Shell Gas Station

This place used to be excellent. Now, under different management it’s just crooked.
Went here for an NYS Inspection sticker, as I’ve done for three years. I knew this would be a mistake after seeing it was under new management. Thought I’d give them a chance. The ‘technician’ assigned to do my car started looking over to where I was seated in a shifty manner, then I saw him lift the hood and check my dipstick for oil! He then had a rather shifty looking conversation with the manager in Arabic, after which the manager came over to me with a ‘fail’ sheet, wrote $ 300.00 on the sheet and said my car had failed for ‘metal on metal’ brake failure.
When I questioned this, as my car had been making no noise, and moreover no warning display had been activated, he started shouting in an attempt to overwhelm me. Then when I announced that I did not want the work done there, but would take it to my usual mechanic to do, he started doing the ‘nice guy doing me a favor’ act. «Look, you have work done here, I look after you, OK?»
When I took it to another shop for a follow up inspection within 30 mins, they passed my car with flying colors, and advised me that the breaks were 100% fine. Also, they advised that an NYS inspection station can not fail a car for failing brakes, only emissions and overall safety. They can only advise if a car has poor brakes.
These guys are slippery. They are scamming people. Avoid.

Took my friend’s 7 year old BMW, very low mileage, in for NY State Inspection. The mechanic/​inspector said the car will not pass inspection and that it needed new brakes, pads & discs.
Had a very bad feeling, did not trust this place and I was being taken advantage of… $ 1,200 later the car passes inspection. So I ask to keep the «old» brake pads and discs (which looked new & shiny to me).
My friend takes the car and «old» brakes to his car dealer who stated that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the brakes at all. After an angry phone call, the garage agrees to refund my friend and put back his old brakes. I notice the old brakes were now rusty and squeaking. The garage did a poor job. Now they claim to be under «new management» and fired the guy who did the inspection. Customers should just beware. Clearly a dishonest operation with regards to state inspection and shoddy, careless job with re-​installing the brakes.

Called «Ed» at 3:45 to say I needed my tire patched. He said they close at 4. I got there at 4:02 and was greeted with a smile as he told me they waited for me. By 4:19 I was driving away with my tire was patched. They were gracious, did a good job and all for $ 15.
Happy to tell my friends that this is a convenient and price effective place to go to get your flat fixed.

We went to this Shell service station because it is close to our garage. We suspected that we were going to need a lot of work as the car hadn’t been tuned up in a long time. The staff here did a thorough inspection and our suspicions were correct — we needed A LOT of work. The owner came over and showed us all of the things that needed repair — you could actually see the problems. He is extremely transparent which is an important quality in a trustworthy mechanic. He and his staff patiently explained everything and answered all of our questions. The owner even took the time to double check one suggested repair and it turns out we didn’t need it — that saved us a lot of money which made me trust him even more! In sum, I would highly recommend this garage for all of your service needs. My trust is hard to earn, and this shop now has it.

I think everyone knows finding a mechanic without referrals is a scary and painful process, which often times leads to an expensive, frustrating, and even more painful experience. I came to this shop because it was very close to where I lived and also I had limitations with my availability on taking and picking up the car. Bought this car and instantly needed tons of work (I was SO careful about buying and it still happened-​but hey that is the down side to buying a used car, you just never know). Anyways:
I went to MIDAS to have the courtesy check done and see what my car needed, especially since I would be driving to and from Connecticut. They said I absolutely needed new brake rotors and pads. Quoted me at 319.99 for the labor AND 319.99 for the parts. They also said that my power steering pressure hose was leaking, which may be leading to the steering making the annoying squeak it had been making. If that did not solve the problem, I would need a pump. Total estimate 1200 bucks. Some second, third and fourth opinions and looks later, I needed to replace the brakes like they said, pressure hose, and the squeak was actually me needing new ball joints… lordt.
I did some research at convenient locations in Harlem and Brooklyn. This place ended up giving me the best prices. I bought my rotors and pads at advance auto parts for about 120 4 rotors and 8 pads (if you buy online and pickup you get 30% off, 40 bucks off, etc. I HIGHLY recommend and you get a warranty on the parts). They did the labor on the pressure hose (apparently that job is a pain) and changed all of my rotors and pads for 325. Other places were charging 600 or so, one other place in Brooklyn also gave the 325 quote, and a friend of a friend was charging 230 (just so you have comparable on a friend discount vs a shop) but he was all the way in Jersey (tolls, time, travel, the annoyance was not worth it in this case when I needed it immediately). The ball joints was a whole other ordeal. I could not find the parts to buy on my own, so I had to go with their parts, they charged me 270 for the control arms and ball joints (if I had purchased on my own would have gotten them for about 140 after the 30%) and 200 on the labor.
I like to give prices, I wish others did on their auto reviews. This helps you compare what you are getting. The good thing about this place is if you buy the parts and labor from them, you get a one year or 12k warranty on both the parts and labor. If you buy the parts on your own, you get replacements on the parts from whoever you bought it from, but not labor. So there are some pros and cons to the money you save there.
This place is fair in price, especially when you do your research and call around. They also work very quickly and ask you when you need your car, and deliver on that timeline. They stick to their estimates, and will call you if there is any issue. Decent customer service, they are not rude or jerky. Know your stuff and numbers if possible. I would go here again. This is why I give them 4 stars.

I took my SUV here for a check up. I was told I needed new shocks, a new battery and a new air filter. Sounded a little fishy to me, so I brought it in for a second opinion.
I did NOT need new shocks. I did NOT need a new battery. And I let the second place replace my air filter.
Nice try.

I just had a wonderfully easy experience getting my tires replaced. We drove up to NYC, hit two consecutive potholes and blew out the right front tire and damaged the rim of the back right tire. Slowly inched here on a doughnut and these guys took care of me right away, on a Sunday! They fixed the rims and gave me a used tire. There was also a pool of water in the trunk of my car. The technician identified the hole where water was seeping through, plugged the hole and made a small one in the bottom of the trunk so water can drain out. The process was painless and easy. It was one of the best customer service experiences I’ve had in a long time. Socrates was friendly and professional. I’d highly recommend them.