Needed an inspection on short notice and was told to come right over! Friendly, fast service...much appreciated!

Polite super friendly , same-day service, saved me hundreds compared with Porsche dealer estimates. When they couldn't do something, they recommended shop that could. They've been doing reliable repairs in that location forever.. read more

The Best in Town! Moved to Baltimore in 2004 and would not trust anyone else to work on my cars. The quality of work is exceptional. Expert knowledge of both domestic and foreign cars. Honest, ethical business; They've enjoyed the stellar reputation for over 70 years. I've never been disappointed or had any problem dealing with Central Service all these years. I whole-heartedly recommend them to all my friends and neighbors. read more

Lovely, kind, & helpful people! I walked in with no appointment on a chilly, rainy Thursday morning when a yellow light on my car said "low tire pressure" (alert didn't specify which wheel). A very sweet, petite middle age woman helped me out right away, and her and another nice fellow checked my tire pressure and refilled them all with air. I was all set to go after only like 3minutes! She chatted with me (a young student) about medical school aspirations and she was just a joy. I asked her how much and she said "no worries!" and didn't even charge me for the favor They let me use their bathroom too (which all good businesses should do for disability accessibility!). Granted, my service need was relatively simple, and I don't have any experience with how they may be with more significant needs yet, but at least in my experience I loved this great local business! read more

I was looking for somewhere local (near Whole Foods). Called in and they were warm and welcoming. Bottom line: I had a great experience getting my car serviced and inspected. They are fair and transparent, and I wish I had found out about this place sooner. Will highly recommend to friends and family. read more

I went here to get my Maryland state inspection done. The customer service is pretty good but they lied on my inspection saying that I needed to get a bulb replaced for $150. I declined the service and decided to do it myself. When I picked it up there was no bulb out. I also asked how much it would cost to remove the tent of the front two windows and again wanted to charge me 150. These people are going to try and nickel and dime you. read more

I had moved from Massachusetts to Maryland and was having issues with my vehicle being inspected. This was the only shop that would take me in right away and deal with the concerns of my vehicle. I needed some work done and it was taken care of right away. I have been considering to sell my vehicle, but now it drives like a new one. Thank you Len. read more

I wish I could give zero stars. I called in the morning to ask if I can bring my car in to see why the horn doesn't work. I let them know that I have an Audi. They said they can take a look. I dropped the car off and after an hour, they called me back that they're not able to help me as the 'car manual' or something of that nature isn't clear!!! He charged me $50 for services which he didn't not provide. The assistant was not able to explain to me what the problem was. Suffice to say, they're pretty horrible and incompetent. I wouldn't take a German car to this place. read more

They rob you- for an oil change they charged me $112.00!!!! That is twice as much as my car dealership and Jiffy Lube to put it in perspective. When I questioned it- they said well it's synthetic oil- yes, it was synthetic oil at the dealership too with free tire rotation for less than $60. They also charged me $25 for the tire rotation! Needless to say I won't be back; go elsewhere! read more

I have taken my cars to Central Service & Repair over the years, and I have always been 100% happy with their work. This garage has consistently had great prices and gets the job done quick. I have never been up-sold here, and I have always been treated with respect. Being a young, blond female, I have encountered people attempting to rip me off at repair shops before, and I have never had to worry about being taken advantage of here. I have a friend who is a professional mechanic in another state that owns an honest shop, and I always ask him, "What's a fair price?" for whatever it is that I need to have done. Central Service always falls right in or below what I'm advised by my friend. I highly recommend anyone take their car here to be fixed if you live in the city. Top-rate mechanics! read more

Bottom Line: If you are getting a state inspection and have questionable tint, do not come here. Longer story: Just moved here from out of state and was trying to do the right thing. Turns out my 25% all the way around isn't legal for Maryland (cars = 35% all around, suvs = 35% front windows, limo on the rears). I want to have it darker to prevent my window from being broken and things stolen. This inspection guy was a stickler for the rules and rude in proving it. I have one of those vehicles that can be classified as an SUV or a crossover and I found out its technically a "passenger vehicle" so my tints had to come off. (Though EPA, dealership, and every other person in the world) classifies it as an SUV, I spoke to a state trooper at a tint place as I was getting my front door tints (34% on one and 38% on the other) removed and he told me he would never cite me over for having 30% fronts and my backs were fine at 25. The point of the tint law is to make sure the trooper is safe and can see if the driver is holding a gun. This balances off with trying to prevent your car from getting broken into and having your SUV (or crossover, hatchback, truck, stationwagon) be dark on the back. After 4 different trips to Central Service & Repair in which the state inspector was absent or on vacation or at lunch, all this hassle, and then having to deal with the rude older gentleman state inspector, I received an overall bad experience, and will never come back here and will recommend my friends NOT to come here. I will drive out of my way to go somewhere else. On the flip-side and to be fair, the person running the front desk / cashier is pretty nice. No comments on the repair part which is a different group of people and overall the reviews seem pretty good. I went to my dealership who gave me the state inspection and passed me rather than have me re-tint my car. read more

Just had a great experience at Central. Friendly, fair prices, and quick service. So glad I found them.

I recently moved to Maryland and saw that this place does auto inspections. I drove in and was told to come the next morning, they open at 7 am. I get there BEFORE 7, but no one else arrives until 7:30-ish and no one helps me with my inspection until closer to 8. This is a bad sign. Several hours later, I was told that my van failed inspection due to the steering column having "play in it." I asked for a recommendation to repair it (it was out of the range of work that they do) and they suggested Harbor Auto Center, right down the street. I immediately went and the owner, David, got in to inspect it himself and said he didn't agree with the inspector and thought that my van didn't need the repair. He told me to return to Central Service, tell them what he had said, and if the Central Service inspector needed to talk to him, he would be available. I immediately do just that but the inspector refused to directly speak with me or call David at Harbor Auto Center. The poor dude at Central Service's counter didn't know what to do, but said I had 30 days and/or 1000 miles for a reinspection at an additional $25 reinspection fee. So, what does one do??? It passed inspection - at Nicholas's Fleet Street Shell Station in Canton. The other inspector agreed with Harbor Auto that my steering column did not have a problem and I'm on my way. read more

Central Service & Repair - Don't go here for a state inspection. - Auto Repair Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

If you're looking for a state inspection, keep on looking! This garage is a bunch of crooks. They're terrible to work with and treated me like I didn't know a thing about my car. Their attitude seems like they take advantage of people they think don't know about cars. I went to get my car inspected here and it failed the inspection because of a worn out tire, tints being too dark, and needing a new windshield wiper. They tried to charge me to replace the tire, tint removal, and the wiper, But I told him I wanted my own mechanic to do it. Then they said they would have to charge me another re inspection fee. According to the Maryland DMV website, There should have been no fee assessed if the fixed issues can be visually confirmed. I bought brand new tires, had the tints all the way removed, and bought new wipers. Then I brought the receipts for the new tires and the wiper and he still charged me! The tires tred was worn so if you can't use your eyes to see the receipt or look that it's a new tire than maybe you shouldn't be in the auto repair business. If you want the person that is inspecting your car to be able to see that they are new wipers or that the windows are all clear instead of darken then probably best to bring it to a different shop. read more

Yesterday as I was driving to work ALL the warning lights on my dashboard light up. I called my regular mechanic but he was booked solid for a week. I pulled into CENTRAL REPAIR & the owner immediately took my car in (2013 Smartcar) & said he would call later. Of course, I was terrified being at an unknown mechanic but I have dear friends who go there & I trust them. They were 100% correct..........my car was finished in a timely manner, NO surprise "gotcha" charges.......clear & concise & fair prices. 5 stars 2 thumbs up Highly recommend! read more

I have been using Central Service for over 20 years. Len is always available to take my calls, listen to my concerns and always lends advice. My vehicle recently died, I was going to have it towed to Central, however, Len gave me a few repair suggestions one being a possible loose battery cable, after tightening the cables, I was on my way. Honesty, honesty, honesty! I have received nothing by professional service, honest and affordable repairs and excellent advice over the years. I also had a used Audi I purchased in Georgia inspected and it passed. The inspection process was flawless. read more

Recommended to me by a friend since I didn't have a place to get my car fixed in Baltimore. They were great! Explained everything to me and I was able to get my car in and out fixed in a couple hours! I highly recommend going to them if you car is acting up! Trustworthy and dependable owners and service technicians! read more

I would give them a zero if I could. Very Rude. The guy Len started yelling at me- a female- in the office because I was questioning a charge on my bill. They charged me an extra 95$ to remove tint on 2 front windows. We never agreed to the charge. He worded it in such a way that implied it was free of charge- "don't worry we can remove it for you"- since they were already charging me for an inspection , I went along with it. .DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM- especially if you're female. They will take full advantage of you and bully you with their loud voices. read more

WORST PLACE EVER! Brought my car for a state inspection. Technician first told me to replace a break rotor cost $300 because the currently one is a little bit thin. After, I was told to replace some other parts which cost $400. Then I left and took the car to dealer and the inspection was passed without replacing any parts. I don't think technician that work in this place is very honest. BTW, customer service is bad. Won't recommend here to anyone. read more

Great mechanics, with very fair and honest rates. They'll give you a very reasonable quote for services, and if they find any additional problems that would result in more charges, they always call before moving forward-they don't just drop the charges on you. They also are impressively fast-if you drop your car off before work, odds are they'll be done before you're out for the day! read more

You know a company has to be great if they can stay in business for over 60 years. My father dealt with the original owner until his passing and now we deal with his daughter and her family. The are honest and hard working. They won't let your car leave their shop until they are satisfied with their work and you are satisfied. I want my car to be serviced by people with knowledge and integrity. I hope Central Service and Repair is in business for many more years. The corner of Eastern Avenue and Central Avenue right at the edge of Little Italy. Tires, oil changes, inspections, transmissions- they do it all. Qualified mechanics with years of experience. read more

This is a great little auto shop. Just arrived in Baltimore after a cross country trip from Arizona needing an oil change. Driving back from Target we passed this shop, stopped in and they did the oil change right then and there and had it done in twenty minutes. No frills auto shop, basic waiting room. Would definitely return. read more

Awesome service what I thought would be a 700$ repair turned into a 140$ and it was ready by 230pm. All the other shops I called said that they wouldn't even be able to look at it tell tomorrow and couldn't do the repair until the following day and the cool old guy at central adjusted my parking break and didn't even mention it, I noticed it when I was leveing the lot. I will be back. read more

They did a Maryland vehicle inspection for me and were extremely timely and kind. They also open early (7 am) so I could easily come before work. Highly recommend! read more

I had my Honda towed to Central Service on a Sunday night, and I had a call by 9am Monday morning with a diagnosis and quote to have it fixed. That afternoon I was driving again. Sure to their word the quote was exactly what I paid. The price was okay - I think if I had shopped around I could have had it done for cheaper, but my car was dead and I didn't have that luxury. Also the location is convenient to Fells Pt, Harbor East, and JHMI. So in summary you MAY be paying a small premium to go to Central Service and Repair, but for that you'll be getting fast turnaround with no surprises when you see the bill. read more

Positive reviews are simply trumped up "BS". If you consider charging $83.69 for a Serpentine Belt (High Quality Belt for A Jeep runs ~$35.00 Prior to installer markup that translates to greater than 100%), $105.60 Belt tensioner (That was in all likelihood WAS NOT NEEDED) and installation (labor) of $118.50. If you think ~$320 is reasonable for a belt replacement then this is your place! read more

These people are great..first of all I was in a crisis because I am a rideshare driver. Car broke down on a Saturday night,but thank God car made it to the drop off, It then coasted to a safe resting spot. Next day I went to check on it with my mobile mechanic...That is another story,so anyway make a long story longer looked these guys up on Yelp and I told them I researched them Took car in guy quoted 225 or 250 to fix ended up costing me only 200 bucks and I was back on the road in a couple as promised...These guys are going to get my repair jobs from now on.....BTW inspection people don't complain cause you had to pay extra money when they told you your wreck needed a ton of stuff.Any inspection station you go it's par for the norm...Len thanks a million again buddy read more

Don't bother refilling your tank or even attempting to put some air in your tires, unless you happen to swing by mid-day. They say their hours are 7 am to about 4 pm, but I have tried in vain during the past five visits here to put air in my tires. It really shouldn't be this hard to do. Every time there's always an excuse - oh we just put up the air pump, you've got to come back when the garage is open, etc. Last time I tried at 7:15 am, another time around 3:30 pm. So perhaps if you just want some gas and feel ok paying a higher price due to being in the city, then you'll be happy with their service. read more

AVOID THIS PLACE at all costs. Brought my car in because it wouldn't start and James told me that they had googled the issue and he was 90% sure that the problem was a cam sensor. After quoting me for $400 worth of repairs they called the next day and said that they had tried the sensors and it they still couldn't figure out the problem. I asked how much I owed and they told me my total was $200 for labor and $89 for a computer reading. When I got to the location I asked if they had the old plugs and I was told that they had been thrown away. I then inquired on why I was being charged for $200 if they didn't replace anything and their reply was that they spent several hours experimenting with different parts. I'm no mechanic but I do know that the dealership charges $100 for a diagnostic like most other places. Had they actually inspected the vehicle I probably wouldn't have had to get it towed to the dealership. The dealership told me the fuel pump needed to be replaced and that it should have been an easy repair. James and the owner were VERY rude and highly recommend going elsewhere for your auto repair needs. I am a struggling college student and I feel like I was profiled and taken advantage of. Definitely reporting to the better business bureau. This place is unprofessional and they will take your money if you let them. DON'T BE ANOTHER VICTIM!!!! read more

outstanding service, honest, and stand behind their work. most personable staff..absolute best service/ repair facility i've encountered. they also have a used car lot across the street. i purchased a used vehicle from them in sept 09....best car i've ever owned...not one single problem with it. read more