Hometown Garage,

5 Cypress Drive, Burlington, MA 01803

"Back in October 2020, I took my Subaru 2008 to change the timing belt. A call came a few days later, suggesting the replacement of the cylinder gasket due to an oil leak. Despite not noticing it externally, I agreed, and they also recommended replacing the clutch since the engine was already out. Trusting them, I consented to the additional work, resulting in a bill close to $5,000. After a few days of using the car, I discovered a pool of oil in the garage. Returning the car to the mechanic, they claimed to have fixed the leak within a few hours and I picked it back up the same day. However, the issue persisted. A call to address the problem was met with negligence, and it took two more days for them to acknowledge and address the leak. Their invoice states a 36-month/36k-mile warranty. My son, who mainly uses the car experienced overheating issues on Friday evening. After checking the coolant reservoir and finding it empty, he filled it with fresh coolant and witnessed it begin to bubble as the car idled. As the shop had already closed for the night and the weekend, he decided to place the call first thing Monday morning. He called at 8:43 am on Oct 23rd and explained that the vehicle had experienced overheating issues on Friday. The gentleman who answered the phone claimed they had never performed head gasket replacements of any kind at their shop. After insisting on checking their record, he found the paperwork and the invoice was dated Oct 20th, 2020 and the warranty on the job had just expired. As the issues had begun while under warranty, but the shop was closed, the gentleman said he would pass along the message to the owner and he will call us back. He never did! After a few follow-up calls, we decided to go to the shop to speak directly with the owner. The owner didn't even let me finish explaining the issue, saying "The warranty expired last Friday and there isn't any phone call on record from us, I can check the car but I'm not going to take any responsibility for the work". The owner disavowed responsibility due to the warranty expiration, refused to consider the circumstances, and dismissed any accountability. I was taking my Subaru to Hometown for every major repair needed (I take good care of all my cars and do the ordinary maintenance myself) and after spending $5K on the last repair, I was expecting better customer service than just trying to argue over a missing phone call! Despite being a loyal customer for major repairs, spending $5,000 did not yield satisfactory customer service. The owner accused me of not being a good customer, citing my lack of visits for ordinary maintenance in the last three years. Despite agreeing to all their recommendations, including the head gasket replacement, the owner prioritized money over customer satisfaction. Ultimately, I decided to take my car elsewhere and was told that the head gasket had failed after only ~30k miles. When I initially brought in the vehicle to change the timing belt, the head gasket was showing zero issues at ~94,000 miles but decided to go ahead with the replacement as per their recommendation. After Hometown Garage replaced it was an upgraded 3-layer gasket, it failed after only 30k miles. While it's known that old Subaru head gaskets have issues, I was able to drive for more than 94K miles without any apparent issues, but after Hometown Garage suggested replacing it with an upgraded one, I'm in a worse situation than before. If you check anywhere online about replacing the Subaru head gasket, they say that the job has to be done correctly and it's not enough to replace it with an upgraded version. If the job is done well, the head gasket should last between 100/150K miles. It is evident that Hometown Garage is not the right place for major car work. Note: The garage in Medford, where they replaced the Hometown's failed head gasket, offers a lifetime warranty on the work, providing peace of mind that was lacking at Hometown Garage."

"We have been very pleased and grateful for the services we received at Hometown Garage for our cars. The communication was stellar and we felt that the work was top notch! I am happy to recommend Hometown Garage!"

"The company has a wonderful system where they let you know as soon as the car has been inspected, what they found and what the cost will be to do the repairs. The office is manned by knowledgeable man who is also very helpful and welcoming. . They kept me informed about progress and the service is top notch. I recommend their service and am very happy with the results and price."

"Have been taking our cars there for years now and it just keeps getting better. Excellent customer interface by friendly, respectful staff, text message updates through the day, good explanations of problems and solution, and a well designed online system for invoice, payment, and receipt. Hometown pricing are more than competitive, including loyalty points that get applied automatically."

"From the moment you arrive, it is a very different feeling here than other garages. Personable and professional without that pushy feeling or lack of transparency you may find elsewhere. Leveraging technology is a standout here as well. After they go over your vehicle, they send you an email connected to a portal that has images, prices and the ability to select and accept work to be done. This is typically followed up with by text, or phone if you so choose, to alert you of your quote and the suggested repairs. The work was done timely and a week on, not an single issue. Pricing was fair and I walked away satisfied with what I paid. To top it all off, they sent me a kind card thanking me for choosing their garage. If you are in the market for a new garage, Hometown is an easy recommendation."