Car Zone

Absolutely amazing. Incredibly fair, speedy, and I loved chatting with Murph. A+!!!

Absolutely fantastic service. No wonder they have so many 5-​star ratings — I tried them once, yesterday, and will never go anywhere else.

Murph always comes through in the clutch.
Whether it be bailing my wife out when I was out of town and she broke down on Storrow, helping make sure our car was correctly inspected when a state inspection site suggested we needed thousands of $$ in unnecessary repairs, or taking my son across the street from the old location to buy him a snack, Murph and his team stand alone as it relates to service.
I am very thankful we found Murph, and would recommend anyone go there, no matter how far away you may live. Murph has kept our car running, safe and saved us thousands of dollars.

Scenario 1: My 2009 Subaru starts to make a horrid rattling noise that audibly increases by the day. I realize I should probably address this issue when I find myself slinking lower in my seat at traffic lights and avoiding the stares of the drivers around me. Enter Car Zone. Murph takes my car in, inspects the general area where the noise is coming from and tells me to come over. He points to the location of the rattling, explains what it is, what that part is for and says it’s a problem inherent in Subarus. The noise doesn’t affect the performance of the vehicle but if I wanted to get it fixed, I could either take it to the dealer to do so (and it would be costly), or I could have someone i.e. my boyfriend fix it himself because Car Zone didn’t have the right parts. He brings out the props. He gesticulates to my boyfriend. Boyfriend nods after a few minutes of explanation. Murph sends us on our way. 1 week later, my boyfriend has successfully DIY-​fixed the source of the rattle.
Scenario 2: We are on our way up to Maine when the check engine light comes on. Panicking, we call Murph and drive 45 mph on the highway to Car Zone ignoring the people cursing us from behind. What’s the issue? Loose gas cap. Murph screws it back on and sends us on our way.
Scenario 3: Brake light comes on. I’ve also been told by Valvoline that my car battery is low. Murph finds that my car has low brake fluid (which Valvoline should have checked/​refilled) and he tops it off. He says the kind folks at Valvoline are kindly trying to rip me off, there’s nothing wrong with my battery. Sends us on our way.
Scenario 4: Check engine light comes on. Again. I tighten the gas cap, which doesn’t do it. Murph tightens the gas cap and the check engine light yields to his power. «Happy holidays. I hope I don’t see you for a long time,» says Murph, and sends me on my way.
Did I mention that he never asked for a penny for these services?
I’ve been to my fair share of sleazy, dishonest mechanics and I cannot emphasize enough how amazing it is to finally FINALLY find a car mechanic that’s patient, friendly, and above all, honest to its customers. Murph and his team at Car Zone gets 5 star ratings from almost 200 reviews for good reason. As long as Murph is around (and I hope/​pray that he will stay in the Boston area forever), I refuse to get my car serviced anywhere else.

With or without an appointment, they usually get me in & out in under 20 minutes. Came in for an oil change and they also filled my tires, checked/​topped off all the fluids in my car, and also got some advice on my next set of tires. I’ve also been here previously for pre-​purchase inspections (just showed up with the car’s owner with no appointment) and they did a thorough inspection of the vehicle (s) and have saved me more than once from buying a ticking time bomb.
Murph & crew are the best. Good, fast, and cheap (who said you can’t get all three?). At a minimum, they don’t try to rip you off like the average shop in Boston.

Murph knows his stuff and has friendly accommodating staff. He will tell you exactly what needs fixed, what can wait and what might be something to keep an eye on in the future. They do a good job showing where/​why things need to be repaired and are conscientious of your finances and your safety. Honest, thorough and fair. What more could you want?

I can’t recommend Murph at Car Zone highly enough.
I have taken my vehicle here twice now for repairs. They are the best mechanic that I have ever worked with. Due to convenience (practically next door to my apartment) I took my car to another shop for an inspection, and my car failed the «front end check.» Knowing that this place had dubious reviews at best, I took my car to Murph for repair. He personally showed me what the problem was on my car, had the repair done in less than 24 hrs for a very reasonable price, and even took my car for a test drive to the place where I had the inspection performed to get the inspection sticker replaced. The mechanic tried to pull some shady shit about «Well the brakes look kind of low» to try and still fail my vehicle, but Murph advocated for me and showed that during inspection my brakes were fine (and still are). I have no doubt that if I had gone there myself, they would have refused the inspection sticker in an effort to scrape some more money out of me. The disparity in customer service and integrity between these two shops is shocking.
If you live in the Boston area, absolutely consider Murph at Car Zone in Somerville for any mechanical service that you need. You will not be disappointed. There’s a reason why he has nearly 200 Unilocal reviews with 5 stars!

I came to Car Zone first for a pre-​purchase car inspection w/​o an appointment. Murph accommodated me since I was in a time crunch and did a thorough inspection explaining to me problems about the car. Anyone can say what’s wrong with a car but he later drove the car and proved to me the problems he pointed out. Thanks to him, I learned what to look for and avoided a costly purchase! I didn’t have him inspect my car before my purchase (due to location) but I brought my car for service and trust his service.
I forgot to add, he spent 20 – 30 minutes for the inspection and didn’t charge me! I would have gladly paid for his time.

I never write reviews, good or bad, mostly out of
sheer laziness. But Murph and the guys at Car Zone really deserve it. They are consistently friendly, honest, and even generous. They always SHOW you what’s wrong with the car rather than just tell you. Every time I have had a leaky tire they were honest about when it could and could not be patched. When they have just patched it, they did so quickly and NEVER charged me. I have also taken my car there for more «serious» repairs. Their prices are fair and they have never tried to convince me that something needed repair that didn’t…unlike many other places (ahem, old Mobil station on Fresh Pond). I highly recommend you make Murph and his team your go-​to mechanic.

I am long overdue in writing this review. I took my car here for all my repairs and maintenance during the 9 years I lived in Cambridge/​Somerville, with just a brief stint at Alewife Automotive when I moved to a place a bit farther away from Murph’s. You will love working with Murph because he is a good honest soul and car expert, as are his staff. For repairs he uses only brand new parts, the pricing is reasonable and the service quick. Once when I was in grad school and was super swamped with work I took my car in for an oil change and Murph noticed my inspection was due and had it taken care of for me by the time I got my car back. You won’t regret getting to know him and giving him your business. I only wish Murph had a Car Zone out here on the west coast.

Having just driven my car across the country from California, suffice it to say it needed an oil change and a full «look over» to make sure it was in good shape. I did some research and was happy to find such a highly rated (and local) mechanic right near me. I called and the folks over at Car Zone said I could bring my car right over. I’ve had bad experiences with mechanics in the past (one mechanic not installing brakes properly will make you skeptical of all mechanics lol) but the employees at Car Zone were very kind and patient with me and reassured me that they would change the oil and double check my brakes (and everything in between). They even suggested that my Fiancé and I walk over to a nearby chocolate factory while we waited for the car to be serviced (also a great place btw!). I love when local businesses support each other like that.
After going to the chocolate factory, we made our way back to Car Zone and my car was already taken care of. The price for the oil change was very reasonable and the mechanics answered all of my questions.
Fast forward to a week ago, I go to start my car and it’s not turning over. I had someone come give me a jump but it was hard to start (didn’t seem like a battery issue). Since it was a Friday before the long weekend, I really wanted to have the car looked at to make sure everything was okay so it wouldn’t break down somewhere and have to wait until Tuesday. I took it over to Car Zone around 5pm, feeling bad because they close at 5:30pm. A manager talked to me about the issue and found a mechanic to come out to the parking lot and test everything out. The mechanic tested the battery and alternator finding no issues but ran a scan and found one of my sensors had gone awry (causing the car not to start and the check engine light to come on). He simply cleared the code and voila! No check engine light! To top it off, they didn’t charge me for any of this! What a relief!
My car is still having some issues starting, so I will definitely be back in to Car Zone for any repair that needs. Thanks guys!

This place kicks ass. I had some rattling in my Matrix, brought it over short notice and they fixed it no charge. It was a detached heat shield. Nice guys, fast and professional.

I just got my 2000 Subaru repaired here and they were excellent. Much of the exhaust system needed replacement. They showed me exactly what was needed and were able to do the work the next business day.

They do not cheat.
I did my car maintenance in another place, which told me that my suspension needs to change immediately. They already changed my tyres for around 1000 around 3 months ago. So this time I feel suspicious. My car is Toyota, and only runs for 46,000 miles. Why everything needs to change.
Then I found Car Zone. They did examination and told me, «Your car is all good. Nothing needs to change.»
What can I say? They are not tempted by making quick money, but I will trust them for my future go-​to place.

First time owning a car, I went here due to the great reviews. I bought in an old volvo to for some tail lights, fog lights assembly as well as some brake fluid. Since they normally don’t service volvos, I was told that I had to go and get the parts myself but in the meantime, they topped of my brake fluid for me which was great.
I call back a month later to schedule an appointment to put on the fog light and they stated that they don’t do detailing. The owner stated that some of the people work there will promise these things but we don’t actually do them. So now i’m stuck finding another shop that will on for me. I’m glad to have called instead of actually driving my car in and getting turned down then.

***ADDRESS CORRECTION***
486 Columbia St
Somerville, MA
Every now and then you meet someone who restores faith in humanity again, Murph is one of these people
I had an oil change done a month ago but my car has a record of leaking transmission oil so I went to Murph for an oil change. His team spent 30 – 45 minutes:
–Cleaning out the rust from the metal pipe
–Refilling it with transmission oil
–Tightening my steering wheel
Murph himself assured me that nothing was leaking by showing me the mechanics of the car.
He said a car is only supposed to get a oil change every 30,000 miles so he did it all free of charge. You really can’t find a mechanic more honest than Murph.

Murf and his team are great.
Since I work nearby, I brought my mom’s car in for an oil change and it was done in no time. The oil usually gets changed at the dealership but they make you wait for hours and I’m not waiting that long ever again.
Murf told me that he doesn’t usually read the reviews but I asked him to please read mine.
He is super friendly, honest and will help you with any type of car needs.
Other notes:
–Accepts cc
–Quick service
–Damn near everyone from my high school brings their car here. People I haven’t seen in years that swear by Murf.
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Update 8÷11÷2015: I now bring all of my family cars here due to dishonest work being done at Mass Ave Gulf aka Junior’s (see review).

I found Car Zone through Unilocal,and I echo the other reviews here. I took my car in for an oil change, without calling ahead for an appointment first. They still got my car back to me in under an hour. Very reasonable pricing, friendly pleasant service. Murph even gave me directions to get back to Back Bay, so as to avoid the terrible Mass Ave traffic. A shining example of a well-​run, ethical small business.
Bonus: Clover is just around the corner from the shop, and is a nice place for a cup of coffee and a snack while you wait!

Car Zone has changed locations (moved a few blocks) and it seems the reviews did not carry forward so I am writing a second review. Car Zone/​Murph and his fellow mechanics are well worth writing about for a second time. Worthy of note: there were a total of 156 reviews and a 5 STAR average!
I have only had good experiences with this place. I have been taking my car there for over 2 years and I will never go to another mechanic. Murph is kind (he really cares about his customers) and straightforward. He runs his business in a professional manner and you can count on him for honest answers, reasonable prices, and high quality auto mechanic work.

I thought there were more reviews for car zone
When I looked on Unilocal a couple of years ago I swear there were dozens, all glowing. We’ve gone to car zone and have been very happy. We trust Murph and everything that got fixed on our car stayed fixed. Car zone has moved a few blocks but worth looking for.