Richie’s Service Center

THE BEST. We don’t take our car anywhere else for repairs! When it comes to fair pricing, realistic turnaround and an honest-​to-​goodness local business, Richie and his crew (Michelle, Steve, Eddie) are top dogs in car repair. They’ve been helping us keep our 2000 Focus on the road for the past few years and we are thrilled to live close enough to the shop, which makes it easy to drop off and pick up. Wonderful place and we’re grateful we found them! :^)

2^nd visit… Michelle the office manager, called me at 11am to say the shop got the wrong part and it would be longer than the original time stated. The problem is my appointment was for 8am an the original estimate for completion was 2 or 3 hours. It ended up taking until about 130pm to finish the work. The worst part is the owner asked me to call to confirm the appointment a day or two before just to make sure we were still on. I did as he asked. He obviously didn’t care to confirm the part he needed was correct at that time. Michelle was kind enough to apologize for the error even though it wasn’t her fault. She seemed embarrassed. No discount or credit was authorized by the owner.

Car broke down yesterday off the highway in Southie. Made it to Mikes Auto on w. Broadway. Owner came out and quoted me $ 900 for a new alternator and would take a day, maybe 2.
Called AAA and had it towed to my mechanic Richie at Richies Service Center in Medford.
Just needed a new belt.
Total cost $ 65 done in 2 hours. Charged for 1 hour of labor.
If you need a great mechanic go see Richie. He’s a great guy I have known for years.
If you want a terrible mechanic go to a Mikes auto in Southie. He’s a scam artist.

I love this place. I come here for my oil changes and anytime my VW has problems. Richie is very knowledgable and nice.
This place does require patience as they are always busy but I’ve never had any issues with them not letting me know if there will be a delay. It is worth the wait because they never try to swindle money from you like other places. I know I’m getting the best prices and to confirm that, I had to get new tires recently and Richie let me know the prices on different brands so I was able to make a decision on how much I was able to spend.
Very trustworthy and I highly recommend.

This is my «Go-​To» place for an oil change. I only work up the road so coming here was a matter of convenience at first, but they always do an excellent job that I always return. The only place I’m comfortable getting an oil change done. Car always runs better after visiting Richie’s…

This guy is top notch. Was referred to him by Libbeys for a a/​c job and he did ita very fair price. My only complaint is it took 3 days when I made an appointment to drop it off and get it done at 7 am and they hadn’t even looked at it the first day. Should have been done day 2, but a wrong part came in. Regardless of that delay I would not hesitate to use them again, but would ask for a clear time frame, and get a rental.

I read a review that said Honest and Reliable and I thought to myself, that’s the perfect description for Richie’s! Great guys, excellent work, they are trustworthy and thorough. They will help you out in a bind, they won’t over charge and they will keep your car in tip top shape!

Feel the need to RE-​Review Richies because my First one was just a sentence or two & you all know I like to be long winded & way too over Analytical…
Well Richies is a great place, you always think «Ooh I hate the mechanic, because you know he is going to screw you & tell you that you need 100 things fixed when you really just need new Windshield Wipers»… But as you have read & as I have witnessed (On unfortunately too many occasions — I have had some bad cars in my past) Richies doesnt screw you over! He is really fair & wont charge you up for his own benefit…
The guys are all really helpful and welcoming when you get there, expect him to be busy and rushed… Hes always swamped when I get there — but that should attest to how great a place he is…
My car is conincidentally there now & Im dreading the call back just because I dont know what the HE** could be wrong with it (I drive a new car), but still Im scared to imagine & I tend to be overly pessimistic!!!
So if you are in need of a GOOD, FAIR Mechanic — Look no further — Try Richie out!

Yet again, with a different car. Just inherited a 2001 Subaru. They did a complete check and found some minor bugs. Great work, great price, and trustworthy. The three things you want from your mechanics… Cheers.

Honest, Hardworking and Handy
Ok I was totally streching for another H word.
But seriously, these guys rock. and the biggest H word that really matters is: HONEST

I took my Volvo in for a new turn signal lightbulb at Boston Volvo Village, and my husband asked me to have them change the oil as well. After waiting a long time, the rep came in with a hand-​scrawled page of recommended repairs written in shorthand that totalled over $ 1600. Needless to say, I declined and went to pay for my oil change and the lightbulb. But I did ask to see the handwritten note and copied down their comments and the line item handwritten prices they planned to charge. This was on a Thursday afternoon.
Then my husband took the car in to Richie’s (based on his boss’s good recommendation) on Monday. By Tuesday we had the car back, and of the $ 1635 worth of repairs that Boston Volvo Village was going to squeeze out of us, Richie’s charged us $ 650. (Half of the recommended repairs turned out to be unnecessary.)
BTW, the dealership was only going to replace the back brake pads and rotors for $ 560; at Richie’s, they did all four for $ 210 parts and 2 hrs labor ($ 70 an hr) so $ 350 for all 4 brakes and rotors, not $ 560 for just the back 2.
We definitely consider this an honest mechanic, and I’ll have to write another zero-​star review for Boston Volvo Village next! But Richie’s makes the grade: A+/

I don’t agree with Erin’s review of Rich’s. Granted, I’ve only been for oil changes, state emissions checks, and have a side mirror replaced on my car, but they are always quick, reliable, and extremely friendly. They always remember me even though I only go once or twice a year. When I called regarding my side view mirror, they called me back within an hour with an estimate.
Doesn’t hurt that it’s within walking distance from a Dunkin Donuts, so if you need to wait, there’s a place that doesn’t reek of «car» two minutes away.

Avoid this mechanic. While it may seem that they know what they are doing, they are not reliable. Once you drop your car off, you will need to call THEM to get an update on its progress. You also cannot count on them to provide details on your car when you call.
I left my car with them on a Saturday and called 3 times to get an update on its status only to be told to call back. I never received a call back and the car was locked in their garage overnight and over a Sunday. I didn’t know where my car was and missed my brother’s birthday because I was car-​less. I came in on Monday only to find that they didn’t do any work to it and had no justifiable reason to lock it indoors over the weekend.
The owner claims that he bends over backwards for his customers, but if you’re not one of his buddies, I wouldn’t count on preferrential treatment. He also blames his «guys» for the lack of communication and the shortcomings of his company.
Avoid this mechanic if you are looking for reliability.