I'm really angry that I bought into Cole Muffler's "your power steering fluid is bad" scam. They added $70 onto my bill to change it, and now I find out that's a well-known scam. I didn't ask them to look at it; my car was there for exhaust work. Now I wonder if it really needed the full muffler replacement that cost $380. UPDATE, 2 days later: Mavis/Cole contacted me based on this review, and my husband was separately contacted after giving severe feedback in the customer satisfaction survey he got after this service. Mavis/Cole has reimbursed us for the full cost of the PSF replacement. The store and regional manager apologized for this happening and agreed it should not have been done. (I pointed out that I have a Mavis/Cole receipt from a couple years ago showing that they recommended changing the PSF just 6,000 miles after it had been done at the dealership, when obviously it was not needed--so I think this is an ongoing issue. Caveat emptor!) read more

Scheduled an online appointment through Mavis to get my oil changed and it was a good experience! The only part that was a little confusing is which building to go to after I got the confirmation email, but there were people to point me in the right direction. The staff were very nice and the price was reasonable! read more

Horrible management. First, I had an appointment for a car inspection and they rescheduled me a few hours before the appointment, because one of their guys went home sick. Then after I waited for an hour at the rescheduled appointment, they came out and told me they aren't able to get to my car today. My appointment was at 1pm. You'd think they could have given me a call around noon telling me that, before I headed down to the shop. Even if they could have gotten to my car that day, waiting 4 hours for a car inspection is crazy. I won't be coming back. read more

I had made an appointment for an oil change , tire rotation, and state inspection 6/26/25 at 9am. When I had arrived I was told that the appointment wasn't in the system and that the person who can do the inspection wouldn't be available until 11 . I had decided to wait and then go back at that time. Once they were done ,I had been informed that my oil was very low . That didn't make much sense to me since I wasn't terribly overdue for one in the first place given the fact that my "change oil" notification in my vehicle had turned on three days earlier. I was then told that my rotors were heavily hotspotted. Which also didn't make sense since I had them replaced maybe 4-5 months ago. They informed me that I would need to replace all of my tires sooner than later because the tread on them was halfway worn. Which again, I thought was odd since I had bought four brand new tires back in November. And then to top it all off ,They had stated that my vehicle did not pass inspection due to the rear bumper support beam was rotting and crumbling and would need to be replaced to pass NYSI because it was a "frame/body" classification. The employee stated that if I were to search for the part and then purchase it myself, they would be able to replace it for me. At that point I had asked for the part number , but he couldn't give me a straight answer because "it's not a regular thing that needs to be replaced" and he "would have to call around" to see who could give it to him. He stated that he would call around for me to get the number for me and then call me once he had it. He then proceeded to "give me a discount " by not charging me for the tire rotation" which yes, was appreciated but had still charged me for other services and checks that were listed as free on the website for this location , and since I was already frustrated with the entire ordeal I hadn't noticed until later once I was looking at the bill. After a day or two of trying to figure out what to do on my end , I had called the garage again to see if the employee had any update about finding the part number for me and stated that he couldn't find anyone and again told me to "google it". I had inquired about them being able to issue a temporary inspection sticker for my car while I tried to find the part, in which he told me that he couldn't do that since the part in particular was classified under "frame/body" and since it failed for that (that was the only information that was "true") , and I would have to go to the dmv for one. Which I knew was a lie. I also checked with the dmv to make sure and they confirmed it. The only way they issue a temporary inspection stickers is when the car is be reregistered after the registration has expired. I didn't know what to do at this point and I wanted to have a second opinion on the situation at hand . So I had made an appointment with the garage that was literally right next door, told them my concerns , and they were able to fit me in almost a week and a half later on 7/11/25. The employee from the new location had called me and stated that everything was fine from what he can see , and that the car had no reason at all to fail the first inspection , especially since the particular part wasn't considered to be a safety issue. This entire process had turned into an almost three week ordeal all because of a lie, and what Cole Muffler had thought was an opportunity to make money off of someone who they assumed had no knowledge or experience. A week has gone by and I had wanted to take the time to process this whole situation before I were to reach out to corporate. I will never recommend this location to anybody or anyone. It's an absolute disgrace of a business. Frankly, they need to fully refund me at this point. read more

SCAMMERS! You could come in for a $21 inspection and leave with a $500 invoice. These guys will always find a way to get atleast $500 out of you everytime. Terrible customer service, extremely rude to customers, literally all of the employees. read more

This place is great. I've been using them for years before i moved away, and now when I'm back for the summer they're my go to for auto servicing. They helped me pass an inspection by giving me some useful advice. Their prices are always fair, and service is prompt and friendly. read more

Replaced a tire on my Honda pilot. They were quick, professional, and price was reasonable and exactly as quoted. Great communication.

Dishonest to the core. The Mavis and Cole Muffler shop are now one business. I went for an inspection and was told I needed $1500 in repairs to pass inspection. It seemed fishy both because I had had the car serviced relatively recently at Honda and because they claimed the brakes were terrible and I know what brakes feel like when they are going. I called my husband, who said we need another opinion. I took it to Mobil One, they looked at it and said all it needed was a brake light. They took pictures of all the things supposedly wrong, none of which were. I feel certain that they thought they could take advantage of a woman who did not know much about cars. read more

Ken was able to slot our car for a NYS inspection at the last minute thanks to a cancellation, and it was done within 3 hours. No hassles - very easy and Ken is super friendly! read more

Very rude service. Tried to get me to buy 4 new tires when I only needed one. I am a college student on a budget and a female and the man tried to take advantage of my lack of knowledge of cars to make a sale. Terrible. Sexist. I left crying and will never come back. read more

We went here two times, both times we were not pleased. We went in for a muffler noise and they wanted to charge $6000 to change the entire muffler, catalytic converter, and other pieces included - the only thing that needed fixing was the muffler which we happily paid $150 for at another very good car mechanic. They will overcharge you. I wish i can put 0 stars but is not an option. read more

Great place. Nice, respectful crew, especially John who I spoke with. Called in because the cap that holds my spare tire into the trunk was stuck and suspected a slow tire leak (found none). They fixed the cap and inspected my tires free of charge read more

These guys should get negative stars; they're a bunch of crooks! Cole Muffler and Mavis are owned by the same company. I went to get my car aligned at Mavis and they said I needed a new upper control arm on the right side. A friend of mine who is a mechanic and I had checked it before and thought it was tight but whatever, I had them do it anyways. I forgot to get my inspection and brought the car in a few days later. Mavis was busy so they sent me to Cole, there they said it couldn't pass inspection because the other upper control arm "was bad". This after Mavis had supposedly checked both upper control arms to do an alignment. Since then, I've heard many stories of people being told by these crooks that they need parts replaced that don't need to be. read more

I had 4 new tires put on here. After the new tires my tire pressure monitoring system had an error causing it to not work and the alert on my dash. I brought the vehicle back and they looked at it and said the sensor needed to be replaced but wasnt caused by their work. I made an appt with the nice younger worker behind the desk. Came to drop the vehicle off today and some old older guy with a piece of dirty fabric on his face said they wouldn't let me drop my car off if i wouldnt wear a face mask. Good thing is there are 10 other mechanics in town. read more

I used to use Cole in Ithaca all the time and it was always a wonderful experience. I have bought all four of my tires here and paid for the insurance on them. I picked up a nail in one of them. I came in for a plug and was treated less than cordially, I wouldn't say rudely. Felt as if it was a serious hassle to honor the tire insurance I've paid for. Told to come back in an hour, so I did. New person behind the desk acted as if I didn't have an appointment, I explained I did. Again new guy acts as if it's a hassle. So I wait 30 minutes while three guys smoke out front chatting before they even bring it into the bay. Hopefully I won't need to post more when I get the truck back. This place has become terrible since Mavis bought them Update: pleasant attitude when vehicle was returned. Still sticking with 2 stars read more

called in to fix my broken windshield wipers and they said they could fit me in immediately. only took about 15 minutes and they gave me a great price. the man at the front desk was very kind and funny!! read more

Got my brakes done here. Paid for new front rotors and pads. Two years later, the brakes are making noise again. Took it to another mechanic who showed me that the original rotors were still on the car. Paid for $350 brake job, got $50 brake job. Had to pay another $350 two years later. read more

I liked the jingle they used to have, and when my muffler went on the fritz, this was the first place that popped into my mind. "Come on down to Cole Muffler, their service can't be beat. Come on down to Cole Muffler and give your car a treat." And that's exactly what they gave my car at Cole Muffler- a TREAT. Reasonably priced and friendly folks and not far from where I work. A win-win situation for me. read more

Been taking my truck here (1990 Ford F-250) for about a year. Can't say enough about the service--friendly and honest and thorough. Especially Gary at the desk. Prices are also better than any other garage in town. Place at first seems stuck in the 1970s, but I kind of like that. Makes me feel like I'm right that people cared for each other more back then. read more

This place is run by Mavis Tire now. I went for a NYS inspection. The primary reason for choosing place was this is one of the few repair and inspection places that remains open on Saturday at Ithaca. Otherwise, I was not getting a very good feeling from the no review / moderate review status of the place. I was received by Gary and Diana, very friendly stuff at the counter. I put my recently purcased vehicle (2002 Toyota corolla) for a required NYS inspection through them. They told me to come back after 2 hr due to long wait period. That was an initial turn off, since I have done inspection elsewhere with 45 min. But, they got the inspection done sooner, and fortunately the car did not require much repair. Only the wipers needed to be replaced, total charge (including inspection) being $42. I returned with a overall positive experience. Will recommend this place. read more

The manager is rude and they tried to overcharge me for a tune up. Don't go there. It's misleading because this place has 4 stars while the place next to it has 2, but they're the same place. read more

I had once again been to Cole Muffler during the last week of September, 2016 since I needed a new pair of tires installed. I asked for Israel Garcia (Store Manager) and he took the time to come out and take a look at my car first and gave me a good deal on a pair of Michelin Defender tires. The installation was done fairly quickly and I waited there while using the store wifi on my phone. The price was very reasonable and am very happy with the price and tires. Israel also gave me suggestion to run my fuel out since my car was sitting idle had been used only 2-3 times in the last six months after doing so my car has been running smoothly. Good customer service and great work. read more

Always great and friendly service from Israel , Gary and Dianna. They always will help me when I am in a pinch and need something fast. Great people and VERY HONEST. read more

Wonderful service - even on short notice. Always pleasant to talk with, and I really appreciate seeing the mechanics come into the office joking and smiling - even at the end of a long, hectic day. read more