McCurley’s Shell

As a woman, I’m always concerned and apprehensive about trying a new place cause you never know What you’re going to get. Most places see a woman and think we’re dumb when it comes to cars and so they screw us over with ridiculous prices. That does not happen here! My car was shaking when I would go to brake and I was also having trouble with my gas mileage not being good. They only charge $ 45 for the diagnosis versus alot of other places that charge $ 95. Everything was communicated and explained very well even though I knew some of what he was talking about. The guys were all so nice, I was offered water and they cared to know my name. In the end, I left paying $ 200 for a job that another automotive shop quoted me $ 650 for! Fair and honest is not something you find very easily these days. The waiting area is small but it works! I’ll definitely be coming back here in the future… :)

The only complaint I have is… WHO THE HELL authorized the median configuration that makes it super dangerous to get in the separate in /​out drives at this place?

Went here last summer to have my emissions test done. I just popped in on a whim as I drove by and remembered I needed the testing done. I decided while I was there to go ahead and throw in an oil change too. They got my car in immediately and it did not take long at all. Compared to most other places in the area where you wait an hour or more just for the oil change, I was pretty impressed. At first. I should have seen it as a warning sign that no one else was really there and I got in so fast. Cut to a few days later, I am taking a road trip to Biloxi and I have a major tire issue on the interstate. The tire didn’t actually lose air, but the tread started to separate and buckle. I do a roadside tire change and head to the next service station. While there, I check the tire pressure in my other 3 tires as well as the now deformed tire in my trunk. All 4 tires were extremely over inflated. The recommended PSI printed on the side of these tires was 35. My tires were at 45+ which means in the summer heat after driving for a few hours they probably heated up to well over 45. I was extremely annoyed that this place would be so negligent. Luckily I felt the tire vibration and pulled off the interstate immediately to check it out and did not have a full tire blow which could have caused serious damage or an accident. I have never and will never return to this business again. I tell everyone I know to stay the hell away from this incompetent place.

A gas and service station with both self and full service pumps… It’s like a throwback to the 50’s or something.
I first stopped in one afternoon, in dire need of an oil change and in dread of someone giving me the hard-​sell on desperately needed tires that I couldn’t afford.
What did I get here? A speedy oil change and no B.S. about oil filters, air filters, magic oil that washes your engine while you drive, or unnecessary pressure to buy tires. They did the basic oil change, like I asked, and did not even attempt to up-​sell me on anything else. The manager, Donny, came in at the end and said to me, «I’m not trying to sell you anything, I just want you to be aware, in case you didn’t know, that you will need new tires on that car pretty soon. If you want, I can price some out for you — but otherwise, I just wanted you to know.»
An honest mechanic? Now that’s a horse of a different color!
I was so impressed by the garage’s quick and efficient workmanship, and the honestly and integrity of the manager/​business owner that I came back the the next day with my husband’s car. And I’ve brought both of our cars here for oil changes ever since. And while no. they can’t always take me RIGHT AWAY — they are always upfront about the potential wait time and how many people are ahead of me.
It’s not much to look at — ok. The waiting area is basically non-​existent: two chairs in a corner next to a Coke machine and across from a candy rack. But its clean. And they take such good care of me/​my car. I really feel like I can trust them.
And that’s worth more than gold.

When the wonderful Williamsburg Chevron closed, I was dismayed. With so many dishonest and/​or incompetent mechanics in Atlanta, some of whom I’ve mentioned in my other reviews; how would I ever find anywhere else as reliable? Since it had one good review on Unilocal,I decided to try the Shell Station where I bought gas, McCurley’s Shell on North Druid Hills Road near Buford Highway.
Then suddenly one day my car refused to start and I was forced to act on this decision sooner than I had wanted. I had the car towed to McCurley’s pretty late in the day, where they discovered that, as I had feared, the alternator needed replacing. Since that usually takes a day or so to get a part for and without a functioning car I didn’t have any way of getting home that night or to work by 6:00 a.m. the next morning, I was worried.
However, to my delight, they were able to get a new alternator and get the work done that same day. And it only cost me a little more than I had been planning to pay for a rebuilt alternator! They didn’t even suggest, much less do, any unnecessary work.
A few weeks later, I went by to get my emissions certificate and asked them to do a tune-​up; I only had to wait about five minutes. When I said, «That was fast for a tune-​up,» they told me that they hadn’t done a tune-​up since the car’s computer said it didn’t need one and they didn’t want to charge me for something unnecessary. I wish some other places had that attitude!
It’s not luxurious, but there are chairs, snacks, and a few places to eat within easy walking distance. There is also a full-​service lane – as far as I can tell, perhaps the only one left in Atlanta – a great help for the handicapped or just for asking what that noise under the hood is.
So McCurley’s is my new mainstay. Ya’ll come try it and support it so it won’t go the way of Williamsburg Chevron! I think you’ll be glad that you did.

I realized that if I am maniac enough to drive from Macon to get my oil changed, then this place is surely worthy of a Unilocal review. I don’t trust my beloved car to anyone else, and neither do my parents. Actually, the sib brings her car here as well, so they’ve pretty much got our business on lock, and they have for years. Years. Kid you not. The sib bought her first car from the owner, Gary, and when she outgrew it, the «dunebuggy», our name for that fabulous Nissan 1993 240, was passed on to me.
This is a family owned business, and they have had the same lead mechanic since the early 20’s. Okay, that’s a stretch, but if you look up at the pictures on the wall, you can trace the history, and you’ll see the same guy out there in the auto bays today.
I had a flat tire one day, couldn’t get my lug nuts off, and in a moment of girlie frenzy called up there… for what, I don’t know, but the owner’s son in law, Donnie, totally remembered me, and my ride, and talked me through how to get the damn tire off. You don’t get that from the dealership folks!
They do all sorts of work, and when I backed into a pole, and Honda wanted to charge me 480.00 to replace and install a new light, the guys up there told me how to order a replacement and they popped it in for me for like 50 bucks, and popped the back bumper back in place too.
I love this place. They have a motley crew of mechanics working in there, you never know who might greet you at the front, some are gruff, some a little sarcastic, others über friendly, but these folks all know their way around all sorts of cars, and they will take care of you.
It is bare bones inside, don’t expect a waiting area with wi-​fi or anything, but they have recently upgraded and sell some cold «dranks», chips and candy that you can munch on while you sit outside on the curb and wait while they change your oil, or you can always creep over to the krystal next door, which does have wi-​fi.