Mal's Auto Body

We are now living in Florida, so we had to search forever to find someone who knew what they were doing and werre well-mannered and courteous. The Mercedes dealers are great down here, but a bit pricey - We miss Mal's!! - It's a ""family-run"" garage, full service and CLEAN. If you move away, you'll really miss the men and women at Mal's. If you leave the area, we'd suggest you have a good-bye party at Mal's!! Let them check out your car(s) and set them up for the trip and to avoid having to ""try"" someone else. This sounds a bit thorough, but every couple of years we drive up to the Boston area and when we do, we leave the car at Mal's for a check-up. They should call it ""Doctor Mal's"" since whatever it is, they'll fix it. They're just good people to do business with and they're actually sincere about their work. I wish them the best! more

VERY PLEASANT PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH AND RICHIE IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE DID A GOOD JOB ON MY CAR THANK GOD I DIDNT GO ONLY WITH THE REVIEWS more

My car suddenly made a terrible noise and I was very worried about driving it. So I drove it to the closest mechanic- Mal's. I had never been here before, so was a little skeptical. But they did an excellent job - they located the problem - my e-brake system was falling apart inside rear rotors. They then called me to let me know, and then told me when it would be ready. They even called to let me know that it would take a little bit longer but would still be done on the same day, which was very courteous. Bill was the mechanic who dealt with my car and was very friendly! My car is in much better shape now!!!! Very happy with their service, and the price was very reasonable! more

I bought new tires and got an oil change from Mals. The guys there were very helpful and flexible with scheduling. I had a wonderful experience and will continue to use their services whenever my vehicle needs maintenance. Their prices were reasonable for what I was needing and they even went the extra mile to check over my car. I feel that they were honest, as I did not need any additional work. As a female going to get my car serviced always worries me, its like going to the Doctor, you don't know exactly what their talking about so you have to trust them. I highly recommend Mals... there is a reason they are always busy, its because they are good at what they do... more

I have been going to Mal's for years and always had thorough, competent care of my car. It is true, I might have to wait a day to bring the car in for a regular check if they are busy, but I am always seen right away in an emergency. Lead staff is very capable, and concerned about getting the job done correctly. \r \r I highly recommend Mal's. Pros: Competent, kind personnel Cons: Often very busy more

I live nearby and for 5 years I've had to dodge their tow trucks which are particularly dangerous in the evenings. Since they're on both sides of the road, they treat Mass Ave like it's their parking lot. Many a near accident I've seen there. A couple years ago I got a quote for some body work. Expensive. Ended up getting the work done for about 60% of quote down the street at Alpha. Yesterday my wife dropped off her car there for an oil change. Guy said he'd do it first thing in the morning and call. It's 4pm and I haven't heard. Called them and the guy said they did the change but are now doing diagnostics...wha? I have to admit that these guys look really professional. Clean facility. Nice uniforms and pretty trucks. Biggest issue I have is poor attitude which seems to be a criteria for getting hired there. Pros: The shop is clean Cons: Poor customer service, bad attitude and expensive to boot more

Well, Mal's is strange, like others have said it HAS business on 2 sides of the street and like where do you park? tough.\r \r My main concern was I went there for an oil change and waited. They took my car up a hill into the garage area and CLOSED THE DOOR!\r I couldn't get near my car to watch even from the inside, they wouldn't let me past the front desk. Most ""honest"" garages will let you watch.\r But most importantly, after the oil change, they told me I had a light out in the rear of my car which would be an extra $15 or so.\r I'm on a tight budget but since they locked all the doors, I had no way to KNOW if this was true, they could have made it up--not that they did but I believe the customer should get to see.\r \r I had some work done on my car another time and the guy at the front desk was nice and they took a credit check. They were nice when it didn't go thru cause of my mistake and I wrote another one.\r \r I think they're expensive if you're looking for an inexpensive mechanic. Otherwise quite polite and will drive you home if you leave your car!\r \r All in all they are good but strange. more

I have lived nearby for a while and I have never been able to get any service from these guys. They do insurance inspections, but only during business hours, when people are at work. You show up too close to the end of their ""work window"" and they send you away because it's too late (even though it's still before closing). \r I asked if they could fit moped tires on the rims of my moped, but no... those are too small. I asked them to patch a while in a tire, but no... too much responsibility. And they are a tire shop!\r Anytime I stop by to ask for any service they always have a reason not to do anything. \r I just wonder how they stay in business.... Cons: unhelpful more

My wife's car had to be repaired after a collision. After looking for body shops, and even reading reviews here - we took the car to Mal's. Ed is the one we dealt with, and he was very pleasent. Ed told us we could take the car, or leave it while they ordered parts. We didnt need the car, so we left it. The 2nd day, Ed called and told us they found more damage after removing some of the body work. They coordinated with our insurance to do the work. Monday of the 2nd week, the car was ready and BEAUTIFUL! They did an EXCELLENT job w/ the repair. Even washed and cleaned the interior for us FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE!\r \r You guys that are rating them low... I dont know if you know a damn thing about cars, but this shop was amazing when it came to service, letting us know the information we wanted, and the timeliness was great as well.\r \r The ONLY problem I have with the shop, is the lack of parking. We pulled into the small building to the right of Mal's and damn near got into a physical altercation with the idiot over there. Once we picked up the car, we parked near the car wash with no worries. Mal's does not accept Credit Cards - so pay by cash or certified check! All-in-all, I highly recommend them! Pros: Timeliness, politeness, great work Cons: parking is horrible more

I can not believe the way I was treated by this should I dare call ""person"" more like an animal. ""Richie"" is his name... I wonder if the owner knows what kind of ""person"" he has working for him. I understand it is a auto body but for god's sake. Does every other word out of his mouth have to be a curse? At least wait until the lady has left. What kind of place are they running? A biker lounge? This guy must have mental issues. There is no way a normal person would act in this way. I say throw him into a rubber room and throw away the key. You would think you would be able to get a simple tune up done without being treated with such disrespect. All I have to say is, no one I know will be returning there. Pros: Nice waiting area except for the language Cons: Richie more

I've been going to Mal's for over 15 years. They are great at fixing cars and helping you get the solution you need. The only time I've taken my car to the dealer is for warranty work. Once they warranties are over, i go back to Mal's. Pros: great knowledgeable staff Cons: parking more

I highly recommend Mals Auto, in contrast to the review by lexington06 that appears here. I find the mechanics to be knowledgable and the customer service to be very good. Admittedly, I have not used the auto body shop part of the business, just the mechanical side (the two are across the street from each other). However, I believe the two parts are operated by the same person(s). They do accept credit cards, in contrast to what lexington06 says. \r \r I have brought my two cars to Mals a handful of times over the years. In all except one case, they fixed the cars satisfactorily and in a timely fashion. In the one exception (a brake job), when I drove away I noticed a burning smell. I immediately brought the car back. They were so distraught I thought they would fall on their swords. Unfortunately, at this point it was late on a Saturday and they could not look at it. However, they gave me a free loaner car until they could take care of the problem (on Monday). Okay, the loaner car wasn't so great, but it worked. And by Monday the problem was fixed. \r \r In another case, they diagnosed a problem as a water pump failure. However, they called a local dealer and discovered that a replacement for my car would stil be covered under warranty by the manufacturer. They did charge for the diagnosis, but much less than I would have had to pay for installation of a new water pump.\r \r The one thing I must say is that the person who seems to run the place (I believe the son of the original founder), comes across as a little brusque. Some people may interpret this as nasty. However, I believe this is all just on the surface. He just seems to get a bit frazzled from the constant barrage of phone calls, incoming customers, and questions from his mechanics. \r \r Just to note -- this review is NOT plant from Mals or anyone connected to Mals. Just a satisfied customer of a good, local (to me), and knowledgeable auto mechanic shop. Pros: very knowledgeable and able mechanics, can bring car in spontaneously (even on Saturday) and often obtain service the same day (if the job is ot too complicated) Cons: sometimes difficult to park car more

I hope my word of mouth will steer you away from this place they call a business... Not one person is there to help you. The customer service could use a training class in how to service the customer if you ask me. Apparently at Mal's, the customer is always wrong. \r \r It took 3 weeks for my front fender and light to be fixed... last time I checked it only takes a day to build an entire car in detroit.... The excuse, ""Mam we can't help you, we are short hands""......You cant help me? Then what am I paying you for? Maybe you should have told me you're booked up if you are short hands, no?\r \r Well i would suggest: Mal, Stop pocketing the cash and hire a few more hands to satisfy your customer. I am now out 250$ in rental car fees because they strung me along. After days of hearing ""It will be done tomorrow""...I go to pick up my car, only to find out they dont accept personal checks OR credit cards. I am all set with shelling over $3,000 in cash to a business that can't treat me as a respected customer.\r \r You're better off making the trip to another auto body business if you ask me... this one is a joke. Cons: Slow, Rude, not accomodating more