European Car Doctors

I’v always been nervous about giving my car to anyone but they made me feel at ease. They were also very accomodating with the days and time I needed to leave my car. This was very helpful since I work fulltime and do grad school part time. My car feels pretty good :).

I have been looking for a go-​to mechanic for my ’08 Mercedes and had a wonderful experience here. I just needed brakes changed, but Carmine got the job done very quickly and at a competitive price, and gave me advice on a couple things to look out for on my car (without trying to sell me on anything else). I plan to go here for any problems in the future.

Great service, great communication, and most importantly, very honest. They recommended not to do work that another dealer had requested (which would have been $ 5k) because it wasn’t necessary. They were very straight up about what was and was not worth fixing, and gave competitive rates on the parts worth doing. When their distributor provided a slightly wrong part for the car, they fixed it no questions asked. Also quite willing to talk through the mechanics of any complicated issues to educate the owner.

Amazing service! Really nice people! Carmine helped me out last minute. Can’t even begin to say how grateful I am for his service! Thank you!

Ten years ago I took my mint condition, low mileage 1986 Mercedes Benz 560 SL convertible for a regular service to Carmine who had been highly recommended by two colleagues. The next day he called me to tell me to pick up the car. He had not performed the requested service but rather told me that my car had been in a crushingly damaging collision, that it had been poorly repaired, did not handle properly and that I should sell it as it was about to rust away under my watchful gaze, leaving me with a worthless pile of debris.
I kept my 560 for another nine years, enjoyed every sublimely pleasurable mile in it and then traded it towards a 1936 roadster and received twice what I had paid for it from the delighted dealer who couldn’t wait to get his hands on my still gorgeous, still mint car.
Some doomsday prediction, eh, Carmine?

Dishonest. They tried to charge me almost $ 700 for a new part and 2 hours labor for what another garage said was just a blown fuse.
Seriously?
Bad.

These folks are FANTASTIC! I had them do a PPI for a vehicle I was considering buying. I arrived and they immediately took the car and told me they’d need an hour. They looked over the entire vehicle and documented the issues that should be addressed as soon as possible. In addition to those issues they walked me over the car to highlight other issues that would potentially help me reduce the price of the car when I hit the negotiating table. They gave me great information. They also told me that as part of this vehicle review I should feel free to come back with any other cars I’m considering if I don’t buy this one and they would look them at no charge (there’s a 10 car max). Amazing! Having them look at the car was worth every penny. I was able to fully understand what my investment would be after I drove the car off the lot and since they were so terrific they are now my go-​to shop for mechanical repairs.

I took my car in for an oil change, I had the oil, filter and drain plug already as I usually do it myself… I was expecting a $ 50 dollar bill when I went to pick the car up. I get there and was presented with a $ 200 dollar bill for diagnosis (whatever that means) and to put in a cabin filter and air filter that I had purchased and did not want them to put in. All I asked for was an oil change, that was it. I was told that they had to take the dash apart to put the cabin filter in, which is not true… I am not a dummy its a very simple thing to do in my car. I should have disputed the bill right there but I had to be somewhere and just paid it instead. I am Italian and this deceitful business is an embarrassment to us all. Its absolutely ridiculous that they are charging me for a diagnosis, there was basically nothing wrong with the car, I did not ask for it nor was I informed of it, and it will only make them money if they find a problem.

I could not have asked for more. As we drove to Boston, we heard a loud clacking noise. I took the car to European car doctors. Carmine examined the car and told me that the transmission was shot. I was worried that, as an out of towner, I was going to be taken advantage of. After another half hour of looking at the car, Carmine told me that the engine was also leaking oil and that suggested even more problems. At this point, Carmine said that he did not think it was worth repairing the car, that he would not take my money to repair the car, and that he would not charge me for his diagnosis. We had the car towed to a local dealer to get a second opinion. After a half hour, the dealer came to this same conclusion as Carmine (charging us seventy dollars). It would have been easy enough for carmine to replace the gearbox, charge us a lot of money, and never see us again. But, he gave us an honest assessment.

Quite simply, I have never been more impressed by a mechanic. Carmen and Mark are sincere, thoughtful and professional — I was blown away. They are also incredibly generous with their time. I swear it seems they are willing to drop everything to make me feel happy and looked after.
Here’s a quick story to illustrate what I’m talking about: one morning my car was making a worrisome sound. I was heading out on a long drive to see my family. My wife insisted I go see the guys to make sure everything was OK. I didn’t want to take the time and was going to just risk it. She eventually won, so I went. In 25 minutes (that’s from the time I walked in to the office until the time left) Mark had diagnosed the trouble I was having with my shock as well as a faulty brake lamp. The same thing at Herb Chambers would have taken literally 6 hours and at least $ 150. Mark put together a temporary fix and told me it was safe to drive and didnt even give me an invoice. Unreal. Now that I am back, I’m heading in next week to have it fixed. I would never go anywhere else.
Anyways, you really get the feeling these guys care about you, your pocket book, your car and most importantly, your safety.
Believe the hype. They are the best.

I have to agree with Dan A. I think all these amazing reviews must be family/​friends. This is the worst mechanic I’ve ever been to. Either totally incompetent/​inexperienced or an outright thief. I’d report them to the better business bureau but surprise surprise: they aren’t a member!
The short story: dealership prices without the dealership know-​how, diagnostic equipment, and warranty.
The long story: brought my 1989 Mercedes 300CE in because it was having trouble starting. End result, Carmine «drove it around» but said he never experienced the trouble starting. he said the battery was a little too small so he put in a new on, he «topped off fluids», and replaced some small cover that was missing in the engine. total due: EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS!
When I picked it up, I was hopeful the problem would be fixed. two days later, however, i realized it was not. Still had trouble starting.
I call up the shop and at first get the run around from the secretary: «oh, Carmine is busy, he’ll call you back». Never called back. A few days later I finally get another mechanic on the phone who is relaying messages to Carmine on possible things I should try to help diagnose the problem (didn’t I pay YOU $ 800 to do the diagnosis?). Finally had to give up.
I start searching online to see if others have experienced similar issues with the Mercedes 300CE. One minute online and I’ve learned this is common at my car’s age and is a result of the starter/​ignition wiring just being old. The starter rotates, so if the starter has a bad section, it will only be hard to start when that section is used (I feel like this is a fairly basic and reasonable thing to know if you’re a mechanic). So I’m already more knowledgeable than Carmine at this point.
Take my car to the dealership but to test and make sure they don’t try and sell me a whole bunch of additional work, I just tell them what I originally told Carmine: car is having trouble starting. Two hours (and a free loaner car) later, they call me and tell me the problem: bad starter/​ignition wiring (a portion of the starter was actually charred thy said. Not sure why Carmine didn’t notice that).
Moral of the story: avoid this place. They are your typical scam-​garage. They have little knowledge of anything mechanical and are «fluid top-​off» masters.

Carmen fixed a flat in my wife’s E class in 5 min «flat» the very first time I met him, and took great care of us when changing her summer tires for winter performance ones. Great shop, wondeful, honest people… we should all support businesses like this.

This place is amazing! They fixed the issue for free which VW asked for $ 1200!
First I want to share my terrible experience at VW of Watertown. My 2004 Touareg kept showing tire pressure warning on the dashboard after I replaced four of my tires. So I wondered there could be some problems with my tire sensors and probably, they might need to be reset to let my car relearn the pressure. Then I went to the notorious VW at Watertown and wanted to try my luck. Guess what? They told me that there was no way to reset the sensors and the only way I could get rid of this problem was to pay $ 1200 to replace four of them, and such conclusion came out just with a glimpse of my car.
So I took a visit to the European Car Doctor, even though I didn’t make an appointment, they told me very nicely that some of the customers had cancelled the appointments and asked me if I would like to wait a while. I agreed. After just 30 minutes, a staff told me that my car is ready and they have reset the sensors! The only thing I need to do was to drive my car about 50 minutes to let the sensors relearn the tire pressure!
Now my car is completely fine thanks to the European Car Doctor! You guys are fantastic !

My local mechanic cannot solve my problem which is some kind of noise coming from my wheels. I found European Car Doctors on Unilocal and asked them if I can have a diagnose. Although I don’t have an appointment, Carmine still came and checked my VW Beetle. Well, I can only say they are so professional and honest, they want to make sure you get home with a safe ride rather than making a big profit. Carmine is a funny person as well. Definitely the best experience I’ve ever had in a mechanic shop.

I am so, so sad. The reason I am so sad is because I recently crashed my Mercedes and bought a Toyota instead. That means I can no longer go to the European Car Doctor. This was my «go to» mechanic. You know how everyone has «a guy» who can fix cars? This is the guy! He is the most honest, reliable mechanic I have ever met. Ever.
One time I thought I needed a $ 1500 repair and he actually talked me out of it. I was prepared to pay him $ 1500 and he told me I didn’t need to do that and that it wasn’t a safety issue so I’d be fine. He said he didn’t want to see me spend money unnecessarily. I was shocked! I almost purposely bought a German car just so he could stay my mechanic, but I couldn’t afford it.
So, I am sad. Some day I hope he can be my mechanic again.

These guys are a rare find, a truly honest mechanic and his lovely daughter who runs the front of the shop. Carmine kept my A4 running smoothly to the very end before I traded it in, was always honest and straightforward with options and recommendations that undoubtedly saved me hundreds of dollars. You can call them for anything, ask for rush service, have them hold the car over the weekend, whatever. Treat them well and they’ll treat you better.
As an aside, Carmen once shared that he worked hard his whole life to make sure his kids could go to college and ‘do something else’. Yet both his son and daughter work with him. Perhaps they were drawn to an ability to make an honest living and be good people.

The receptionist refused work with me over the phone. My car is currently broken down and located at the Herb Chambers Saab dealership. It was diagnosed at Herb Chambers, so I know exactly what needs to be replaced. I asked for a quote of how much it would be to get this done at their shop but the receptionist couldn’t even figure out how to find the right part for my car so she couldn’t tell me how much they would charge me. I have called 4 other places that have been able to follow the situation and give a me a price for the part and a lower and upper range quote for the labor part of the process without a problem.

You know how when you ask your friend in Boston about any service place and they will say: «Oh! I know a guy!»
Well, now I know a guy! This shop is fantastic!
Very friendly person at the front desk, knowledgeable mechanics, and the business owner being the friendliest of all! I did not feel we were charged for or convinced to repair anything that was not crucial.

I was told by the BIG DEALER, you know the guy who owns 46 dealerships, that I had an oil leak in the upper pan and that the repair would be $ 2400. i almost fell for it.
Instead, Carmine saw two oil leaks on my E350 4Matic and fixed them both for ¹⁄₆ of that price TOTAL.
No fancy waiting room with a flatscreen tv. Just good honest workmanship by a guy who knows his german cars.

I was looking for a mechanic who deals with older european cars. I searched on Unilocal and found this little gem. I don’t know much about cars and have a tendency to get ripped off as I’m overly anxious that my tire will burst, my brakes will fail etc basically, that something will go wrong with my car when I’m driving it.
I needed to get it checked out before I drove up to Vermont (not a super long drive but I’m paranoid remember?) Carmen was everything I had ever hoped for in a mechanic and more. He was honest, explained everything to me and told me what needed to be fixed (nothing urgent just some maintenance work to keep the car in top shape after I got back).
It was a great experience and I only had to wait for half an hour! His per hour rate is $ 90 by the way so it is pretty average for a mechanic in the Boston area. His service however is anything but average. Take my word for it and go here if you have an older european car, he won’t rip you off and he will certainly fix your car’s problem in a timely manner. Like someone else mentioned, his daughter is very nice and their dog is even cuter. And if you are into classic cars, look out for a white 1956 Fiat in the parking lot (ECD is located in the back of the Beer works parking lot. There’s a grey door with a little sign on it that will lead you to the reception), Diana owns that charming little car and it looks like it just shipped out of Europe!