Every job we do, with what it includes and its price.
Each job below says what we do, what the price covers and what would cost extra. If we find something the price does not cover, we stop and call you, and it gets its own written estimate.
Prices on this board were set
When one changes we repaint that tile and change this date, the way our father did on the board that still hangs in bay two.
Flat prices
These are on the board in bay two. Each one covers the parts of the job listed under it.
Oil and filter change
$79
Up to five quarts of full synthetic, a new filter and a look underneath. Most cars and small SUVs.
- What we do
- We drain the oil warm, fit the new filter and fill to the line on the dipstick. Then we look over the belts and hoses and the underside of the car. The date and the mileage for your next change go on a small sticker in the driver’s door.
- Costs extra
- More than five quarts, and cars that want a specific oil. We say so on the phone when we can tell from the year and model.
State inspection
$35
The Massachusetts inspection for a car or light truck. If it fails, we go through the reasons with you before you leave, and nothing gets repaired until you say yes. The re-test is free if you bring it back within 60 days.
- What we do
- Bring the registration. We run the test, then read you the report line by line before you leave.
- Costs extra
- Any repair the report calls for. Each one gets its own written estimate.
Check-engine diagnosis
$129
We read the code and test to find the cause, then write the answer down in plain English. The fee comes off the repair if you do it here.
- What we do
- We read the stored code, then test the part it points at, because a code names a circuit, and the broken part is somewhere on it. Marta writes down what we found, what it would take to fix and what it costs.
- Costs extra
- The repair, as its own estimate. A flashing light goes to the front of the line.
A/C leak check
$59
Gauges on, dye in, a look for the leak, and the answer written down. The fee comes off the repair if you do it here.
- What we do
- We connect the gauges, read the pressure, add a trace of dye and look for where it shows. Most weak A/C is a small leak, and topping it up without finding the leak only resets the clock.
- Costs extra
- The repair itself, as its own written estimate, priced by where the leak turns out to be.
Front brake pads and rotors, per axle
$389
New pads and rotors on both front wheels, brake fluid checked, a road test after. Parts and labor.
- What we do
- The wheels come off and we measure the pads and the rotors, and show you the numbers against the limit. If they are past it we replace both sides of the axle, check the fluid and take the car around the block. The old pads and rotors go in a box on your passenger seat.
- Costs extra
- A seized caliper, a leaking hose or a brake line. We stop, call you and write that up first. The rear axle is priced after we look, because some rotors carry the parking brake inside them.
Four-wheel alignment
$119
A printout before and after. A bent part gets its own estimate before we touch it.
- What we do
- The car goes on the rack and we read the angles, set them to the maker’s numbers and hand you both printouts.
- Costs extra
- A bent or worn part that will not let the angles hold, and tires too worn to be worth aligning. We show you which.
Winter prep
$149
Battery test, coolant strength, wipers, tire tread and pressure, and a look at the brake lines.
- What we do
- The first week of October. We load-test the battery, check the coolant with a tester and look over the brake lines where the road salt reaches first. Anything that tests fine is left alone.
- Costs extra
- Whatever fails: a battery, wipers or a coolant flush, each priced before it is done.
Rotate and balance, four tires
$65
All four wheels off, rotated to the pattern the car wants, each one balanced, lug nuts tightened to the maker’s number and pressures set.
- What we do
- We mark each tire’s position, rotate front to back, balance every wheel on the machine and set the pressure to the number on the sticker in your door.
- Costs extra
- A tire with a bulge, a cut or a worn-through edge. We show it to you and quote a replacement.
Pre-purchase inspection
$159
A lift inspection, a road test, the codes read and a written page of what we found, with the most urgent thing first.
- What we do
- Call before you buy, then bring the car or have the seller bring it. We look underneath, read the codes, drive it and write a page you can use to bargain or to walk away.
- Costs extra
- Nothing. If we find a problem the page says what we would charge to fix it, and nobody asks you to fix it here.
These prices are for most cars and small SUVs. A big truck, or a van with a long wheelbase, can cost more. We say so on the phone before you bring it in.
Jobs we price after we look
Nothing here gets a final number until we have seen the car. Where we can say what a job usually starts at, we do.
Air conditioning repairs
The leak check is a flat price on the board above, and it tells us which repair you need. A small leak at a fitting costs far less than a new compressor, and the estimate says which one you have.
Usually starts around $250
Priced after we lookSuspension and steering
A clunk over bumps, or a pull to one side. Joan drives it, puts it on the lift and shakes every joint, then we write down which ones moved.
Usually starts around $300
Priced after we lookTiming belts and chains
Priced by the engine, because on some cars it is a morning’s work and on others it is a full day.
Priced after we lookNew tires
Priced by the tire you pick. We order it, mount it, balance it and set the pressure, and the quote has all four in one number.
Priced after we lookAnything with a part we have not seen yet
A noise we cannot place, a leak, a light that is not on the guide. We price it after we look, and the number is written down before a wrench turns.
Priced after we lookHow a job goes
Four pieces, in this order, and the last one is yours.
First, you tell us
Call, or ask for an estimate online. Give us the year, make and model, and say what the car is doing in your own words, including whether the light is steady or flashing.
Then we look
Joan puts the car on the lift or takes it around the block, whichever the problem needs, and writes down what she sees.
Then Marta writes it down
What we found, what it would take to fix, what it costs and which parts can wait. You hear it by phone and get it in writing before anything comes apart.
Last, you decide
Yes, no and let me think about it are all fine answers. If it is no, you pay only the flat fee for what you asked us to look at, and you drive home with the estimate.