me «We’ll never make you go back there!» and agreed to pay the upholstery rip they caused.
I am seeking a new auto shop for my undoubtedly regular business in the Cambridge area from now on!

I have been to Cambridge Auto Center a couple of times in the past and they have been good to me. So when my car broke down in the middle of the snowstorm this past week, I had my car towed to Cambridge Auto Center. They determined that my starter needed to be replaced. Seeing that I really had no option if I wanted a running car, I had them replace it.
When they called to give me the quote they told me that it would cost $ 467.82 ($ 212.48 for the starter and $ 255 for labor). I didn’t really have any other option since my car was already there and I wasn’t going to pay to tow it somewhere else. This price seemed extremely high so I called some other mechanics in the area. I got a quote for $ 350 total which seemed more reasonable. The other mechanic told me that the book said that it should take 1.5 hours of labor but he could do it in 1 hour and would only charge me 1 hour. Cambridge Auto Center charged me 3 hours of labor at $ 86 an hour. When questioned, they just said it took longer.
Apparently they need to get better mechanics or actually charge by the book like other mechanics. This is the last time I will take my car to them!

I’ve not written a review in ages, but I’m coming out of the woodwork to sing the praises of Brian Matthews and his team at Cambridge Auto Center. I contacted a small handful of local collision repair shops I found on Unilocal,and Brian was the quickest to respond, as well as the most thorough.
I got into a slow-​moving fender bender that, surprisingly to me, totaled my car due to its age even though it still ran perfectly. My insurance company was a knuckle-​dragging nightmare to deal with throughout the ordeal. Brian acted as an advocate for me when dealing with them which was invaluable, considering I didn’t know the first thing about insurance claims or auto accidents and suddenly found myself neck-​deep in one. He held them off repeatedly as they attempted to pick up my vehicle for salvage before making a settlement with me, told me what activity and behavior he thought was odd on their part (considering he deals with insurance companies daily), and was there to provide one of the shop’s own fleet of affordable rental vehicles when I needed one.
When my insurance company did not provide their estimate of damage for me to see, Brian had one of their technicians evaluate my vehicle independently and produced a report for me to go over that detailed all the items that needed fixing and included an itemized cost breakdown.
When it came time to say goodbye to my poor Toyota, they even shuttled me along with all my belongings I had to gather from the car right to my front door.
Cambridge Auto Center was the one source of solace in the otherwise disheartening experience of losing my beloved car. I’ll definitely be back to them when it comes time for service on the next vehicle I purchase.

Had my car repaired here three or four times now. Can’t say enough good things about the place. Timely, reasonably priced, excellent work, and friendly service. On one occasion, they even convinced me not to do the work, arguing that it wasn’t worth it. Saved me $ 400.

I’ve been to Cambridge Auto twice already and have found the service superior. The first time — my muffler fell off, and Bryan had one of the employees drive me to and from work after dropping off my car for service. The second time — my brakes were completely worn through. On both visits Bryan took me directly to my car to show me how rusted out my parts were, demonstrating the need for part replacement and repairs. I really like their approach to assuring customers that the service is really necessary. They provide honest and genuine customer service.