This place is awesome. Period. My dad is the one who taught me about maintaining a car... and I've ignored his teachings on many occasions! Most of the time, the cars that I've owned have been towed away with my tears covering them, all because I didn't do something very simple about preventative maintenance. The worst was a Delta 88 that I tried to start with an empty oil pan one very VERY cold morning back in '93. Not only did I try and start it, once it turned over I gunned the gas to get it warm... and watched in horror as a rod made a little mound in my hood. Needless to say, that one was towed away later that day. So when I started hearing my passenger side rear brake scraping metal to metal, I started making plans to repair it as soon as possible. I called around trying to get a sense of the pricing and times available for this work. My girlfriend was giving me a ride home one night, and we happened to stop into Nick's. So lo-tech, this place seemed like a bad dream of a truck-stop out somewhere in the wilds of New Jersey. But I did notice that the place is full-service, and had a sign on the pole which said "brakes," which of course were MAGIC WORDS at that time. I checked with one of the guys working there, a great person named Mickey, and he let me know that he could indeed take care of my '98 Mazda Millenia (which is the second best car I've ever owned -- the first being a 2000 Subaru Forrester, which my ex-wife took with her). I won't tell you the price, but let it be known that it was super reasonable, especially compared to the other repair shops in the area. We left with his card. I went all Terminator. So, a coupla weeks later I woke up early on a Sat and started thinking about what needed to be done, and remembered that the car still was making that sound and since I hadn't driven it in a while, I should prolly check it out. Yep, scraping sound, check. Looked for the card, no dice. Checked the internet, ran across this site during a Google search, and found his entry no problem. So I called Nick's, and when Mickey answered, he told me that I could bring it on down, and if I could get there within an hour or hour and a half, they could take care of it. I got there at 10:30, and my car went up on the lift immediately. And what do you know -- the person who worked on my car was the Nick! He was not only very nice, he took the time to show me all the things that he noted about my car with his years of experience, as did Mickey. From what I had gotten from my father, and what they told me, I was reassured that I had come to the right place. I sat in the office while Nick worked on the brakes. I sat with my iPod on, toned out in iPod iNduced bliss, when I began to notice that almost everyone that came into the office spent more than a few minutes talking with Nick or Mickey or Karim (who was pumping gas), and that they seemed pretty happy to be there... and I realized so was I. To make a long story a little shorter, I now have a new mechanic -- Nick's my guy. And when I got my car back, after Mickey road-tested it, he was also able to track down the short that had been keeping my cigarette lighter from working and fix it. Everyone had not a smile, but a genuine look of interest and friendliness to them, and did excellent work. I cannot recommend this service station highly enough. VIsit there and you will see. PS: If you've got a dog, you might be able to get the pooch a treat -- they keep doggie bisquits under the main counter! PPS: And BTW, the price for pads, rotors and service was under $400. I won't say how far under, but you can buy a bottle of Dom with the savings... read more

We were pulling up for gas and the attendant was rude. My husband was having trouble finding how to open the gas. It would've taken us two seconds but the attendant kept repeating over and over "open the gas open the gas open the gas." We asked him for a second and he responded "I'll already gave you a second." We will not be back. read more

Destroyed our engine. They always seemed great until things went wrong. They did not securely replace the plug on our car after an oil change. A week later all the oil drained out while driving on the highway and ruined the engine. It was a very dangerous. Stuff happens, however they (Ray) refused to take responsibility and turned rude and defensive. Not trustworthy or honorable. read more

Nicks Service Station - Oil drain on the highway after oil change at Nick's - Gas Stations Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Our car display indicated while on Storrow Drive that our engine was suddenly overheating & needed attention. We luckily were able to get to Nick's & Ray-the master mechanic- was able to diagnose & fix the problem the following day. He did a great job & we were very pleased read more

I just have my car saved by Eli. He has knowledge and experience. On top of that, he understands that people have busy lives and they need their car. If you are looking for a car service, or need a car repair, give Eli a chance! read more

This is the best garage/gas station ever! The highly skilled Nick - a "car whisperer" if ever there was one - can diagnose anything. They really take care of you and your car needs. They've never disappointed me. Their service and willingness keep devoted customers like me returning for years and years. I think the whole neighborhood goes to them. I'll be sorry if Nick retires, but now the second generation is keeping up the quality as his son works alongside him. They are such good folks as well as primo mechanics. read more

Mags, that guy is Kareem He is the nicest human on the planet. I cannot walk by without getting a big hello. People stop by with their dogs to say hello and get a biscuit. I have no car, but I refer friends to Nick's simply because there is no way to imagine Kareem's manner could be tied to anything but an upfront and fair business sense. I give 4 rather than 5 stars, as I obviously am not offering the fullest measure of the business. But 10 stars is not enough for what I know of the place read more

Mickey is simply a phenomenal mechanic. He's quick to tell you what he can and cannot do and his prices are more than fair. It's hard to find a trustworthy mechanic, so his work is especially appreciated. I have a Civic, but I think he repairs most types of cars. read more

Tire repair on a Sunday morning? My husband went to 3 different stations before finding one that was open, and needless to say, he was frustrated. But Nick's was open, and the mechanic who helped him was a great guy and charged a very fair price. We'll be going to Nick's from now on. read more

back when i used to live on the west side (cambridge, of course) i would get serviced by nick (yarharhar! i'll be here all week, folks). this was my shit-i'm-running-on-empty-and-i-like-to-pump-gas-myself-but-i-guess-i'll-go-to-nick's-because-it's-right-here-even-though-it's-full-service-only" gas station there was an attendant there who worked and was the nicest man ever. i called him nick. though chances are high, he was not nick. one time i went, he was cooking something really delicious smelling (he's middle eastern) on a hot plate in the garage. when asked what the delicious smell was, "nick" offered up a sample of some remarkable green beans. that is one outstanding individual. read more

Nick's has been my service station for 25 years. I live south of Boston now, but I go back to Nick's for everything. They kept my old car running for years longer than I expected. Often they will try to fix a simple problem immediately -- although I never expected instantaneous repairs, it was rare that they asked me to come back another day. I will be so sorry if Nick and/or Mickey retire! The are so genuine, and have built up tons of good will over decades -- it looks like Nick's son will keep the business and the obliging approach going. When the much-liked Kareem (employee who pumped gas) fell ill, the local customers rallied round to help him -- the Globe even wrote a column about it. read more

All my experiences at Nick's have been good. Mick, the mechanic at Nick's, is the most helpful and honest mechanic I've ever met. He always explains in detail what needs to be fixed and shows me the parts. I often refer friends to Nick's when they have basic car trouble. Karem is also very kind and helpful. read more

Almost made it to Brooklyn visiting a friend and The Noises began. Is my emergency brake on? No. Am I dragging a robot? No. Unsure. Finished the trip, asked my buddy, recommended Nick's when I made it back to Boston. Told me to ask for Mickey. Didn't have to Mickey came out and introduced himself soon as I pulled up. Turns out the rear left caliper busted, not allowing the E-brake from releasing on that tire. So there goes the caliper, break pad, and the rotors took a beating. Mickey gave me two options. Option A was crazy cheap and would fix the immediate problem, and option B was somewhat less cheap and would freshen up everything that took a beating back there. Option B was still the cheapest estimate I got, and took care of more than any of the other offers. These guys are the real deal. They don't make their money gauging you with parts overcharges, or ridiculous labor charges. They aim to be honest and hope that you'll spread the word. That's what I'm doing. Knowledgable, quick, nice, genuine. Go. read more

NIcky is reliable, trustworthy and will let you know whether it is something they can handle or not. They can pretty much handle about anything. One repair I had a code appear that was going to be a complex job and he referred me to the dealership. He was right on. Even the dealership had a heck of a time. He also caught another repair shop who tried to replace my brakes way before their time. He is a find. read more

I have had my car repaired here many times, and Karim who pumps the gas is especially kind. He gives my son candy and my dog bones :-)

I have been taking my car to Nick's for over ten years, ever since a friend of mine pumped gas there during his college days and introduced me. The place has had a couple of very good, chief mechanics during my acquaintance, and the latest one, Mick, is extremely knowledgeable as well as nice. The crew is very helpful. They offer alternatives of course -- fix or replace, etc. and I'd be darned surprised if anyone thinks they overcharge. The prices seem as reasonable as can be, considering the costs of running a business. I've come to depend on Nick's and they don't disappoint. read more

Yes, Nick and Mickey are geniuses and honest mechanics. I was looking to buy a second car and bought a used 2000 Subaru then got screwed over in the process. The car had many small problems that I did not know about. I got quoted ~$5000 at cityside Subaru in Belmont and ~$2000 at Midas in Watertown for repairs. It ended up costing me ~$900 getting the car fixed at Nick's. I know they've been around for a long time because my father in law's mother (my wife's grandmother) used to have her car fixed there. Now I know why everybody in the house was telling me to take my car to Nick. read more

I have finally found a mechanic that I can trust. These guys keep my very old Honda van going.