Wayside Auto Service

Was looking around for a full synthetic oil change in the area. Called this place, and Fuzzy answered the phone. I asked him what would it cost to change oil on a specific year, make and model vehicle. His reply was «I don’t do quotes over the phone»
Seriously? Do you expect people to waste their time driving around asking in person? Good luck to you and your customers.

Had a serious issue with our Honda a year or so ago. Brought the car to Wayside to have it looked at. It ended up that the amount of money to put in to the car was more than we wanted to at the time. The quote for what had to be done was more than reasonable, but the car was just not worth it. Yes, there was a fee for having the car looked at (because diagnosing the car is in fact work…) but it was very very reasonable. When we explained that we thought it was a little much to put into the car Fuzzy was very understanding. He was honest, polite and incredibly professional. On top of that it took us a while (longer than I will admit here) to pick up our car and bring it home. They were so accommodating. It was stressful enough trying to replace the car in a timely fashion and was nice to know we could wait on moving the car for a little bit. After getting the car home, with the help of the good diagnostics my husband was able to use the car as a little after-​work project. We have since used wayside for all our other concerns and will continue to do so. I have even started sending friends and family to wayside because they are professional and honest.

I had them paint and repair my rim scratches due hit curbs this week. Fuzzy gave me estimate upfront and said need 3-​day. Their price was the cheapest among other estimate I received. They took the wheel off and put my spare tire on it. After 3-​day, Fuzzy called me said need another 2 days due to it was difficult to match those hyper silver color and to dry it out. Eventually, they got it done on time. The color matched well enough and they put everything back together while I was waiting in their comfortable waiting room. They were friendly all the time and Fuzzy explained me all the reasons behind delay. The only minor thingy I noticed was that they put the slightly wet spare tire (it was a raining day) to the truck floor. It would be great if they could use clothes to take out water from the tire a bit but maybe I just asked too much. Overall, I felt very much satisfied.

I’ve been going to Wayside for 2.5 years now, and it is hands down, superb. Fuzzy and his crew are so fantastic that reading the few poor reviews makes me angry — and — as the other reviewer said, the low scorers don’t seem like the sharpest knives in the drawer.
At Wayside, they tell you exactly what you need fixed now, later, and why, and never make you feel bad if you don’t know about cars, but rather, explain everything patiently in a way you’ll understand. They never, ever pressure you. They simultaneously carry themselves with the utmost professionalism, while treating you like family. It’s rare to find a business like this.
I can’t say enough good things about Fuzzy and Wayside!

Not sure what is wrong with some of these reviewers… they don’t seem like the sharpest knives in the drawer, especially the one who thinks you can change oil for $ 26, you would have a hard time even finding conventional oil for that price, I’d be worried that «other» shop he mentioned was cutting corners at that price that guy should make sure he isn’t still running the old dirty filter, its a common tactic that most people never notice. That said, I’ve always had large vehicles that take a lot of oil, so perhaps this person had a very small engine, but it still would be tough to do oil + filter at cost for that little.
I just took my vehicle to Wayside to get some tires and wheels installed (I had to special order tires online because they were an uncommon size and type). They aren’t as cheap as NTB or other big box places, but they actually know what they are doing. The job turned out to be a little tougher than would have been expected because my lug nuts were messed up (and I hadn’t touched them in 3 years), but they went above and beyond what other shops would have done. I rarely ever take my vehicles to any mechanic and do as much as possible myself because I’ve gotten burned by poor service in the past but Wayside is very good. You get what you pay for.
UPDATE: I just examined my old lug nuts over the holiday weekend, and it looks to me like the shop in Shrewsbury (which I will not name) where I bought my vehicle a few years ago must have massively over-​torqued them when they put the wheels on and ruined nearly all of them. At the Land Rover dealer these bolts go for $ 49.99 each! (and you need 5 per wheel for an insane total of about $ 1000)… luckily, the OEM manufacturer also sells the same bolts separately (only difference being the logo on the packaging) and I got them for $ 5.99 each. This is why it is important to take your vehicle to a good shop that knows what they are doing. I could have had a flat tire and been stuck who knows where trying to use my factory tire iron to remove these things and I would have been up the creek without a paddle. I have no doubt that wayside would have looked up the correct torque specs and installed them correctly instead of destroying them all. Luckily the caps on the nuts gave way or else the idiots at the other stop might have ruined the hub bolts too, and I’m glad that wayside didn’t just pound them on and not mention anything about it!

Got a coupon for a free oil change in the mail (moving package). I told the owner that my car is leaking the oil. I have to add about a quarter per 1000 miles.
To my surprise, 1000 miles after the oil change, there is barely oil left in the engine. This makes me wonder how he performed the oil change. The report said that he topped all the liquid. Apparently not the engine oil (not the other liquid tanks, the levels are the same as they were). Good thing that I have an habit to check the oil level every 1000 miles.
Please do not surprise people with a free oil change coupon without doing the real job. Very disappointed!

We were so pleased to find Wayside auto when we moved to Westford. Finally we found a car mechanic that we could trust and one that would not do unnecessary work. Fuzzy (the owner) is great at troubleshooting tough problems. He is also very focused on safety. He thoroughly explains the problem and how he intends to fixing it. He always makes sure we get the most miles possible on the various components of the car. For my old car, he was able to find appropriate used parts to save me some money. The shop is run with the highest level of professionalism and courtesy. He even delivered my car to my house once when I was in a bind. He considers our cars his babies. What more could you ask for in a car mechanic?

Your rationale makes no sense. How can I go to a reputable place like alewife auto and only pay 26 dollars, and you charged me 60. I will tell you how– it is a rip off. I’m always disappointed when auto shops are unethical.

I’ve never been denied service at an establishment before, but there is always a first time for everything. This honestly may have been one of the strangest interactions I’ve ever had with a professional service.
Our Volkswagen recently was experiencing some issues and, after finding Wayside on Unilocal,we decided to take it there.
Admission #1 — We did this without an appointment in order to get into the office on time, but that was admittedly not a good way to start things.
My wife called in after they opened and asked them to take a look at the car and see what was wrong. The company was very courteous and agreed to help us out on short notice. She received an estimate back later that morning with a breakdown on charges and a diagnostic fee.
Admission #2 — I called the garage back to discuss the bill, and my initial thought is that it was high. I was not a jerk, but I was aggressive, because I didn’t know these guys and wanted to make sure I wasn’t getting ripped off.
The estimate/​bill conversation was interesting. Wayside was basically astonished that I was questioning their diagnostic rates, indicating that it was a mission critical part of their process, and that in 30 years of business it was very standard. I indicated that I had worked with several mechanics previously that did not charge diagnostics, or were lower, including my original dealership where I bought the car. This was met with another round of astonishment, saying it would be «off the planet» to have a rate that was much lower.
Admission #3 — Towards the end of the call, I asked if we were responsible for the diagnostic regardless of if we did the work there. Upon getting a yes to this question, I asked if the diagnostic rate (of approximately $ 100 per hour) was discussed with my wife ahead of time. He said no. I pushed back on this pretty hard, asking if he thought that we should have been notified of this in advance. This was not received well, but they admitted that they should have considered doing so.
We wrapped up the call, saying that I had to consult with my wife to see if we wanted to proceed with the repair because of the high amount.
A short time later, I got an e-​mail from my wife indicating that they did not want to work on our car, and we could pick it up at any time. I was very surprised by this, since it represented about $ 1000 worth of work, and our conversation hadn’t been that heated.
I called them back to discuss, and was basically told that they had started off on the wrong foot with people like this previously, and it never went well. They had a bad feeling about it, and we could come get the car at no charge.
I was pretty flabbergasted, since I felt the previous conversation wasn’t that bad. I said that I was not trying to rip them off, and that I would be happy to pay the diagnostic, even if they didn’t want the rest of the work. They declined. The conversation turned into a pretty open one which was hilarious, where the guy said I wasn’t that bad, and he was sure I was OK. He even admitted that I couldn’t have known about their amazing diagnostic capabilities ahead of time, which was obvious to me since we’ve never been there before.
Then it dawns on me, and I ask the question… «Are you saying that you don’t ever want me to bring another vehicle here ever again?» The answer, not verbatim, was yes. They thought we might not be happy based on how it started off, and despite a 20 minute conversation, the fact that I couldn’t see the value (immediately) in their services made them question my perception as a potential customer.
So yeah… despite being told that I was an ok guy and that I couldn’t have possibly known about their capabilities in advance, my business and my cars are not welcome at Wayside… ever again.
Even with this bizarre encounter, I am still giving them two stars, as they maintained a decent attitude throughout and insisted I not pay. But honestly… if you can’t make the customer cut at a place for asking some questions and pushing back on a first time estimate that is higher than any other garage you’ve worked with… come on.
P. S. We took the car to our usual mechanic, and they were 30% less. We were able to throw in another needed piece of work on the car for the same amount of money… no diagnostic fee!

Just a follow up review to let folks know that the quality at Fuzzy’s continues to be the highest around.
Have been using Wayside since my review in 2009, but had an experience this week that is typical of the great treatment you get with Fuzzy and his team. While driving back from a trip, my low tire sensor went off and sure enough my rear tire was under pressure. Although it was the end of the day, Fuzzy took my truck in and within 20 minutes had me back on the road. Even though he was slammed with work already he still found time to get me done that day when many other places would have asked me to come in the next day.
So, can’t say enough good about Fuzzy and his team.

I’ve been a Wayside customer for many years. Fuzzy and his team have always performed excellent work on my cars (foreign and domestic) and I’ve never had to bring a car back for rework. Fuzzy has also given me good advice when I’ve been shopping for a new or used car. I have a high level of confidence and trust in this shop.

I came here to get an oil change and my brakes looked at. Fuzzy, the owner, is the nicest most down to earth guy ever. He just wants to help, and goes to every length to do so. He told me I was going to need new rear brakes, and actually took me to my car to show me why, and brought me inside to show me a computer screen with an animation of how the brakes worked. It helped me understand the braking system better, and now I know why maintenence is key.
Additionally, I wanted to get some body work done, but they don’t do this here. He recommended another shop to me and told me he would even drive it over there for me if I didn’t have the time to get over there. Now that’s service!
On top of the work they did, they did it within the timeframe we talked about, and also vaccuumed in front of the driver and front passenger seats. Drove away feeling pretty good about the whole transaction! I’ll definitely be back.