Union Gulf

This family owned place has been my go to spot for about 5 years.
Honest, good guys who do quality work.
And that kind of thing seems to be getting harder to find.

Just got an inspection here so nothing major. We will definitely use this place in future. I really liked the mechanic. He was relaxed, straight talking and nice.

This is a nice, family run service station. The gas prices are competitive, if a little high — but that’s nothing new for full serv. I took my car to get inspected and they had it back to me in under ten minutes. After I got into a fender bender, I asked one of the mechanics if he could take a quick look and see if there was any serious action I needed to take, and he took a look at it, banged out a good portion of the dent with his bare hands, and said it was just cosmetic. Honest, fair and knowledgeable mechanics. Highly recommended especially if you are looking to get your car inspected in a reasonable amount of time.

I’ve been going here for over ten yeas and I can confirm they do honest and fast quality work for a reasonable price. Union gulf is a long time running local family owned business that is run by two outstanding mechanics. I can’t say enough good things about this place.

I trust these guys!
I forget their names, but they are solid, upstanding mechanics. They’ve never misdiagnosed and they don’t try to get me to buy stuff that I don’t need.
Hubs and I know absolutely zero about car maintenance, so when a mechanic tells us there’s a problem, we don’t have much recourse but to shell out. Well, here I’ve never paid for crap that I wish I hadn’t. And believe me, I know what it’s like to be duped.
This is our «go to» car inspection and maintenance shop.

I dropped by the station at 8:30am on a Tuesday to get my car inspected. There was no wait. The person completed the inspection in 10 minutes and the price was very reasonable. I was impressed.

Family owned SERVICE – remember that? – service station. Good people doing good work. I recommend this shop to any friends who need work done on their vehicles, and I always hear good things from them. Of course I always take my own business there too! I would give them five stars, but the gas tends to be a bit pricey.

I just moved from MA and needed to get my car inspection taken care of. I highly value my time and the person working there wasted so much of my time, that I really need to find a new place for inspections. Not being able to leave my car and come back means my time is wasted — I would highly discourage anybody from coming here.

A year later, I still use these guys for any car concern I can’t fix myself, and they’re still awesome! They’ve even stayed open late on a Saturday for me. We take our car here, they fix what needs to be fixed, and nothing else — no BS (I know enough about cars to know what’s wrong, so I know these guys don’t jerk you around). Honest mechanics!

I called 5 minutes before closing on a Saturday, in need of an inspection that day – hearing my desperation the guy on the phone said they would stay open for me. Wow!
When I arrived he was courteous and efficient, and I even got a smile out of him when I was effusively thankful upon leaving. I am impressed with the customer service and will return for all future issues that my mechanic father can’t address.

This review is mainly for my State inspection. I came here and was in and out in less than 10 minutes. The guys hands were really dirty, so he had me operate the lights, brakes, etc, so my car would have nasty oil fingerprints all over. Really nice of him!

I brought my car here last fall for the first time after I realized something was in my heater. I thought this something might be a twig or a leaf, and it turned out to be a DEAD RAT. Needless to say, Greg and Jim took care of this difficult and disgusting business without any complaints, and my husband and I are now loyal customers.

Can I just say: wow. The brakes were grabbing on my Toyota Echo, so I brought it to Union Gulf on a friend’s recommendation (and also after reading reviews here), but I was still skeptical – chalk that up to too much Click-​n-​Clack and good olé’ Boston cynicism. Luckily, I was proved wrong. I came late-​ish on a Friday afternoon, never expecting to get an appointment. Greg took me right away and called just a little while later to say that the brakes were just a bit rusty and still had some life left in ‘em – i.e., I could just walk away and do nothing. But I wanted peace of mind and smoother stops, so I left the car there, and not even 24 hours later it was done! Brakes were as smooth as a knife cutting through warm butter. The price wasn’t super-​low, but not super-​high, either – and exactly as quoted beforehand. So I’ve found my place. Happiness.

Greg and Jim (brothers) are honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and talented.
I have a Mini Cooper S Convertible that I took into Herb Chambers Boston for a touch-​up paint quote, and 2 minor aesthetic fixes (adjusting a rubber gasket at the convertible top and re-​affixing a plastic trim piece on the interior). The Herb Chambers service dept. took the liberty of inspecting my car, without my asking, and in-​turn informed me that I needed my breaks + rotors changed ($ 1,350…despite my just having them changed by Jim and Greg 9 months prior), a new water pump ($ 1,200), and 2 other fixes. To be fair, the service manager – Mark – who I have a good relationship with was out of town. The guy covering for him – Darren – was advising me of these service repairs.
I did not implement any of Herb Chambers’ advised service repairs. I instead took my car to Jim and Greg at Gulf, who proceeded to tell me that my car was in great shape… the breaks were only 20−30% worn, the water pump may have leaked 1 oz. in the past year at most, and everything else looks great. They did not charge me for the consultation.
When I need service on my vehicle in the future, Jim and Greg at Gulf will be my #1 choice. I highly recommend them.

I love this garage!
Greg, the owner is the salt of the earth. Honest and fair. His brother is the mechanical wiz underneath your hood in the garage.
I always get my inspection done here. Its never an ordeal as it has been elsewhere.

Brought my car here today because it was the closest station to my friend’s house — I had an almost-​flat tire, and wasn’t sure if it was totally punctured and needed to be replaced, or just filled with air.
After admitting to the guy I knew nothing about cars, I asked if he had any idea what kind of repair my tire needed. He said they would put it up on their lift and look right then… I was impressed they were willing to look at it so quickly, even when they had other customers and cars to work on.
I was nervous how much this would cost since I never got a price estimate, but it ended up being $ 20. The guys who worked there were super nice and friendly and seemed very honest, and I was in-​and-​out in 10 mins.

These guys get five stars from me due to their honest, no nonsense approach and reasonable rates which is refreshing for any mechanics in Boston and the burbs.
Don’t expect a lavish shining premises, just a couple of honest guys who wont try to rip you off, do the work they say within the time they tell you without any hassle.
I’ve been using them for the last 4 years now and from the time I dropped my car in to get a new timing belt (they called me back and said ‘hey this has a timing chain so we just changed your oil’) through to the time I dropped it in for the brakes to be done (they called and explained the brakes had lots of wear left unless I really really wanted them done) they have always been respectful and brutally honest.
All in all, good guys and highly recommended.

I had been here before for an inspection and it was quick and painless.
Today I dropped my car off in the morning because it had been having trouble starting and also shut off when I idled. I left the car there and called back in a couple hours and it was all fixed. I was a little concerned that I didn’t get an estimate before they worked on it, but they charged me so little I didn’t care in the end.
Before coming here, I had taken the car to a dealership which charged us hundreds and didn’t even fix the problem. Today I paid less than $ 100 for two fixes. I’ll be back!

I would say the service here needs improvement. Honestly, the extra star is for the convenience of good ol Union Sq.
One other reviewer noted that the Inspection fella wasn’t so nice. I had a similar experience, though not with out of state plates. Long story short, even the full serve gas you may be waiting some time. Especially in the winter months. when the weather and the attitudes are cold at this place.
They charge for air here too !!! Grrr! that always makes me angry…

I went here to get my car inspected, and I just moved to Somerville from NY. First, I pulled in and a guy came out and said they could not inspect the car because I still had NY plates. I told him I had the plates right here and could just put them on, and he said «I’m sorry I can’t help you» and that I should leave.
So I left, put the plates on and came back. This time a different guy comes out, does not even look at the car, and tells me it will not pass inspection. He says there is a hole in the exhaust. He says he could fail me if I want, but I should just leave.
So I leave, and actually look at the car. There is no visible hole in the exhaust. I take it somewhere else, and it passes inspection.
These were probably some of the rudest, most unhelpful people I have met in my life.