- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
A-Z Auto Center
Rating Details »
Categories: Body Shops, Auto Repair, Auto Detailing [Edit]
47-51 Richdale AveCambridge, MA 02140
(617) 354-3680
- Nearest Transit:
-
Porter (Red)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
11 reviews for A-Z Auto Center
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
12/5/2008
6/17/2009
3/13/2009
4/21/2009
Updated - 4/19/2009
7/29/2008
1/2/2008
1/6/2009
5/31/2008
5/8/2007
1/3/2008
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Good people do still exist in the world. I wanted to get the huge tacky dealership sticker removed from my new car (read my dealership review) so I did a search for auto body shops in Cambridge. I found A-Z and decided to give them a shot. I got there as soon as I could after work which was 15 minutes before they close.
They greeted me and asked how they could help, I explained my situation and they said they would take care of it for me in 15 mins. So they rolled my car in the garage and 15 mins later my car had the sticker removed with the paint still in perfect shape.
These people are extremely nice and do good work. I highly recommend them.
Look, I'm not a car fan. I don't get all "yah-dude" about my engine, rims, and all that shit. I drive because I have to - navigating through the deadly gauntlets of pissed-off masshole drivers they call routes 128, 95, 3, 495, 93, and the dreaded "Pike." I've survived them all. Anyway, I prefer not to have to deal with too much hassle when it comes to my reliable little Honda.
But, when things go wrong, A-Z has always been there for me. When I woke up one morning to find my car vandalized...raped...stripped of its radiator, front bumper, and hood (who steals a hood?) this spot was the only place around that would take my poor car in. After a few days they had my vehicle back in working order, and during the whole deal I had ONE friendly contact here I could call on for updates on how things were going. That says good service to me.
More recently, my car was making this awful loud squeaking sound - that's how car amateurs describe what's wrong - and I took it in here to find that my brake pads and front tires were ready for retirement. A-Z had the car fixed for a reasonable price the same day I brought it in. In fact, they offer a free diagnostic if they find something wrong. Again, for an auto-novice, I was able to call and get updates from ONE person who knew exactly what the status was with my car at all times.
These guys just get it. People want to deal with an auto service center and repair shop that is honest, timely, responsive, friendly, and doesn't appear to want to rip you off. Last time I came in here one of the representatives was offering to speak Mandarin with some customers to help communicate better - how many local repair shops can say that???
The people at A-z do a good job with repairs. I brought my car in after a hit and run and they definitely made it look brand new (and dealt with my insurance company... which everyone knows is a royal pain in the a**).
So why three stars? First of all, the woman who works at the front desk is ridiculously and insanely unhelpful. When I brought my car there the first time, without even looking at the car, she told me the repairs would take "two to three weeks" (the manager later told me 4-5 days). Second, any time I called, she continued to give me misinformation about my car. Dealing with her was unbeliveably frustrating, and I can't for the life of me understand why the A-Z Auto Center keeps such an incompetent receptionist. Finally, getting a return call from these people is nearly impossible.
If you do go there, talk to Lee- he knows what he's doing, and he does a good job.
I needed serious body work on my car to the tune of $3300 or so. A-Z was walking distance and had great reviews, so I brought my car here while I was on vacation. They did a good job handling all the insurance paperwork and additional negotiations needed for extra repair costs needed, and the work they did was up to par with what I expected the finished work to look like.
But I'm dinging 2 stars because... They told me it would be done in 2 weeks, for sure, right when I got back in town. 2 weeks later, I called and was told it would be ready in 2 more days. 2 more days later, nobody called me to tell me they needed 2 more days. 2 days later, I call them and they told me it should be ready the following Monday. The following Monday I called and they told me it would be ready tomorrow, which finally, it was ready, 8 days later than I expected (which isn't terrible I suppose).
However - I really hate being jerked around like that over and over. I really let down some people in my life when I had to cancel on them repeatedly as a result believing my car would be ready when Lee said it would be ready. Granted, it may have been out of A-Z's control as to when parts were to be delivered, but the least they could have done is to be proactive and contacted me so that I could have stopped believing my car would be ready when it wasn't.
UPDATE: My car was rear-ended the other day, and so I needed to get my rear bumper repaired. Of course I went to A-Z--they took amazing care of my car last time, and they did yet again. They even did a full detail--inside and out--which was a really nice surprise.
I hope to never have to go to an auto body shop again, but if I'm still in the area, without a doubt, I would return to A-Z. Lee is the best.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
1/16/2008
After a bad experience with another auto body shop, I jumped onto Yelp and found A-Z Auto Center.… Read more »
It's nice to have a competent auto shop next door for those moments when life tosses a rock through your windshield, an U-Haul truck in your passenger door, lest I forget, the SUV on my rear.
For all the times when you're not thinking rationally, seriously, they still key cars?!? There's the dependable guys at A-Z. So considerate, after all the incidents, they gave me a discount and effortlessly hooked me up with Enterprise for a rental while my mental anguish subsided.
I considered bringing them a batch of fresh brownies for restoring my baby to its shiny black luster, but that'd be a bit too corny. Worry not, I'm sure I'll be back, oy =/
My car was broken into inside of my apartment building's garage, GPS stolen, and I was generally in pain over the situation. A-Z was an auto-body bottle of percocet -- I left feeling fantastic.
They fixed my car same-day and saved me hundreds of dollars. The man I worked with here decided to fix my bent door frame instead of replacing the entire thing, assuring me that this is what he would do if it were his car. He made me feel great about the entire experience. I picked the car up after work that same day (it was done at noon but I couldn't make it there during lunch).
Very friendly staff that puts your experience with them as the top priority. They rely entirely on word-of-mouth advertising as a result, and I'd like to spread the word.
I heartily recommend these guys to anyone in need of honest and helpful mechanics. I took my car to them right before Christmas and it was in need of a fair amount of work. When I asked if they could try to keep the repairs under $400, they did!! How many mechanics can you say that about? And when extra repairs were needed, they were extremely helpful, kept me informed, and even though my car needed to stay in the shop for almost an extra week, they still did their best to keep the costs low while doing a thorough job. I can't sing their praises enough.
They got the job done and dealt with my insurance company just fine. However, they were difficult to get in touch with and evasive when I did talk to someone on the phone. I felt like I was dealing with a car salesman, not the customer service guy at a body shop. Also, they never updated their website (with photos of the car's progress) the entire week my car was in the shop. I won't be back.
This is by far the best auto place I have ever been. I went in to repair a major scratch on my car and expected to pay 500-600$$. I dropped my car of for 5 hours and left with it in perfect condition for under 150.00...Friendly staff, great service, highly recommended
I had a great experience here. I needed my brakes done as a preventative maintenance issue and they were really helpful and straightforward about what needed to be done. They were even willing to give me a 10% "neighbor's discount" after I hemmed and hawed about it. No appointment and my car was done within a few hours. I'm certain that I got the best price I could expect to get in the Boston area.
