D’ambra’s Service Station

Excellent customer service, clear communication, and fair pricing. An excellent recommendation from a coworker brought me here, and the quality of work will keep me coming back!

Very pleased with my appointment this morning. I made an 8 am appointment last week to drop off my car for a state vehicle inspection. Got there right at 8 am and was promptly greeted. The gentleman took my keys, registration and phone number and told me he would call me when it was done.
After reading previous reviews, I was worried about the length of time it would take to get a call. I decided that if I hadn’t heard anything after a couple of hours at the local coffee shop, I would über home to get chores down around the house. Well after only an hour and 10 minutes (!!), I received a call that my car was ready to go. The man was courteous and prompt with my payment, and I was on my way. I will definitely be back! Thank you!

This service station is absolutely terrible. Went here to get my truck inspected because it’s nearby, to start with the person I spoke to on the phone asked me to drop it off at 8AM. I called at 1 and the person who answered rudely let me know that no one has even looked at it yet. Went in at 3:30 and the mechanic at the desk slammed my keys on the counter, did not inform me of what my truck failed for even after asking, and then charged me $ 55.00. The service here is awful and I would not recommend doing any business with these people.

No negative experience here. I have gone to this place for Rhode Island vehicle inspection, and to inflate my tires. Tire inflation is free and self-​service. They were friendly, and on time for appointments. I also asked additional auto services like detailing which they did not have, but they kindly provided a recommendation and directions to the location.

Brought my car in today to triage an oil leak. Shop did a great job of letting me know exactly what needs to be done. Unfortunately they do not do the service I needed. Bummer as I immediately trusted their opinion. As a bonus they did not charge for the assessment. I will definitely be taking my car there again. thank you.

Great place — the owner is very friendly and seems like an honest guy

I have one criticism (read below) but otherwise I highly recommend this mechanic for auto maintenance, repairs and inspections; very friendly owner and reasonable rates (when quoted properly!).
I regularly take our cars here, but A WORD OF CAUTION:
When a «total» is quoted over the phone, BE SURE to check that it includes costs and labor for EVERYTHING to be performed, not just an item you may have been talking about separately on a follow-​up «call-​back». D’Ambras runs a very honest shop, but they need to be aware that when a customer hears the word «total» that means TOTAL. Period.
(With respect, this was a miscommunication on _​their_​part, not a misunderstanding on _​my_​part, as it was characterized. I think most people listen pretty carefully when a mechanic calls! A forgivable error – but at least do me the courtesy of admitting that you may have given me an incorrect figure, let alone an incomplete «total».)
I do my best to support local businesses, but sometimes the devil is in the details and an omission like this makes for a nasty surprise…3 days before Christmas. Ouch.

I took my 2000 Lexus LS400 to have the transmission fluid replaced; a few weeks later I realized that my transmission pan was leaking on the driveway because the gasket had been reused.
Service is friendly, courteous and timely. My guess is that next time I will bring my own parts and have them work with them.
Location-​wise it cannot be beat, probably Swedish Motors is the closest alternative. Great if you live in College Hill and you need to have your car serviced.

Would not recommend taking your car to this place. It’s conveniently located which is the only reason I went back there a second time. Both times I’ve taken my car to them, I’ve found them to be nice but very unreliable. They’ll take down your phone number and say they’ll give you a call to let you know what’s up before the day’s up and never do. Ok fine, I’ll just call them, no problem. Then they say car will be done and ready for pickup by X on day Y. ⁰⁄₂ on this regard also. There are the main things I can concretely say things about. There are more criticisms I have, perhaps speculative and circumstantial, but I’ll leave be for now.

D’Ambra’s is a truly great place. My wife and I have been coming here for over forty years, since a time when the father of the present owner was in charge. Never in all that time have we been disappointed. The prices are reasonable and fair, and the service unfailingly smart, congenial and accommodating. The integrity and honesty of the operation is especially important since we are not savvy about automobiles and totally rely on D’Ambra’s. Many the time we have thought something «had to be done» when the folks at D’Ambra’s have told us the operation was unnecessary or could wait. Other times they have anticipated major problems we were completely unaware of. Friends’ accounts oft how they’ve been «taken» at other service stations remind us how fortunate we are. We recommend this business continuously to friends (who have always been grateful.) without reservation and in the highest terms.

Great service station, with great staff that are always friendly and willing to answer all your questions. As I also live on the East Side, this service station is conveniently located for me. It really feels like a neighborhood business since the owner and his son work there every day.
Oil changes are $ 35, which I thought was a bit pricey, especially since you can get them for $ 20 elsewhere in Providence. However, the service can’t be beat. I left my car there for a few hours for them to change my wiper blades, top my engine fluids off, and lubricate my locks, and they only charged me a basic price for the windshield wipers. I would definitely go back again and again.