This review is based on their state inspection. It was quick, painless and convenient. They were open Saturday, so I pulled in with no appointment, they don't do appointments. I waited about 10 minutes for one car ahead of me. Then went for a 15 minute walk why they took care of mine. You need to pay the $35 in cash. Exact change, you can go in the store and split a $20 if you need to. Also need registration. read more

Oudy was a great help, we originally had ordered the wrong tires but he was able to find and order the right size for us and get the installation all done within a couple of hours. Plus tacked on the inspection too! Overall great service and super nice, would highly recommend! read more

Please don't stop for this location for service or even get gas. I got a groupon coupon for 4 wheel alignment with appointment. The service guy or manager or owner who came after I arrived with her girlfriend told me that it was just for front tires. I wanted to show him that coupon. After he said if you back side has another problem we are not going to touch it without look my car. He did not check my car back tires and he said he will do just front. I did not accept it and left the store. He was so rude and looks like he was in rush. His girlfriend was waiting him at the car. After I left they left too. He doesn't want to work on my car clearly because her girlfriend was waiting him. This is not business. I complain them to Groupon. We will see how they resolve it. But definitely I will not come this location for alignment. Update 08/03/2024 First as a business owner you should take care of your sold coupons. You can not tell lies to costumers like "Coupons for just for 2 tires or we can not do back tires because of issues on your back tires etc. I got another coupon from Midas they did my job perfectly without any problem. Check Midas Coupon on Groupon which I got after your worse approach. Would you like to see how the business should be? I got 5 star job from them next day. Second you keep continue to FRAUD people with your fake Groupon coupons even you said you stopped with Groupon. You wrote you are not taking Groupon anymore on Google review but I took some pictures and shared in Goole Review. Please stop saying lies to people. Third do you think some people works with hourly rate and they don't get paid if they don't work? Even Groupon refund it, that people still loose their time and effort to be there trusting you coupons. Also they can loose their jobs because they need to go for service another work day. Stay away from this place. Also I will write a complain letter to Shell. read more

Seamless experience with doing my state inspection here! I scheduled an appointment the day of online, and then brought my car over during the middle of the work day. They promptly performed the inspection while I waited inside, and we promptly wrapped everything up within 15minutes. Would reccomend going here for the state inspection! read more

Oudie. Was very nice & professional in guiding me to purchase the correct battery for my Jeep . I errored in the purchase order but he was able to replace the battery with one he had with same company . His patience & skill was much appreciated & highly recommend his services . read more

I purchased an oil change for this place from Groupon and attempted several times to schedule it. I ended up waiting a few weeks for an available appointment, which is ultimately not a huge deal. When I arrived with my toddler to the scheduled appointment time, the man behind the counter told me they didn't have time and I'd have to leave my car and come back several hours later. Since I live 10 miles away and I had a small child with me, I told him I couldn't do that. He acted very annoyed and told me they could do it quickly. Long story short, they ultimately did a poor job and didn't tighten the oil plug correctly, causing an oil leak. I became suspicious when I noticed a small puddle of oil whenever I moved my car. I took it to my my local mechanic, whose first response to me was "We didn't do this oil change, did we? Because whoever did messed it up pretty badly." Lesson learned: don't try and save a couple bucks on an oil change. It wasn't worth the inconvenience or the risk of damage to my loved ones or my car. read more

!!!!DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!!!Attention Read this before you thinking about going to this shop!!!!!!! This Magazine Shell ower lies left and right and literally scammed me over $750 worth of repair and part cost for damages he caused. 1. The owner of this repair shop used a wooden pallet as a ramp for my vehicle (after numerous reschedules). 2. The wooden pallet broke and completely took out the plastic part underneath my car. 3. Every time I called Oudy, the guy/owner who did this, he insisted the replacement part would be in "tomorrow," which lead to me calling him day after day with no repair. He had me bring my car (which still had the broken piece), come in twice just for him to tell me he bought the wrong piece. 4. Following this, he had other workers picking up the phone, stopped responding, and still has yet to fix my vehicle or refund for the broken piece. 5. On top of it all, I had to get the wheel alignment redone because he didn't do it correctly and he broken the lugnut and kept it hidden, which I discovered in the dealership I was circumstantially forced to go to. read more

Fastest State Inspection ever! Seamless, professional, courteous. Outstanding service. Go there for this!

Great service! Oudie is an awesome mechanic and has helped us fix multiple cars. I continually come back time and again when something breaks, as the other mechanics in the area often take weeks to get the part and have availability. read more

93 oct more expensive than the stations down the road, however these are one of 2 stations in Boston to sell E85 gas. For other enthusiasts I have tested this e85 3 times now, it around E80, it's pretty consistent. read more

Went to see why my check engine light was on a bit ago, they told me it was my purge valve. They told me they had replaced it and charged me a hundred more than other places. Went to another mechanic today and turns out they never replaced my purge valve. Never returning whether it be for gas or service. Ladies be weary, mechanics taking advantage... read more

I hate to write negative things, but I just want to warn people that this place is highway robbery. The bottom line is they tried to overcharge me by over $1150. Details are below. I went in to get an oil change. I made the mistake of saying that I was going on an 8 hour drive in a few days and wanted them to just check that everything looked okay. Short story: They told me I needed $2500 of work for new tires, spark plugs, and an assortment of other things, or they repeatedly said my car would never make the trip if I didn't get these services. I finally said okay, but then changed my mind 10 minutes later. They then instantly knocked 20% off the cost if I wanted to continue with the services (making the new cost $2000). I said no and went to another mechanic. The new mechanic told me that it was a total lie that I needed new spark plugs. They said the ones in my car couldn't be more than a year old and were in perfect condition. I spent $150 with the new mechanic, and $700 at Costco for new tires. That was about $1150 less than Magazine Shell was going to charge me. B.E.W.A.R.E. read more

Been coming for gas and inspections for years. Always efficient and professional. They also were very helpful with minor maintenance on my car and with tire damage from a pot-hole on Mem Dr. to my wife's car when she had to come in. read more

We recently moved into the city and I was due for my 45,000 mile service. A few days before, my battery died. Since they were nearby, I went to them for the battery replacement. They were able to do it right away. Today they did the 45K mile service. The brakes needed to be replaced and I needed new tires, so the bill was pretty high. However, the car is now almost 7 years old, so that's to be expected. The new owner, Oudy, is very knowledgeable, friendly, and seems to care about your car. He's worked on Toyotas for years, so I feel confident in him working on my Prius. Will be back for the next service! read more

This place is a joke. My son's Outback car overheated in NH. Had it towed to them. Cost 165.00 They said it was a cracked radiator (which I already didn't believe) and replaced it with some hoses, thermostat and fan relay. 1300.00. Gave it back to him and it overheated immediately on 93. So had it towed back to them. They had the car for two weeks saying they didn't know what the issue was, waiting for a part, brought in a Subaru mechanic. finally got the car back and it immediately overheated on Storrow drive. I've worked on cars my whole life. Overheating is either thermostat, fan, water pump or head gasket. So are these guys crooks or just incompetent. This time I'm getting it towed to a real garage that knows what their doing. Stay away from these guys. read more

I love this place. Had just got a brand new car, the tire started losing air, they put air in it, couldn't find a leak, then the next day as it was still slowly losing air they put it on a lift and saw that it was an inner sidewall failure. Don't know the guy's name but he is super friendly, generous with his time, and he kindly put more air in the tire so I could drive it to the dealer. These guys are the greatest, we always take our cars here for work done and inspections and gas. read more

I am new to the Boston area and have been to a few different mechanics. I always walk out of a place feeling like I overpaid or had unnecessary work done just so they could get the business. I can say I have finally found my mechanic. Oudy, the recently new owner made sure to show and explain to me what was going on and made sure I understood my options and associated costs before doing anything. He cares about his reputation and making sure you leave his shop happy. If you're looking for a trustworthy mechanic, come here. read more

Oudy was an Excellent guy from customer service to an outstanding work on my car on his Garage. I have to travel to NY and need a new 4 tires for the long drive. It was Columbus Day ( 10/11) and most roads are closed for the Boston Marathon to go to my dealership. After checking a few places and decide to go home. Very expensive and most of the stores don't have it in stock and it takes 2-3 days to get them ordered. That is when I drove to MB and meet Oudy and gave me a good quote on the tires with warranty and make it happen for next day drive to NY. Today I went to see him again to change throttle on my car and did an excellent job. So far happy with the results and recommend him to any one who read this review. If anything change, I'll update. read more

I brought my car here a few days before Christmas. One tire was low, and I was afraid that it would soon be flat. I really didn't need the extra expense or inconvenience of buying a new tire at this busy time of year. Oudy helped me within minutes. He checked the tire, found nothing wrong, added air. I was on my way in 15 minutes with peace of mind. He was efficient and pleasant -- and wouldn't accept any payment for his service. No wonder Magazine Beach Shell has such a high rating and such good reviews! read more

switched insurance company, so needed to get a checkpoint inspection done. read some reviews and decided to give this shell a try. parked car, walked into the little snack shop/mechanics reception area, and found 3-4 staff working busily on separate things. a guy with a name tag of "Philip" on his jumpsuit was on the phone. seeing me there looking at him expectedly, he tried to multi-task and asked what i needed. then he politely asked someone else to take care of me, though that someone said he was still in middle of something else--seems like the lottery ticket guy was talking logistics of some sort with him and another older gentleman. meanwhile, the cashier lady was busy dealing with a customer. so i just stood there for quite a few minutes, enjoying the "organized chaos" happening in this tiny space, and watching the guy assigned to my job moving slowly between the two things he's on. meantime, i was told to move my car here and then there bc there doesn't seem to be a designated spot for inspections and stuff. about 10-15 minutes later, the older gentleman hollered into the shop, commenting on how someone's back there "doing nothing" while a customer is waiting. this younger guy came out and was mildly "amazed" that i was still there (since he saw me come in "20 minutes ago"). went on to mumble his thoughts about the guy originally assigned to my job for not getting anything done. he then assured me that he would take care of it and it'll be quick. hmm, seems to me a little blaming game happening here. but doesn't matter now; just get my stuff done. another 10-15 minutes later, i was on the road again. the short time that i was there, the people seemed friendly and polite enough for me to return shall anything else happen to my car in the future (i took Philip's business card just in case!). the only thing i would like to see improved is having an actual waiting area for people who need quick car work done. currently, the only options available are: 1. stand and wait inside in an elevator-sized snack shop; 2. sit in one of those two chairs right outside the shop. given the weather it was this week, i chose option #1. not so sure about coming here for gas tho; it's mad expensive. but maybe that's just cambridge. haha :) read more

While on my way to the library, I drove into Shell on a whim to update my overdue inspection sticker. I was able to have it done right away, which was awesome (this is on a Wednesday morning, so less busy). About a minute later I found out that I desperately needed new brakes! Oudy was very kind through the process and knows what he's doing. He showed me the parts and explained what needed to be replaced and why, and even got me an Uber to the library to carry on with my day while my car got fixed. A couple hours later I got a text later letting me know when my car was all set. The whole process was so convenient, and the price was reasonable. I usually go here for my inspections, but I trust them for other repairs as well. read more

I needed a brake job and the owner was great - explained what was wrong, gave me a good price and turned the job around quickly. His work has a two year guarantee. I've found my new car guy! read more

I have been using Magazine Beach Shell for the past 10 years and I would like to say that Philip Kwan is the real Dr. Phil. Great Mechanic! John Guzman read more

This is my favorite gas station. Even when my bike is my car, I go here to get free air. I rap on the window and point to my bike and the man kindly turns the machine on for me despite the 75 cent fee. This fee is a sham, they are by law, supposed to provide free air to travellers. read more

The review is for state inspections... I've seen people get upset at this garage after their vehicle fails the inspection. Like the lady whose rear-view mirror was stuck in a "closed" position. I can't blame the inspector for stuff like that. I trust the employees at this garage to conduct a fair inspection. One time they took my car even though I got there just a few minutes before closing. Waiting times can be long because a lot of people take their vehicles here (convenient location that a lot of people know). Staff is polite and direct. When there are things to be fixed, they are patient and detailed in explaining what should be done. read more

Seemed to do a decent job with the required inspection. Haven't been back for more serious stuff though.

This was the best experience I've ever had with something related to cars. I did not have an appt and they were able to do a car inspection right away and it took 5 minutes. Highly recommend read more

I went to a pump there was no sign of it not working but when I swiped my card and tried to get gas nothing came out, it said $0 so I just ended transaction. It charged my credit card $85. My gas doesn't even cost more then $40!!!! read more

I can't give this place high enough marks. Phil literally just saved me one thousand dollars. I have a 2005 Subaru Forester that's in great shape. My check engine light was on, and during my annual inspection, Phil had a look. The diagnostic code indicated a problem with a part that was expensive and, he said, would be covered by warranty if within a certain date. We looked together, and it looked like I was just outside the warranty period--but before agreeing to fix it, he insisted I call Subaru headquarters to be sure it wasn't covered. Surprise--it was! So I took the car to the dealership to have the part replaced. After looking it over, they confirmed that the problem was with the expensive part, and said it'd need replacing. They said it'd cost $1000, and that it was not covered by warranty--they'd "checked." Well, thanks to Phil, I'd checked, too. I had them look again, and--surprise!--it was indeed covered. If Phil hadn't insisted I call Subaru headquarters, I'd never have known enough to stand up to the dealership, and I'd be out a grand. No mechanic has ever saved me this kind of money before, and I'm not sure anyone else ever will. I'm incredibly grateful. I'll also add that he and his team very quickly diagnosed and fixed a coil problem at a separate time, and with excellent results. All in all, I've been really pleased with the work, when work is needed--and when it's not, I've been even more pleased with the down-to-earth honesty. Thanks, Phil! read more

This is right up there in my top 2 favorite gas stations OF ALL TIME. While we didn't fuel up here, every time we passed, our eyes gravitated to the gnarly sign jutting out above the mainland. read more

Magazine Shell - Auto Repair Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

After changing oil here, the oil light came up on. The oil level stick did not even show trace of oil, and I needed to add three quarts to bring the oil level back to normal. They were either careless or cheating at the cost of customer's safety. read more

First Yelp review and already got a voicemail (less than 24 hours after) complaining about what I wrote. Why in their right mind a business would think it was a good idea to contact a customer and place the blame on them is really beyond me. Not an apology for upsetting a first time (and definitely last time) customer but rather them trying to explain to me how I am wrong. The voice mail was followed by an email, which turned into an email exchange. Each time I was told by the shop manager that I was wrong, that somehow this was my insurance companies fault and not his. What Andy, the shop manager, doesn't know is that I work for an insurance brokerage and this my insurance related transactions are processed, at least in part, in house. To clarify everything...when I went to this shop on December 17th, 2013 to have my car inspected I was told by the technician that he would complete the paperwork and send the documentation to my insurance company. I asked him to send a copy to me as well, which I never received. My failure in this was perhaps assuming that the shop had done their job when I ultimately didn't hear anything from my insurance company. Still, I went to this shop and paid for a service. How much I paid is inconsequential. Once I paid them the liability is on them. I bought my car new last year. Had my car been damaged or god forbid totaled during this time I would be on the hook for $22k. That's what this comes down to. Magazine Beach Shell made a $22k mistake. I took the liberty in writing this review and I was contacted about it and spoken to rudely for expressing my opinion. I really should post the entire email exchange so you can see how polite I was to Andy and how I told him he was only making the situation worse by continuing to attempt to blame me and the insurance company and never apologizing. Instead I further lowered his review to 1 star and I will let this review speak for itself. As I told Andy, this shop has a lot of good reviews and does a lot of great work for other people, but they didn't for me and that is all I have to go on. read more

This is a review for the State Auto Inspection Sticker service (I've never purchased gas here or had any work done on the car). The service was excellent. As good as it could be. There's a sign where you pull up and wait, it says "Inspection: Pull up here and wait, have your registration and $35 cash in hand, exact change" . I waited there for about 30 seconds and a dude came up to the car and checked the lights. Then I stepped out of the car and he took it from there. 10 minutes later I was on my way. He was very friendly. read more

They are all awesome people! Woody helped my friend and I fix up our camper. He was kind and informative about what needed to be fixed, and found us the best prices for parts. If anyone has any mechanical needs in the cambridge area this is a good place to go! read more

Made an appointment and I was seen right away. Friendly and through service. Did a good job on my car. Just a plus that there's a nice walking trail close by !! read more

I needed my car worked on as it had broken down that morning. They were able to take the car that morning and work to get everything done as quickly as possible. Ury was a very nice guy and went out of his way to get a part after his shift so that I could get my car back on the road. Very professional work and good customer service. I will be coming back, but hopefully not too soon. read more

So, I brought my car in for an oil change completely expecting Phillip, however, it was completely new management. I left and came back a bit a uneasy but its just an oil change and the new guy seemed pretty nice and straightforward. Upon, returning, I didn't realize I had a couple missed calls from Shell and I wasn't late picking up the car. I get there the mechanic approaches my boyfriend and I with a lot of concern and basically explains that the car is in pretty bad shape. He brought us under the hood and showed us with the flashlight and it totally was bad. I also was apparently driving on axel's that were about 95% worn and about to snap. He told me that I shouldn't be driving the car because if the axel were to snap, the car would simply stop driving and not move anywhere....Scary. Of course I was a bit weary but he took his time to show us and he seemed honest and upfront. We brought the car back two days later and had everything fixed for a solid price I was able to afford. I honestly, couldn't be more happier with the service. Will most likely be coming back here for the tune-up. read more

Been coming here for almost 20 years. Philip is the best mechanic out there. Always great service, they fix only what needs to be fixed and at a very reasonable cost. read more

Phil is a genuinely talented and friendly mechanic and I can't recommend him enough. This is my neighborhood shop and I've come here on and off for 4 years. Phil is trustworthy and seriously cares about helping you diagnose your problem and offering you solutions that are right for you and your budget. I don't usually leave reviews but the service I've received from Phil motivated me to do so. Big thumbs up to this guy. read more

A huge thanks to Phil for helping me out when I ran out of gas on Memorial Drive this past winter - he helped me fill the gas can, gave me a ride back to my car, filled it up, and made sure I was safe. There are still good people in this world. I don't know what I would have done without your help that day, Phil. Thank you again! read more