Advance Auto Center

that old saying fool me once… fool me twice… well… there will be no 3^rd…1^st experience. exaust leak… told me I needed a whole new one… it‘s one whole piece .the leaks at the elbow heading down …750 and change… ok…calls me to inform me that… its actually 2 pieces. that piece heading down where its rotted at the elbow is a separate piece… Oh…and its another 130 more… I replied… if that’s all that’s rotted is that transition piece… then take that piece put it on the old exhaust. wield it… clamp it… then call it a day. so it should be 130 plus labor… awkward pause… placed on hold… to late the mechanic took off the exhaust… ok…I‘m not paying for the extra piece… his reply… I‘ll work with the number‘s and get back to you… me…umm no. I‘m not paying extra for your mistake… now…2^nd time… and trust me… I was thinking. don‘t do it. but …fluid leak… radiator fluid… lots and lots… of radiator fluid. dropped it off… went to work and waited… thinking the worse… hoping the best. well it was the latter… so…heater hose blew… cool…how much…178 and change… awesome…go ahead. I guess… some things are not quite what they seem to be… you know… like the 3am chick… you know… the one with the adam’s apple… that you didn’t see… then you wake up with a confused look and vasoline on your butt… ok. enough of days gone past… head to the shop… and guess what… they decided upon themselves to change both hoses… GREAT…so.instead of 178 and change now went to 254 and change… so a quick summary…750 + 254. 1004… actually cost should have been…130…plus labor… and 178… so total… should of been… around 450−500…so every village needs an idiot… keep going here… and I‘ll send you a jester hat…

Why, oh why is it so hard to find a place that isn’t out to take advantage of the customer?
As far as I can tell, the work they did was fine. I’m just a little miffed at the up-​sell. This guy Eric had me agreeing to a cleaning of my fuel injectors for $ 120. I looked it up and found out it’s something you can do for yourself for under $ 20 and cancelled it before they did the work.
Unfortunately he got me on the unnecessary front-​end alignment for $ 90 – it was early in the morning and I wasn’t thinking.
Then when the bill came, they charged me about $ 20 more for radiator flush than originally quoted. Eric reduced it to something like the quote, but why should that even be an issue?
My previous encounter with the place was fine. But this one leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I might go there again, but it won’t be my preference. If you go there, exercise caution!

I went to Advanced Auto Center to get a second opinion for some work that needed to be done with my axel and brakes. They were quick to diagnose and outline what the problems were, and then what needed to be done.
They were very conscientious of how costly the work was and gave me direction of what needed to be done vs what could wait a little while. I felt like they cared and were helpful from the start!
Advanced Auto fixed the problems and did it for about $ 500 less than was quoted at the dealership. And the best part is — whether it’s your first visit or a repeat customer, they care about every person that walks in their door. I’m so sad I’m moving, otherwise these guys would have lifetime business from me!

Always pleasant people, quick and quality work. Prices are fairly reasonable and the people seem to really know what they are doing…
Location is helpful and place tries to stay nice, though they do let their gardens grow weeds after they do the nice work, leading it to not look so nice.
One complaint… they always park on Cook Street (or their vendors who drop stuff off, etc.), on the side where it says no parking and right by the corner, leading to crazy traffic jams or near miss crashes. Wish they would not do that or have people park in other areas because it is extremely frustrating and there are kids on this block who are in risk with this happening.

I have an old Infiniti that needed a new starter and they hooked it up with the best price in town thanks!!!

I’ve been taking my car here for about a year now and the service is consistently top notch. I always receive prompt call backs about the status of my car and I usually have it back the same day.
My then girlfriend, now wife, has also been using them for a long time and has also had the same experience. Highly recommended.

We’ve been taking our cars to Advance Auto for many years, and have always been happy with the results. They do professional work for fair prices. Steve is a great guy. Highly recommended!

They were quick, professional, and honest. They replaced my struts and sway bars — no complaints.

Pro: They are very honest, do good work, and offer you a loaner car
Con: They are sometimes very busy (read above statement for explanation of why)
But really; it is sometimes tough to find a reliable shop– and this is a very reliable shop. They have a large facility with many mechanics; i have not had a problem with any of their work; and i’ve gone there for a few dozen repairs over the last 7 – 8 years. Major stuff and minor stuff; never been disappointed.

Been a loyal customer for 12 years. They’ve serviced our Toyotas, Audis, Volvos, and BMWs. They’re honest, straightforward, and just generally good people. Recommend without reservation.

I brought my SUV in for regular checkup and they found that a major part to the exhaust system was broken due to general wear and tear. Instead of charging me the dealer price for a new system, they grafted a replacement part in saving over $ 1000. My car now doesn’t sound like a diesel truck. I recommend this place

My car was starting to shake when I braked at higher speeds. When I researched reviews of auto centers in the area Advance Auto had multiple good reviews so I thought this was a good starting point.
They were able to look at my car the same morning I called and it only took them about an hour to diagnosis the problem.
Steve, the owner, explained to me that my rear brake pads needed to be replaced and that my front and rear rotors needed to be reshaped/​resurfaced (not sure of the accurate term). It would cost approximately $ 500.
I scheduled the work to be done the following morning and Steve offered me a loaner car while they completed the work. I left his shop feeling confident I had found a good place to have my car fixed.
On my drive home I decided to stop at the GMC dealership to have them give me a second opinion; they were right down the street, so I thought, «why not». I knew they would probably be more expensive, but I thought it was worth them taking a look.
To my surprise, they had me come into the garage to physically show me that my brake pads and rotors did not need to be replaced. They showed me the tool they use to measure when the pads need to be replaced. Their inspection showed «4mm life left for front and rear brake pads.»
I had all four tires replaced the week prior. The mechanics at the dealership said the «shaking» I felt was from the tires being bolted on too tightly.
Sure enough, after a test drive on the highway my car was back to driving normal.
I know there is always a risk of any auto body shop being dishonest and taking advantage of their customers. In this case, I feel that is exactly what they were trying to do. The owner came across as being very customer-​service oriented, but was in fact, dishonest. Do not be fooled by the friendly and accommodating attitude.

This place is great. Last night driving to the gym my windshield wiper snapped off and flew off into the night. It’s tough driving around when you can’t clean your windshield. I called these guys b/​c the Unilocal reviews were great. The guy on the phone was super nice and told me he could replace them for me. I drove over, they took me right away, fixed up my car with new windshield wipers and only charged me 40 bucks, which is pretty good. I once bought windshield wipers at Target and it cost me 40 bucks for them in the package, so this place didn’t charge me anything for labor. I would definitely recommend this place!

These guys get customer service. I called around 9:00 AM to get a 60K checkup (at 70k miles) so they said they would do both the 60 and 75K checkups.
They took me right away, drove me home and picked me up when the work was done in the same day. They called and explained everything they found in detail and suggested work that I could hold off until later to keep my bill at a reasonable level.
They told me about free loaner cars for future needs and were pleasant, friendly and professional. I have found myself a new place to service my aging but beloved Acura.
Highly Recommended!

I usually work on my own cars, but when I have a problem that requires a lift, or is more than I want to tackle, I take my car to Advance. I drive BMWs and I have recommended Advance to my BMW-​owning friends, and we all think they’re fabulous. They don’t do work that’s unnecessary, they don’t push filters, wiper blades, and other stuff unless your car needs it, and every repair they’ve done for me has shown the same attention to every little detail as if I’d done it myself.
They’ve done ‘little’ things for me (like resetting a warning light after I’d made a repair myself) for free, and they always have time to discuss a problem with me and explain the repair. These guys are very competent, smart, articulate, and fair on price. I would recommend them to anyone, but they’re especially good with BMWs.
Try them if you’re looking for dealer-​caliber (or better) parts and service at an independent repair shop price.

When I first had them service my vehicle I thought they did a good job. After a few years they basically ruined my vehicle. I should have looked more closely into the repair bays at the inexperienced young kids they have working on cars. They attempted a few fixes to solve the problem but when they couldnt’ resolve it they just had me drop the vehicle off so they could use it to drive around in. They told me the vehicle was fine. However, everyone who knew me attested to the fact that the vehicle had a problem which wasn’t there before it was serviced by Advanced Auto. After a few attempts to fix it I started to get attitude from Steve. I would never drop off the vehicle without at least a quarter or half tank of gas. It would be returned to me on empty with the gas light on. When I asked about the tank being empty I was told it was out for a test drive. Hell, no test drive would use up all that gas! I also checked the mileage and noticed that the vehicle’s odomotor had more mileage on it. I don’t think 60 miles is a test drive. It’s more like a joy ride. I found out where their other location was and it takes approximately 30 min to go to Rockland, MA from Newton. Round trip would be 60 miles. Twice my vehicle came back with 60 additional miles and no gas. I know this for sure because I wrote down my mileage when I dropped the vehicle off and it was returned to me with 60 extra miles on it. When I asked them about it, they just denied driving it. That is soooo unprofessional and inappropriate especially when the problem did not need an extended test drive for diagnostics. They should have had an accident while out in Rockland. How would they have explained that? Using a customers car to drive to their other location or to who knows wherever is sooooo wrong. I would never recommend or trust this place. Check the «mileage» on your vehicle when you drop it off. They like to use your gas and your vehicle to drive to their other service location in Rockland, MA. Also, ask to get any old parts back that they may have replaced. I never was shown any but was told the trash was already picked up and they were gone. So ask for them to be saved so you can see if the parts were really replaced. This is good practice for any garage or repair shop you take your vehicle to.
In response to owner: Yes, we did discuss this in person and it got me no where. I also recorded the mileage when I suspected the rides out to Rockland. Lo and behold when the vehicle was returned… I had racked the necessary miles to drive my vehicle out to your Rockland facility and back. Please. there is no reason for me to lie… what you did was extremely underhanded and I would never trust you again with any vehicle I owned. You ruined my Jeep and it cost me megabucks to fix the heater problem. I feel sorry for the «Nonantum Village People» who still have faith in your shop. Response to Owners Comments: We did discuss these issues Steve. You just chose to ignore me and patronize me. So much for customer service.

I love Advance — their service is great and I’ve always found them really trustworthy. They’ve helped me even when there was nothing to charge for. They’re just great guys. Highly recommended!

Finding an honest, helpful and friendly auto mechanic is like trying to find bigfoot. You can spend your life trying and never succeed! If you’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon advanced auto center, then consider yourself lucky. These guys are worth their weight in gold!
I’ve been bringing my 01 Volvo S-​60 to these guys for five years and they are never anything but excellent. Like other reviewers, advanced isn’t the closest option for me, but they’ve earned my business for as long as I can get to them based on their commitment to the customer.
Quick story: today, I picked up my car from advanced after some necessary work. It still needed another part, but they advised me to bring it to Volvo as it should have been under warranty. They could have fixed it themselves, but they tried to save me some cash.
I then took the car to Lee Volvo in Wellesley and they informed me that the warranty expired 3 months ago. I pitched a fit because I had already brought my car in two years ago for the recall on the throttle body and felt I should not be responsible for the $ 1000 they wanted to charge because they didn’t fix it the first time. Of course, they said it wasn’t their problem.
From the parking lot of Lee Volvo, I called the guys at Advanced for advice. They instructed me on how to approach the situation and confirmed that the $ 1000 was ridiculous. When Lee Volvo wouldn’t budge on the price, I called Advanced back and they confirmed they could fix the issue at a much more reasonable price.
Their willingness to take my call, answer my questions and provide me with options and guidance is why I recommend everyone I know to advanced auto.
Cars are tricky and no one is always perfect, but you can count on the team at Advanced to treat you right.
That’s why I’ve taken the time to painstakingly write this long review from my iPhone! These guys deserve 6 stars!

A few years ago I dropped my truck off there because it was hard starting. I knew it needed new starter and wires so I expected to spend some money. After a day they called and said it was all set so when i stopped by to pick it up they slapped a rejection sticker on the truck. I asked why did they remove my sticker and the guy said it was because the truck failed emissions test.
I was pissed. My sticker was not due to expire for another year and now I had 30 days to fix this problem. Of course they had a list of things that needed to be fixed to solve this problem. I paused and looked at my reflection in the window to see if there was «SUCKER»
written across my forehead.
I reluctantly paid for the work done and took my vehicle home. On way home the check engine light came on which did not happen prior to my visit there. I called and complained about this and of course got
a BS excuse.
A few weeks later I took the truck to another place and got the truck running great put a new inspection sticker on the truck and did everything cheaper.

I’ve been bringing my 98 Accord here for about 3 years now. Everyone in the shop is pleasant and very easy to deal with.
My favorite thing about this shop is that they never pressure you to get something unnecessary done to your car. They never pull the old trick of finding mysterious problems that have only recently materialized. Several times I’ve gone in and been told that something (suspension, cat converter) looked like they were getting a bit worn, but that it wasn’t necessary to drop the $ to fix it just yet. I really appreciate the head’s-up that I’ll need to think about (and budget for) an issue the next time I bring the car in for an oil change.
Minus one star for once keeping my car an extra day beyond what I was originally told. I had the brake lines redone last year and it took forever. I love that the guys took their time and didn’t rush a delicate job, but not having my car for a full extra day was pretty inconvenient. Not a big deal, in the end, really.