I've used a number of mechanics throughout my life, but none have been as good as the people I met at Aladdin. When I showed up with my car that needed a good amount of auto body work, it was clear I had come to the right place. These guys were fast, friendly, very fairly priced, and the outcome looks amazing. They even clued me into some transmission problems other mechanics hadn't seen that I'll be taking to the manufacturer, since I'm still under warranty. In my opinion, the most important thing when looking for a good auto service is the trust factor, and these guys have definitely earned my trust! read more

Awesome work repairing a dent in the door after my car was backed into. Other places were only willing to replace the whole door given the large (but shallow) dent, but Ali was able to get it so close that you'd need to look pretty close to see any trace of it. Saved a lot compared to the cost of replacing the whole door for a coupe. They even included a great detail of the car too to get it polished and looking great after the repair. read more

I took it in complaining of a coolant system leak and a Check Engine light that recently came on. My Honda Civic has been leaking antifreeze for several days now. It sprays out intermittently all over the front grill of the car, the windshield, etc. It leaks out onto the ground, too. He had the car for the day and said that he could find no leak in the radiator or cooling system. I picked it up and drove it for about five miles, and during that time it sprayed out all over the front grill again and I had to add about a pint of water when I got home. He did replace the PCV valve and a tail light and reset the Check Engine light. With charges for diagnostics and labor, the bill came to $150. After I posted this review, he called me one evening and left a message saying that I was dishonest in this review. I went to his shop because he had so many positive reviews on Yelp, but after this phone call, I wonder if other yelpers have been pressured to remove their negative reviews because of his phone calls. read more

I went to this guy based on the good reviews here. What a mistake. This guy even cannot change an engine oil properly. I went there to get my oil changed and my cooling system checked. He changed my oil then started the car and the car stalled and the engine stopped suddenly. Guess what ? he forgot to put the filter back and most of the newly changed oil spilled on the floor. Then he went back and put the filter in and closed the hood. I asked him if he is not checking the oil level since most of it spilled he said no. When I insisted he checked and 1 quart was missing. Unbelievable... Then he started on the cooling system. Based on JUST his visual inspection he said that the thermostat needs to be changed. Without no pressure testing or what so ever. After changing the thermostat car started overheating worse than before. The coolant on the reservoir tank started overflowing the tank and engine temp gauge went crazy hitting the end of the red zone. Then I asked what is going on and why it is overheating. He started telling me that he will now change the fan switch if that doesn't work then the relay then something else and he will see how it goes. First I told him that it was not the thermostat then. And continued saying that if it is a matter of trial and error until you find what is wrong then you will keep charging me for every part you change plus the labor. He said yes of course!!! I said you already changed the thermostat for nothing and this is not acceptable. At that point he showed me his real face under that fake smile. I can assure you that this guy, Mahmood, has no respect for his customers and he has a huge anger management issue. At some point he started yelling and swearing and finally said I am not touching your car go somewhere else!! He messed up my car big time and charged me for messing it up. Then I took my car to another mechanic and showed him the old thermostat and he said my thermostat was as good as any working used one and there was no need to change it. Of course on the way to the second mechanic my car overheated so many times that I had to stop and go continuously. He ruined my whole day!! Overall this guy and his service sucks big time... He has no professional attitude or what so ever. If you go there with one problem you will at least double or triple your problems. In addition he will charge you for messing it up and you will pay more on top of it to get it fixed somewhere else. Please read all the low rated reviews. They all have similar stories. read more

I needed my car repaired, a couple months ago, and I brought it to Aladdin Auto Service. It was fixed in a timely fashion for a reasonable price by a polite and courteous mechanic. Now that we got THAT out of the way, onto the *real* review! "Repair Man--Mahmood Rezaei-Kamalabad doesn't just fix cars at his Cambridge service center, he also maintains a mystical machine designed to soothe your soul" begins the March 28th, 2004 article about the owner, proprietor, embodier of Aladdin Auto Service. Does he ever! Rather curt on the phone, when Mahmood arrived, at the stroke of 9AM, at his very, very hidden Den of Spirituality aka auto shop to find me waiting outside, his face lit up. "Come inside!!!!" I did, and was greeted to a large garage-like open space: on the right, some cars suspended mid-repair. On the left, enormous bronze sculptures, a recycled-oil burning stove, and living room. Strong and spicy Persian tea already hot (how did that happen?), Mahmood sat me down to talk--certainly not about my car, for which his response was "Yes, yes, it will be fixed, no worries." So genuinely interested he was to hear about my job, where I grew up, and chat about gender issues and religion, to talk to me about his art, about world peace, about his unity machine--I couldn't bear to tell him how late I was for work. I also just couldn't help but feel like this was a bizarre and strange adventure the likes of which I would rarely experience, and I didn't want to cut it short. At one point, an older man walked in, Mahmood unceremoniously waved him over to the tea and dates, and he joined us. Amongst other things, Mahmood told me of the all-women car repair class he wanted to teach and the MIT professor who inspired him, and what he would do with the money if he sold any of his 12-feet-tall religious sculptures. To try to convince me that this whole scene was going down behind that crappy Entertainment 10 movie theater in the strip mall by Alewife in Cambridge in 2006 (last December) would be futile. We were in another universe. Eventually, the conversation died down, and I mentioned that I should be going, and would be back to pick up my car the next day. "How are you getting to work?!" he asked emphatically. "Well, I'm going to take the train from Alewife to Harvard, and the the bus--" I replied. "Why no!" he said "I will drive you! I know JUST where it is! I was a taxi driver!" Not in the practice of getting into cars alone with strange men, I said "Thanks!" My instincts told me that no man who creates a Unity Machine to assist people in feeling the divine energy of human connectedness would harm me, and I was right. He drove me right to work (which was not next door, but rather a good 15-20 minute ride) with a smile. He left me with his business card, which just had "mrkvision.com" written on it in big letters. Not surprisingly, this man is freaking famous. He's had films made about him. He's been written up in a crazy number of publications. This all sounds like a tall tale, but it's true. He will blow your mind: http://mrkvision.com/ (And I was very happy with my car repairs, which is about as much of a sidenote in this review as it was in real life). read more

Got our bumper fixed after a minor fender bender. They were able to work within the amount covered by our insurance company. They also fixed a paint issue caused by a previous repair that had been done incorrectly at a different place. It was done within the timeframe they quoted. Very friendly, great customer service. The car looked absolutely fantastic when we picked it up. Highly recommend. read more

pretty straight forward scenario. I work on my own car as i usually hhave the time but one particular project, swap a new radiator in and replace the front shocks a (3-4 hour job at most) I couldnt finish as I had no time but had the parts. I called up aladdin. asked if they could give me a shop rate for such service ( FYI most shops have standard rates/charges for preforming certain jobs such as oil change, replace brakes,replace head gasket etc. The person at Aladdin said " do you when yo go out to eat take your own rice and beans and ask them to cook it for you?" I said thank i guess you wont give me your shop rate, good bye. Other shops have given me their shop rate ( 150 to replace a radiator about 150 for the front shocks etc... Reason I have my own parts is that parts I ordered and receive were upgraded better than OEM parts..... Aladdin.. I've experienced better service.... I'm thinking you like to use your own parts and there might be a nice mark up for you thanks aladdin. Thi read more

I thought he charged me a bit more than it should have been. The tire still leaks air, so the seal didn't work. I know the front side needs alignment but he thought it was not necessary. Perhaps he does not have the alignment machinery? read more

Visit Mahmoud's Aladdin Auto Service. Even if just for an oil change. Aladdin Auto Service is a place where one must be ready to take a beat. Take a breath. Slow it down. Or perhaps it's a place where we need to be reminded to slow down. Solid work can be completed and a fair price can be charged. And it can be accomplished by relaxing rather than rushing. I called this place to see if they're open on Saturday: Mahmoud: Aladdin Auto Service Me: Hi, what time do you close today? Mahmoud: We just opened. And you're calling to see when we close? (laughter) For some, this isn't the telephone interaction they desire with a business. Perhaps Mahmoud comes off as flippant and rude. Many people just want the straight answer--dude, what time do you frickin' close??? Who can blame those people? We feel rushed, under pressure and have lots of things to do. I have never seen an establishment on Yelp which receives such a bipolar set of reviews. Mahmoud either gets the full 5 stars OR is relegated to 1-2 stars. He gets 5 right here. I walked in cautiously a few hours after our phone exchange. Mahmoud offered a hearty welcome, poured tea for me and sat me at a table where tangerines, dates and cookies were laid out. He then proceeded to focus on the current car on which he was working while I looked at his metal sculptures and took in the most unique auto garage I have ever visited. After 15 minutes, he asked for my car key and focused on my car. I thought my battery was going bad. Mahmoud asked me to stand right next to him while he tested the battery and confirmed that it was fine; in fact, the car required new spark plugs. He then located an oil leak. THIS WAS KEY. See, other mechanics have told me that the car burns oil rapidly but NONE of them ever suggested or seemingly tried to locate a leak. Mahmoud found it in less than 5 minutes. What were these other mechanics even doing? I assume they just don't care. And Mahmoud actually frickin' cares. I guess as consumers, we've been conditioned to be offered a predetermined set of choices. We know which toppings we want on our pizza from the typical set of 15 ingredients. We know we get to choose two sides to go with our entree. And we pretty much know which dressings can be poured on our salad. It's all predictable and I guess done in the name of "efficiency." We've been "assembly lined" in so much of our lives. But with Mahmoud, every car and person are treated as unique. So the exchange is not just about your car. But where you are from? What do you do for a living? Why do you do that? Mahmoud is a businessman and he runs a business. And there will be a transaction which consists of an exchange of services for money. But money and services will not be the only things exchanged. read more

Brilliant! I am glad to have found my "soul mechanic"! Such a sense of humor, so honest, so worldly, so unobtrusively spiritual. Like everyone before me has said, plan to spend an hour, particularly when picking up you car in the evening. Be sure to sit in the "angel seat" and check out the large foam core mounted article from Automobile magazine on his center driving car (then check out the real thing- he'll be happy to explain!). His work is good and his prices are so fair! Can't recommend highly enough. read more

I came to Mahmood after some severe trauma with another Cambridge garage and found relief / comfort / honesty / kindness. Mahmood advised me not to put another dollar into my ailing Cabrio and also gave me advice on what my next car should be. I brought by a prospective car for his inspection and with his endorsement bought the car which I've fallen in love with. Since then I've gone back several times (with my boyfriend's car). Most of the time Mahmood has completed the work, but at one point he re-directed me to a dealership for diagnosis of a complicated issue relating to engine fans--it was a Nissan. Mahmood did not attempt to do any kind of diagnostic simply to tack on additional dollars before re-directing us. We took the Nissan to the dealership, received the diagnosis, brought it back to Mahmood, and had the work completed for less than half the price the dealership wanted to charge. As most will quite clearly realize upon meeting Mahmood, his dedication to doing good work at a reasonable cost and with honesty is of the utmost importance to him. To paraphrase Mahmood : "The kind of work that you do, important or not, makes its way into the world outside of the workplace and has a tangible effect on individuals and the universe -- as a result, one must take care to do right by self and customer." read more

Really excellent experience here. Mahmoud is a good, honest guy, and he got my wife's car fixed quickly and for a good price. Good artist too! But most importantly, when things went a little wrong, he made it right without any hassle. We brought the car in early in the morning after the engine suddenly started acting up. We hadn't made an appointment, but Mahmoud got to work on it right away. He correctly diagnosed it to be engine misfiring and recommended a full tune. The car was ready for a timing belt/water pump as well, so I asked him to do that too. No problem; he'd have the car ready the next day. Awesome. Well, I pick up the car and no more misfiring, but after driving it for a mile or so the engine stalled. It stalled three or four times by the time I could get it back to the shop. Mahmoud was very apologetic and said he'd take care of things asap. In the meantime I did a little research and found out that these cars (2005 Subaru Impreza) can have stalling issues after a tuneup if the throttle body is dirty. Weird, and it doesn't throw any diagnostic codes, but apparently this is a thing. I came back today to pick up the car and what does Mahmoud say? He called a Subaru specialist, found out about the throttle body issue, and cleaned it out. No extra charge, and the car is running better than ever. Strange to say it, but my opinion of this shop is a lot higher having had things go wrong the first time. There were no excuses, and they didn't run me around. I appreciate that honesty a lot, and won't hesitate to recommend Aladdin. read more

I must be fair, the first time I brought my 01' Saab 9-3 in I had a warm welcome, was offered tea the whole nine, my car was serviced and I was pleased with the experience. His price was exceptionally fair. sooo months later when I start hearing a noise under the hood I stay loyal to my new found mechanic. Now speaking as a son of an auto body mechanic I know you don't diagnose the problem you just describe the symptoms so that's what I did. I dropped my car off on a Friday afternoon the lead mechanic was not in so on the job ticket that had my name and address I wrote down the things I wanted him to check, the noise from the engine compartment by the fan belt area, and the breaks. The check engine light was on as well. My car was ready on Monday so when I picked it up my check engine light was off and they had the part they replaced for me upon my request (co senser) so yeah they did something but they said my breaks were OK and I immediately noticed when I turned the car on the noise was still there, I'm talking about a screeching sound. I drive up open the hood and show the mechanic on duty and the lead mechanics son and point to the belt like, "you don't hear that?!" now I'm pissed the whole weekend without my car I wrote down the problem and still the problem persist. Needless to say the next week on the highway I here a noise and all the red lights on my dashboard come on battery light, warning triangle, power steering is out and car starts to overheat by the time I get off the highway (93 south) I pull over and open the hood no fan belt. The car and I are both hot, but that's not it, I call Alladan auto to get the number of a tow truck and if I can have it towed there, the son gave me the number to a company who was charging 130.00 to tow it. Fine, I'm not happy but I was ready to eat that. while on the phone with the son the father came in and I let him know of my frustration, the dolly lam ma wasn't himself. As I waited with my car on state st. he had called me back and told me he was not going to work on my car. I understood where that left me and I wasn't going to haggle so I hung up and found another mechanic which cost less to tow. I don't complain about price cars are a liability and I'm fortunate to have the money for it but the pure rudeness is not acceptable. Hey it might just be me but I felt terrible and had to share this with you. read more

Great first experience at Aladdin over the weekend. Mahmood is everything he is purported to be here: honest, funny, eccentric, and talented. He charged me $45 for an oil change and tire repair, and found an $800 repair that is still under warranty - he could have ripped me off for it but didn't. Class act. Will definitely go back. read more

Mahmud is pretty upfront about the repair and prices. If he can do the job, he will repair and certify his repair work. I find him very experienced in diagnosing the problem and dealing with it accordingly. Mahmud welding work with the exhaust system is simply the best. I have known Mahmud for a longtime and I find him as happy car engineer with many other additional qualities. The man is a dreamer and a philosopher! read more

I came to Aladdin because of problems with the wipers of my Honda civic. My father had changed the wiper's motor back home 1 week earlier, but apparently did something wrong since had stopped working. I live too far to go back home just for that, so I looked for a auto repair on yelp on decided to try Aladdin. Mahmood was too busy with his sculture to work on my car, but his helper fixed it in 20 min. Yet, he charged me $45. Since I went there mainly because I read the reviews saying Aladdin was unexpensive. I did not find it particularly cheap; he probably charged me the maximum he could decently do. Regarding the quality of the work, the wipers are still working 1 week after the fix (but there was not rain to challenge them). read more

Mahmood is an awesome mechanic, he fixed my brakes/rotors/calipers and I tried to pay with an American Express but he doesn't take that CC. He gave me my keys and told me to take the car and come back later to pay him.... No mechanic/company I know would do such a thing. He makes a mean cup of tea too. read more

I could not find a repair place that was open on Saturday and very fortunately stumbled upon this place. In addition to taking care of my vehicle promptly and with the appropriate factory part, the whole experience was such a profound pleasure that I feel I have made a life long friend. When I paid for the service, I felt I had been undercharged too! Car has run great ever since and that was a few months ago. Will eagerly go back. read more

I brought my beaten-up station wagon here. Instead of hearing the same recommendations of replacing my entire exhaust system (more than the car is worth), I got a very reasonable solution to create a support using some formidable metal-working skills. I've only been here once but I intend to come here for all of my auto care needs. read more

Best mechanic ever!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously. First yelp review I have ever put in but felt compelled to do so. Last time, he only fixed my car but was so appalled by the mess in my trunk he organized it for me, in nice little boxes. My car is happy, I am happy, life is good. read more

Wonderful! Mahmud is a great person and an excellent mechanic. He has fixed things promptly and at good prices. He has come up with inventive work-arounds so that my ancient car has continued to run well without costing me a fortune! read more

Came here by reference and what can I say, even without an appointment Mahmoud and his team checked my car right away while I was allowed to watch. I don't like the idea of giving your car to a mechanic and have a sales person reporting to you afterwards like most shops do. I do like to talk with the mechanics directly, which is a huge plus! While waiting Mahmoud offered me some tea and instead of watching stupid TV shows, you can look at his fantastic pieces of art. So you don't only get your car fixed, you also get an art exhibition for free! To sum this up: Honest, very reasonable and reliable. Although I hope my car will last for a little while now, I will definitely come back. read more

Consulted another mechanic on heat sink for the exhaust system which had come loose recommended to remove it. Took it to Aladdin got it fixed properly in the same appointment, no hassles of asking to come back. Quick, efficient and accurate diagnose and service ! read more

My daughter goes here and gets better service and help than you could ever imagine. In addition to excellent and honest service, she really enjoys visiting here. How many garages can say that? read more

Reliable, Honest, Efficient, Affordable. Normally I get antsy and guarded when taking a visit to an auto mechanic but this place put me at ease and they put me back on the road without testing my patience or my wallet. Love this place! read more

I hate bringing my car in for repairs. As a woman, I feel intimidated by auto shops and vulnerable to costly fixes. This place is off the beaten path but highly recommended! The mechanic walked me through the repairs and explained to me what needed to be done, including the cost. It was ready the next day! No appointment needed, fast, reliable, and inexpensive. I was so happy with the service and tried to tip the mechanic. He refused it and asked for a hug instead. So happy! read more

I really enjoyed taking my car here. It's easy to drop it off, leave the key and a note, and call back later in the morning to discuss issues. Mahmood is responsive, tells you what he found, and will tell you if he doesn't think it's a big issue. Most of the time I left paying less than what I expected, because he didn't think the car needed that much work. I recently moved from Cambridge and experienced a mechanic who was less flexible in terms of when I could drop off and pick up the car, and not as communicative. It makes me appreciate the good service at Aladdin Auto Shop. read more

Best mechanic I've ever had. Come in for your oil change or tune up or whatever service you need done and Mahmoud will take good care of you and your car. Have a delicious cup of tea and some dates while you wait and enjoy the beautiful sculptures he has all over the shop. I've been coming here for a while and figured it was time I added a positive review to the pile already here. read more

All I have to say is fantastic! I always bring our 99 Saturn to Mamood and he always fixes the problem charging us so much less then most mechanics. He's honest and reliable, friendly and knowledgeable. Plus the tea while you wait is awesome. Where else can you get great car service, a nice conversation and tea all with a mechanic whose clean and friendly? Only at Aladdin. read more

My car broke down about a mile from the shop on my way to work on a Friday. I called two closer repair shops and asked if they could help maybe try to jump it and was told that wasn't something "they do." I called Aladdin and Mahmood was there in minutes trying to start my car on the side of the road. It didn't work, but he got a tow driver to come get the car for a decent price. He then offered to drive me 25 miles to my work in Dedham! I thought that was asking too much so he gave me a ride to the T instead. My problem was fixed by Monday and he charged a fair price and also checked out a brake problem I had. He's hilarious and definitely a good mechanic. I'll go back next time I have any problem. Highly recommended. read more

I want to update this review after few years. Actually, in my original review I said I was not happy because this workshop was not using genuine parts. Though I believe he should have listened to his customer and used genuine parts if customer wants so but felt need to update this review because parts he used for repair must be of good quality because they have worked for years on my Honda CRV. May be he is right when he says I can save you some money by using non OEM or after market parts. I think he deserves credit for that so upgrading his review to 5 star. read more

It's hard to find a good, trustworthy mechanic, especially if you're female. Well, look no further. The owner of Aladdin's has an almost uncanny, intuitive understanding of auto mechanics - and he makes it seem almost like magic - from spot-on diagnosis (without a computer!) to frill-free repairs without padding the bill, He's a real artist - not just with cars, but a visual artist/ sculptor as well, and there's a very mystical vibe both to his art and his person - as well as a calmness and cleanliness almost unheard of in other garages. He's honest, fair, and the best mechanic I've come across. Thanks to previous reviewers which is how I found out about Aladdin's. read more

The guy is great! I love his tea, his art work and his philosophy. The price is standard, but I think Mahmood is among the most honest mechanics around. He would not push me into a timing belt change ( which all of the others did even if my old belt still have 20K miles to go). He also recommended to do timing belt at dealership because it is critical. ( makes sense to me) Great job to revive my CIVIC after I stopped driving it for 3 harsh winter months. Hint: His place is hard to find ( right behind the cinema in fresh pond mall). It took me a lot of effort to locate it as it is totally invisible. read more

Best auto service ever. The owner is honest, cares about your problem and fixes it as inexpensively as possible. I have a very old Toyota Tercel and I am usually apprehensive with any auto service because they tend to come up with more problems than the whole car is worth. But this shop used a combination of used parts and new parts to make an excellent repair. Moreover, the owner is a real character: he invites you to tea and philosophizes. That alone made my day. Has my highest recommendation. read more

Rude! I called to have a specific part quoted by this mechanic (who came highly recommended), and was shocked by how rudely I was spoken to over the phone. I was not asking him to quote the cost of a repair over the phone, rather to tell me if they carried a certain part and what the cost of that specific part was. The guy actually told me if I know the part, why don't I fix it myself and then started laughing at me. Needless to say, I will not be calling again. read more

I'm not sure why I received such drastically different service than the reviews before, but I had a terrible experience with Aladdin Auto Service. I'm not sure if I talked with Mahmoud (who is referenced in previous reviews), or if it was a technician/mechanic, but whoever it was he was TERRIBLY rude. I had to have my car towed there after it wouldn't start in our parking garage. They could not determine what was wrong with my car and as you can imagine, this frustrated me because I had just paid $150 to have it towed there. When I said this to the employee at Aladdin's, he said "I just looked over your car and didn't charge you and now you want more from me? Good luck." And then he HUNG UP. The thing is, I completely understand that there wasn't anything else he could do for me. I was airing a frustration and he shot back with an unnecessary comment, and then made it worse by hanging up on me. I will never recommend this place nor will I ever take my car back there. read more

Last and final update of my negative experience with this mechanic. Like I said in the past comments, Mahmoud put a defective oil filter in my car, not to mention "mike's synthetic oil blend" for my '05 Mercedes C230 kompressor, oh and by the way I paid $100 dollars for that ($40 of which was for labor!) The story actually gets better, let me tell you what happened that day. I went to Mahmoud's shop based on a friends glowing recommendation of his honest business practices and good services --boy was I in for a treat. As is customary with persians (I'm persian from both parents) I brought mahmoud a gift, a ceramic sugar cube holder, and he thanked me. Before we talked about my car he started to talk philosophy and politics with me, did he ever show you the pyramid and capitalism example? Let me cut it short, he takes a pyramid and drops it and it will always land on a base. So we get to the car, he says that mike's synthetic oil blend "cheyli aahliyeh" persian for "very good," yes I bet an oil blend is very good for an all synthetic sports car. The oil filter, well we had to wait for that, and after waiting for about an hour and a half, we hopped into Mahmoud's truck and drove to get it. While in the car Mahmoud talked to me about how his family worked for the former shah of Iran, and that had he had the chance to give therapy to the shah's son he probably could've saved him. In my mind that was all great and stuff, honestly, but more importantly I wanted my fixed so I can go home. After the defective filter was installed, I paid in cash (like an idiot) and went on my way. Fast forward a year, I drive very little so it's been less than 3,000 miles, my oil levels are showing up as low --I take my car to the midas in Brookline and the mechanic shows me the broken oil filter and told me that the oil was blacker than my black car. Two days later I called Mahmoud and told him what happened. "Bring your car in so I can check it" he said. NO dude you fucked my car up why would I bring it back, and even if I did how long would I have to wait this time? I told him that I would take the car to a mechanic and get back to him about it, so he hung up. I called back, he hung up, and I have not spoken to him since. I filed a complaint with the better business bureau, he ignored it. I filed with the attorney generals office, he hired a mouthpiece (attorney) and sent me a letter. To be honest, I'm not a litigious person, all I want is my car to be fixed --my check engine light goes on every two months due to an O2 censor in the engine spitting out data on the condition of the engine thanks to Mahmoud, which according to the mechanics I spoke with mean probably means that my car uses more gas than it should. Bottom line is as follows. By the way, Mahmoud if you read this far, don't worry --I'm not answering your attorney or filing a claim in small claims court. If you end up going to Aladdin, good luck cuz you're going to need it! read more

I have been on a search for a Subaru mechanic since 2002 (didn't want to go to a dealership and pay all those ridiculously high prices!). FINALLY...my search is over! I too am hopping on the "I love Mahmood" band wagon! My husband had done a Google search, and came across the Yelp reviews. After reading all the positive things people had to say, we figured, hey, why not...its right around the corner from where we live. We had NEVER seen Aladdin's in all the time we went to the Fresh Pond Movie Theater....and then all of a sudden *Poof*....follow the Large Green Arrows that point to his garage...and now we can't miss it! We drove up to the garage, with a big 3-D Genie lamp hanging over the bright red door. It was about 6pm on a weekend, and we figured it was late and that he probably wouldn't be there, but we knocked on the door only to have a really friendly happy man greet us at the door. We told him we were looking for a mechanic and heard he was very fair. Mahmood started off telling us some jokes, he has a very loud and almost cartoon like laugh, that is very infectious...and would constantly hold up his hand to give my husband a "high five". We looked around at the HUGE sculptures he displays with pride inside his shop (they truly are incredible). I asked him what made him decide not to just pursue his art and become a mechanic. He said "I did this because I needed to pay the bills!". He was a taxi cab driver for 11 years. His cab would break down, as well as his friends, and they were constantly in search of an affordable mechanic, as taxi cab drivers don't make much $$. He went to automotive school...and would work on friends cars, then going to work for a small garage on Rindge Avenue for many years...and then later moving into his current place. We told Mahmood that we would come and drop off my car on Wednesday. Wednesday morning we went to the shop at 6:30am to be greeted by Mahmood and his dog (a boxer)...he took my key, as he knew we were headed to work, and said he would look at the car and let me know what was wrong. I called him at the end of the day, and he said that it should be ready on Thursday. Thursday he called me and told me he would need it one day more...that he was waiting on an Axel and brakes. Oddly, as soon as I heard I needed a new Axel, I wasn't alarmed as I would have been with a dealership, because I kept hearing how fair he was. Immediately my husband and I were taking bets on how much this repair bill was going to cost us, because there were some pretty big ticket items that needed to be replaced. We went to pick up my car around 4pm on Friday, waited 15 minutes because Mahmood had run out for an errand. Mahmood drove up in his truck with his music blasting and immediately brought us inside to show us ALL the parts that he had replaced, and tell us why he replaced them...and why certain parts he was able to save and not replace. When all was said and done...the repair was approximately 1k cheaper than if I had gone to a dealership (the tune-up alone at a dealership was priced at $800!). If you are looking for an honest mechanic who is very fair and makes you feel right at home....I would highly recommend Mahmood! We are definitely making Mahmood our regular mechanic! read more

Honest, reliable, considerate, and funny. Concerned that my car was not "winter ready" since shipping it from Southern California, I wanted someone who I could trust in to do what needed to be taken care of, be reasonable in pricing, and educate me in preparing for driving in the slush. Mahmood was definitely able to deliver. Yes, he offered me tea (with sugar cubes) every time I went. Yes, he encouraged me to ask questions. Yes, he led me to the closest chair to the furnace (I even got a little too warm after awhile). Yes, he showed me all the different prices for the varying types of tires I could choose from. I also observed how he trained two other mechanics that were working with him; he always seemed patient but firm with getting things right. I saw how the other customers (old and some first-timers) interacted with him; always a pleasant and comfortable experience. I will definitely go back...seems like I may have found my mechanic. BTW: it was a little hard to find. Once you drive into the shopping center, go past the main strip of stores and head to the left, you'll see a movie theater to your left, and Aladdin is located right behind it. read more

Great service, cool experience meeting Mahmood and checking out his art, good quality repairs for a very acceptable price.