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Auto Engineering of Lexington
Categories: Automotive Auto Repair Automotive Tires Auto Repair, Tires [Edit]
436 Marrett RdLexington, MA 02421
(781) 676-7700
Announcement
"25% off quotes from any dealership or local independent specialist."
*Written quote required.
*Not apply to tires.
- Nearest Transit:
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Marrett Rd Opp Spring St (62/76, 76)
Marrett Rd @ Spring St (62/76, 76)
Marrett Rd @ Downing Rd (62/76, 76)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 8 am - 6 pm
Sat 8 am - 1 pm
8 reviews for Auto Engineering of Lexington
8 reviews in English
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Review from Ann C.
Boston, MA
11/25/2011
James Hart, the BMW specialist, is literally that rare find called Mechanical Genius. If you'd like to find out why, read my story below. If you don't have time or don't like to read, simply take my word for it and take your BMW to James before you get fleeced and frightened by anyone else. Period.
I have a 1986 535i (E28) BMW that I drove to Boston all the way from Los Angeles (northern route). I had the car checked out by the mechanic who had been taking care of it for many years - but just before I left LA, it randomly did not start one morning. When I called. the LA mechanic non-chalantly told me to wait 5 minutes and try again. It worked, but when I talked to him about what might be wrong, he hemmed and hawed and postured and postulated and basically wound up a big ball of really really scary, big-ticket stuff that "it might be" and told me best to leave well enough alone. In other words, he didn't feel like dealing with it. I called another LA mechanic who I'd gone to before who was also an older BMW specialist, and he too ran me a litany of potentially serious problems.
I needed to get to Boston and winter was fast approaching. I hit the road with a lot of determination and a fair amount of worry, and promptly ended up spending 2 days in Grand Junction, Colorado while a wonderfully nice shop (called Integrity) tried to find the problem but came up empty handed. The car always started for them and since the AAA guy showed me how to push-start it, I decided to press on and eastward. By the time I arrived in the Boston area, the engine crank time was getting longer and longer, I had push-started it at least once, and I was sweating bullets every time I turned the key.
So I hit the internet and started combing all the E28 boards I could find. Somehow, all the random feedback about Auto Engineering seemed to resonate with the most positivism and promise. When the engine blessedly turned over the first Monday after I arrived, I drove to Lexington and presented myself on their doorstep. I felt welcomed by everyone almost immediately. Of course there was some mild shock at the age of the car and the fact that we had made it all the way from California, but James read my "new-in-town" SOS distress signal and agreed to take the car in and check it out while I waited.
Less than an hour later, James told me I was all set. He said there was a fair amount of age-related grime and build up which was probably interfering with the fuel-injected start mechanism. He used a strong chemical called "sea foam" to give the car the equivalent of what sounded like a colonic. When he handed me the keys, he had that air of confidence you could literally feel. The car has started up immediately every time, ever since.
No doom, no gloom, no mechanical nightmare. Just a bit too much build-up on some contact points.
James also told me the fan shroud was badly bent and in danger of fouling the fan and damaging the adjacent hoses. So he found a new shroud within a few days and installed that, as well.
As the weather turned cold and Boston was clobbered by a super early nor'easter snowstorm, the car was clearly not happy. When I kept smelling gasoline I took a chance and drove out to Lexington again - this time on a Saturday morning. James happened to be there and even though he was busy and they were closing early, he opened the hood, took two sniffs and pinpointed the problem immediately. This time I needed to leave the car till he could get to it on Monday. There was no one I could call to come and pick me up and I didn't have any cash on me. James reached in his pocket and gave me his own "Charlie Card" public transit card which had more than enough bus and subway credit to get me back to Somerville where I was staying.
Talk about above and beyond. When is the last time your mechanic was both a genius and a Good Samaritan?
My former boss in LA who is and always has been the penultimate surfer dude gifted the car to me. So it spent a lot of time at the beach and has a sweet, sun-bleached, sandblasted 'patina'. In other words the original bronze paint finish is a thing of the past. But it looks really cool with its black Thule roof racks, and it is running beautifully now. Since I'm not a mechanic, and my beloved E28 and I are clearly not in southern California anymore (where classics thrive and are plentiful), I am looking to find it a good home where it will be loved, garaged, pampered and taken to the beach in the summer.
A big move is one of the most challenging passages in life, and I did this one essentially alone. I will never forget the hand of expertise and friendship extended by Auto Engineering's James Hart, certified Mechanical Genius. -
Review from Leo D.
Somerville, MA
10/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am very impressed with the quality of work at auto engineering in Lexington. They changed my oil and brake fluid for a fair price. The guys were able to reset all the condition based service codes on the car a big plus. They were fast to get me in and out. The waiting area seemed nice with leather couches and free coffee and snacks. Good to know that there is a place other than the dealer to take the car in for routine maintenance.
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Review from Eric S.
Beverly Hills, CA
8/20/2007
Getting good service on your Audi can be really difficult in the Boston area. This place does a good job and the people here treat you like a human being.
The dealers (Brookline, Herb Chambers [formerly Pass & Weisz], Bernardi) charge an arm and a leg and treat you with disdain--as if they're doing you some big favor by taking your $95 per hour. As soon as your warranty is up, ditch the Audi dealer and head to an independent shop.
Extra bonus: Auto Engineering has WIFI so bring your laptop!
P.S. This is the old Autobahn East. They recently changed their name to Auto Engineering. -
Review from Steve W.
Lexington, MA
5/22/2010
I've been taking my bmw's here, since, like forever, thru several diff. owners & incarnations. The latest version, since they changed the name back to Auto Engineering, is the most professional indie bmw repair shop I've ever been to. The shop, & the customer area, is big, clean, & super-well organized. (one of those shops where you could apparently "eat off the floor", it's so clean). The prices have always been very fair for everything.
I'm dinging it one star, because when it was Autobahn East several years ago, it was also good, but one time I couldn't pick up my car 'til the next morning, & they left it outside with the windows down, & it rained. The guy Chip called me the next morning, & started asking me if my car windows "leaked", trying to blame the wet carpet on the car. (If he had just said they left it outside with the windows down, oops, sorry, I would've been OK with it, but he was so insistent that my never leaking-before-or-since car windows were the problem that it seemed very suspicious). Even so, everything else I ever had done there went smoothly.
Last visit, I asked them to check the car over (they don't charge for that). The mechanic himself called me, said the 2 drive belts needed to be replaced. This is on a 10 year-old car, so it made sense to me, & was exactly the kind of stuff I wanted them to find before it broke. $182 parts & labor, for 2 fat German-made "Serpentine" belts, that are buried so far down in the engine compartment that I could barely see them.
Not sure if the-now Auto Engineering has diff. owners than Autobahn East? did--but they are super-professional......you gotta' have access to a place like this if you own an older audi or bmw..... -
Review from Ronald C.
Boston, MA
4/6/2011
My son lives in Lexington and use Auto Engineering once and loved the people there. When I had a tail light go out while visiting I pulled in and they changed the bulb in ten minutes at no charge - and I insisted on leaving a ten spot to allay the guilt.
I've been back for all my servicing ever since - 2007 A4 Audi - and these guys are a professional group in a clean working environment. Very, very impressive. Highly recommend. -
Review from Billy D.
Nashville, TN
1/7/2011
I was in Lexington over the holidays and started developing a front end shake in my 330ci. I stopped by Auto Engineering and James diagnosed the problem and had me out the door the same day. I have no doubt it would have taken longer and been more expensive at the dealership there.
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Review from Bill t.
Lexington, MA
4/7/2011
Been taking my Audi A6 for a few years now. They have a dedicated Audi tech. That is a big relief. The indies are being run out by the manufacturers who try to put a lock on specialized equipment. It's expensive to fix an Audi. They're happy to used OEM or re marketed OEM materials. Shop rate is considerably lower than dealers.
Had a problem which required certain type of expensive Audi jig to replace it. Well, they bit the bullet and bought the piece. No extra charge to me. They always do things right. They have all the right equipment.
My car was used when I got it, and the moon roof leaked. They cleaned the drain and charged me next to nothing.
They've done the routine maintenance on it, as well as a few fixes here and there. When I whacked my mirror and when to have it replaced, they advised just snapping it back together, with a bottom piece broken off. Happy about that, you can't even see the break.
I've no problem with their drop off service, just wish they had a pickup service after hours. -
Review from Barbara E.
Weston, MA
2/25/2010
I made the mistake of taking my BMW to another place when I have always been incredibly happy at Auto Engineering. I will never leave them again!! They are so professional, always give me a loaner to get to work and vaccume my carpets. I am so grateful for the wonderful service. If I could give them 10 stars I would do so!!
