I've used them for years since I live close by. I should have listened to my neighbor when he warned me against them. There are over 20 repair shops in the Coney Island area on Neptune between 21st and Stillwell and it's hard to know which mechanic will give you good work at a fair price.
Used them for regular maintenance like replacing a radiator (which didn't need replacing it turned out, because the problem was a leak in the connecting tubing, which they conveniently point out to me only the second time around), adding refrigerant, wheel alignments, etc.
What stopped me from coming back was one incident where I banged up my rims. One of the mechanics that work there looked at it, gave me an assessment that he'll straighten it out and get a new tire for me. Then the owner, TJ came and gave me a different assessment, saying that'll never work and I need a new rim. I understand that mechanics working under him may not know everything, and TJ might be the expert, but it was the way he handled the situation that was a problem. He berated the mechanic, basically his right hand man, whom I've seen all the time, more than TJ himself in the shop. I could tell by their body language this was a regular occurrence. When I asked for an explanation, like I usually do for repairs, TJ wouldn't give me one, and just asked me whom do I trust, the owner or his hired help.
Decided to write this up today because I just tried another mechanic and found out the new guy charged me significantly less than TJ has been charging me all these years to refill the refrigerant.
There are too many options around to use him, not just on Neptune, but also up Cropsey and Stillwell Ave. read more