Hogan Tire & Auto Service

DRIVE AWAY FROM THIS PLACE, EVEN ON A FLAT TIRE, I DIS
I was shopping in Waltham today and hit a curb and blew out the sidewall on the front tire of my Mini Cooper. Luckily, I thought, it happened across the street from Hogan in Waltham.
Boy, was I ever wrong.
So I drove my car, on its RIM, into Hogan Tire on this rainy Saturday morning. Both the Manager, Dan, and his assistant, were busy texting on their cell phones and too busy to greet me. After calling out to them, the female assistant begrudgingly came out to look at my blown tire. After 15 minutes of standing at the counter with no communication, she mumbled, «we cant get the tire til Monday,» Really?
OK, so I said, I will just change the tire myself, put the spare on, go from there. The Manager Dan stupidly said, «We don’t allow customers to work on their cars in the parking lot.» REALLY??? I’m not «working on my car, I have bad tire, which you cant’ fix! So I moved my car on to the busy street, in the pouring rain. Then asked, how long til one of your crew could just come help loosen the lug nuts and get me on my way. I would do it my self.
„3−4 Hours we have a lot of customers here,“ was doughy Dan’s response. They would not even let me borrow the lug wrench tool to do it myself, which is OUTRAGEOUS!
I said to him, „WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THIS?“ He said, „Company policy,“with an offensive and arrogant tone. I hope that is NOT the care but I am going to pursue this and find out. Clearly, the“ tools» at this location are working behind the counter, and not available to customers.
Fortunately, I say the neaby WATERTOWN SHELL station nearby. HOGAN’s bad service, forced me to drive my broken car, on my rims to Tony the owner at Shell, who couldn’t have been nicer and was able to get me on my way in less than 30 minutes for a minor $ 20 charge.
HOGAN, shame on you.
Mark

It pains me to actually have to Unilocal this review because I considered Hogan Tire in Waltham to be great shop, but I was wrong. I have been taking my cars to them for years, since about 2007 or earlier. However, after my last repairs, or lack there of, I can never go back to them again. I had been promised a call back from Bill Hogan three times to address this with the company instead of online, but sadly, I have been waiting over a month and still no call back. This year alone Hogan has let me down more than once. I brought my car in early 2015 to have them check shocks and struts for front and rear because I was hearing a loud noise when going over bumps. They told me the car needed a rear sway bar and they did the work and returned the car to me. When I took the car back, I was still hearing the noise? I returned the car to them again with the same complaint and they said that I DO need shocks and struts in the front. It seems they just fixed something in the back and did not even LOOK in the front, and if they test drove it after, they would still hear the noise that I was hearing. Also in February, I asked them to do a full car inspection and tell me all the things that needed to be fixed to keep the car running in good condition for me. I received an invoice with a list of maintenance items to do. When I brought the car to them to do the maintenance items, I also asked them to check and see if I have an oil leak. They did the small list of maintenance items and reported to me that I do NOT have an oil leak. This most recent time in August, I brought my car in for a check engine light. They said I need Coil #3 and a new spark plug. I let them do the work. When I picked up the car, the check engine light was still on. I returned the car to them and they said they forgot to shut the light off. Two days later, the check engine light was on again. I brought the car back again. They said I need a fuel intake sensor. I let them do the work, which they did do at cost with no labor, for the inconvenience of me coming back and forth for a third time. When I got the car back this time, I started hearing a gushing water noise when I started up the car and when I was braking. This was not happening before. So, I brought it back a forth time. They said they couldn’t hear it and it was probably nothing serious. Then, two days later, the check engine light came back on again. I brought it back in and they told me that the check engine is saying that it is the same misfire of Coil #3 that they supposedly fixed. They told me they did some kind of free cleaning of my engine and turned the light back off. They returned the car to me and a few days later, the check engine light came back on again, however, this time I did hear the misfire at startup. And then it continued to misfire for about two more weeks. I had an independent mechanic look at it and he said it was misfiring and also oil was leaking into the engine (Hogan told me I did NOT have an oil leak). At this point, every time I started the car, it sounded like it would be the last time I could even start it. The car was declining at a rapid pace. I took the car to a dealership to trade it right away, knowing that my trade value is now going down the tubes. The dealership told me the car should not be in this kind of shape when I was regularly maintaining it, which was the same thing the independent mechanic said to me. Both of them said that, at minimum, I should get my money back for the misfire that clearly was not fixed. Like I said, I wanted to address this with Hogan Tire themselves, but since I cannot even get a call back from them, it just further makes me realize that they are not the shop to service my vehicles any more. I have lost thousands of dollars in trade value on my last car, when I trusted them to keep my car running well, since I am not a mechanic. I have lost thousands of dollars, now, in trade value, since the dealership only gave me $ 1,000 for a broken car with engine problems, which in fair condition would have been worth $ 6,000. I would not recommend going to Hogan Tire for any type of services, EVER.

Hogan Tire Waltham gets a solid 4.5 star in my review. The .5 star was deducted because it was a bit of a challenge ordering my tires here. I ordered them on a thursday and was told that they would be in next day… I needed these tires since I had a flat and needed all four replaced asap, but didn’t get them until the following wednesday. Some back and forth and I almost gave up, but I’m glad I didn’t. Hogan managed to fit me into their schedule as soon as they had the tires.
I drove to Hogan in Waltham and the storefront was undergoing renovation at the time so I was a little underwhelmed. I parked my car and the people at Hogan tire started getting to work after I explained what I needed done (all tires replaced + 4 wheel alignment). As I was waiting for my car, I had the chance to converse with both Bob (manager) and Sean (assistant manager). Over the course of 3 hours I was able to observe just how hard these guys worked and it amazed me how consistently patient and polite Sean was. The phone kept ringing/​people kept coming in and he did his job with a great attitude the whole time. These guys are really busy! The work that they did on my car was great and I was very happy with what I paid for. I would definitely come back here.

Terrible customer services and extremely slow. I wish I had never gone to this store. I needed to replace a tire after running over a pot hole. I called the store, they said, they will have the tire available the next day. It took them 3 days to get the tire and they got the wrong tire. Finally, when I went there with an appointment, they took their sweet time to replace the tire. Made me wait for 3 hours and didn’t do the alignment. Now, I have a separate alignment appointment for tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to it. I would have cancelled the alignment appointment if I didn’t get the tire from here.
I wouldn’t recommend this place if you want to get work done in timely fashion.

Carefully go over what they are actually (not) going to do to your car.
I was quoted a decent deal for 4 new tires plus wheel alignment. Was told everything would be done by 4 pm on the same day, so I happily dropped off my car. When I went back at 4, I was presented with a voucher for alignment and told that of course I had to make a separate appointment for alignment. Not apologetic at all. They didn’t swap out the spare tire like I asked them to, either, so they had to do it on the spot.
I have bought a few sets of tires from this business over the years, and they’ve always done a good job until this little incident. But I must sadly admit that this was a little bit too bait and switch-​ish for me so I will not be going back there for new tires any more.

My name is frank from Rayteam automotive we do business with Bob and Sean at hogan tire, our orders for tire always on time never late. They are very help full and very professional. Thank you guys!

I’ve been a loyal customer for about 5 years. Today was my last time here. They put the wrong kind of oil in my car.
While they fixed the problem right away and at no cost to me, I was the one that pick up on the mistake. There could have been damage to my car if it was driven with the wrong oil.
These guys are supposed to be the experts in cars, not me. I only knew because all of my other oil changes had been much more expensive and I questioned the price.
I’ll only be here for tires in the future. All other work will be at the dealer.

For the core values of auto work, honesty, knowledge, pricing, and service, Hogan’s has none of these. It took the front desk worker over 10 minutes for acknowledgement of my existence. They were not friendly, not interested in listening to my car problems, and supposedly had no tires for my car. I understand TOYO tires are hard to come by, but you didn’t have any Michelin’s or etc?
The owner also seemed racist and only helped the white customers in the shop…

I brought my car in for repair with a wheel bearing that had gone. The wheel bearing, passenger rear, had only just been replaced a few months prior by another shop, however, I had since moved out of the area and was unable to bring the car back to the original mechanic for service.
Hogan tire attempted the repair, stating that the wheel bearing must have been installed improperly or faulty. I asked whether anything else might be wrong that would have caused it to wear out so quickly. They said no.
Once they had it, they could not get the new wheel bearing installed without having it whine, so they removed it and tried another. That also didn’t work. It kept making a distinct whining noise. I again asked if something else might be wrong. They said no.
To fix the issue they then took the bearing off the driver’s side rear, installed the new bearing there, and put the older one from the driver’s side on the passenger’s side… I thought this seemed odd, but it stopped the noise.
A few months later, the passenger side wheel bearing is blown again. They replaced it. I return it to them, this time angrily, and state what is happening. They tried to tell me it was unrelated since technically the new part was on the other side. I call BS and flip.
They tell me to bring the car in and they will look in to it. I state explicitly that I don’t just want them to slap another bearing on the car, but that there must be some underlying issue causing the passenger side rear bearing to fail. Since I have only this car between my wife and I, they give me a rental — which they cover. This is the only reason they get two stars instead of one.
When I talked to Hogan, they had simply replaced the wheel bearings in the rear and replaced two tires, which they said were the cause of the noise. Now, having had a few bad wheel bearings on this car, and having a father who is a retired mechanic himself, this is utter crap.
Most of the bearings were covered by them, but at the end of the day i paid for two bearing, one of which I can already tell is going again, and two new tires that I really didn’t need. The service manual for this vehicle states that the stub axle should be replaced each time that the bearing is replaced. I mentioned this and got eye rolls. Crap doesn’t just keep breaking for no reason. there is always an underlying cause. And the chances of getting that many defective parts, as was suggested to me at one point, is very very low. If your parts are that bad, get a better supplier and stop buying after-​market.
When I asked about causes, the kid with the beard that works the front said I probably hit too many potholes. I also witnessed him tell a customer that came in with tire pressure issues «me too; it’s cold out.» Don’t be a jerk dude. Either learn some customer service or be a better at fixing things — you can’t suck at both.
My bearing is still singing me the song of its people. I will not bring it back here, even if they cover it. They are quick, I will give them that. Maybe too quick.
Also, don’t buy in to the 5-​star reviews on their profile. They give you $ 20 off if you give them a good review on Unilocal.
UPDATE:
I haven’t been on in a little while, but I wanted to give the end of this story. Brought the car to shop up the road from me. They fixed the issue, which ended up being… the wheel bearing!!! The fixed and correctly and I have had no issue since.

Horrible. They put the wrong tire on my car and I had to buy another tire to replace it. Only go here if you need your tire repaired (not replaced).

Great, quick, HONEST service. My go to for oil changes and tires. There are always coupons and discounts.

Normally I find it a tad bit dishonest when a business offers you a discount on your next service if you give it a five star rating on Unilocal or another similar rating service — which Hogan Tires does. (You get $ 20 off your next service for proof of a five star rating.) That said, I am giving Hogan Tire a five star rating not for the discount but because of the high quality service and extremely reasonable prices. I’ve had a slow leak in one of my tires for weeks and finally it went flat. I took the car to Hogan Tire, explained the issue and left the car with them while I went about my business. They called a few hours later reporting it was done, and I picked it up. While I wish the business was open later on weekdays (closing at 4PM just isn’t that convenient for those of us who work 7 — 5 jobs in the city) you can’t beat the price — under $ 30 to clean out the tire, check for the leak and repair the tire. I was thrilled. I’m not a fan of auto service places in general, they make me feel stupid as I know pretty much nothing about cars, but this place was great.

If you need tires Hogan & Sean are your team! I recently had all 4 tires done there & about 5 months later one tire went flat. They were knowledgable and professional. I was always kept in the loop as to the status of the new tire that was being shipped from out of state. My only small gripe is I wished they’d used FedEx Ground to ship it. UPS stinks!
They also have a convenient location & great hours!

Let me start off by saying that auto repair place gives me anxiety… I’m always worried about being ripped off, and honestly most auto repair places don’t have the friendliest staff. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised about my experience at Hogan’s the other day.
I bought a used car at a dealership about 3 months, and part of that deal was that they replace all tires for brand new ones. So the dealership went ahead and installed and balanced them, but for some reason I kept getting a shimmy in the steering wheel at highway speeds. I took it back to them a month later to get it rebalanced. Sure enough, still shaking at highway speeds. I researched the problem online, and read that the Hunter Roadforce balancing machine can pinpoint and fix any vibrations coming from the tires.
So I took it to Hogan’s because they had a Hunter machine and were close to my work. I called and spoke with Sean who set up an appointment for Friday at 1pm. I get there and they take my car in right away, and Sean estimated it would take about 45 mins. I walked around Waltham center during that time and came back 45 mins later, and they were literally driving my car out of the bay (the time estimate was spot on). Sean came and sat down next to me and explained to me in precise detail what the problem was and what they did to correct it. So obviously I was anxious to get to the highway, and the shimmy and vibration was gone! I was extremely happy with their work, the price was $ 83 with tax for everything, and honestly Sean was one of the nicest guys I have EVER encountered at any business. He is the definition of excellent customer service. Keep up the good work guys!

I’ve been reading the bad reviews these guys got and my experience was much better. A few months ago a tire went on my wife’s car and I had it towed here in an emergency. They walked me through the whole thing and replaced the tire no problem. It was quick and the price was fair. They also have a shuttle to get you to and from your home. Basically they are the better more honest version of NTB.

Always good and prompt service at reasonable prices. They always are cordial and take the time to explain your service to you. They also don’t try to sell you more service than you need.

I found the man I spoke to to be very rude, condescending and most of the answers to my questions had that sort of «prepared answer for the customers with complaints» feel about them.
When he told me the price to simply mount 4 tires I walked out telling him I was going to one of his competitors. He yelled for me to have a great day which might have been nice if he had a hint of sincerity in his voice.
They wanted $ 140 to mount my tires. Creonte tire told me $ 60 on the phone. Firestone in watertown told me $ 88 in person. Not that I’m saying go to firestone necessarily. Hogan wanted twice as much, and after reading the other reviews here I’m glad I didn’t go with them.

One star is too much for them!
Went to fix a missing side view mirror that got knocked off. On Wednesday, they said come in on Thursday morning, we have the part and will fix it in 30mins.
Thursday: Went there at 8am, waited an hour and a half, then they said they had the wrong part. Left at about 9:30am, late for work. Was told to go back on Friday morning — they will have the part by then.
Friday: Woke up early to go there, but decided to call first. Nope, they didn’t have the part yet. Woke up early for nothing. Couldn’t they have called last night to say the part wasn’t in? Got a call at 3ish to say the part is here. Was told the mechanic doesn’t work on Saturdays, so had to go on Monday morning to get it fixed. Mechanics don’t work on Saturdays?
Monday: Went there at 8am. Was told to leave the car for 1hr — 1.5hrs. Got back at 9:30am, THEY HAVEN’T STARTED WORKING ON THE CAR! Stood around for the next 45mins while they scrambled to work on it. Finally finished the job at 10:15am. Now, I’m epic late for work and hope I don’t get fired.
All this, for $ 240! Sure, we checked two places and this was the cheaper one still. Wouldn’t have gone for it if they said they had the part and would take 30mins to get fixed. I had the same problem back in another state last year (idiot knocked off my side view mirror), and they only charged $ 150.
WASTE OF TIME and a RIP OFF — NEVER AGAIN HOGAN. Too bad you’re the closest one to my place.

Don’t expect any sort of normal human interaction from most of the misanthropes ‘working’ at this shop; the guy named Sean/​Shawn was at least not rude, but on the other hand, ‘Bob’ (who worked on the car) was a surly prick who made sure you felt like you were getting on his last nerve for having the audacity to address him in any way.
God forbid you ask a question, make a comment or even breathe — Bob apparently does NOT like you so just sit in the corner, shut up & hand over your money when the time comes… way to go ‘Bob’ — you might want to reconsider your chosen career, maybe you should work with inanimate objects rather than actual, human customers.
Overall this place is sufficient if you’re in a pinch (which we were) but otherwise I’d give my business to someone who doesn’t seem to aggressively hate their customers…

I got a flat tire a few weeks ago and called around to see who could get the best prices. This taught me a valuable lesson in «you get what you pay for.» A story? Sure, here we go:
I called Hogan Tire on a Thursday and they said they could get the tire in the next day — all other shops cost a bit more and told me Saturday or Monday at the earliest, so I went with Hogan.
The tire wasn’t there the next day when I called back (after no call by 4:30pm or so) and they said «Oh, yeah, it’ll probably be in by Tuesday. We’ll call you.» What? I ask for a tracking number which they said they’d send, but — surprise! — they never did.
Fast forward to Tuesday after a carless weekend, and it’s 4:30pm again with no phone call. I call Hogan and they say «Oh, yeah, it came in today. but the guy that mounts them left at 4pm. Can you come in tomorrow?» What?
I go there Wednesday morning to have the tire mounted and they’re reasonably efficient about it. Of course, it wasn’t perfect — the tire mounting machine was right next to the bay where my car was and they got weird greasy tire mounting soap all over the car.
Driving around I still notice a problem and I call them back to have the tires balanced — it turns out one of the rims was visibly quite bent when on the balancing machine, indicating that they didn’t even put it on there like they were supposed to, even though they were happy to charge me for it. Ugh.
I will not ever come back here — if I can’t find tires I need in stock somewhere already, I’ll order tires from Tire Rack and have them installed somewhere where people give half a damn about their customers and their cars.