I have been going to this family owned Shell station since I moved to Bayside in 2005, mostly because of the convenience, & partially because of the service. "Tommy" & his brother own & work at the shop. They are of Greek descent which gives them a loyal local Greek customer base over the years.
The shop's location is at a busy intersection: 47th Avenue leads to one of the few overpasses over the Clearview expressway which also gives this shop a fair amount of business.
The repair prices are nothing special; in fact, expect to pay at LEAST pretty standard prices for general service: $37 for an inspection, $35 for a basic Oil change, etc, & ALWAYS be prepared for the upsale when they call you to pick up your car; typically, it's something about some fluid being low, dirty air filters, low tires, etc. Essentially, anything else they can find "wrong" with your car, so you can have them fix it. Don't get me wrong, this is a typical practice of auto repair places, but sometimes it's more annoying trying to figure out if they're just trying to make a few extra bucks, or if it's a legitimate issue that needs to be taken care of. I personally have had bad experiences with car repair shops & this one has done little to change my negative opinion of them.
I live 2 blocks away so 80% is convenience. I do have an older car (2005 Accord), so it does have its share of issues due to age. This is expected, but my issue with this shop is due to its declining service over the years.
Typically, you use to be able to find Tommy or his brother at the shop, & while they are not the most personable gents, you do get the feeling that they're not outright trying to rip you off. They'll tell you what the issue is, show you what they're talking about, show you the prices they're paying for parts, etc. However, I never got the feeling from these guys that my business was relevant, there are always cars there, & they never felt like they were doing me any favors. Their attitude always seemed to be this is what it is & this is the price, take it or leave it. Next customer.
Needless to say, I try to keep my car out of their shop if at all possible save for the yearly inspections & quarterly oil changes. So, anyway, about a month or two ago, I noticed that they had some new signs, one of them being open now 7 days a week. I thought that was interesting, while I thought of the brothers as hard working, they still needed a day off.
My fiancee needed her oil changed last weekend, so I took the car over there on a Sunday (a day the shop was typically closed), & to my surprise when I went in, it was set up like all those other gas station repair shops: a separate repair counter, waiting area, & even coffee. But Tommy & his brother were NO WHERE to be found. I spent almost 10 minutes waiting for the attendant to tell me the price of the oil change. I told him from the beginning the make & model: 2015 Civic, but he insisted on asking me for info about the car: license plate, phone number, address, etc. Finally he went & looked at the license plate then typed it into the computer, so he could copy & paste the VIN number to put it into another webstie to LO & BEHOLD tell him that it was a 2015 Civic that needed synthetic oil. No sh*t. Anyway, I left the key. When they called, here came the upsell, "Your car is ready, but the oil filters are dirty. I can show you when you come." I had little to no intention on having them clean or change them but I said I'll look.
When I got there, it was 15F out & the car was not in the garage. The attendant said to go into the garage & the mechanic would get the car & show me the "dirty" oil filters. After waiting for 10 minutes & no car, some guy tells me that I can't be back here. I get pissed off, tell them I don't care about the filters & demand they get the car. After this, I had no intention on returning if at all possible.
Unfortunately, on New Year's Day, my finacee's got a flat. I put the donut on, but she was concerned & called to see if the shop was open. Unfortunately, it was. I put the flat tire in the back, & drive over. No Tommy or his brother, just some slimy mechanic. I tell them I need it fixed. I have had flats fixed there before; as long as it's a simple plug, it's $10. After 45 minutes, they call & say it's ready & it will be $25. Immediately, I'm like WTF? I go there, & ask why it's $25, was there something special wrong? Nope, just a plug, BUT because they had to put the tire back on & put the donut in the back, it was an extra $15. Jesus, that must have taken, what, with a air impact wrench? under a minute? If I would have know, I would have dropped off the tire & picked it up & put it on myself. After saying this was crazy, the attendant takes $5 off. What BS. Any tire shop on Jamaica Ave, would have had the flat fixed in 10 mins for $10. I hate being ripped off, even if its for convenience, but that's about all they offer here now. read more