ABJ was recommended to me when I was in a pinch, and my cooling something or other threw a bearing and seized up on McGrath hwy. They came through for me, and I've been using them for several years now, and I can thoroughly recommend them. Honest folks, quality work, reasonable rates for excellent service. read more

I have been going to this shop for about 10 years now. My Saab is a 1993 900, and the longer they work on it, the better is runs. I don't think I could have this car if it wasn't for ABJ! All the mechanics have their own specialty and make up a very competent team. They try to save me money, with used parts, when it makes sense. They also let me know when a repair is going to be needed soon, but not necessary right now. That's really helpful when it comes to budgeting the maintenance of a 20 year old car. Last year I had a bunch of body/interior work done, and the car looks as good as it runs now! Al even found replacement doors for me from Wisconsin. Rust free! read more

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This is a very good auto shop. They excel at: 1. FIxing Saabs and other foreign cars 2. Really great prices 3. not finding other stuff that you "need" to fix 4. reliable quality of work 5. being really nice and helpful 6. picking you up and dropping you off at the nearby T stations 7. Finding ways to save you money with parts or workarounds But... be warned that the owner Al is an old guy who is not the best at communicating or organizing. So you might think you have an appointment but then find out that they are really busy that day and cant get to your car that day. Also you might tell Al something important about your car and it might not get looked at because he forgot. Al might also call you to tell you your car is ready but he doesn't know how much its going to cost. He is very hasty on the phone sometimes. Also their repair lot is kinds of a mess and sometimes getting your car out of it can be tough (they might need to move a couple cars first). My tips are: 1. Write it all down on your own sheet and on Al's repair order form. 2. Call regularly to check on progress 3. Ask for pricing before they do the work. 4. Give yourself time when you drop off or pick up 5. Get there as soon as they open so your car gets looked at early. read more

Do NOT take your car here, they will milk you for all you've got, especially if you are a woman - they will assume you are clueless. I brought my car in for a simple repair and an oil change while I was at it. First, they insisted that they only used synthetic oil and that would be $60 for an oil change. I said to forget the oil change in that case but, he completely dismissed me the 3 times I told him I didn't want it and was going to do it if I hadn't gotten my paperwork back and crossed it out. Second, I had indicted that I didn't want them to do any work on my car without calling me first with an estimate. I dropped it off in the morning and when I hadn't heard from them by noon I called to find out the status, he indicated that they were currently looking at my car and confirmed they would call me with an estimate when they were done....3 hours later, still no word. I called back to find out what was happening he said "It was dirt cheap so I just went ahead and did the repair" I didn't say call me with estimate only if the repair is expensive, I said call me before you do ANYTHING to my car. Lastly, when I go to pick up my car, he's charged me for 3 hours of labor for a job that should have taken only 1 hour as well as added on things he didn't tell me they were doing and I didn't ask them to do. Over $300 later my simple repair didn't end up being so "dirt cheap" as he told me it was going to be. Based on other reviews, with similar complaints, they clearly intentionally don't call with a quote so that you can't argue or take your car somewhere else to get another quote. They will just go ahead with the repairs without telling you, then you're stuck paying for it. They will also charge you for as much as they can with unnecessary add-ons. read more

Finding a good, reasonably priced Saab mechanic is tantamount to finding a parking space on Beacon Hill; if you find one, you hang on to it as long as you can. So when I stumbled across ABJ Foreign Auto in Somerville, at first I wanted to keep them a secret because I was worried that if other people found out about them, they would get too popular and I wouldn't be able to get an appointment. But after hearing friends complain about getting fleeced by their shyster mechanics, I knew what I had to do. So I share with you all my semi-secret. ABJ is owned by a father-daughter team; Al and Mimi are incredibly knowledgeable and honest to a fault. Their labor rates are extremely reasonable, and they will provide you with the best work for the lowest price. Their garage doesn't have a waiting area, so you will want to have someone pick you up if you're leaving your car overnight. And they are tucked away in a residential area which seems off the beaten path for those unfamiliar with Somerville, but they are well worth the trip. read more

I actually had a similar experience to Carrie's. I'd asked for one part to be replaced, and gave specific instructions that they call me if anything else looked wonky. They said they'd call to consult me if they saw more work that needed to be done. I called them a while later, and they'd put in a new part without contacting me or asking me -- and of course I was charged for the part/labor when I hadn't asked for it. And then I got an attitude on the phone too when I was upset about it! I don't know if I'll take my car here again. read more

A good mechanic is something to cherish, and owning a Saab makes it especially difficult to find one. ABJ's a family run business, they work quickly, and they're fairly priced. Most importantly, they are honest and candid (they'll tell you if you REALLY need to fix something). If you have a Saab, or any other car that's expensive to fix, this is the best place in Somerville to get work done. read more

I took my car in to get an estimate on repairing a hole in the exhaust. I called Wednesday afternoon and was told to drop my car off first thing Thursday morning. I did so, and fllled out a form clearly requesting an *estimate* on fixing the hole in the exhaust. By 5PM Friday, I'd heard nothing, so I called and was told that the work was complete. While the bill was less than half of another estimate to replace the affected parts (because they welded the hole shut), I was told "it's not a permanent solution." So I paid about 45% for a non-permanent solution. How long will it be good for? Nobody knows. As for the quality of the work, I'll just have to wait and see. If it lasts 5 years, great. If less, then I'd have been better off with (and happily paid for) the replacement. As for customer service, communication and getting what I asked for? Not impressed. They made no attempt to contact me at my work or cell phone numbers either prior to performing the work or after it was complete. read more

ABJ is it! You know that dream mechanic that is forthright, honest, and reasonably priced? Well, you've found em! I've taken my Subaru Outback there twice. Once for a check engine light that they cleared and I walked away with $0 spent. The second I went in for a new oil pan and they were able to fix it for a fraction of the price that AAMCO quoted me. I saved over $400 by taking my car to ABJ. They even used a "second hand" tranny pan to save me extra cash. On both occasions they had my service completed in an extremely timely manner and alerted me to other issues on my car without pressuring or selling me on them. Don't expect your car to be washed or a fancy seating area with tea waiting upon arrival, though. These guys are MECHANICS! If you want a spiritual adviser, go to Aladdin Auto. UPDATE: I took my Subaru in for a rear wheel bearing replacement and windshield washer pump replace. The work was done within a couple days and for less than expected. Another A+ After reading some of the comments below and reflecting back, I realize that although the guys at ABJ are awesome mechanics and provide great rates, they could improve on communication with their customers. Similarly to P.W, I was never contacted before the work was performed on the car. Thankfully the labor and parts were within the scope of the quote I was given. But I can imagine I'd be aggravated if I was called and told my car was ready for pick-up, the bill was far more than the quote, and I was never called for approval of the work. I still stand on my awesomeness rating of ABJ for their work and business practices, but I would suggest if you do have work done, call throughout the course of the job to ensure you know the status. The owner Al is a great guy, but he's juggling a lot throughout the day and understandably may forget to call you. Just check in on the work and you'll be stoked on ABJ. read more

I dropped my car off to ABJ on Saturday for an oil change, a tire rotation, and to see if my brakes pads were in need of replacing. Based on poor overall braking performance and the steering wheel shimmy that had developed at highway speed deceleration, I assumed the worst, that all pads and rotors would need replacing. Al remembered me from a previous visit, said hello, and asked me to fill out the usual form. I asked for a quote on the brakes, but to go ahead with the oil and tire rotation. He asked if Monday would be alright for turn around, which was quicker than I would have expected so I said thanks and headed out. Monday morning at 9 AM my phone rings, it's Al. "You need pads and rotors in the front only. Our supplier only has the most expensive pads and rotors for your car, but I can't sell you these at retail, it'd kill you. So I'll pass them through at cost, about $300 all said and done. I'll give you a call when it's done." I have one prior transaction with ABJ, it wasn't cheap, and it may very well have been a memorable repair for the mechanics. My car stopped accepting fuel, and after trying unsuccessfully to fix it, they replaced the entire gas tank which solved the problem. Otherwise, I can't imagine why they would remember me, or help me out with the cost of the pads and rotors. I'm grateful for their service, for not making me feel like a moron, and for their turn around time. For those looking for an honest place to bring your car, I'd recommend ABJ without hesitation. The look of the place combined with the lack of parking might come across as off putting, just pull into the driveway and walk into the office on the right. You'll be greeted with open arms and your concerns will be put to rest. Thanks to Al and the rest of ABJ for providing invaluable service. read more

Sorry to say that since joining with Hillside, it seems ABJ is no longer the same trustworthy business I patronized for years. I say this based on their rear brake job that cost me $407 --- versus the front brake job I just had done at ARCO for $290. Parts prices about the same but LABOR, wow - ABJ charged $190 and ARCO $75. At the time ABJ told me a front brake job would cost even more. Arco quotes $290 for either front or rear brake job. R.I.P. Al. read more

Just had to tell another ABJ story. At the end of the summer my check engine light was on, and the car needed to pass inspection soon. They looked into it right away, and since they have their neighbor Good Gas do the actual state inspection, it was out in no time. Can't remember what was wrong, but it was minor. A while later the light came on again and the van was shuddering at stop lights. (Arg!) Turned out one of my cylinders was stuck. The mechanic (forgot his name...) gave me two options: 1) Pay $2000 for a procedure that would unclog the valve immediately 2) Pay $200 for a much less "invasive" procedure and trust that the valve would pop open eventually during a long trip. We were just about to take a long trip and I didn't have $2000 so we chose #2. And lo and behold... on the way home the valve had come unstuck and the check engine light was gone. WOW! So these guys could have gauged me, but they didn't. This is a family owned business run with integrity. Bring your car here. read more

ABJ is amazing. We now refuse to take our car anywhere else. Al's prices are very reasonable, the shop's work is excellent, and most importantly for mechanics, they are very trustworthy. You can expect to be treated fairly and respectfully here, and you can expect ABJ to honor the quotes they give you and patiently answer any questions you've got. I have not been a customer of ABJ very long, but I've done a lot of business with with them, all extremely good experiences. Let me give you some examples: - Our car broke down because of a problem with the radiator. Midas on Mass Ave near route 16 quoted us $1100. Smelled fishy to me. We called ABJ for the first time then, solely based on reviews here, and they told us $500. We had the car towed over there and as promised, ended up only paying $500. - Our car had heavy body damage because of a hit-and-run accident while it was parked. We told Al how much the offender's insurance gave us. He did an amazing job finding cheap but good quality used parts for our car and came in a few hundred dollars under the budget we had. There's definitely mechanics out there who would have just padded the price to get the full insurance amount. - Same car, we noticed a few weeks after we got the car back that the fuel tank neck was leaking gasoline when we filled it up. Probably an after-effect of the hit-and-run, but it took us a while to notice. We brought it back to ABJ. They ordered a used replacement part, but when it arrived in was in bad shape - rusty. They then searched a lot harder and found a replacement part from Arizona - it was in very good shape because the New England winters & road salt didn't wear it down. No extra charge for the dud part. And we still came in under the total budget from the insurance money we got from the accident. Note that all the quality of the repairs and the care put into finding replacement parts for things was for a 13+ year old car that was not a great quality car to begin with and wasn't in great shape to start. Whenever an issue came up with the car, we'd ask about it and Al would always tell us whether or not it was a safety issue, and tell us if it wasn't a safety issue, it wasn't worth putting the money into the car. Again, very honest people to deal with. I will give you a couple of caveats, but note I'm still giving ABJ a 5-star review despite them - yes they are that good: - Being such an amazing shop, they are quite popular. Combine that with being in Somerville, and their lot fills up quick. That being said, we've never been told to go away because there was no room for our car. There's plenty of street parking around. You may want to call ahead before you get a tow there though, to give them a head's up. - Also a symptom of their popularity, their phone rings a lot and customers are always coming in the door. So there's often a bit of a wait in person, but I've always found it to be a pleasant wait, there's chairs to sit in and generally everyone around the shop is friendly. On the phone though - you may get hung up on accidentally, just call again! I think they have so many calls coming through on multiple lines, and Al isn't always great at switching to a line without dropping the previous one. :) To end this review on a positive note: - They have the best hours of any mechanic I've been to in the area (and we shopped around a lot before settling on ABJ.) - They work fast. - They are convenient to two bus lines, one of which is the 88 to Davis :) - You can tell by talking to the other customers there and seeing how other customers are dealt with that the shop is highly regarded in the community. read more

My longtime mechanic & Saab guru-RPM Automotive- Allston (Ross Martin), passed suddenly a few years back. I have used ABJ, now Hillside for routine & major issues: radiator, clutch (stick driver for life). Mike is the best here! Especially, all things Saab. Prices, like with all mechanics, sting-but no more than the next shop. The key-my car has run like a gem. She's just out of those teenage years at 20! She could use a little Botox or maybe a small makeover, but Mike has helped keep her engine purrrring. Thanks Mike (p.s. Never leave me!) read more

Go elsewhere for auto repair! Historically known for SAAB knowledge, they destroyed my pristine antique SAAB 900 by starting it in gear, wrapping it around a hydraulic lift post (and left me in the cold with repairs). Have heard others report of declining competence at ABJ in recent years. They may now be closed. Not surprised. If I could give a negative star (black hole?), I would; This rating platform forced me to give 1 star, over-rating ABJ. Stay away. read more

After a not so good experience, and an average experience with local mechanics it was such a relief to find ABJ. Al did a great job of searching for the same quality parts for less money. He was over a $100 less than the competitor and was much more thorough. He also was able to get parts very quickly - finishing in a few hours what he originally thought might take a few days. They also picked me up at work to bring me back to the shop. It felt like an honest shop to me. FYI - Marshall Street is one way and there aren't street signs. You can pull the car into the entrance on Pearl Street and go to the office on the Marshall Street side of the building. read more

I was always treated great by the guys at ABJ. Went in to have my old 98 BMW I had just bought looked at. Got some great information at no cost. They have since been bought out by Hillside Auto. I called Hillside last year for a quote on some rear wheel bearings. The guy said it would be between 650 and $750. I take the T most everywhere so I put off the repair and called back yesterday to see how much it would be and they told me it would cost between 860 and $950. That's a big increase in one year. I guess they don't want my business. I'm going to shop around. read more

Great Foreign Car Shop. These guys are about as honest and straight forward as you can find in the auto industry. I've been using them for years and regardless of whether the project is big or small they've always done a fantastic job. That said, Al did once try to charge me $30 to replace a headlight bulb...so don't be wildly naive about things. If you think something is too expensive let them know and they will talk you through everything. Two Tips: #1. Follow up with these guys. They're good, so they're very busy. Keep on top of things. #2. With foreign cars a lot of times you can get parts for local junkyards that will dramatically reduce the cost of repairs. read more

Best mechanic ever! In the 7+ years I've been using ABJ I have always been satisfied. The hourly rate is reasonable and they always get great pricing on the parts. The service is prompt and friendly -- never any surprises when the bill comes. I recommend ABJ to all my friends. I'm sure you'll like them too. Gordon p.s. I have take my car in dozens of times and always have a big stash of quarters in the center console and never had a problem. read more

A bit pricey, but so far I'm happy with the results. I had a wheel hub assembly replaced in a Saab. I brought my own replacement part and was quoted 2 hours of labor. I have to say, 2 full hours of labor seems a bit much for a professional mechanic to replace a rear wheel hub assembly. But the guys were very nice and they also replaced some rusted wheel bolts for free (well, my own parts, but no extra labor charges). Overall, I'm happy and will probably return in the future. read more

This is the kind of place my dad used to take his cars: Honest, friendly, and local. From the outside, the parking lot and lobby look like chaos, but once you meet the staff and spend some time in the lobby, you wouldn't want it any other way. I've taken my family's Saabs here for oil changes and some electrical issues. Both experiences were top notch, way better than the dealers I used to frequent. I'm very happy to have found this place - wouldn't have found it without the help of yelp! read more

I had serviced my foreign car here for years. Although the office space was filthy and there only a couple of dirty chairs, I stayed with this shop Only to find out, after establishing the relationship, he started overcharging. One time he got me good by charging several hundreds for the problem that he claimed to fix by putting a short rubber tubing for A/C. Not only it did not solve the problem, it was crazy since what he showed me was a scrap piece of tubing of a couple of inches for which he charged parts and labor. While he tried to scam me like this, i was wondering around the neighborhood killing several hours in cold believing he was trustworthy. Rubber tubing was the last scheme the old man did to me. read more

I don't leave reviews because everyone has bad days. However, I went in to get my brakes changed and we agreed on a price. I go to pick my car up and it's more than they quoted me. on the phone I asked why it was more than the quote and they asked me to come in. they said I had a nail in my tire. Whatever I'm not going to get upset about $100. Walked out with a bad feeling in my stomach. My brakes then wouldn't stop making noise for about 2 months. So bad it was waking my wife up when I backed out of the driveway. I bought it back a few times and they couldn't figure out the problem. the last time I was there they said it was due do to using my e-brake. There solution was to disconnect my e-brake which I discovered when I bought my car home. now I'm pissed. Took it to another mechanic and had to spend more money to fix the issue. The other mechanic fixed the brakes and e-brake issue in 35 minutes. Now my car is running fine. I'll never step foot in this abj shop again. Waste of time and money. read more

I've brought my car here twice but will not do so again. Very nice people work there, but both times I've gone they have done work without checking with me first. The 2nd time was a real problem because I only had a budget of $250 for the job, which they said was all it would cost, but when I picked the car up the price had gone up to $450 because they decided to do a bunch of other work I didn't ask for.... Be careful bringing your car here! read more

My family has been going to ABJ since the 80s, a good honest car mechanic is something to cherish and pass on. I was super pleased to find three reviews already posted on yelp for ABJ. Al, the owner, is incredibly nice and understanding. He will not make you fix things that can wait (or worse, don't exist!), and at the same time he will not let you drive off with a dangerous problem. He explains things thoroughly and from my experience with nissans and toyotas he wont break the bank. They also have an auto supply warehouse on Washington St for folks who can do the labor themselves. read more

while i'm inclined to think that people are generally good and fair, a recent experience here has me doubting. i needed to have some basic maintenance done, so i took my foreign car to abj. they did the work quickly and were very friendly. i picked up my car and was told that it needed additional work--new brakes, in particular. oddly enough, i had my brakes checked at the goodyear shop not long before and was told, "your brakes have a lot of life left in them." which means that either: a) the goodyear shop is incompetent, or b) abj is trying to scam me into expensive, unnecessary service. thus far, i've been leaning toward "b" and thinking that if the goodyear shop wanted my money, they would have told me i needed new brakes. at any rate, abj now makes me feel very uncomfortable, and i don't plan on returning. read more

Al and the folks at ABJ are fabulous. I actually came across this shop when I asked them to do a prepurchase inspection on a Saab that I was considering purchasing. Al and Wendell were wonderful at answering all of my questions and explaining things to me. As a result of how great my initial visit was, I actually brought my 93 Element there to get the brakes done. Front Brakes and Rotors for $257!!! If I went to the dealer, (believe me...I have in the past...ugh) I would have paid twice that if not more! Thanks ABJ read more

Most expensive oil change EVER. Let me tell you my tale. Keep in mind I have a Saab. The only reason I brought it here in the first place is becasue I heard they were awesome with saabs. Really?? So I go in here needing 3 things:1. check out my car- its time for service, and fix a rattle noise in the back. 2. oil change. 3. inspecition sticker! I go there in person, and he tells me he is so busy to come back another day. Which I happily do. Then I drop off my car. I'm a bit weary as by far, I have the newest car on the lot. I'm also weary because when I'm talking to the mechanic about my car, he doesnt know the models of saabs (he thinks that mine is the newest- NO saab has now 2 newer designs of the same model!?!) Anyway, I keep calling to check if they found any thing that needs to be replaced. I drop it off at 8 and I decide at 4 to walk over there and see what is going on. Well, by the time I get there, I can tell you for a fact that no one had looked at my car. No one. They had the car' getting the inspection sticker' which takes 10 minutes!! Then they charge me $262.00 for get this: an oil change tightening rear brakes (to stop the rattle. bet you can guess it didnt do anything. in fact, I venture to guess that they didnt do anything as I couldnt find the guy who even tightened them- and neither could they) inspecition sticker looking over the car. (which I dont believe they did this either) yes. $262.00 most expensive oil change ever. I should have just went to Herb Chambers. They are expensive but they will at least fix what they say they will fix. read more

This is by far the best, fairest, classiest mechanic in Cambridge/Somerville. The first time I went to ABJ, my Pontiac had been leaking coolant for 2 years and the car was running poorly - required a head gasket manifold replacement, which is a very labor intensive repair. Other places said it would be anywhere from 1k to 2k to fix. Called ABJ because the Yelp reviews were so good. Mr. Al did the job for $600 and called me with updates daily. They were patient and very polite - took the time to explain things to me to I really felt like Al did the best he could to give me a good price. The second time was a year later (march 2010) for wheel bearing replacement and new front brakes. Dropped it off on a Thurs evening as they were closing and even though the lot and garage were full with cars, they called me at 7pm that next night to tell me it was ready. New discs, pads, oil change and wheel bearing worked out to $450 - a very fair price. They went across the river to get a cheaper wheel bearing too. Didn't charge for the oil change. It had been a solid year in between repairs, but Al remembered me and my car. He's a polite, sweet, older gentleman and used to work for MIT in the physics discipline. He takes the time to chat and gives you a fair deal. The place is packed with stuff - manals, parts, cars, remnants of cars - not exactly the cleanest looking shop. But their work speaks for itself. I'll never, ever, go anywhere else. read more

I moved to the Somerville area about 2 years ago and found ABJ on Yelp shortly thereafter. My first visit was for some brakework that the Toyota dealer wanted to charge me over $400 for. I found ABJ and they did the job for $278. A year later, there have been no problems with their work and I saved over $100. A couple of months later, I brought my car in for a very simple task (rusted license plate bolts) that I didn't have the proper tools for. Al sent one of his guys out to help, and about half an hour later, the bolts were off and they didn't want any money for it (I tipped the guy anyway). The only thing keeping the place from being a 5* in my eyes is that they seem to be swamped all of the time, maybe because of all the positive reviews. The last couple of times I called, I was told that they were very backed up and to call back the following morning. Seems like it would be easier if they just let me make an appointment. read more

I needed to change the cam cover's gasket ( a relatively simple job) Yesterday, the car started to sputter, and I'm seeing one of the spark plugs deep in fresh oil. I'm going to sell the car as is, as it's not worth the time to try to see if they stand behind their work. They took forever to fix it the first time. read more

Despite the 2 star rating I will say this about ABJ's...the head mechanic is very knowledgeable. He and the owner know their stuff. However, the head mechanic doesn't do all the work. He has other guys do what he tells them to do and because they don't speak english and the head mechanic doesn't speak Spanish, things get lost in translation. I've seen it happen while sitting in the shop waiting to talk to the owner. I don't even know if the other guys are mechanics. Another not so great thing is that they take on so much business and the shop is so small that they get disorganized and mismanage their time. They have a big parking lot so they can just pile up the cars and take on more work than they can get done in one day. I used ABJ's probably 8 times. First of all the repairs are rarely done right the first time. At least 4 of the times I brought my car there I had to bring it back that same week. Secondly they are not cheap. Never once have I walked out of there paying less than what I expected. In fact it's always been about $200 more than I expected. Finally, they under estimate the time you'll get your car back by about 8 or more hours. Not only that but if you call looking for an update, they tell you they will let you know and they never call you back. The last time I brought my car there I brought it in in the am and walked to work. They never fixed it and never let me know so when I walked by on my way home, they told me it would be ready the next day. I had to walk to work again and back to ABJ's to pick it up the next eve. After all of that, the issue was not fixed and I had the same problem a week later. Expecting they would bend over backwards to fix it, they gave me the same old, bring it in and we'll take a look at it. No apology no nothing. I didn't feel like leaving it there for another 48 hours so I took it to Leins Auto who did a great job. I've never been back. One more thing...the owners brother owns an auto parts store in Somerville. You'd think that would mean a cheaper price on parts. It doesn't. What I think it means is that they throw parts at the problem instead of trying to diagnose it at see whats causing it. They replaced my starter when my car would not start. it turns out, it was my battery. A simple fix but a mistake that cost me over $600.00 Never again! read more

I feel this place has done me a huge injustice as well as being unprofessional and very dishonest. I read all these positive reviews about ABJ before I went here, which is why I took my car here to get fixed. Now I believe it is very possible that the staff or family-of-staff is writing the 5 star reviews of this place. Here is my experience: They did over 500 dollars worth of extra work on my car without calling me or asking my approval for this extra work. (This is illegal). They did not quote me a price for my job when I took in my car (my mistake, I should have asked). When I finally got the total when the job was done, I got a large total, but I approved it. Then ten minutes later I got another call by Al, the owner, who said he made a mistake on the quote and it was actually going to be $400 more. Al, the owner who is of rather old age, acts very lightheaded and confused. He either should close up shop right now and relax in Boca Raton, or pretends he's lightheaded and confused so he can ward off responsibilities and scam money from people. I have a feeling the latter is true. I took my car back 3 times and all 3 times the staff was lazy, and didn't listen to me. What Al told me on the phone turned out to be different when I actually got there. They left parts of my car inoperable and without power. I had no car for 2 weeks for something that should have taken 3 days. I had my car problem-free for one year and when I got my car back from them, there was problem after problem with electrical and also new warnings on my dashboard. The foutrh one just happened today which promted me to write this review. I don't understand why I had such a horrible experience from them. I gave them a chance and was pretty blinded by these good reviews. I was scammed by Al's wishy-washy lies and false promises, plus his men did a bad job at fixing my car. I called 2 professional name-brand dealerships after the fact and they both gave me a quote 600 dollars less than I payed these crooks. Al is a crook. This business is a sham. Do not go here. However longer they may be in business. STAY FAR AWAY. read more

The other day I took my friends car into the shop. It was a Friday afternoon and I didn't call...kind of a walk in and I asked if they had time for an oil change and they did! I got in fast and I got out fast too. They don't mess around there. I talked with it seemed like the owner and he was wicked nice and he asked where I heard of his shop and I told him yelp and he appreciates everyones feed back on the shop! He is really happy how the word got out. Genuine place! read more

To be recommended for SAABs. They efficiently replaced the bushings on my rear suspension, and were classy enough to put my spare tyre back in its place. I spoke to a young lady who brought in her Audi to replace a light bulb- she liked the garage because they treated her fairly - they certainly did not rip her off for the bulb replacement - which is another big plus. I do recommend that if you have multiple things to be done that you write it all down and leave a copy on your dashboard. The one negative is that they are not very good at communicating the cost and what they are going to do - you need to get that hashed out at the beginning. (I can understand the Marie R bad review - I think that this garage works best if you basically trust them - they have 4 services bays, and get through an astounding number of cars per day - and they manage it from a tiny office that seems to have survived basically unchanged from a time when flared jeans and "Staying Alive" were hot. The reason why I make that caveat and still give a great rating is that I have dealt with the alternative - the SAAB dealer, and that is a whole world of pain. read more

ABJ is as good as it gets. The only place I trust to work on my 1999 saab 95 and 2007 saab 93 when I can't do it myself. I recently had an abs and PS issue with 93 and Michael did an amazing job. Labor is always reasonable, and they will work on almost anything. They are always so polite. Al would be proud! read more

Al's is the real deal. A previous reviewer said it best, so i might as well just quote: "honest, friendly, and local". I'm so glad to have found this place! read more

I have lived on Marshall for about 5 years but only discovered ABJ about a year ago. They have been very fair and quick with repairs to my Subaru. I brought my car in - they immediately looked at and did a very minor repair (took about 5 mins) and could have charged me a minimum labor charge but did not and made my day! I would recommend ABJ to anyone wanting a fair and honest repair shop! read more

They came off very nice and helpful. They solved why my heater was not working and fixed it after three days of working on my car. I had just moved to Boston after being laid off my job and had a bag of change in my center console. After I piked up my car that bag of change was almost completely empty. Do not take your car here! I trusted them and I tried a few times to call them about it and a manager was never available and they had nothing to say about it. They stole likely around $60 in change from me and at at time I was pinching every penny. Just an awful feeling and not a nice welcome moving to Somerville. read more

MIke and Edison at ABJ just went above and beyond to help me replace my broken key fob, at a mere fraction of the cost the Honda dealership would have charged me. ABJ Auto Repair always solves my car issues in a professional, honest, economical manner! read more