Shorty & Fred’s Garage

i was happy with the service

After being told to bring the car by at a certain time which we cleared our schedules for, once we got there they said they didn’t have time to look at and would charge us $ 79 just to look at it once they had the time by the forman «Jorge» who was extremely rude. If they were so busy, why tell us to come? And $ 79 just to look at it? Stop ripping locals off!

I had terrible experience with Pep Boys and took my car to Shorty & Fred’s. They gave me a second opinion and have been very helpful.
They have been in business for many years, honest and reliable.
I will n ever use another mechanic.

Shorty & Fred misdiagnosed the problem with the car and repaired the wrong problem (expensively). Then after they realized the first repair wasn’t necessary, they figured out the correct fix but still charged us for the first unnecessary and expensive repair. To top it off, they overcharged to fix the actual problem with the car. These guys are good alright, good at getting your money.

Had a bad rattle in the front end so took my car to Firestone on Alton and they wanted $ 1350 to do shocks, struts, balancing and alignment, etc. At that price had to get a second opinion so took it to Shorty & Fred’s and was told that I could wait until the tires wore out before I put a new strut assembly in it and Nelson gave a good explanation for the background of the problem as well as a rough timetable and sequence about what to expect re: future needs. Total cost: $ 0.00. S & F doesn’t work on commission where Firestone does. If S & F’s diagnosis rings true through the next ten thousand miles you won’t hear back from me but if it doesn’t I’ll give a follow up explanation. I’m glad I got a second opinion and I trust S & F much more now than Harvey Firestone across the street. Hold onto your wallet at Harvey’s.

Great & reliable! And they tell the truth, And dont upsell you on other things to do the the car. I would definitely recommend them!

Rang in the morning to book a date, They said i could bring it it now. Within an hour and a half i had it back, Everything done. Very Friendly, And super cheap!

If you live in Miami Beach, Brickell, Downtown, or Edgewater, there really is no other place you should bring your car. George is a rarity of a mechanic: knowledgeable, fair, honest, funny, honest, nice, patient, kind, and did I mention honest? He’s given me diagnostics, recommendations, spot-​on assessments, money-​saving tips, excellent work, and attention to detail/​information about my vehicle that I haven’t received in a very long time. I only regret that I took so long to find this shop. Don’t make my mistake. Miami is a driving city. You will need a mechanic. You will want to make Shorty & Fred’s your shop.
You will.

I have an antique car, and the whole time I have owned it it has needed constant maintenance. It has been to about 6 mechanics in the last year from pinecrest to west palm beach. It was a nightmare.
Turns out the best garage was 6 blocks from my house when they fix something, it actually stays fixed.
So today something amazing happened there. The brakes were squealing so I took it in and informed them that it needed new brake pads. 40 minutes later they called me to tell me it didn’t need new brakes, they just needed to be adjusted. Yes, a mechanic told me LESS was wrong.

I will drive from Kendall to Miami Beach just to use them. I have been going there for years and on occasion, when I thought that I had an expensive repair needed, they have told me… oh no, just a small adjustment, here or there… great guys. I will never take my car anywhere else.

We took our Volvo to shorty & Fred’s for the first time today. I’ve never walked away from an auto repair shop looking forward to my next oil change. They’re very trustworthy, helpful and a delight to visit with. I plan to take my car back, and I think that recommendation speaks for itself

I wish I could give this guys no star. They quote me $ 800 for a radiator. before this I did an oil change and they didn’t even remove the filter, I had it marked to see if they replace it, and sure enough, they didn’t.

They are always very honest and helpful. They never try to sell me things I don’t need and their prices are very fair. WIll continue to come back.

great shop… i have a 61 corvair and they are always helpful and get me in whenever i have problems. would not take my car anywhere else…

Let me just say this: $ 60 to change a headlight– not including the cost of the bulb!
If that is not enough, just 10 days prior I took my car in for a simple oil change. When they called me with the estimate (and called me sweetheart, which I don’t really mind, but seems a bit patronizing) they told me I needed a new air filter and to have my driving shaft cleaned. As I have been going to S and F since I moved to Miami and I felt they were pretty fair (over $ 4K in work in the last year… it’s an old Volvo), I agreed to the $ 140 work to be done. After I picked up my car, I reviewed the invoice to find the same service had just been done 4 months and 4K miles prior! When I called and asked about it, he said that the work was warrantied for a year and would refund me; that someone should have checked my file before charging me for it. He refunded my money so I forgave the oversight. 10 days later I ask them to change a headlight on another car I took in for an oil change– $ 60 labor charge without calling me; something they do for free at autozone. You would have thought they would be on good behavior the second time… not so much.
Needless to say– I won’t be back. Furious!

My horn started honking on its own, after 5 minutes of getting murderous looks from South Beach drivers, I took it to Shorty’s on a friends recommendation. Best decision I made that day. George was honest and upfront from the get go. This place is my go to place for car repairs from here on out.

I bought a used car so I expected to need to find a reliable mechanic, I took on this undertaking like most new parents searching for a pedeatrician.
Thankfully I found Shorty and Fred, almost. Shorty and Fred’s is really George for me!
George is always there when something goes wrong, he walks me through the issues and I never feel like something is being done to my car that isn’t necessary.
All the other guys here are really friendly and professional, they all come in and help when someone is working. I just really like this place!
I am happy with all the work they’ve done and I feel this is a shop like I imagine my grandfather would have gone to.
If your car is acting up, have no fear, Shorty and Fred’s is here!

Shorty and Fred’s is great! I feel like they are probably not the cheapest, but they are fast, reliable and conveniently located. They will also not rip you off. When my 1996 Subaru needed a brake job last year, they honestly told me that it was not worth it to fix. They could easily have let me spend the $ 3k, but they didn’t.
Dinging them one star because they are not open on weekends.

My brother took his 2007 mustang in with a belt and balancer problem. The repair seemed straightforward, but a couple days after getting the car back, the check engine light came on.
I took the car back, and George (one of the guys in the shop) gave it to me straight. «It’s $ 69.99 to run the diagnostic test, but if the problem is at all related to the repairs we did, I’m not charging you.»
Fair enough. Then, George stepped it up and made me want to write a good review.
The diagnostic test read something about piston misfires, and right before he shook my hand, he said, «I’m still not gonna charge you. I’m gonna turn the check engine light off, and if it comes back on, bring it in and we’ll talk.»
Good guys. Probably why they’ve been in business so long.

Okay, so I am the daughter of a mechanic and I always feel like I am getting screwed by any other mechanic than my dad but… he lives in S. Carolina so I am forced to visit car places here for service.
I have to say that Shorty & Fred’s offers honest, up-​front and quality service.
The guys that run the place are cool and their mechanics are professional.
I recommend this place — only affordable place in South Beach for service.