Excellent, friendly and efficient service when I went to emissions there! You can tell that it is a long standing family business.

I first encountered Desmond's when I needed my car towed to the dealer. They were very accommodating and prompt and I was quite impressed by their service. I've been taking my cars there ever since for biannual emissions testing. The people there are very friendly and I usually get in/out in 15-20 minutes. read more

Great business! Went for my first oil change today. The owner is pleasant and has a clean and comfortable shop. I will be back for sure!

They have taken care of our cars a few times and haven't let us down. Quick return time as well.

After celebrating at one of the casinos, My wife and her friends got stranded on RT 2 late at night. Desmond's flatbed soon arrived to tow our vehicle. We were treated very politely. I found out thay they have served the local people in Colchester for over 40 years and it was a family owned business by people who actually live in Colchester. The car was repaired at a fair rate and we were very happy to have Desmond's as our guardian angel to get us back home. Highly recommended. read more

I saw one of their employees smoking a cigarette while refueling a company truck at the gas station. Makes me wonder how qualified their workers are to do work on customers vehicles. They also damaged my car's tire pressure sensor when they worked on my car and wouldn't own up to their mistake when called out on it by the dealership. Stay away from this place read more

The good: the tow truck drivers were friendly. The bad: two different trucks. Two different drivers. Same cross-bar type lug nut wrench in each truck. Our car needed a 17mm. Both drivers said they stripped the lugnuts so I needed a tow. Mechanic where it was towed told me the nuts weren't stripped (!!??), they were more than likely using the wrong size wrench (11/16ths more than likely). read more

I had a flat tire and called AAA, who called Desmond's. Nick interrupted his fishing trip early to tow my car on his day off. He was kind, funny, patient, took time to explain everything that he was doing, and checked multiple times to make sure he was taking the most direct route. And there were many other little things that he said and did that I'm forgetting now, but that made this stressful situation the best it possibly could have been. I don't know about the rest of the staff or their business, but Nick went above and beyond and was absolutely exemplary. Give him a raise. read more

tow driver was... standoffish? gave curt, short answers to the mildest of questions, really seemed like he hated his job i called to have a flat/spare tire changed, they said the wrench i had was wrong, the one they had didn't fit, then attempted to "make" it fit with a hammer and got it stuck on there at least they towed me home... read more

Bruce at Desmond's was awesome! Ive never seen anyone maneuver a flat bed like him! He got me out of a very tight spot! Courteous and professional! Thank you Bruce! read more

Times have changed. I've been going to Desmond's for years. I've recommended countless people. Not anymore. The guy behind the counter is horrible. Avoid this place read more

We couldn't get my car jump started either by portable jumper or ehicle to vehilce. These guys came out earlyon a Sunday morning and after a few minutes had my car running.....great service in a timely fashion ! read more

I had emissions done and failed for a speed sensor. I called Desmond's based on a list of certified emission repair shops on the DMV paperwork. I told Bill what was wrong. He asked all the general questions (Make, Model, year, etc.) and said no problem bring it down. I brought my vehicle in and after a couple of hours Bill called and told me they didn't have the tool needed to fix it. When I got there I got charged a $100 diagnostic fee that had no information other than that I needed "VAG" computer to diagnose since it was a VW/AG vehicle. They knew the make when I set up the appointment. This is just dishonest and shady. read more

Liars! Had my Truck towed to another facility thru AAA by Desmonds. When the truck arrived, the back window was shattered. I made a claim thru AAA that was turned down by Desmonds. The tow truck driver was the only person in possession of my truck until it arrived at another facility. They turned down the claim! read more

I've been taking my truck at Desmond's for years, and have never had any problems. Bill and Amy are friendly, and are always willing to help, and give good explanations of the cost, and reason for your repair. And how many repair shops have loaners? I've gotten repair estimates from other establishments, to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off, and found Desmond's to be equal, or less than their competitors. And lastly, they're AAA rated. You have to meet, and keep up a good criteria to meet their standards. The latest repair they did for me was a broken brake line that left me stranded in a parking lot. The tow truck was there in about 20 minutes, and then brought us home! That's what I call full service. read more

I took my truck there, and I would not return. They didn't ultimately fix the issue I was having, and it was an over $2,000 repair. I should have known something was up because there was always a pause when they gave me the estimate and then when I had to pay for it as if to ask if it was okay it cost that much. I'm not returning. read more

Great people. Very accommodating and nice. Prompt service and reasonably priced. Granted I didn't get much done here but the basic oil change and some minor repairs but I like them enough to trust them with any work my car needs next. read more

They basically said that my car was junk and wasn't worth their time without a 500 dollar deposit. Then wouldn't accept deposit cause he's too busy. read more

I met Bill Desmond's because I broke down and was towed in by AAA on a day I was getting my tires exchanged from winter to summer at another garage! was treated respectfully and they turned the job around quickly at a fair price. I enjoy talking to both Bill and Amy and decided to come back for more work. read more

It's rare to find a good reliable auto repair shop. Desmond's is one of those places. They have done their best to make sure my car was fixed as efficiently as possible without sacrificing quality. They've showed me what's wrong with the car, and explained why it needs fixing without talking down to me. Their quotes for repairs have been remarkably accurate. They also checked on recalls from my car, and notified me of two I wasn't aware of. When they check for problems, they really check for problems, and test drive the repairs before they say the job is done. I can't stress how important this is to me. The last time I was there, they discovered a serious problem that would have left me one bolt away from an accident if it hadn't been caught. Desmond's has done the best job of communicating with me I've ever experienced. I have yet to need to call them to check on the status of my car. I look forward to being able to have my car serviced there without worry. read more

When I went in for emissions, I met the owner and mentioned that the car being tested for emissions was replacing a 2008 Prius. He indicated that he would be interested in buying it. He drove the car and subsequently told me: "the transmission is starting to "slip" and proceeded to offer me a price that was ONE THIRD the offer that Iater received. I know cars and there was no transmission slip...the car has not driven any differently since the day I bought it. Certainly, a nice guy who runs a courteous establishment, and I know they're in business to make money, but this was a bit "over the top" ...BEWARE! read more

I came in on a Monday afternoon at 4 PM to ask if Desmond's could work on my brakes (I knew that my brakes needed work because I have a car that has an indicator light, and it was on) because I didn't want to have to drive 30 miles to the dealership. The owner assured me that they could fix the model of car I had, but that they wouldn't be able to look at my car that day, because the mechanics only work until 4:30. Even though that felt early to stop service on a weekday, I scheduled an appointment for the following day at 3 PM, which is the latest they will take an appointment for service. I called on that day to say I would be a few minutes late, which I was, and got to the shop at 3:10. I was assured that it was still fine over the phone, but when I arrived, a mechanic came out and asked me what I needed done. I replied that I had an appointment scheduled to have my brakes looked at, to which the mechanic replied, "Now?" He then said he he wasn't sure he could fix anything because he wasn't sure he had the time. I told him I had scheduled an appointment and was assured the time was sufficient. He begrudgingly took the car in and replaced the front brake pads, which the owner came out to tell me would cost a little over $500 (it seemed a bit high, but what could I do at that point? They'd already done the work). Finally, after sitting in the waiting room over an hour, I heard the mechanic loudly complain from the garage that he couldn't get the brake indicator light off, didn't have time to figure out the source of the whirring noise my car was making (it was 4:30, after all, so he couldn't possibly work late), and didn't even know what year or model my car was (even though the shop had taken down the VIN the day prior). I called out to the mechanic, "I can hear you!", so he came out and repeated every complaint he'd just said. I told him about the owner taking down the VIN the day before, and then--while looking at my car that another mechanic had pulled to within eyesight of the waiting area door--informed the mechanic of my vehicle's year and model (which is clear to anyone looking at it). The mechanic disappeared, and the owner came back to the waiting area, apologized quietly for the mechanic, and said he'd have a talk with him and asked if I wanted to schedule a follow-up service because they didn't have time to fix everything (in the approximately 1 1/2 hrs they had the car). I informed him that it seemed that they didn't want my business, even though in the time I was there only four other cars came in, all for emissions tests. He assured me that they do alright, but said that they still wanted my business. I told him I'd be taking it to the dealer instead. The dealer was able to fix the sensor/brake indicator light and replace the tires--that was the source of the whirring noise--and gave me 10% off my services and a shuttle to and from work so I wouldn't have to wait around. It's unfortunate that I had to go back to the dealer after all and couldn't just get the car repaired properly and politely in town. read more

Technicians are very good, but the management is definitely price gouging. Would recommend people go elsewhere to have work done. A set of $380 shocks were marked up to $900 and that did not include labor. Bill Desmond stated that the markup's are his way of doing business. Wish I'd known this up front. please feel free to share this. "RIPPED OFF" read more

Do business at your own risk. Tried working with this guy and he didn't do what I asked. Then tried charging me for extra to get what I originally asked for done, extra for diagnostics, and extra for repairs that he did not get approved. I wound up having to pay $250 in repairs that I didn't want or need, and he was very rude about the situation when I was trying to bring him thousands of dollars in business. No repeats for me. Thanks but no thanks! read more

As some previously mentioned, mechanics are decent but the owners price gouge! I had some break work done, they called me when the car was ready and I asked for the price so I could make out a check, when I arrived 1/2 later, the price increased by $50. When I asked why the increase, all the woman could say was the job wasn't done when I was called to begin with....WTH! Oh...the best part..."it's only $50!! read more

The only reason for the one star is due to the fact that they accomodated us with same day service due to a break down... Put it this way this establishment is raking in the dough at the cost of unassuming out of towners and otherwise that are at the mercy of this company that caters to the broke down and faint of heart when in distress.... I mean honestly you are from MA or PA and happen to break down soooooooo many miles away from home... You cant say hey "can you tow it to my guy".. you have to grin and bare it, bend over and take it..You are not in Kanas anymore and you are yearning to get back to "Auntie EM" with your vehicle...and SOON. What choice do you have, and what better company to take your money than this joint. OVER PRICED LABOR BIG TIME.. to the tune of $90... Over the years I've seen that $65 to $75 is the norm.. fyi, leave your check books at home.. They are AAA friendly which is good, but I'd say ****IF*** you have the choice look elsewhere, IF not I feel your pain. read more

Wow, what a great experience at Desmond's! I am from Wethersfield and unfamiliar with Colchester where my car broke down. From the kindness of their tow truck driver, Earl to the timely and friendly customer service from Amy to the quick diagnosis and inexpensive repair by their skilled mechanic, I was back on the road in no time. I truly appreciate their fairness, professionalism and honesty! read more

I went in to have a VIN verification done in order to buy an out of state vehicle. I really regret going to Desmonds, the guy Mike was nice enough but the DMV form he gave me was an illegible copy. None of the original text could be made out. The lenders would not accept it, neither would the titling agency. Worse yet, after having to put off buying the car for another week to get this redone and sent back out, I called Mike for a refund and had to listen to a barrage of excuses, everything from how messed up the system is to how suspicious it is for my lender to want that form to begin with. The next shop I went to had none of these issues, and I wish I had just gone their first. read more

this weekend my Hummer had to be flatbedded , David the driver was amazing and went above and beyond to Help us out , I highly recommend Desmonds auto . the repair was completed with one hour. and we had the rest of the weekend to enjoy read more

I brought my wife's car to Desmonds for a specific part to be replaced . They still charged me 200 to diagnose it without telling me and then tell me yes that part does need to be replaced . They attempt to replace the part and said the bolts were seized ? So it took 3 hours to do a 30 minute job then told the part was defective and needed to buy another for 140 all this @ $120 per hour.then I asked them to check AC for leaks and repair charged me over 300 for that and it didn't work when I finally picked the car up and to top it off now the check engine light was on. I called as soon as I got home and when he finally returned my call the next day at three pm I got a " hmm well I don't know what to say but you can bring it in and we can check it out " he wanted me to pay him again to service the AC and 200 to diagnose the check engine light ? . I was so fed up with them and worried what was next I just took a loss and gave up on them . Spent over 900 and still have a broken car , run away from DESMONDS AUTO ! No stars read more