Bothel's Mechanical Repair 94 Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107

"Amazing service. My wheels were smoking and they took me right in, found the e-brake cable was locked down on the bottom, fixed it, checked calipers and brakes on the lift, drove it 8 miles, checked the brake temp. Charged me only $33. I’ll be going here from now on!"

"Andrew is THE BEST. My child thought it would be interesting to shove various items (a screwdriver, a plastic bowl and other sundry items) into a vent in the front of my car. I was unable to retrieve said items and needed someone to quickly take the fascia off my car. I called multiple places and they all gave me appointment times days or weeks out. Andrew answered the phone and said why don’t you stop by now. He quickly took care of the issue for a very reasonable price. Can’t recommend them highly enough. THANK YOU!!!!!"

"I have been taking my car here for service for years and will not go to a dealership again. They only do work that is needed and are great at explaining problems and even showing parts that were replaced. I have learned much about my car and the pitfalls of getting it serviced by large, well known businesses. I trust Andrew and Steve and appreciate the times they have serviced my car at short notice."

"BUYER BEWARE! - IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT AN AUTO SHOP CAN DO SUCH SHODDY WORK AND STILL BE IN BUSINESS. READ THE ENTIRE POST (OR AT LEAST THE LAST 3 PARAGRAPHS) The clutch on my vehicle failed. After looking up internet reviews I settled on Bothel's both because of their high rating and their proximity to my home. They fixed the slave cylinder of the clutch for about $200 dollars which seemed very reasonable given my limited knowledge of vehicular repairs. A couple months later the steering wheel on my vehicle started shaking so I brought it to a well-known franchise auto shop to get an estimate for the work. Their appraisal for (4) four tires and an alignment totaled $550.00. The car was about 3 months away from needing a new inspection sticker, so as an afterthought I asked them if they noticed anything else wrong with the car. The mechanic told me the rocker panels looked like they needed to be replaced as well. I decided I didn't want to get my car fixed there, instead a couple months later I decided to bring it back to Bothel's. They seemed to have done well with the clutch...at least that's what I thought. With one (1) month left on my sticker I went back to Bothel's. I asked them to give me a quote to fix the car so it could pass inspection. I also asked if they could tell me if they thought it was worth fixing. I mentioned that I suspected the rocker panels could have been rusted out. At that point in time I didn't know what rocker panels were or else I would have checked them myself. I also mentioned that I was debating just junking the car. Unfortunately I was foolish enough to say that I didn't think it would be worth putting more than $700 into a car which I estimated to be worth $2000. For the next two days I got very busy at work and did not contact Bothel's to inquire about the status of inspection, and they never attempted to call me. I just assumed that they were very busy. When driving to work on the third day I received a call from Bothel's and they told me my car was fixed and stickered. The cost of the repair was $750.00 dollars! I was shocked! I couldn't believe that they had "fixed" the car without giving me an estimate as I had asked. They said that they had repaired a ground wire for the headlights, replaced (4) four tires, and preformed a front end alignment. I was also told that the rocker panels were in fine shape and that the car should be good to run for years to come. They charged $250 dollars for an alignment (worth $70.00) and $90.00 per tire for 40,000 mile rated tire (worth $55 or $60 each) plus labor. They had stickered the car with a large crack in the front windshield, apparently whatever they did to the headlight, if anything, didn't work because the car had one high-beam out and the steering wheel still shook. I drove the car for about one more month before the clutch failed again. I obviously didn't bring the car back to Bothel's. I told the new mechanic about the work Bothel's had done. He said my front tires tread will wear out and that the "alignment" should have never been performed because a structural component was bent making any attempt at a proper alignment pointless, the rocker panels were completely shot and needed to be replaced, and the clutch (slave cylinder that Bothel's installed) needed to be replaced again because it was improperly installed causing a tube filled with clutch fluid to wear and burst. I now know what rocker panels are and checked them myself. They had a rusted out hole large enough for me to put my hand through and the metal which remained can be punctured with my pinkie finger. The mechanics at Bothel's are at best negligent and at worst liars. I'd like to think this was a isolated incident and that only one bad apple worked on my car but this clearly is not the case. Two out of the two times I had my car worked at Bothel's the worse possible outcome occurred. These are predatory practices I hope others come forward and speak out about this so called auto shop."

"I think most are inclined to offer reviews when they are not pleased. This is not the case for me and Bothel's Garage. If you want honest work from excellent mechanics at fair prices this is the place to go. My family has taken several vehicles here over the years and have received excellent service in all ways. Don't wait for emergencies. Let them service your vehicle and you will not regret it."